MoJoBaKa <mojobaka@bellsouth.net> wrote:

   Aren't they taking that away themselves if they send it? By sending it, you lose
the right to decide what happens to it, and it is likely to evoke a response, be it
private or public.

Not according to standard nettiquette.

Suppose you posted a fic, and I sent you a reply saying, "Great job!
Sure is a lot better than that crap XXXXX writes!" I send things like
this privately for a reason. I'd be pretty upset with you if you replied
to the list where XXXXX and everyone else could see it. (Not that I'm
opposed to the XXXXXs of the world knowing what I think of their fics --
but I'd want to tell them *why* I thought so in a way that was
informative rather than insulting.)

And so on. I might send C&C that contains jokes that I know the
recipient will be okay with, but would spark a holy war if the fans of
the character in question saw them. Or maybe it's just a spam topic that
I don't think should be discussed on the list. In any case, ALWAYS get
permission before you quote someone's private mail in a public forum.
It's the safe and courteous thing to do.

In most cases, I myself like it when people settle their matters
privately, but in cases such as these, public can be helpful (letting people know
that posting "top ten" list may be a no-no). I just feel this is more of a personal
matter than a problem.

You can still address the topic in someone's private message on the
list. Just don't quote the message, and don't say who sent it. "Someone
told me that top ten lists were banned. Anyone know whether that's
true?" This kind of thing, of course, can be sent to the moderators
directly instead of the list. Even better, check with them BEFORE
starting a spam thread.


Gary Kleppe
http://www.execpc.com/~kleppe/comics.html