The whole issue is subjective. Quality is subjective as is taste on both sides. I've been invited to join a couple over the years and while it's nice to be invited, I personally think the days of elite archives being a good indication of the fandom at large is gone. These archives might hold classics (another subjective term) - old ones and ones that will become classics - but in this climate those stories will also be posted/archived in places that have a much wider reader base, if only for exposure.

And I don't care who runs these archives, they're still self proclaimed 'elite'. It's not a mantle placed upon them by a majority vote of every single person in fandom. I'm not saying that's a bad thing, just making an observation. I can see where writers might want to be considered 'good enough' to be invited, though, and this is where I appreciate meredyth's opinion on competition. These archives, as long as they have guidelines so that a writer can aspire to archive the levels of quality required by that archive, become a goal worth striving for if you want the sort of recognition they're offering. But at some point, it has to be acknowledged that not everyone has the skill level required by that archive. Subjective or not, it's their sandpit and if you want in, you have to play by their rules.

I have to admit that I really appreciate having been invited to a few over the years. I know my name as an author is kind of on the fringes and I don't immediately come to mind when asked about favourite authors. I have flashes of brilliance and the rest is pretty average, except some bits where it's really ordinary, so for me it is hugely flattering to be invited.

Which all leaves me sitting quite firmly on the fence right beside you. Though the boobs make me sway towards thinking they're a good thing.