[MR] Queen's Corner - Peerage discussion

[ldmolly at md.metrocast.net]

Good Gentles of the Tavern, please forgive my weighing in on this topic
(yet again...blame it on "new peer puppiness", hahahaha)

Cap'n Jack and M'Lord Hargrove (and any others who might be interested in
this thread),
     Please know that publication (in any forum) is NOT required for
inclusion into an order. Publication (class handouts, newsletters,
journals, websites) simply gives you a means to reach a wider
audience with your research, which means more people will know who
you are and the quality of your work. Candidates (certainly Laurel
candidates) are judged by more than _just_ their skills/research, so
a website can only take you so far. We try to get a feel for how the
candidates treat others and how much they inspire those around them
to participate in the SCA. None of these things can be captured on a
website or journal article. But they're vitally important for
determining a possible candidate for peerage.

Having a website (or publishing an article) can help "put you on the
radar". This is no different than fighters being told they need to travel
in a wider circle to fight as many people as possible, or proteges being
encouraged to tackle bigger organizational tasks. Will they advance if
they don't do these things? Certainly...but it will take longer for folks
to meet them and know about their particular level of skill.

One peer cannot personally know every single artisan at every level
currently  practicing their art in the Kingdom of Atlantia. Any website,
photo, article, conversation, A&S display or informal "show & tell" moment
helps us to put names and faces (and projects) together. I may not know
Lord X personally, but I'm more willing to accept the evaluation of my
fellow Laurels who've seen his work after I've had an opportunity to see
it myself via a website. (It's not as ideal as sitting down personally
with Lord X, but I also am not preventing Lord X's progress by insisting
that we hold off polling him until I can travel to Lord X's Barony and see
his work face to face).
 For those on the fence about putting up a website, there is the added
benefit of being able to showcase your work in an idealized setting, full
of rich detail and with loads of display space. (Many A&S displays allot
a paltry 2-3 feet per person, sigh).

Publishing is not a requirement, it's simply an opportunity.

Molly