ADMIN: We'd Like to Pick Your Brains About TBAY

[davewitley]

Abigail wrote:
> members of the list
> admin have been putting together a TBAY primer, which will answer
> new members' questions about the format.
>  
> Trouble is, we're not entirely certain what those questions are.
>  
> We can guess some of them, and no doubt we can thing of a few that
> a person with no familiarity with TBAY might never think to ask, 
but
> there are surely questions that we would never consider. Which is 
why
> it's great that we have you to do our work for us. :-)

I realise I committed the cardinal sin of not answering the exam 
question.  I don't know if I'm qualified to sit, as I'm not a 'newer 
member', at least, not newer than TBAY.  I'll answer them anyway, 
and the examiners can always throw my paper in the bin.

> 1. We'd like to know how you perceive TBAY. How would you describe
> TBAY messages?

Messages in which the poster role plays, and introduces persons or 
objects to represent theories or aspects of theories.

 What do you feel is the most important aspect of a TBAY
> message?

I'm not sure I'm qualified to answer this.  I thought it was the 
role play element, but Eileen's comments (as well as off-lists with 
Elkins several months back) make plain that there is more going on 
in these posts than I can see.  (I used to worry that when, say, 
people attacked each other in these posts, they possibly really were 
expressing anger and a desire to attack.)

> What does the term 'TBAY theory' mean to you? 

To be honest, it means to me that the speaker has the wrong end of 
the stick.  Theories are just theories.  TBAY is how they are 
expressed.  The theory known as MAGIC DISHWASHER was originally 
expressed in a straight essay by Pip entitled 'The Spying Game'.

What, if any, is
> the difference between a TBAY theory and a regular HPfGU theory?

None; see above. 
>  
> 2. Do you read TBAY messages?

Yes.  I read them very rarely, but no more so, I think than other 
main list posts.

 Have you ever posted a TBAY message? If
> you have, what prompted you to do so?

Taking these two together.  Yes.  I wanted to give it a try, just 
as, one day, I hope to manage to write a filk.  Again, bearing in 
mind Eileen's comments, it may not really have been a good example, 
as what appeared to be fluff probably was fluff.

 Have you ever wanted to respond
> to a TBAY thread but chose not to because of the format?

No.  To be precise, I have always been happy to respond regardless 
of format.  I do have the advantage, however, of having been around 
when TBAY posting started and so knowing that it was an organic part 
of the list.

 What about the
> TBAY format made you reluctant to post?

Not applicable.
>  
> 3. How accessible do you find the TBAY format?

I do find it takes longer to understand a TBAY post than 
a 'straight' post of equal length.  I find the role play aspect 
quite accessible; I find the need to refer to HA to remind myself of 
what is being discussed does slow me down.

As I implied in a previous post I find it hard to keep straight in 
my mind a complex speculation, and the feeling that I'm not fully in 
control of the mental furniture, so to speak, creates unease and 
discomfort in me.

The issue of time to understand is an important one for me as, 
realistically, I can keep up roughly with OT-Chatter plus one other 
list of equivalent volume.  I dislike joining in on anything unless 
I have read everything of relevance (I do do it though).  Like 
Shaun, I spend a fair bit of time waiting for pages to load (I don't 
like digests or expanded webview because I lose the identity of the 
posters).

 Do you find discussions
> of older theories (such as MAGIC DISHWASHER) on TBAY more or less
> accessible then discussions of older theories in regular posts 
(such as
> Evil!Lupin)?

I think they're about equal for me.

 Do Hypothetic Alley (home of several major TBAY theories)
> and Fantastic Posts help to make TBAY posts more accessible?

HA: very much so.  I haven't tried using the other FPs to understand 
current posts.

 What can
> veteran TBAY-ers do to make newbies feel more welcome?

Why, that's simple!  Just write offlist to all the people who felt 
alienated and so never replied!  Just as you would with any other 
post <eg>.

> 4. What do you find confusing about TBAY?

George, because it is the name of a canon character.  Acronyms that 
bear little relation to the theory thus 'nymed.

 What would you like to know
> before posting?

I'm probably disqualified by list-age from answering this one, but 
like a number of others I'm reluctant to put words into another 
poster's mouth.  I also feel very nervous of the etiquette of the 
more colourful behaviour - I could never have written a scene like 
the one Elkins wrote in the Neville symposium where she smashed a 
desk because I would be frightened that it would seem offensive to 
others, though that scene was not offensive to me.

> What would make you more likely to post in a TBAY style?

For my employer to free me of all responsibility to do any work, 
while continually allowing me broadband net access.  There's a 
serious point there: that if I had lots of time to devote to HPFGU, 
I would probably find myself swimming much more in the bay.  As it 
is, I have much more in common with those who want to jump on to the 
list, hoover up as much info as possible in as little time as 
possible, and jump off again.

I doubt if there's anything the list administration can do to change 
this likelihood, though.

David