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[Dave Wilton]

> If people would be interested in having a mailing list for posting
> antedatings I could probably get one setup without much difficulty,
> without having to resort to relying on a commercial service
> like Yahoo.

The value of messages with antedatings is in the archive. Unless the
alternative listserv has a reliable, searchable, and permanent archive (like
ADS-L does), emails of antedatings are next to useless. The key is that they
are available when one happens to be looking for the origin of a particular
term. Yahoo and most other listservs do not provide this; the messages are
ephemeral.

And frankly, I don't see the problem. Barry's posts are easy enough to
ignore and any listserv will have posts that certain members couldn't care
less about. If a listserv matched your interests 100%, then you would be the
only one posting to it. There is such a thing as being too specialized.
Celebrate diversity.

Besides last time I checked, ADS is "dedicated to the study of the English
language in North America, and of other languages, or dialects of other
languages, influencing it or influenced by it." It is not limited to
"phonological, grammatical, and stylistic/registral variation." ADS-L should
be open to posts on any subject pertaining to the ADS charter.