Personally I feel that self posting is a bit presumptuous. It's also true that there are cases where the writer has ample reason to post an update to their story.
It should be noted that there is nothing stopping a reader from making a new update thread and applying whaterver restrictions they want. For example: "Updates for Genderbent Lain fics over 100,000 words"
The problem here is that the Update List thread has gone on for so long, and had its original post lost, that the conventions for it are not written in stone.
And Spok is quite right. A new fic thread is a real good idea. Which in that one the posts are only a new fic.
I think Scooter nailed the core of the problem here.
I say if it's a major update (i.e. new story, several chapters, etc), let it post in the Update List. Otherwise, it would be imprudent to have author's essentially Tweeting their stories.
That's what I think is objectionable. This situation arose in 2007 because a writer was posting near daily updates on their own fic, which was essentially spaming the thread
I'm thinking a writer can post an update to their own stories under these conditions
1) New fic.
2) Update to a dead fic
3) Major update.
4) Suggest the writer wait a day to see if someone else updates for them.
New fic is pretty self explanatory, and can count for when a sequel comes up. Basically, if the writer starts putting chapters in a new fic on FF.net or their website.
Dead fic, that's Crescent Pulsar's suggestion. As for how long between updates counts as dead, I'm thinking two years with no posting, but that can be adjusted.
Major update. I think this is a provision people would want. However it's quite hard to define what would count. Ideas?
For the waiting, this is just that often someone else will post your update. Not being the writer they may not post as quick as you. So that's just recommending a bit of patience, and if no one else posts, and one of the other conditions are met, then the writer can self-post.