She ummm..sounds annoyed. Sure she'd like to debate miss Snark directly. Amazes me how far some people get talkin shi*

Jenny has a valid point, if her friend feels she's being treated badly she has the right to say so, it will be her consequenses to face. I also believe Miss Snark should say who she is, it's like a mean jr. high girl in the bathroom stall spreading rumors without revealing herself. Not nice.

I hadn't realized Miss Snark was fully anonymous. She talks about places she'll be, and describes herself (ok, allegedly describes herself), and the regular commenters to her blog write as if they are in on something with her. I just thought I'd come late to the party. I've really enjoyed the Snark blog since you introduced it to me through your blog. I'd say I've really enjoyed it, as entertainment... I found it odd that Crusie hadn't noticed the whiff of omnipotent that comes off of quite a few blogs. I haven't noticed that particular scent here in storytelling land - kudos to you and to Crusie I guess, for keeping it real with your readers.

I've visited Miss Snark from time to time but that post really put me off, particularly the commenters who kept saying the publisher was Stuart's "employer." (There was a similar brouhaha on Smart Bitches, but fewer people mouthing that mush.)

At the academic editorial office where I work, most authors are quite sweet, but occasionally we get the Godzillas. I can't imagine what would happen if we said, "we don't like your attitude -- REJECTED!" Um, no. Not in this Universe.

Miss Snark was the one who initiated the inaccurate employee/employer analogy, which really made me wonder if she is an agent at all. And in the real world, where an agent is NOT a principal (i.e. not the employer in said inaccurate analogy), her attitude toward Stuart completely baffled me. As someone who is supposed to be representing authors' interests, she sure sounded pro-publisher to me. I know it's kind of screwy because an agent decides whether to take on a particular author ot not, so it APPEARS as if the agent is doing the hiring, but really it's the other way around. Like real estate listings. There are some contractual situations where the offeror appears to be the offeree, and sometimes people get confused. Perhaps Miss Snark is confused about the relationship between an agent and a principal.

As for the sense of omnipotence in the blogsphere, IMO there is a great deal of difference between a mouthy reader's blog and a mouthy anonymous alleged agent's blog. I tend to be pretty wary of authority figures to begin with, but ANONYMOUS authority figures are a complete oxymoron to my little brain.

Robin -- there you are. I was wondering where you had got to.

I'm getting the strong impression that all blogs must be read with a grain of salt. And maybe I used to do that. I might have to go back into that lurker mode for a while, because I'm getting a little confused. I think it's the seemingly useful information on the Miss. Snark blog that conned me into thinking she was a gold mine. And perhaps it's just a good reminder that TANSTAAFL.

I'm sick, I'm stressed, I'm close to finals, hunkering down in a house that needs to be cleaned with casebooks that need to be read. But I know I owe you can email. Soon. I promise.