question for JKR, subject lines/posts, matriculation

[Simon J. Branford]

No: HPFGUIDX 3673

Penny wrote: "Does anyone want to give me some thoughts on 2 other questions
for these other interviews?"
Dee Replied: "What about the wand issue, with Lily and James apparently
switched, Penny, or the "gleam" ? (Sees the shudder, lol!)"

We have to be very careful as to what question we ask. It would be better to
ask a lesser question that we are quite sure will get an actual answer,
rather than asking a harder question which gets deflect with 'you will have
to wait and see'.


Neil wrote: "Personally, I'm not so keen on the combining of topics in one
post, but we did agree to do that because of the sheer volume of posting. It
makes scanning for the FAQs more difficult if, for example, an interesting
comment on Snape is buried in a post labelled "Re: Re: My back yard (OT)""

This is again a case where the subject line is not being updated correctly.
I know what you mean though, it takes ages to go through the message.

Neil wrote: "When replying to someone else, it's worth naming the person who
made the original comments and indicating what they were saying"

It is good manners to acknowledge whom you are quoting. Also this will help
avoids situation where one person quotes another and then gets shot down for
the bit they were quoting because someone else thinks that they were the
ones who wrote it.


Dee wrote: "Please, won't someone explain what this [matriculation]
means????"

Matriculation is the ceremony that formalises someone's entry to The
University of Oxford. I guess that it is used elsewhere as well. It involves
getting dressed up in sub fusc (find out for yourselves - I have mentioned
it before) and then going to The Sheldonian (large concert hall) and getting
spoken too in Latin by the Vice-Chancellor of the University. The Chancellor
/ Vice-Chancellor thing almost follows Lori's PoU - we know who the
Chancellor is but they only turn up for one ceremony a year (Encaenia - The
annual Commemoration of founders and benefactors at Oxford University, held
in June.)
Hope that clears up that little mystery.


Simon (more comments and replies later - off to bake a cake)