Just wondering (not a trick question!) if there are government agencies involved with the administration of this site, in particular the forum?

Or, is it purely a private individual(s) running the show? Is money exchanged? Emails? Suggestions from "higher authorities"?

It's difficult to get a handle on this place, that's all!

Nope

yup
Probably not in the sense you're thinking, the Google Ads bring in revenue to help offset the cost of hosting it, but there's no funding (AFAIK)
Like the money, no emails "controlling" how things are done, just communications between members.
Heh, I suddenly had a picture of a "Higher Authority" suggesting things and about laughed out loud (not a good thing to do at work) at the mental image of a non-stop lightning barrage. But no, no government lackeys control this place.

We’re just a large web-based community that enjoy talking about various items, ideally astronomy related. There’s no government or corporate control, just two guys who decided to merge their message boards. (Fraser of Universe Today and Phil of Bad Astronomy.) Some of those participating might work for the government, but in no way related to the running of this site.

Welcome!

(Others will be by to expound more eloquently about this place.)

Edited to typo a correct and add forgotten words.

Thanks for the clear-cut answer!

I couldn't have answered it better myself.

__________________
Fraser Cain
Publisher
Universe Today - Free space news delivered by email every weekday.

Just to be clear: I am not employed, nor have I ever been, nor do I plan to be, by the government of this or any country. I have grants from NASA, which come through my University, but this doesn't make me beholden to them, and in fact on my blog I've been pretty critical of NASA lately.

In other words, I speak for me.

__________________
Phil Plait
The Bad Astronomer
http://www.badastronomy.com
badastro@badastronomy.com

One other thing to add: Fraser is in Canada, The Bad Astronomer in the USofA (and BAUT members are from all over the world! )

And I'm not employed by the Canadian goverment or the Canadian Space Agency.

__________________
Fraser Cain
Publisher
Universe Today - Free space news delivered by email every weekday.

Sure you weren't "baut"?

No, Fraser is employed by ME!

LOL MadConFlux

__________________
Damien,
International Baccalaureate Physics teacher
Spectroradiometry Instrumentation Major
Admin: Pacific Science and Art

funtastic damien, rest is fine, "M'conflux."

sunil

Thanks DamienPaul, well then I'll only take orders from you then. I appreciate knowing where I stand amongst this anarchic forum. Please feel free to interrupt anything I may say that is "contradictory" to... to.. well, I'm not sure "to" what? I'm just trying to ask honest questions here!

Onya pal!

(PS: Where do you think the H2O from Encephalus comes from?)

One thing that may disappoint, it's far from anarchy.