advertising?

[Israel Stein]

On Thu, 8 Jun 1995, Stephen Birkett wrote:

> The subject of `advertising' often comes up on these listservs. While
> it is difficult to clearly define what `advertising' is,

Which is why it is a good idea not to allow any.

) it seems to
> me that it isn't difficult to identify *commercial* advertising and
> this is always considered inappropriate. On the other hand the
> posting on `pianos for sale' seems to me to be more like putting a
> note on a bulletin board at the office or similar...

And if Irv Jacoby, for example, got somebody to put up a list of his next
truckload, in the guise of note on a bulletin board...

) in moderationnot
> obtrusive and possibly informative or useful to the receiver.

And hopw would you modify moderation? Or obtrusiveness? It's a slippery
slope, you see.

) A
> clearly identified classified ad can easily be deleted unread. One
> occasionally sees instruments for sale on the music lists. My 0.02.
>

Yes. I've thought about the Harpsichords for sale announcements on the
Harpsichord list. Since one cannot go to harpsichord dealer and buy a
harpsichord - one usually must either order one or buy one from a present
owner - the announcement of one being available is actually a valuable
bit of information to the early keyboard community. So is the
availability of a unique instrument from an owner/musician.

A piano technician, with seven old urights, however, is for all intents
and purposes a dealer. He collected those things in order to resell them,
didn't he? Now he is trying to unload them - it is a business
transaction, pure and simple. Especially with details, prices and a
shouted subject line.

This is a mailing list. Which means that whatever gets posted here goes
directly into peoples' e-mail boxes. Some subscribers pay by the message.
Or by volume. Others have very limited disk space. It is simply unfair to
shove advertising into their mailboxes.

Israel Stein