"Question and answer" threads have been generating a lot of spam on the
list lately. While we recognize the need for authors to be able to obtain
needed information, please remember that questions may  -- and in most
cases should -- be answered by private mail. This is especially important
for certain types of questions:

- Anime/manga series trivia. The poser of the question might need to know
Dr. Tofu's shoe size for a fic he or she is writing, but chances are
everyone else doesn't. And those who do can write to the original poster
and say, "You know, I've always wanted to know that. If you find out,
would you forward the answer to me please?"

- Things that are extremely off-topic. "What are the dietary requirements
of a Burmese yak?" Same reason.

- Questions that are already answered in the FAQ. The vast majority of us
already know what a lemon is, or what "WAFF" stands for. You might gently
(or not so gently) remind the questioner to read the FAQ before posting
again.

- Surveys. Stuff that everyone is likely to have his or her own answer to,
and can thus generate a huge amount of traffic. "What programs do each of
you use for word processing?" Note that it's legitimate for a surveyer to
post a summary of responses to the list afterwards.

If you feel a question absolutely *must* be answered on the list, then at
least check before you post to see that someone else hasn't already
answered it. Spam is bad enough; repeated spam is worse.

-Tybalt