What do I get from the newsgroup? A "sense of the room," primarily,
I suppose. And knowing that someone's looking over your shoulder, and
that this person is *right in your face*, and you can't avoid it, and you
will havae to answer hard questions if you screw up, tends to keep you
honest. One can hide behind isolation. One of the problems in TV is that
if you get to a position high enough, lots of people around you start
saying everything's just wonderful, you get "yes-men" and nobody tells you
the truth anymore. I don't think I have that problem here. If anything,
it's just the opposite; because I expect criticism...or, more accurately,
because people *expect* that I expect criticism, that critiques are
expected of them, there's MORE of it than on the systems where I lurk and
my presence isn't generally known.

Beyond that...I've always felt that SF fans, particular SF media
fans, are the most exploited group of viewers around. They're expected to
watch the show, pony up the dough for merchandise, then shut up and be
good little viewers. It's very difficult at times -- emotionally, and in
terms of time and energy -- to stick around (there are currently 1,154
messages in my GEnie internet mailbox), but I think that it's important
to keep with it. Because it's a way of showing respect to the viewer, to
be open and accountable and responsive. Sometimes I get cranky, but I'm
human, and that'll happen from time to time. Usually I avoid that.

It just seems the courteous and proper thing to do. Does that make
ANY kind of sense to anybody...?

jms