too much deviance...

[anna balint]

2003.06.07. 17:29:10, <hub at x-arn.org> wrote:

>hello,
>
>is it a french mailing-list ?
>
>> Mon Français s'améliorera.
>
>
>best,
>HUB/ARN
>

Dear Subscriber,

Syndicate is a list mainly English, but postings
in other European languages are also possible,
not just French, German, but all the other languages,
even if we are able sometimes to abstract only
a small part of the information.
We also like code-language, ASCII-art, those many mails
that explore scripts, software-like commands,
or develop an individual language.


In the last two years the list suceeded to regulate itself
without moderation. Despite so much chaos, we are all very 
much against moderation! 
We also gave up attempts to regulate NN since longtime...
not that for instance me, i would agree with anything she
writes, but i got convinced that it would be useless.


However, in order to try to balance the noise-content proportion 
maybe it is not useless to remind about the list's goal, 
that should be reflected to a *certain degree* in the list's 
information policy as well.

- Syndicate is meant to circulate announcements related
to new media art, new media culture, but we also expect 
any information from parts of Europe where media arts are 
still a marginal, emerging art form 
- the list is meant to spread media criticism. We keep in 
mind that specially in East Europe, where much of the 
audience resides, commercial culture, and also wild 
media capitalism gains much faster ground than media criticism 
and visual culture. It is not widely known perhaps, 
that all alternative information is very valuable in East European 
countries, for instance in Russia, where journalists get 
killed for political reasons in presently as well.  
- because syndicate is a non-mainstream, alternative channel 
of information, also reflections, reports about social or 
political situation are also welcome on the list, 
specially in these times, where the most alarming informations 
come from the United States, and not only. East Europeans are 
the people who know exactly what a totalitarian country means, 
and they could share their experiences and sensitivity about 
total control, just as Ivo Skoric does when he crosspossts 
to syndicate his mails sent to Thomas Keenan, one of the most 
appreciated media experts involved in the Balkan war
as well. But also ironic political comments based on the critical
methods of the alternative culture, such as Marc Garret's texts
are welcome.
- syndicate is meant to circulate and spread net art, or whatever
is left of that once avant-garde art form, that explores and experiences 
with the internet as a medium, here including also spam art, errors,
wrong interfaces as well (these simulations of the bad quality for 
instance look so funny in East Europe where people bear the invasion
of *real* bad quality) 
- we encourage any critical reflection about net art and new media
art in general, here including reports about events, festivals,
or analyses about individual artists, works or a just a phenomena
of the net
- since the whole history of net art till present flourished
and  still goes on practically without serious attempts to connect 
net art to the other art forms, these kind of analyses are more
than welcome also

for futher information look up the list info file, at 
http://anart.no/sympa/arc/syndicate

But the list is not about 'my-life-as-a-series-of-opening',
my social or sexual life, documented in press-cuts, specially 
if it is not a terribly interesting opening, and it is not 
about one line replies, private comments that could be sent 
off-list, nor about 'i have the idea to write about my neighbour'.
The list does not stand for the epigons of Netochka Nezvanova, 
or those of Frederic Madre, who unfortunately do not all excell 
in the content-level of their postings.

When coming up with redundant, trashy or self-centered information,  
or you just pursue someone with your anger or your admiration, 
consider please also the price of connectivity and download 
of the mails, that can be very high in East Europe.
Give a thought also to the fact that i am willing
to keep the syndicate archives safe, so that your grand-children
might also have the chance to see for instance the way you took 
a picture about a drunk girl and made the picture available on 
the net.

It worths maybe to appriciate also that so much noise could make 
ultimately impossible meaningful exchange and interaction. Think 
also to the subscribers who don't have the option of a moderated
version of the list, neither we can offer presently a software 
that would insulate these mails, and would keep these mails visible 
at the same time for the sake of the complete information.

If you need terribly to post your diary or real-time memoires
on the syndicate list, please at least consider compressing your
daily data in one mail, or better send a one month's dose in 
one mail, or put it on the web, and send the link once in a while.
In some cases once in a year would be also be enough.
I don't mean this *once in a months* for the net.poetry, 
specially if it comes together with a critical presentation. 
For the delicate delimitation of net art and non-art, we are lucky
enough to have here one of the best net critics on the scene...
Frederic, I trust you.
Once we agreed also that mails reflecting one's emotional life,
are marked in the subject with [ot], we could introduce this
distinction again.

It is very rare that we get any feedback about the list itself,
we do not receive not even objections. It would be useful sometimes 
that you, Subsriber, voice your opinion. Floods of superfluous 
informations occur also when passivity dominates. Say, if you
disagree with me, or just if you have any suggestion about 
administration. 
If the quality of the list, the discussion goes under a decent level
I might also think - on the 'we are equal' basis - about a 'temporary 
moderation' art project, just as some of you think that 'many mail' 
is art.

greetings,
Anna Balint