I'm tired of the jerks on this board!

[taille]

Try giving criticism to stories of authors you don't know personally, and see how long it takes before one of them objects and in retaliation 1-bombs all your stories.

That's when the site administration should step in and either warn the 1-bomber or disable their account.

It would be very easy to administer when everyone has to sign assign their name to the feedback instead of doing it anonymously.

 

[Guest]

Wow.

I've never posted here before, though I've been a member under various auspices for over two years now. I would like to extend my admiration to Cloudy and Tatelou - this self-moderation offered by these two (whether they are ladies or not) is of tremendous quality. Kudos.

LOL! Thanks, D. Mattanthas. I am a woman, but rarely act like a lady.

Can't speak for Cloudy, though.

You know I'm kidding, hon!!!

That's when the site administration should step in and either warn the 1-bomber or disable their account.

It would be very easy to administer when everyone has to sign assign their name to the feedback instead of doing it anonymously.

Quite honestly, I think they've got enough on their plates, in the running of this free site, than chase up and chatise everyone who votes a 1 on a story. How would they be able to say it was done maliciously, for one thing? It could also be claimed that those who give their friend's stories a 5 are also voting unfairly.

I honestly think far too much emphasis and far too many threads and hours of worry are placed on the state of the voting here. I write for me, primarily, if other enjoy my stories, good! If they tell me so in feedback, great! If they see areas where my writing can be improved, and give me constructive suggestions, even better! If they just wanna send me feedback telling me what they want to do to me, cos of my photo, or whatever, that's cool, too. This is a sex site, afterall.

Oh, and nobody can ever vote completely anonymously. There is such a thing as IP logging. Ok, they might use a proxy IP, but that's another thing, and so what if they do?

Lou

 

[cloudy]

Wow.

I've never posted here before, though I've been a member under various auspices for over two years now. I would like to extend my admiration to Cloudy and Tatelou - this self-moderation offered by these two (whether they are ladies or not) is of tremendous quality. Kudos.

Thank you. I am a woman, although I doubt I've ever been much of a lady - I have been known to pretend every once in awhile. My mama tried really, really hard, though....it just never took, or something.

I'm with Loulou - I think entirely too much weight is put on it all. This is a free site for us to stretch our wings a little, and I'm very grateful it's here. I'm not going to lie and say I pay no attention to feedback, because I can be a feedback whore like everyone else, but if it's not even constructive criticism, or something along the lines of "you sick fuck" then I'm not going to waste my time worrying about it. I've had a couple of things published, and hope to have many, many more one day. You can't ever hope to please everyone, and I know I have a few diehard fans that read my work as soon as it's available, and that makes it all worthwhile.

 

[D. Mattanthas]

Frankly, I've met one "lady" in my life, and she was thoroughly boring (Nearly got me expelled too, frankly). Snobby POS.

Nice ass there, Tatelou....

Anyway, voting: I'm not a fan of voting, but people do deserve to receive feedback on their stories. Proxy IP is a good thing (I'm trying to get it myself). I would rather see people block anonymous feedback than cut out feedback all together. I enjoy feedback, and I enjoy punching the people who tell me that what I write sucks without giving a reason.

*Cough*

D. Mattanthas out and headed for the tub. Anyone wanna keep me company?

 

[Guest]

Yep, let me just wriggle my ass out of these jeans and I might come join you.

Naughty Lou! Flirting like this in a very serious thread.

Ah, sod it, it's New Year's Eve!!!

Thanks for your comment, btw, D. Mattanthas.

Lou

 

[jtmalone70]

**********

 

[Guest]

 

[75corner]

each author has the ability to turn off anonamous feedback, turn off voting and delete any comments that they don't like.

what more can you ask for?

If you don't want anyfeedback, just delete any email that says feedback without reading it.

I don't see why anyone should complain when the solution is within there reach.

Well, the reason we complain is that turning off feedback is not a solution for an author who wants and desires feedback for self-improvement.

Every writer needs to know what the target audience really thinks. The problem here is that the audience is so wide and varied. Not everything is for everyone, nor can it be.

There are quite a lot of jerks on the site who probably cannot be their true obnoxious selves anywhere but here. They exhibit a lack of empathy, insight and consideration that would be considered criminal (or just slanderous) if said to a person face-to-face.

I think people write and submit stories here for a number of reasons. I see it as a place to hone my skills and also share a few fantasies with others who share my sexual interests. It also provides an opportunity never before in history available to authors. This is a unique place where we can hone our skills to match our audience. It is no longer pot-luck or up to a time-crunched editor or agent to review our work. Writers now have a chance to do the fantastic...interact with fans and grow in real-time to match their audiences expectations.

I'd be really surprised if any of the negative posters are authors or, if they are, serious about their own work. Writing is HARD. It is a labor of LOVE. It is a part of your SOUL. Some of us are good at it, and some aren't. But just like in all other art forms, there are fans of masterpieces and fans of the down-to-earth stuff. I've seen some great stories and imagination on Literotica. Some of it needs polishing, some are obvious first attempts.

But this is good. Who here among us learned to walk the first time we yanked ourselves up from grubby knees? We had the encouragement and example of our parents to follow. This is how feedback should be. Praise and inform.

Praise because someone took their precious time to share themselves with us. Praise because they had the courage to share their talent with us. And praise because our lives are enriched by their imaginations.

Inform because even Steven King has editors to polish his work. Inform because no one knows it all. Inform because reader insight is so valuable, so dear to writers in learning more about themselves and the world around them.

Negative feedback tears at the fabric of my being. I see it. I try to ignore it. But it eats away inside me. It is there. It is a coward's way of reaching out and ripping the guts out of you. These psychopants enjoy it and have become the literary equivalent of serial killers.

Do they realize how much it hurts to have your work trashed for no sound reason? I've written for most of my life. I've had an editor literally tear a story up, jump up and down on it, then pour his coffee all over the mangled scraps. But, hey, that was his job. It stung, yes, but it was his job. His company was PAYING me.

The negative feedbacks don't just sting. They are an acid burning away at creativity. This is an amateur site. No one is paying us to do this. If an author has a bad day and writes crap, GENTLY explain it and give suggestions for improvement. That stings, but doesn't burn and, as a writer, I can tell you, I sometimes get a warm glow from contructive criticism and I dive back into the project quite optimisticaly.

Now, if you find a writer with zero talent, for God's sake, DO NOT SAY SO!!! I am not advocating dishonesty....that helps no one. I say reach out and give a struggling comrade a hand up. Believe it or not, almost anyone can be taught to tell a good tale. They may not turn into a Hawthorne, but you never know.

The prettiest flower, hidden now and for eternity from sight, was the one we never allowed to bloom because we crushed it beneath our heel as a seedling.

Some of the authors posting know they aren't ready for publishing. But they are expressing themselves. Leave a couple kind words to start with, then suggest changes, corrections or improvements to an element or two (not EVERYTHING, please). Finally, close with an encouragement to write some more stories. Even say you are looking forward to their new story (but ONLY if you truly intend to follow up). Nothing kills like false promises.

Except negative posters.

When I see a show I don't like on CBS, I change the channel. Might one not do the same if a story is not to likable and they don't have constructive criticism?

I've gotten some nasty feedbacks through the board and my e-mail. I'm not going to turn off feedback, however, because I really want to know what people think. I do steel myself when I check them, though.

I am sorry to see a writer go. We have too little writers, too few people learning to comprehend literature properly. Negative posters are contributing to the decline of our society.

 

[Sxymobbw]

well said

I think you took the words out of my mouth on this subject. Writing is very hard work and the answer to this problem isn't turning off the feedback.

I need the feedback and I'm sure there are alot of others who feel the same way. The constructive feedback that we get does boost not only our ego, but for me it inspires me to continue writing. I'm striving to become the best writer that I can be. I read other works, help articles, whatever I can find out there that I feel will help me strengthen my skills. This site gives me a place that I can share my work and hopefully learn more about writing in general.

There are a lot of really creative people here with lots of know-how and immagination. I was reading something today in the Writer's Resource section that was a very helpful article. But as I read on down and got to the comments section, someone had said nasty things about it because of a few mispelled words. I dunno, I agree what we write has to be readable, but the main issue should be the content, not just nitpicking stuff like that.

Okay thats just my two cents worth. Ya'll have a good one and happy writing.

Rene'

 

[Guest]

No, but the answer could be turning off anonymous feedback. It seems that's the biggest beef with most.

 

[taille]

No, but the answer could be turning off anonymous feedback. It seems that's the biggest beef with most.

agreed. That's all I've been advocating, get rid of the anonymous voting and feedback. (p.s. nice avatar Tatelou rrrRRRrrr )

great post 75corner, well said.

(p.s. I just read Fin's Touching Eileen... awesome story. I can't read everything and may not have read Fin's story if it did not have the 'H' icon)

 

[Guest]

agreed. That's all I've been advocating, get rid of the anonymous voting and feedback. (p.s. nice avatar Tatelou rrrRRRrrr )

great post 75corner, well said.

(p.s. I just read Fin's Touching Eileen... awesome story. I can't read everything and may not have read Fin's story if it did not have the 'H' icon)

I didn't say get rid of anonymous feedback (see my post a page or two back for more on that). I was merely pointing out that all an author has to do - if they are upset by negative comments from an anonymous reader - is switch of anonymous feedback via their control panel.

(Thank you. )

 

[taille]

I didn't say get rid of anonymous feedback (see my post a page or two back for more on that). I was merely pointing out that all an author has to do - if they are upset by negative comments from an anonymous reader - is switch of anonymous feedback via their control panel.

(Thank you. )

I forgot it was you that informed me that authors are able to turn off anonymous feedback... I was the one that thought anonymous voting and feedback is too easy to abuse. Sorry for putting words in your mouth.

I think there's no need for users to be shy here when you can sign up to a miscellaneous email account and have a user name totally unrelated to your true identity.

Now, about putting things in your mouth...

 

[Guest]

I forgot it was you that informed me that authors are able to turn off anonymous feedback... I was the one that thought anonymous voting and feedback is too easy to abuse. Sorry for putting words in your mouth.

I think there's no need for users to be shy here when you can sign up to a miscellaneous email account and have a user name totally unrelated to your true identity.

Now, about putting things in your mouth...

Not a prob.

Yes, indeed, that's a very good point. So, in fact, it's rare that any feedback isn't anonymous. Aren't most people on the 'net "anonymous" to a certain degree?

Hmmm, yes, that I rarely refuse.

 

[taille]

Yes, indeed, that's a very good point. So, in fact, it's rare that any feedback isn't anonymous. Aren't most people on the 'net "anonymous" to a certain degree?

yup but I'd still like the accounts submitting idiotic feedback locked. literotica allows only one account per email address so banning people would be a bit of an inconvenience.

Hmmm, yes, that I rarely refuse.

rrrRRRrrr would you care to discuss this in front of the fire place?

 

[75corner]

Re: well said

I was reading something today in the Writer's Resource section that was a very helpful article. But as I read on down and got to the comments section, someone had said nasty things about it because of a few mispelled words. I dunno, I agree what we write has to be readable, but the main issue should be the content, not just nitpicking stuff like that.

Rene'

Well, regarding complaints about typos...I've always had a pet disgust of people who go through items and pick out every single mispelled word and then throw it in your face as if you can't spell. I was editor-in-chief of a news paper for a while and even worked with a pulitzer prize winning writer.

I've never run across a single writer who doesn't make typos or grammatical errors. Humans make mistakes. The biggest reason why a writer cannot catch all of his or her own typos is because we already know what we wrote! No matter how mard you try, after the first couple hundred words, you mind starts to skim and fill in words before you to them. Thus "their" spelled "there" will slip by. "The" instead of "they" is classic. Vowels in a row within the same syllable are at high risk.

For this reason writers should have someone else go over their work efore submission. That, we know, is HIGHLY improbable for us given the content of what we write here. There are the volunteer editors, but that is time consuming when we want to hurry up and get our new stories out.

There is no fool proof way around typos. At my newspaper, we had more editors, fact-checkers and continuity people than writers. "Ickies" as we called them, still slipped through.

(You can guess how the moniker "Icky" came about. An editor would be reading the day's paper and suddenly, with eyes bulging and fists crumpling the edges of the sheet would exclaim "Ick!" while having a stroke. Well... honestly, the word didn't start as "Ick" but rather something begining with "S" that sounds almost similar. But what with there being the $1 charity jar nearby for each time someone cursed, "Ick!" found its delightful way into the english language.)

I'm looking for an old study that was done by a University sometime back. They handed people paragraphs to read with every single word spelled wrong and gave them only a few seconds to read them out loud. At first reading, most people read straight through the paragraphs without realizing there were any typos. Even after the typos were pointed out, people still comprehended the paragraphs perfectly. When I find the story, I'll post it here.

The main principle behind language is to comprehensively communicate your thoughts. Yeah, typos sometime interupt a readers flow, but if they are not excessive, don't take away from the enjoyment of the story.

That, then, is my two cents, and, for my act of civil disobedience for the day, I have purposefully NOT re-read my post for typos!

 

[75corner]

No, but the answer could be turning off anonymous feedback. It seems that's the biggest beef with most.

What is it that anonymous posters are hiding from??? We're already all anonymous here unless we post our pictures and lots of personal stuff about ourselves.

My theory is that those who post negative feedback cannot tolerate getting negative responses themselves. Thus they flame from within an asbestos suit.

Heck, they don't need to be afraid of me. I would refrain from making comments about their ancestry because I know its not their parents' fault...they probably just fell in with a bad crowd or something.

 

[75corner]

agreed. That's all I've been advocating, get rid of the anonymous voting and feedback. (p.s. nice avatar Tatelou rrrRRRrrr )

great post 75corner, well said.

(p.s. I just read Fin's Touching Eileen... awesome story. I can't read everything and may not have read Fin's story if it did not have the 'H' icon)

Hey....picking up on your recommendation: Where do I find "Touching Eileen"?

Perhaps, when we suggest stories, we should include an html link from now on. Search this site for a particular story can be tedious!


Also....how does a story get an "H" or and "N" and what do they mean?

 

[cloudy]

Hey....picking up on your recommendation: Where do I find "Touching Eileen"?

Perhaps, when we suggest stories, we should include an html link from now on. Search this site for a particular story can be tedious!


Also....how does a story get an "H" or and "N" and what do they mean?

An H means "hot", or that the story has at least ten votes with a rating of 4.50 or better.

An "N" means new....I think the criteria for that is that it's been up something like a week or ten days, or less.

An "E" is an "editor's choice" - more simply, it means that one of the folks involved in the running of the site liked it... no more, no less.

A W means that a story has won a contest of some sort; either one of the monthly contest winners, or one of the seasonal contest winners, ie Halloween Contest, Holiday Contest, etc.

 

[75corner]

yup but I'd still like the accounts submitting idiotic feedback locked. literotica allows only one account per email address so banning people would be a bit of an inconvenience.


rrrRRRrrr would you care to discuss this in front of the fire place?

You have a point. I've received three negative feed backs from different log-ins that are definately the same person. I pick up on writing styles of individuals very easily.

But, sadly, it would only be an inconvenience with the amount of free e-mail sites out there. Banning the IP address would be better, but might block out anyone on that same lan. Also, since most providers of DSL rotate your IP address on a regular basis, that individuals lockout wouldn't last long.

Then there are people like me who wildcard their web-server accounts and can literally create new e-mail addresses in under one second. Has no one wondered how my e-mail address could be literotica@75corner.com? I once was recruited to test the security of a new local service provider. I was to break in and they were supposed to track me. When the trail ran cold, they found I was living in a Japanese satelite above the Pacific Ocean.

Admitedly, your average poster these days doesn't have those type of re-routing skills, but it illustrates a point: This really is an unsolvable problem. Like burglary...you can get ADT, but some wise-ass will always find a way around the system.

Though we may lose some valuable commentary, turning off anonymous is about the only sensible thing.

 

[75corner]

Ok....this is a little of the subject (so shoot me) but, Tatelou:

OH....MY.....GAWD!!! Lovely, lovely avatar!

Makes my heart swim
Through the great blue sea
With a song within
The soul of me.

Let the moonlight glisten
While we float and listen
To the tame melody
Of the great blue sea.

Let our arms entwine
Let the song be mine
In the harmony
Of the great blue sea.

As the tide goes by
And we catch each other's eye
Let us sing our joy
and chant "love's ahoy!"

 

[75corner]

An H means "hot", or that the story has at least ten votes with a rating of 4.50 or better.

An "N" means new....I think the criteria for that is that it's been up something like a week or ten days, or less.

An "E" is an "editor's choice" - more simply, it means that one of the folks involved in the running of the site liked it... no more, no less.

A W means that a story has won a contest of some sort; either one of the monthly contest winners, or one of the seasonal contest winners, ie Halloween Contest, Holiday Contest, etc.

Thanks

 

[taille]

Hey....picking up on your recommendation: Where do I find "Touching Eileen"?

Perhaps, when we suggest stories, we should include an html link from now on. Search this site for a particular story can be tedious!


Also....how does a story get an "H" or and "N" and what do they mean?

There are a couple of search links on the story page (near the bottom) that you can use to find stories. Here's a link to that story I mentioned earlier:
Touching Eileen by Fin

 

[Guest]

Ok....this is a little of the subject (so shoot me) but, Tatelou:

OH....MY.....GAWD!!! Lovely, lovely avatar!

Makes my heart swim
Through the great blue sea
With a song within
The soul of me.

Let the moonlight glisten
While we float and listen
To the tame melody
Of the great blue sea.

Let our arms entwine
Let the song be mine
In the harmony
Of the great blue sea.

As the tide goes by
And we catch each other's eye
Let us sing our joy
and chant "love's ahoy!"

Awww! Thank you, 75corner!

Ok, back to topic...

I'm past caring about votes and shit.

Well, not really, but I do think after a while you get very hardened to any negativity (that isn't constructive) and just brush it off.

Lou

 

[Guest]

This is a great thread ...!!!

I just spent a pretty good chunk of my time reading this thread and I'm pretty happy about doing so. Thank you all for having it.

There is a right way and a wrong way to critique anyone's work of any kind. Stating that people are "thin-skinned" or "whiners" shows a personality that is prone to administering a critique of someone's work in the wrong way, or, is conducive to a person who has received too much or too taken too personally a critique that was substance-deficient and insult-proficient.

Every critique should start with a compliment, period. No critique should end with flared tempers, name-calling or tears being shed, period.

These are not my personal opinions so much as they are simple facts.

There are a number of changes that have been proposed in another forum that are related closely to what is being discussed here.

The ratings system is backwards and in need of changes; the feedback system is also in need of changes, I will never leave anonymous feedback whether it is good or bad. I am responsible for every word I speak be it written or spoken. That is not the easiest way, but it is the most honorable. The editor's system, and a few other points of interest, all need to be discussed in a combined and mature forum.

I've been hearing of cliques ruling these forums and steadily bashing people who are less experienced or not as developed in their writing skills, or even bashing those who's works, when read thoroughly, are better than the works of the bashers on a number of levels.

I'm guess I'm looking for people who believe that this site is in need of a few upgrades in its personalities and some of its practices.

Who's interested?