Thread: Bonus is not a bonus
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Old 01-10-2015, 10:52 PM   #85
eschwartz
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As far as I am concerned, a "bonus" is:

Quote:
Originally Posted by meeera View Post
Dictionary.com says "something extra or additional given freely"
Oxford online (free) says "an extra and unexpected advantage".

I guess Oxford really is the best!

eta: Hang on, I just did a Merriam-Webster lookup online - and it says "something good that is more than what was expected or required". Different editions?
and as long as enough people consider any particular thing to be an additional good thing, that when someone refers to it as a "bonus", one can comprehend why it was referred to as one.

Being as the word "bonus" is Yet Another One of these "subjective" concepts... subjectivity is really the only way you can ever meaningfully define it.

And as long as it can subjectively fit the definition (and it does fit that definition enough times that we can become aware of that selection) then it is a bonus in a general sense. Whether it is a bonus in a personal sense, remains entirely within the control of the individual person (because I am not going to tell you what you are and aren't allowed to like) but is also completely irrelevant in any matter stretching beyond that one individual.


Verdict: If you are going to rant objectively about it online (by definition this is any time you aren't specifically referring to your opinion about the matter), it had better be a universally accepted opinion, and my first question will be "where is your data that this is true in an objective sense".

Speaking of which, back to this:

Quote:
Originally Posted by JSWolf View Post
An excerpt is not a bonus. It's an excerpt. So call it what it is and then the lying will stop. A bonus is an author interview or book club questions and other things like that. But a space wasting excerpt is not a bonus at all.

So calling an excerpt a bonus is a lie. There is no two ways about it.

If I am reading a book in a series, I don't need an excerpt from the next book as I'll either buy it or not based on what I've read so far of the series. The excerpt won't change my mind. The book(s) I've read will help me decide to continue the series or not.
You do realize that if calling an excerpt a "bonus" is a lie (because there are people who disagree with that assessment) then calling an excerpt NOT a "bonus" is ALSO a lie... because there are people who disagree with that assessment as well. I guess we can't really say anything without it being a lie...

Now, please stop lying.
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