An unusual remark

Making Light: The "agency model" as I understand it.

I know I'm late to the party, but I wanted to give a chronic lurker's point of view. I liked the article. I found it well-written and informative. I was even going to post a comment (unusual for me), but before I did, I read through the comments to make sure my opinion hadn't already been stated. Now I'm afraid to say anything about the article. I enjoyed reading Ben's theories on a brave new publishing model. Sure, I don't know if they would work, and I don't agree with everything he said, but so what? It was a different point of view and it made me think. I like that. Then EVERYONE attacked him. His credentials, his experience, his ability to express himself, and even his motivations for posting were brought into question. Basically, what I got from the slams directed at him are these points: - If you are not a member of the publishing community, you shouldn't post a different point of view. - Pie-in-the-sky theories are not allowed, no matter how much fun it is to imagine them. - You have to be an expert on a subject before stating your opinion. - You have to be willing to quit your job, prove your theory, and come back with documentation. - Teresa Nielsen Hayden is not a very nice person. Throughout it all, he was consistently polite and self-deprecating. What you all made fun of as a "flounce" out of the conversation I saw as frustration at being treated like a piece of dirt. This is why I'm a chronic lurker.