On Sun, 23 Jun 1996, Harold Ancell wrote:

I'd like to repeat my suggestion that the list split into two lists:

A social list for the "spam" (it won't be spam on this list, although
some dicipline will still be required).

And a Fanfic C&C list.  This list could possibly feed into the social
list (I've always felt some "spam" was a good idea, since the line
between spam and brainstorming can rather thin), but that will require
some sort of (perhaps case by case) blocking technology so that too
much spam from the social list doesn't spill over into the C&C list.

I'll second this, definitely - the low signal-to-noise ratio here 
sometimes gets to me.  I like the fanfics, the commentary, the 
discussions of various aspects of fanfictions in general (the overpowered 
self-insertion discussion going on now, for instance), and so on.  I 
don't like, though, having my mailbox filled with what sometimes seems 
like the bantering back and forth of a half-dozen or so individuals, 
which is occasionally amusing (and doubtless perpetually amusing to the 
participants), but which forces those of us not interested to slog 
through huge amounts of it to pick up the occasional bit of actual C&C.  
Having separate lists for this sort of thing might even encourage those 
of us who don't post as much to offer more C&C, or even fanfics of our 
own (I'm working on a Kodachi fanfic and my Bishoujo Senshi Sailor Comet 
Kohoutek series, but they're coming slowly).

Maybe the fanfic mailing list could be moderated, such that a few times a 
day (as is convenient and as the backlog allows), White Wolf, or whoever 
moderates it, picks through the messages sent to the list, separates them 
into fanfic-appropriate and spam-appropriate, and distributes them to the 
appropriate list?  The spam list would be unmoderated, of course, to let 
people retain the spontaniety and quick responses that seem so vital to 
it.  Just a suggestion.

--
Scott Johnson |
zagyg@io.com  |            This space intentionally left blank.