I think part of the problem may be that some posts, like Kristin's car, don't fit neatly into one category or the other. Most of the time, I think I know where to post and do so appropriately, but every now and then I'm not sure and just take a stab at it.

I parsed Fred Pete's post as (personal * ads) + (announcements) not personal * (ads + announcements)

Even so, "ads", as I understand them, should go into Press.

t edit But I agree with Libkitty, that Kristin's post was a little of both, so it made sense for her to pick one thread to place the entire announcement.

I read em both. I don't notice if others don't see the distinction exactly the same as I do. Combined or not doesn't matter to me.

If I am going on vacation to South Bend and would like some travel~ma I'd put it in Beep Me. If I'm going to South Bend to attend a All Hail Buffy weekend I might put it in Press.

The way I think of it is that if the announcement only involves/affects me, it goes into Beep Me. If it involves/affects other people, then it's Press. i.e. if I get a new job or have a kid or move, that's Beep Me. If there's a screening or something cool for sale, then it's Press.

I see "news" as the headlines that will interest everyone, even if the event didn't happen to any particular Buffista. Maybe "announcements" is better than "personal ads" -- the equivalent of the newspaper's marriages, births, obituaries sections.

So, just to give an example, "Big-Name Author to Appear at Big-Name Con" would be Press. "Buffista Marries Big-Name Author" would be Beep Me.

There's certain room for overlap (for example, "Buffista Becomes Big-Name Author"), but it works for me as a general rule.

I guess my feeling is that there is low posting volume in these threads and some level of confusion over what goes where. Since this is the case, why not just combine them into one announcement thread. As it is it seems that most people just read both threads anyway, so it seems to make sense to make it one stop for all announcements.

As it is it seems that most people just read both threads anyway

Most people haven't even chimed in with anything, much less saying how they read the threads.

I assume Beep Me is for any personal news, and Press is anything that's of interest to Buffistas at large. Pretty much the way FredPete described it. I read both, but if I'm rushed, I'm more likely to read Beep Me first.

Maybe we should ask the question in Press? Or is it Beep Me?

t /runs and hides

(wandering in after seeing number of new posts)

Huh. I always assume Beep Me is personal news, and Press is News of the World (in this instance, this particular world).

Have I been inverting that, or misusing it? If so, apologies.