If Donkey Kong in Long Island voices an opinion at Amazon that is going to be considered as a determining factor in whether or not my next book is bought right along with PW or Booklist or whatever, then I'd like he/she to take some responsibility for the effect they're having.

Could you clarify what you mean by "take some responsibility"? I think that last time this came up, I realized afterwards that I was probably interpreting that phrase differently than you were.

Could you clarify what you mean by "take some responsibility"?

Think before they post, essentially, and after they do, cop to the fact that they're having effects elsewhere than just among a few people.

I don't value their review or take or praise or crit any less than I do the guy at PW or Booklist or Kirkus; difference is, the so-called professonals know that what they're doing is influencing, not so much other potential commercial readers, as bookstore chain buyers, libraries, etc. The average reader doesn't subscribe to Publishers Weekly, and PW knows it.

All I'm saying is, the power to have one's voice widely heard or widely read comes with some responsibility for the effect of one's statement. I'd like to see more people who write reviews at Amazon at least cop to that, or admit they're aware of it.

cop to the fact that they're having effects elsewhere than just among a few people.

I guess I don't get how this would happen. I mean, anyone might or not be aware of the effects their review was having; how would this awareness be demonstrated? How would their behavior change so that you'd know they were copping to that fact?

t edit: "copping to that fact"? Somehow, "copping" just seems wrong. Or perhaps I need a nap. Last night, I was at the department until 2 AM studying; I finally decided it was time to go home when I wrote the sentence, "We can see that M is loopless," then spent five minutes giggling over the word "loopless."

I guess I don't get how this would happen

Mass transmogrification, or something? Or they could just think about it for a minute or three before they hit the post button? Seriously, no idea. I do tend to think about numbers affected by a letter or public speech of mine, so I always assume everyone else will, as well. I don't know if part of my own thing is that I've been doing it so long, or if part of it is a history of activism (in the days when you couldn't be anonymous, pre-WWW), or whether it's just my own lack of anonymity, meaning that anyone who wants to read what I have to say can google me and call me on it.

So, no clue. It's really just a wistful wish on my part, not a demand or a rant or even a suggestion. More a kind of "You know what I'd really like...?" moment.

edit: "We can see that M is loopless" - loopless? You know, if I thought for a moment that was anything other than a math thing, I'd be dancing with delight. What a perfect phrase.

more edit: I have got to stop typing "raelly". I keep hearing Katharine Hepburn in my head, talking about callalillies being in bloom again.

Deb! I haven't posted with you in *ages.* You on IM?

Hi babe! Hang on a tic.

edit: I am now.

Or they could just think about it for a minute or three before they hit the post button? Seriously, no idea. I do tend to think about numbers affected by a letter or public speech of mine, so I always assume everyone else will, as well.

So you're just saying you'd like them to be thinking something in particular, not doing something in particular? How do you know they're not already? (Well, aside from the "THIS BOOK SUX" people.)

(Well, aside from the "THIS BOOK SUX" people.)

(giggling)

Mostly from conversations with people I know who do post reviews regularly. There's been a long-term perception that the only people who read the things are other readers, rather than buyers - and that's where the responsibility ends. I just don't happen to agree, is all.

No big.

"We can see that M is loopless" - loopless? You know, if I thought for a moment that was anything other than a math thing, I'd be dancing with delight. What a perfect phrase.

Yes. The friend I was studying with started giving me strange looks when I started saying "loopless" every time I wrote the word. (As for what it means, pretty much, first, draw a bunch of dots of a piece of paper. Then draw lines connecting them -- you can either start at one dot and end at another, or you can pick a dot, start there, draw a circly thing, and end up back where you started without touching any other dots. You don't have to connect all of them -- you don't even have to draw any lines; you can just leave it as the dots. You now have a graph. If there aren't any of the second kind of line, you have a loopless graph.) t /mathiness

I had no idea that was serious at all. None. And I read all the time.