Vladimir Nabokov

NABOKV-L post 0014148, Wed, 22 Nov 2006 10:42:33 -0500

Subject
EdSwitch; posting guidelines
From
Date
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Greetings Nabokov-L Subscribers!

I'll be in and out between now and Friday morning; if things don't get
forwarded this evening or tomorrow--don't despair! I hope to have at
least a couple of computer sessions on Friday; by Saturday afternoon
everything should be back to normal.

Susan Elizabeth Sweeney and I have been considering the suggestions
about limiting postings. Although we did not manage to craft an
official policy yet, let me summarize where our thoughts are heading at
this point:

1. All further discussion of limits should take place off list!
2. Contributors should always await appearance of their preceding post
before submitting another one.
3. When possible, contributors should refrain from sending a series of
posts that could be combined. Try to respond to a few posts in a single
message, if it makes sense to do so. This makes the editors' life much
easier.
4. Subscribers should be aware that sometimes discussion flow will be
heavy. This is a good thing. All are encouraged to use filters to
manage their incoming mail--that way, Nabokv-L messages can wait for you
in a separate folder, so that they do not distract your attention while
you're checking your "inbox". We will be glad to provide technical
suggestions.
5. There are no limits on length. Images, if included, should be highly
compressed to save disk space and download time.
6. Subscribers are strongly encouraged to engage, or request, the
"nomail" or "digest" format if this will suit their mail and time
management needs better.
7. Please be aware that the editors will not always be able to crank the
list's response speed to match the enthusiasm of all participants. This
may be a good natural brake on the volume of messages. Speed of
communication has not been, and probably should not be, one of the goals
of this forum. With that in mind, please always be patient when
messages do not appear quickly. The list is one of many
responsibilities we hold, and its alotted time is limited.

We will continue to do our best to maintain a collegial tone on the
list. One participant whom I had squelched several months ago reminded
me that Nabokov himself would not have approved of such limits to
expression. That may be true in general, and represents a crucial
principle in any free society. Our forum, however, is a sub-set of all
discourse, one in which we all agree to a specific set of rules. These
rules reflect the standards of professional scholarly exchange, and we
feel they enable the maximum flow of open, fact-based discussion. Thank
you for your continued understanding (and as far as I can tell, support)
of our occasional need to intervene.

We welcome any comments on these guidelines off-list.

I wish all US citizens and sympathizers among you a very happy and safe
Thanksgiving!

Stephen Blackwell
Co-editor, Nabokv-L

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