Re: RARA-AVIS: On posting fiction here...

William Denton (buff@vex.net)
Tue, 21 Jul 1998 12:31:58 -0400 (EDT) On Tue, 21 Jul 1998 Takhoman@aol.com wrote:

: It's amazing that a web list who claims to be fans of hard-boiled
: fiction would rather worry about what can and can't be posted rather
: than taking a look at a preview of the latest best seller.

Whatever. I've never heard of you, you didn't identify the author or
anything else, and for all I know this will be a best-seller in
Podunk, Saskatchewan, and a flop everywhere else.

I'm not sorry we failed your test of open-mindedness. You have failed
our test of proper list behaviour.

There can be good reasons for a list to decide what kinds of messages
are appropriate. It can be dull, and it's best to get it over with
quickly, but it's often good for people to see some public discussion.
In this matter, I've seen one person who didn't mind if fiction was
posted, and a half-dozen who are opposed. I can think of no good
arguments in favour of posting fiction. Therefore, posting of fiction
will not be allowed. I'll add this to the welcome message of the
list. (It will join the binaries and flames on the forbidden list.)

If anyone does have fiction they'd like to make available - especially
on-line excerpts from new books - then I don't think anyone would mind
a short message with a pointer to the excerpt. Just don't post the
piece itself.

Now, I hope we can get back to regular discussions about how many
hardboiled women writers there really are, if Ross Macdonald is
talented, and other questions that cause arguments in our little
world.

Bill, who's on Block's _The Sins of the Fathers_ right now

-- 
William Denton | Toronto, Canada | http://www.vex.net/~buff/ | Caveat lector.
            "Let's keep the party polite."

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