the list

[Dave Wilton]

> > questions prompt members to
> > post their most recent findings. Some, like Fred Shapiro
> > and Barry Popik,
> > dutifully send in regular updates on their research, but
> > many others only do so when prompted with a question.
>
> Most of the etymology I have perpetrated has been in
> mathematics and the physical sciences.  Should I have
> posted my findings on "acetous acid"?

I was not suggesting that members should feel obligated to post details of
data they have collected. In many (probably most) cases it wouldn't be
appropriate to do so. I was just making the point that questions posed by
"non-professionals" and the associated responses have made the ADS-L archive
a rich source of information on our language. Curtailing the questions would
also curtail the responses and cause the archive to be less valuable. That's
all I was trying to say--pointing out a potential unintended consequence.