To Post or Not to Post: I need a little insight, please.

[blgarver]

I think there have been similar questions about posting stuff in forums, but I couldn't find any of the threads.  My question concerns making a dedicated website to host a short story series that I'm developing.

I've never been published, but I would like to be a professional author some day.  My concern is that if I set up this site and start putting this series up there that it will be a conflict of interest when I submit them to agents or publishers.  I think this is sort of a sticky area, but I don't know any legal folks or any published authors that might be able to help me, except for you fine people here at BB.

So...any thoughts?  Has anyone done something like this before?  Would I be stabbing myself in the foot by making an online series of shorts?

Thanks ahead of time for any info.  You guys have always been very helpful.

BLG
http://blgarver.tripod.com

[the neurovore of Zur-En-Aargh]

I think there have been similar questions about posting stuff in forums, but I couldn't find any of the threads.  My question concerns making a dedicated website to host a short story series that I'm developing.

I would not do this unless you were sure you did not want to publish those stories professionally in a magazine - or you've had them bounced from every magazine you are interested in.

[blgarver]

Okay, that was my initial reflex. 

Is there a specific reason that this isn't smart?  I assume that it's because once it's displayed on the net, it's considered published, and afterward it wouldn't be eligible for publications look for unpublished material.  Is that in the ballpark at all?

[the neurovore of Zur-En-Aargh]

Okay, that was my initial reflex. 

Is there a specific reason that this isn't smart?  I assume that it's because once it's displayed on the net, it's considered published, and afterward it wouldn't be eligible for publications look for unpublished material.  Is that in the ballpark at all?

More or less; magazine sales as I understand them tend mostly to be for first publication rights.

There are occasional exceptions to this, but they tend to be as I understand it mostly with fairly established authors who have fanbases.

[blgarver]

Okay.  That's what I figured.  Thanks for the advice.