Hmm... maybe I'm showing my own guilty conscience by assuming that I'm one
of that crowd, but I don't *think* I was screaming, although I did say
something to that general effect. On the other hand, as Mr. Freeman pointed
out, I didn't really answer the question, either, when I said it...
>3. Commercial publishing (and, more generally, the market) is parasitic on
> the work of creative altruists, and contributes no value of its own.
>
> I'd be surprised if anyone held this as an explicit assumption, but it
>seems to me that only some such belief can be implied by the contemptuous
>dismissal as "parasites" of anyone who profits from a FAQ for which the
>author has renounced profit-making intentions.
I don't believe that commercial publishing is inherently parasitic,
although I'm afraid I may have given the impression that I do. I *do*
believe that there are some publishers who see a 'growth industry' in
publishing books about the Internet and are looking to make maximum profit
from minimal effort; that includes minimal effort in production standards.
If someone who was working for a known, respected publisher approached me
and asked to run my FAQ, upon reflection, I probably would grant
permission. All I want is that I be *asked* first.
Would I ask for a royalty? As I said, probably. Not a large one -- my FAQs
aren't _War and Peace_, and they haven't taken me THAT much time to
compile. But I would ask for something. If the royalty was refused, I still
might say yes, but it would be a careful decision.
Having majored in communication, with weight on published media, I'm well
aware of the risks involved in publishing, and that there CAN be value
added simply in taking a flat-ascii file and rendering WELL in typeset. My
concern was and remains that my work might one day be used, without my
permission or knowledge, in something NOT well produced.
And, above all, I want the courtesy of being asked first. That's not such a
bad thing, is it? :-)
Mikey
-- Michael Scott Shappe CIT Collaboration Systems PEM/RIPEM public key available upon request.
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