Electronic publications...

[Galen of Bristol]

Galen of Bristol here!

Pug Bainter wrote:
> 
> Good Morning,
> 
>   I recently recieved my new Kingdom of Ansteorra Chronicler's Handbook
>   and am quite concerned about one thing in it. I'm wondering if this is
>   standard in the other Kingdoms, and if someone has taken into account
>   mailing lists and newsgroups for "Electronic Publications." Or if my
>   concerns are totally misplaced. (I know that if I didn't bring it up,
>   it probably would have never been an issue at all.)

Reading these rules will give you heartburn so fast...  I think you
should've ignored them until someone pointed out you weren't conforming.
 
>   Under Kingdom of Ansteorra Electronic Publications section, it states:
> 
>     An electronic publication, for the purposes of this handbook, is
>     defined as any publication that is distributed or display by
>     electronic means which holds itself out to be a publication of the
>     Society or its branches. It includes web pages, ftp archives and
>     other electronically stored and displayed information provided
>     through electronic means (computer bulletin boards, the Internet,
>     CompuServe, America Online or similar service) which are sponsored
>     or authorized by a Society branch.

"Sponsored or authorized by..." is the key phrase.  There is no record
of any sponsorship or authorization of the Elfsea website by the SCA or
the Barony of Elfsea, because it didn't happen, and the page carries
a disclaimer to the effect that it's mine, not Elfsea's.

Three Bridges's website, by contrast, is official, as it is sponsored by
the branch and authorized by the Seneschal, and is kept in computer space
set aside by the University for the use of the campus SCA chapter (some of 
which the chapter allows members to use for personal pages).
 
>   Now, aren't SCA mailing lists, not to mention rec.org.sca, just that?

Certainly not.

>   If not, why not? 

What SCA branch sponsored or authorized the Rialto, or austin.org.sca, or
the Ansteorra or other lists?  You have records of such authorization?  If
you got in trouble, and the SCA wanted to disown you, can you prove they
authorized these things?  I doubt it.

(I found the definition of publication to not erase
>   my concerns, since it confused me even more as well as being a bit
>   cyclical.) The key may be simply if one "holds itself out to be a
>   publication of the Society or its branches" or down to the issue of
>   them being "sponsored or authorized by a Socity branch."

You see; you do know the answer.
 
>   Now the part that worries me personally:
> 
>     Oversite, control and responsibility of such electronic publications
>     falls under the authority of the Chronicler's office. Local Branch
>     Chroniclers are responsible for electronic publications produced by
>     their branch. The Kingdom Chronciler has oversight over Kingdom
>     level electronic publication and all other electroci publications
>     below the Kingdom level.

I'm the herald of Elfsea.  I also am newsletter editor for the Arlington
Republican Club.  That does not make the ARC newsletter an SCA publication.
Nor does your situation make the Ansteorra list an SCA publication.
 
>   Being the list administrator for 2 SCA mailing lists, and having created
>   almost a half a dozen more as well as 1 newsgroup, I'm concerned about
>   this "Oversite, control and responsibility" clause. I for one, refuse
>   to moderate, let alone try to control and be responsible for all of
>   those people in the SCA, not to mention those who aren't, on the
>   mailing list or have access to the newsgroups. (Not to mention, who
>   would responsible for the oversite, control and responsiblity for
>   rec.org.sca and other Society wide mailing lists. The Society
>   Chronicler? *wink*)
> 
>   As the Deputy Kingdom Chronciler for Electronic Publications (Virtual
>   Scribe), I do oversee and control a ftp and web site for the Kingdom
>   of Ansteorra. These are very controlable medias. However I don't see
>   mailing lists and newsgroups as being part of these duties at this
>   time, nor do I think they should be nor are they controllable.
> 
>   Something I am less concerned about, but is still an issue, is the
>   statement that the Local Branch Chroniclers be responsible for group
>   web pages. Is that more of a case that the person doing it should
>   be a deputy and know their responsibility or that the Chronicler
>   should be directly responsible for maintaining it? I feel fairly
>   certain that most group web pages are not being maintained by their
>   Chronicler nor a deputy.

The Elfsea page is not an SCA publication.  No one has offered to make it
one.  For that matter, my Ansteorra page, having been authorized by the
previous Kingdom Seneschal, was official.  It would have probably saved
someone a lot of work if I had been invited to bring it under the umbrella
of the Kingdom Chronicler's office.  But then _I'd_ be working harder than
I am now, so it's OK.
 
>   Please let me know what all of you think. This was sent to the SCA
>   Chroncilers list, the Ansteorra list, and the Kingdom of Ansteorra
>   Chronicler. Of course the Kingdom Chronicler has the final say in
>   this, but I would like to see what other people's thoughts are.
> 
>   Btw, sorry if this is a bit rambling and anal. That's the way I am
>   about issues like this.
> 
> In Service,
> 
> --
> Phelim Uhtred Gervas  | "I want to be called. COTTONTIPS. There is something
> Barony of Bryn Gwlad  |  graceful about that lady. A young woman bursting with
> House Flaming Dog     |  vigor. She blinked at the sudden light. She writes
> pug at pug.net           |  beautiful poems. When ever shall we meet again?"

Don't sweat anything your boss doesn't tell you to sweat.  Ansteorra, largely
thanks to you, doesn't have much in the way of Internet-related troubles.

- Galen
-- 
Viscount Galen of Bristol, KSCA, CSM, etc.
Paul Mitchell, pmitchel at flash.net / "noblesse oblige"
http://www.flash.net/~pmitchel/galen.htm