Subject: Re: [FFML] [FFML] raac: A Breakdown in the Process
From: Mark Doherty
Date: 7/23/1997, 8:07 PM
To: fanfic@fanfic.com

At 12:35 PM 23/07/97 -0500, KOUMA   RYODACHI wrote:
Although I would normally be the first person to *discourage* this, I 
suggest that beginning now, all of us whose fanfics aren't being 
posted by RAAC, begin posting our stories to the un-moderated fan 
discussion group, rec.ars.anime.fandom. This will undoubtedly upset 
many people, and may start a few flame wars. But, it will be noticed 
immediately if many fanfiction authors begin posting their stories to 
an unmoderated discussion group. Maybe then, the RAAC moderators will 
understand our frustration, and begin to remedy the situation.

I cannot agree with this. A lot of people connect to RAAF with slow modems,
and if that list is unfairly, incorrectly, against the groups rules, sent
fanfics, then they're not going to be able to handle it. It would not be
right.

Real life intrudes at times, and people can backlog. The first story I sent
to RAAC took a month to get up. My moderator at the time(I was assigned a
new moderator when I changed my email address) sent me an email apologising,
and I understood his problem (well, it was a 360K story). And even if my
story hadn't been so big, others sent to my moderator might have been,
and they do have to read the things to make sure they're acceptable to the
group's rules.

RAAC's head honcho, as others have already mentioned, recently went on vacation.
According to his post, that vacation lasted till the 8th July, but for all I
know it went for longer, and even if it didn't, he would also have a backlog
to work through. 

I know it's frustrating to have sent something and not see it get posted, 
and perhaps an organised protest should be made, but consideration has
to be taken for the people affected. Sending hundreds of K of stories to
a relatively light load group is not going to solve anything, it would
just make the senders look bad.

Please don't send stories to RAAF. I'll sort of suggest what Mike did;
Richard, send a poll/petition to RAAF, to see who has problems with 
a moderator, and send it (and the ones you already have) to Brian with 
some sort of priority tag so that he'll read it sooner rather than later.
At least some(if not all) of the moderators scan RAAF, so it gives
another way of reaching them if they're backlogged in email.

************  
Mark Doherty  -  mdoherty@mailbox.uq.edu.au
My fanfics and the Weekly FFML Synopses Lists are at:
http://www.uq.edu.au/~zzhdoher

"Kawaii must die."