Proposal: An separate antedatings list

[Grant Barrett]

On Nov 1, 2007, at 14:54, RonButters at AOL.COM wrote:
> I sometimes wonder if it wouldn't be better if those who are
> interested to start a separate antedatings list.

I second Ron's thought and would like to make it a proposal.

An antedatings list would greatly reduce the noise here and might
make other messages perceived as off-topic seem more bearable.

The number one complaint I read and hear from subscribers or would-be
subscribers is that there is simply too much mail from antedatings.
According to what I have in my ADS folder, in the last four months
3691 message have been sent to the list, about 922 a month or 30 a day.

Discussion?

I am particularly interested hearing from antedaters, as any new list
would be useless unless they moved their postings from ADS-L to the
new list. I know many of you post them here because you know editors
for the major dictionaries subscribe, so I also want to hear from the
dictionary editors: would you also subscribe to the new list? (I
would, for one.)

(Technical issues are not an issue here--a new, permanent list can be
set up any one of dozens of ways.)

Grant Barrett
Vice President of Communications and Technology
American Dialect Society
http://www.americandialect.org
gbarrett at worldnewyork.org

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