The lowest of the low

[RhymeFairy]

I realize that I am not a poet, but some of my poems have done well with readers

Although recently my poems have been hit, I don't think I am being trolled. I just think that there are poets out there that may read my writings and just vote accordingly. Which is ok with me. I do feel that if those poets read my work and don't like it and don't want to PC, then I would appreciate a PM to let me know what I am doing wrong and what I can do to correct it. In the Dusty Poems thread, Champagne did that for me. In that thread she explained to me what I was doing wrong. It helps.

I agree. If you read my poetry. Please let me know what you do not like about it. So I can I improve on my
stops... punctuation ... Or if ya just do not get a line ... the whole poem?
*grins*

Seriously let us know. Hmmm I might be a lil RhymeFairy, but I promise I will not break~

 

[Curiouswife]

Count me in on being hit by trolls. My H's disapear as quick as they come. I've watched a H/5 drop in one day, with 4 or 5 low votes in a matter of hours. Hard for me to believe people liked my poetry one day and hated it the next. But I moderate an online discussion forum for really sick people (not demented, just physically ill ) and we get nasty people on there too. You'd think they could at least leave the people who are suffering alone. But such is life on the internet....

Julia

 

[bogusbrig]

I think that we have to accept that it is only the poetry lovers and writers who are serious about writing poetry will admire and appreciate a good poem by someone else and see it as a competitive spur into improving their own poetry. You can't be serious about your own work if you feel the need to pull another person's work down. DCpoet left a comment on one of my poems saying that my poem made him want to improve his poetry, that is precisely my feelings when I read a good poem I admire. Damn! I've got to improve!

It's a matter of character I guess. Creative competitiveness can and should be very healthy if you love the art form in which you are part taking. If you see a good poem written by someone else as threatening and showing your own work up as inferior, then it is time to stop writing all together and not hang around on a poetry site. But the world would be a poorer place without these little people and when I am in a good mood I do see them as amusing, even if a little sad. Banning people would prove fruitless, it's best just to ignore them and accept they need therapy and just show a little charity towards them.

 

[Wanton Vixxxen]

Sorry, Keith - I differ in My take on trolls...

I have been reading all the complaints that have recently posted on this thread, and all have one thing in common: the author/poets are stating they are upset, bewildered, angry, and /or disgusted with how unfairly their works have been voted on by what we all have come to know as trolls. You and I have been there and back many times ourselves. But do you know what is the one thing I detest the most about these votes cast by the silent, but deadly piranha? THEY ROB ME OF MY VOTE and those, like Me, that cast honest, legitimate votes on another's submissions. Their unreasoned, uncaring votes of 1's carry more weight than My or your 5's ever could. And they cast them with reckless abandon on some that put their heads down, turn, and walk away from the site never to be heard from again. That is the real tragedy here. AND IT IS WRONG. I can't believe anyone - especially those that have ever taken the time to comment about this chronic problem really welcome the trolls and their anonymous votes with open arms or feel sorry for them. I know I sure as hell don't. Even though I realize getting trolled doesn't affect Me keeping a roof over My head or food on the table and doesn't even threaten to take away a birthday, it DOES take away a very valuable thing from Me: it takes away My right to see Mine and others' works in a true light with accurate ratings; not distorted by The Power of Ones that have been cast just for the sake of... nothing.

Laura

 

[bogusbrig]

My right to see Mine and others' works in a true light with accurate ratings; not distorted by The Power of Ones that have been cast just for the sake of... nothing.

Laura

You are right that a 1 counts more as a negative vote than a 5 does as a positive vote, that is really absurd but a measure of the voting system. If there is to be a voting system even a 1 should count for something positive. Perhaps poems should be ranked or get a H depending on the number of points accummulated? If a poem was ranked hot by the number of points awarded then even a troll voting a one would be making a positive gesture.

If a poem got a H when it hit 45 points and kept the icon, rather than an average of 4.5 thenif you didn't like the poem you wouldn't vote. It would also mean that 2, 3 & 4 points have a meaning as well. At the moment if I don't think a poem deserves a 5 I don't vote because I don't want to be negative. If the votes were accumulated I would vote according to what I thought a poem deserved and know I was taking a positive action just by voting.

To my experience a popular poem only gets between 10 to 14 votes so 45 points would not be so easy to attain.

 

[twelveoone]

You are right that a 1 counts more as a negative vote than a 5 does as a positive vote, that is really absurd but a measure of the voting system. If there is to be a voting system even a 1 should count for something positive. Perhaps poems should be ranked or get a H depending on the number of points accummulated? If a poem was ranked hot by the number of points awarded then even a troll voting a one would be making a positive gesture.

If a poem got a H when it hit 45 points and kept the icon, rather than an average of 4.5 thenif you didn't like the poem you wouldn't vote. It would also mean that 2, 3 & 4 points have a meaning as well. At the moment if I don't think a poem deserves a 5 I don't vote because I don't want to be negative. If the votes were accumulated I would vote according to what I thought a poem deserved and know I was taking a positive action just by voting.

To my experience a popular poem only gets between 10 to 14 votes so 45 points would not be so easy to attain.

Interesting. Turn the weapon around, hand 'em a gun that shots backwards. Be alot less flack over well deserved lesser scores too. (well 1201 did give me a "4", which I do, even "3"'s from time to time.)

 

[Wanton Vixxxen]

The arms of trolls reach...

further than the poems' side of the neighborhood, Keith and if anything can {and hopefully will} be revised it will need to be done across the board and include the other side of the Lit block - the story side as well. I know most here on THIS thread are poets on the site, but many more of us have submissions in both poems and stories. Because I had started writing stories for the site some time before venturing to place some poetry efforts up, I am very aware of the long arm of the troll, and more importantly, how far the impact of a troll vote goes on a story. Let Me give you an example~ Jane Doe has a story up and it is getting a lot of reads, votes and responses; most of them positive; most of them legitimate. She is an author who does not seek anything more than learning what the Literotica audience enjoys of her work - not interested in attaining anything but a clear view of what the audience that took the time in reading her story thought about it. She also realizes that although most of the readers do not not accompany their votes with a comment or feedback, she must rely on those votes as the indicator of how that story is "working" for the readers in the way of entertainment. I think we can both agree this is what most of the author/poets are here for - to see how well received their writing talents are through the three BASIC veins of communication established on the site: votes, comments and feedback. Again, I can't imagine one soul on this site investing any degree of time and effort writing a poem or story just to submit it and never checking to see how it is faring because he or she isn't in the least bit interested. So now Jane Doe takes a look at her submission page and sees that her story has a 100 votes with a blah blah blah rating. The rating doesn't matter in this hypothetical scenario; it's not the point I'm trying to make as you will see in a moment, but for the sake of a number to have a visual, I will give it a 4.70. Jane watches her votes climb throughout the day...101 votes, 102, 103 and so on. That blah blah blah rating of 4.70 hasn't moved; hasn't changed. When the 106th vote is cast, she is pleased to see it has moved up to a 4.71. Not a leap by any stretch of the imagination, but finally - after SIX additional votes {and you can safely assume they all were 5's} she has seen a rise in her story's status. Now here slithers a troll looking at her rank in the top list of the category, her story's rating, her bio page indicating she has cat{s} {and he/she/it HATES cats!} or whatever triggers them off to troll a particular submission. They cast their silent but strong vote of one {and no, I don't want to hear that they are entitled to hide under the Freedom of Speech umbrella because their voices are never heard - their actions are the only indication they even exist} and Jane watches her rating drop back to a 4.70 with that one vote. So where does that leave the six other new legitimate votes of five from those six readers? Somewhere out in cyberspace with all the rest of the votes that the trolls eliminate in this system. Twelveoone mentioned the reverse loaded gun tactic and that struck a nerve. I feel as though I and many more like Me who read a poem or story and vote reflecting our honest opinion {and I don't vote unless I think it deserves a five} have a gun held to our heads and are robbed of said votes AND our time and efforts in going the distance with reading, evaluating, voting, and perhaps commenting on that one piece. And here is the troll with one finger on the mouse {trigger} dropping us to the ground in a matter of seconds. Vote rape should be considered a crime and the perpetrators albeit just casual non member readers {doubtful}, overzealous fans that think trolling down another will help their favorite author/poet attain a higher status {probable} or fellow authors seeking to climb to the top over and through another author in their quest for "fame" {highly probable} should be punishable by banning. It is something I and a few others concerned for the fair and square of the site are composing in a proposal to the webmasters. We hope when it is ready for presentation you will "sign" it as you would a petition for a very worthwhile cause. I believe with one strong unanimous voice, we will at least be heard enmasse and a solution to this plague can, and will be found and implemented. I feel this is certainly worth My time trying to attain.
I don't like being fucked out of My votes or those I cast on others' works and I'm not going to bend over too much longer without fucking back. There is no reason for any of us to feel violated of OUR rights!

Laura

 

[My Erotic Tale]

further than the poems' side of the neighborhood, Keith and if anything can {and hopefully will} be revised it will need to be done across the board and include the other side of the Lit block - the story side as well. I know most here on THIS thread are poets on the site, but many more of us have submissions in both poems and stories. Because I had started writing stories for the site some time before venturing to place some poetry efforts up, I am very aware of the long arm of the troll, and more importantly, how far the impact of a troll vote goes on a story. Let Me give you an example~ Jane Doe has a story up and it is getting a lot of reads, votes and responses; most of them positive; most of them legitimate. She is an author who does not seek anything more than learning what the Literotica audience enjoys of her work - not interested in attaining anything but a clear view of what the audience that took the time in reading her story thought about it. She also realizes that although most of the readers do not not accompany their votes with a comment or feedback, she must rely on those votes as the indicator of how that story is "working" for the readers in the way of entertainment. I think we can both agree this is what most of the author/poets are here for - to see how well received their writing talents are through the three BASIC veins of communication established on the site: votes, comments and feedback. Again, I can't imagine one soul on this site investing any degree of time and effort writing a poem or story just to submit it and never checking to see how it is faring because he or she isn't in the least bit interested. So now Jane Doe takes a look at her submission page and sees that her story has a 100 votes with a blah blah blah rating. The rating doesn't matter in this hypothetical scenario; it's not the point I'm trying to make as you will see in a moment, but for the sake of a number to have a visual, I will give it a 4.70. Jane watches her votes climb throughout the day...101 votes, 102, 103 and so on. That blah blah blah rating of 4.70 hasn't moved; hasn't changed. When the 106th vote is cast, she is pleased to see it has moved up to a 4.71. Not a leap by any stretch of the imagination, but finally - after SIX additional votes {and you can safely assume they all were 5's} she has seen a rise in her story's status. Now here slithers a troll looking at her rank in the top list of the category, her story's rating, her bio page indicating she has cat{s} {and he/she/it HATES cats!} or whatever triggers them off to troll a particular submission. They cast their silent but strong vote of one {and no, I don't want to hear that they are entitled to hide under the Freedom of Speech umbrella because their voices are never heard - their actions are the only indication they even exist} and Jane watches her rating drop back to a 4.70 with that one vote. So where does that leave the six other new legitimate votes of five from those six readers? Somewhere out in cyberspace with all the rest of the votes that the trolls eliminate in this system. Twelveoone mentioned the reverse loaded gun tactic and that struck a nerve. I feel as though I and many more like Me who read a poem or story and vote reflecting our honest opinion {and I don't vote unless I think it deserves a five} have a gun held to our heads and are robbed of said votes AND our time and efforts in going the distance with reading, evaluating, voting, and perhaps commenting on that one piece. And here is the troll with one finger on the mouse {trigger} dropping us to the ground in a matter of seconds. Vote rape should be considered a crime and the perpetrators albeit just casual non member readers {doubtful}, overzealous fans that think trolling down another will help their favorite author/poet attain a higher status {probable} or fellow authors seeking to climb to the top over and through another author in their quest for "fame" {highly probable} should be punishable by banning. It is something I and a few others concerned for the fair and square of the site are composing in a proposal to the webmasters. We hope when it is ready for presentation you will "sign" it as you would a petition for a very worthwhile cause. I believe with one strong unanimous voice, we will at least be heard enmasse and a solution to this plague can, and will be found and implemented. I feel this is certainly worth My time trying to attain.
I don't like being fucked out of My votes or those I cast on others' works and I'm not going to bend over too much longer without fucking back. There is no reason for any of us to feel violated of OUR rights!

Laura

There are some interesting topics and points as well as views expressed here. The full spectrum voting is defended to the basics that there is a high and a low. Many have expressed that they use the full spectrum of voting. Others leave fives for the poems they like and do not vote on those they do not find favorable. The ying and yang of life, opposites exist with in the same.

In saying that several have claim they vote using two's three's fours and so on would not quiver then if the anon was removed and the thermometer shows the vote and the voters name beside a comment, or no comment selection.

Why? I find as with "ZMP~Ivy to the sky" It recieved fives for every vote till the thirteenth vote, 14-16 votes were bombs, that brought the poem plummeting in ratings. This happens with ever single poem that reaches the top rated poems that list. Very peculiar and tends to show more thought was put into their one voting than a simple "I don't like your poem that every one else likes?" Jealousy? Vote/rating monitor? a mole among-us? A TROLL!!!!!

So I devised the troll helmet, the armor for this is not to write for ratings, but for sharing and comments because even the best poems are going to fall in ratings as long as some ones strategically placing these one bombs.

The cure is not in ignoring the disillusioned soul that plays with numbers to gain for what ever purpose drives them. But to place the voters name with their vote shows many things about the way a person votes and why. As well as those who use the full spectrum wouldn't mind expresing why they feel such discourse with a poem. Or will the pattern be expossed?

I for one am for doing away with anon, HONOR ABOVE ALL THINGS. Stand behind what you do. There may be a small problem with this for those who vote 2 will get twos in return and so forth. But I bet the fives come more readily. Making more tied poems for ratings, and possibly creating a monthly tie breaker for the monthly best of the best in votes.

Change comes slowly but a well placed plan and structure has to go through changes to mold and shape to become strong and productive. But one small crack in the structure can bring it toppling down, thus rome wasn't built in a day and nor will be the toilets of the future, advanced shit, will come and go.

So for now to settle in serenity. And manage exceptance, the key to tranquility.

 

[bogusbrig]

Until a 1 is worth more than a zero, the voting system will remain absurd and that is the situation at the moment.

But to put it all in perspective, one comment with insight is worth more than all the votes to someone interested in improving their poetry.

 

[twelveoone]

The cure is not in ignoring the disillusioned soul that plays with numbers to gain for what ever purpose drives them. But to place the voters name with their vote shows many things about the way a person votes and why. As well as those who use the full spectrum wouldn't mind expresing why they feel such discourse with a poem. Or will the pattern be expossed?

I for one am for doing away with anon, HONOR ABOVE ALL THINGS. Stand behind what you do. There may be a small problem with this for those who vote 2 will get twos in return and so forth. But I bet the fives come more readily. Making more tied poems for ratings, and possibly creating a monthly tie breaker for the monthly best of the best in votes.

Stand behind what you do (say).
I feel you should be obligated to say something if you leave anything less than a 5, the reason for the less than. My guess is that if I leave a 4 with a reason, that favour will be returned, a flaw pointed out, a possibility for improvement. That is what it is all about. Despite, what some say, all the action is not over here, the person that left the most consistent, insightful comments (YDD) did not post in discussion.

I would sign a petition to get rid of anonymous.

 

[BooMerengue]

How many writers here feel that each of their poems is a 5? A 5 means it's perfect. If we all wrote perfect poems everytime wouldn't we all be published? Well known?

I seldom see a 5 poem. It would be one that grabbed me from the start with some emotion. One that compelled me to re read it over and over. One that left me saying "Wow!" And that rarely happens.

I have seen lots of 4 poems. Really good ones, that a lot of time and energy have gone into.

I've seen 3 poems; poems that require more work. That could be 4's or 5's with some extra effort.

I never use the 2 or 1. Theres no point here. I do use them sometimes on the story board.

I believe there is a "1 bomber" here. I've been hit. But not often. I think, however that we are all spoiled by poets and friends voting us high so we can 'get that H'. It's addictive, I know. But it's overused. When I show folks my poem page from here they think I should be a whizzbang poet. Because of all the H's. But all of us here know I'm not. Its a testament to the friends I've made here, but it's not a fair judgement of my work. I now send mine to certain ones for assessment, and I don't post them here.

I'm not real good at math. But I think a lot of times when one says he/she has been "1 bombed' in fact they've received a 3 or a 4. Or maybe a couple 3's or 4's, cuz I know others here who vote as I do.

As far as comments, I don't. Rarely. I am not educated enough to leave constructive criticism. Like I said- I vote how I feel, and thats hard to put into words.

Theres nothing wrong with the system as it is. It's been in place a long time, and those who have been here awhile have grown used to it's vagaries. But IMHO, there is something wrong w/ any poet thinking all their work is '5' work, and anything else is a deliberate personal slam by a certain individual.

As Ange says, I'm just sayin...

 

[Wanton Vixxxen]

The system is ...

NOTwrong - just needs to have anonymous troll voting eliminated. That is not to say the vote of one {or any other number on the one to five scale} should be removed or altered, but to have a name placed with that vote. I believe it will eliminate the troll voting as we now are hindered by it and still allow the votes to be valid, but with a name attached to that vote whatever it may be. If you wish to vote even in a local election, you must be registered. And that means with a NAME. Everyone that wants their opinion in a vote on any work count - whether it be a poem or a story - should be known with a name- and the name should not be "anonymous". The problem I and many others here hope to get rectified is not HOW a person grades a poem/story and thus votes, but to have an honest picture through accurate ratings without the distortions of anonymous troll votes.
I honestly don't believe that when the webmasters began Literotica and created the voting feature, they ever thought the problem of troll voting would corrupt the system as it has. I merely wish to see the pothole of anonymous troll voting sealed up and we can return to the original reason and results the system was implemented for in the first place. All I seek is a true picture of what a particular poem or story earned without the troll{s} vote clouding it - nothing more.
And I think its a shame, Boo, that you felt compelled to send your poems directly to others for assessment rather than post them here. Your work is missed by this fellow author <smile>

Laura

 

[Wanton Vixxxen]

By the way...

I just looked at My submissions page and guess what? All of My work has just been trolled and all but a few pieces have lost their H's. What the trolls don't realize is that I don't care. I already know what My work has earned and while they are so busy getting their colons in knots over My opinion of their behavior; while they are busy trolling My work...they aren't trolling someone else's.
Happy Trolling!!! {while you still can.}

Wanton Vixxxen {and still breathing - imagine that?}

 

[PatCarrington]

just needs to have anonymous troll voting eliminated. That is not to say the vote of one {or any other number on the one to five scale} should be removed or altered, but to have a name placed with that vote.

this will not solve the problem of trolling, since there is nothing to stop the former anon from getting a new tag and placing the 1 vote next to that registered name.

there is no way to remove meanies from the world. and if we did, wouldn't we miss the contrast they unwittingly supply?

writing, and accepting/judging critique, are what help a writer improve, not votes.

 

[My Erotic Tale]

How many writers here feel that each of their poems is a 5? A 5 means it's perfect. If we all wrote perfect poems everytime wouldn't we all be published? Well known?

I seldom see a 5 poem. It would be one that grabbed me from the start with some emotion. One that compelled me to re read it over and over. One that left me saying "Wow!" And that rarely happens.

I have seen lots of 4 poems. Really good ones, that a lot of time and energy have gone into.

I've seen 3 poems; poems that require more work. That could be 4's or 5's with some extra effort.

I never use the 2 or 1. Theres no point here. I do use them sometimes on the story board.

I believe there is a "1 bomber" here. I've been hit. But not often. I think, however that we are all spoiled by poets and friends voting us high so we can 'get that H'. It's addictive, I know. But it's overused. When I show folks my poem page from here they think I should be a whizzbang poet. Because of all the H's. But all of us here know I'm not. Its a testament to the friends I've made here, but it's not a fair judgement of my work. I now send mine to certain ones for assessment, and I don't post them here.

I'm not real good at math. But I think a lot of times when one says he/she has been "1 bombed' in fact they've received a 3 or a 4. Or maybe a couple 3's or 4's, cuz I know others here who vote as I do.

As far as comments, I don't. Rarely. I am not educated enough to leave constructive criticism. Like I said- I vote how I feel, and thats hard to put into words.

Theres nothing wrong with the system as it is. It's been in place a long time, and those who have been here awhile have grown used to it's vagaries. But IMHO, there is something wrong w/ any poet thinking all their work is '5' work, and anything else is a deliberate personal slam by a certain individual.

As Ange says, I'm just sayin...

perhaps you are voicing your opinion with out reading, a poem recieves 13 =5 votes and doesn't recieve a one vote till it reaches the top list or gets it's red "H" then it is attacked, not constructive voting.

I for one feel that if you had to leave your name with your vote you would vote more honestly. The one bomb voters would be less and yes 4 votes would increase. Those who vote 3's now will change to higher score cause what you give you will recieve in return. Comes around goes around. It is obvious that the one voter is a long time member whoi understands the rating voting and top list. There fore they are even more demented. Like some one stated, literotica knows or could investigate to find out who this or these people are. I also believe they have an idea who it is but they excersise their right to the full spectrum which is not against the law, just very dishonorable.

I noticed my poems today each had one read and each poem had a 3.0 and one vote, I feel the same person voted on all my poems and I am not upset with a three, I can recoop from this persons opinion. I can also give you a small list of those who have staed in the past they use the full spectrum to vote, funny thing is they don't post poems under their voting name. And those that do post very little or have two names. With out the anon system it would not be necissary for the one bombers to hide their work or be disgruntaled when they do post a poem and it doesn't rank. <grin>.

 

[My Erotic Tale]

this will not solve the problem of trolling, since there is nothing to stop the former anon from getting a new tag and placing the 1 vote next to that registered name.

there is no way to remove meanies from the world. and if we did, wouldn't we miss the contrast they unwittingly supply?

writing, and accepting/judging critique, are what help a writer improve, not votes.

This statement suggests that evil will grow from what ever is created...

sad but true.

 

[BooMerengue]

perhaps you are voicing your opinion with out reading, a poem recieves 13 =5 votes and doesn't recieve a one vote till it reaches the top list or gets it's red "H" then it is attacked, not constructive voting.



I'm not in the habit of just popping off, Art! well actually I am but not about such serious issues. [SIZE=-2]spoken tongue in cheek[/SIZE]

Lets do the math. 13 x 5 = 65 + 1 + 66 divided by 14 = 4.7. A 4.7 is not a bad score! 3 tenths away from perfect? Who's to complain? A lot of people, sometimes including myself only read the top lists when I'm short of time or just bored.

I wonder why when you get a 3 you think you've been attacked and you don't think "hmmm... maybe my poems need work." or "I guess this person doesn't like my style."

Pat's right- anyone can make a new name and vote willy nilly.

I guess in a perfect world I'd like to get folks to stop thinking the votes here are what makes them a poet or not. It's the comments that are important- fuck the numbers! And if you really want constructive feedback post your poem on a thread. Ask for comments. What you get (or don't) will be far more revealing.

Vixxxen? TY, sweety. I put the poems I want comment from here on a thread. It makes discussion, changes and mea culpa's easier. BUT... I also have my url in my profile so you can find more of my work anytime. I have often seen a poem I liked and gone to read more and there is no url for that writer. The Author Index is a pain in the ass and so I don't get to read more of that writers work.

ahem... all of you who don't have it in your profile! lol

 

[champagne1982]

I realize that I am not a poet, but some of my poems have done well with readers

Although recently my poems have been hit, I don't think I am being trolled. I just think that there are poets out there that may read my writings and just vote accordingly. Which is ok with me. I do feel that if those poets read my work and don't like it and don't want to PC, then I would appreciate a PM to let me know what I am doing wrong and what I can do to correct it. In the Dusty Poems thread, Champagne did that for me. In that thread she explained to me what I was doing wrong. It helps.

Hi Honey,

Thanks for acknowledging the effort it takes to give constructive criticism. I have to reveal a secret here, for the sake of clarity. When I submitted my vote on your poem, I gave it a 4, but when I showed how I felt the thermometer should be set, I placed it at 100.

I did this because if you vote and leave a public comment, the number that is used to caculate the average of that poem, is the number you first place, not the highest or lowest.

I felt your poem was a definite 4, meaning worth at least 80% and an A, in academic circles. You expressed the emotion wonderfully in the piece, I liked the word choices and felt that some thought and time was taken in getting it ready to post. I also saw the errors you'd made, in my own opinion, ONLY, and took steps to help you understand the way the tiny flaws changed the poem's overall worth in my view. Thus, I voted less than 5.

However, on the other side of the coin, I set the thermometer at 100. Not because this is the numerical value I'd rated the piece at, but it is, again, in my own opinion, ONLY, worthwhile for others to read and experience your poem. ​

edited to MOVE the comments addressed to everyone further on in the thread. I fear you all missed the point.

 

[twelveoone]

this will not solve the problem of trolling, since there is nothing to stop the former anon from getting a new tag and placing the 1 vote next to that registered name.

there is no way to remove meanies from the world. and if we did, wouldn't we miss the contrast they unwittingly supply?

writing, and accepting/judging critique, are what help a writer improve, not votes.

Suppose we make it no comment, no vote. The one comment with zero score I got amused me greatly. The zero's I got with out the comment didn't

But really Pat, your arguement doesn't hold much water, it is too much of an effort to make an identity just to tell someone they suck, and if they did at least there is an identity, I am sure that you are just like me in that you assign value to identities. i.e a twelveoone may not carry as much wieght as an anonamouse.

"writing, and accepting/judging critique, are what help a writer improve, not votes."

This I agree with, however, votes are an important part of the feedback loop, especially for writers that either do not have the talent or the confidence that you do, or for experiments.

Writing can be improved, and the feedback loop can be improved also. jd4george used it an complained about its disruption.

Laura, I'm with you all the way, I talked to anonamouse, he is too, but he probably won't sign.

 

[twelveoone]

How many writers here feel that each of their poems is a 5? A 5 means it's perfect. If we all wrote perfect poems everytime wouldn't we all be published? Well known?

I seldom see a 5 poem. It would be one that grabbed me from the start with some emotion. One that compelled me to re read it over and over. One that left me saying "Wow!" And that rarely happens.

I have seen lots of 4 poems. Really good ones, that a lot of time and energy have gone into.

I've seen 3 poems; poems that require more work. That could be 4's or 5's with some extra effort.

I never use the 2 or 1. Theres no point here. I do use them sometimes on the story board.

I believe there is a "1 bomber" here. I've been hit. But not often. I think, however that we are all spoiled by poets and friends voting us high so we can 'get that H'. It's addictive, I know. But it's overused. When I show folks my poem page from here they think I should be a whizzbang poet. Because of all the H's. But all of us here know I'm not. Its a testament to the friends I've made here, but it's not a fair judgement of my work. I now send mine to certain ones for assessment, and I don't post them here.

I'm not real good at math. But I think a lot of times when one says he/she has been "1 bombed' in fact they've received a 3 or a 4. Or maybe a couple 3's or 4's, cuz I know others here who vote as I do.

As far as comments, I don't. Rarely. I am not educated enough to leave constructive criticism. Like I said- I vote how I feel, and thats hard to put into words.

Theres nothing wrong with the system as it is. It's been in place a long time, and those who have been here awhile have grown used to it's vagaries. But IMHO, there is something wrong w/ any poet thinking all their work is '5' work, and anything else is a deliberate personal slam by a certain individual.

As Ange says, I'm just sayin...

Lemme see here, how many words here... and you say you can't comment? Feel free to "slam" me anytime you want, just let me know it was you. I's jes sayin' too

 

[PatCarrington]

But really Pat, your arguement doesn't hold much water, it is too much of an effort to make an identity just to tell someone they suck,


if they do it anonymously, why wouldn't they do it under a name?
what effort would that take for someone who is intent on being a prick?

(and most of the names here are akin to being anonymous, anyway)


and if they did at least there is an identity, I am sure that you are just like me in that you assign value to identities. i.e a twelveoone may not carry as much wieght as an anonamouse.

of course, i do. i would think everyone does. and why can't we assign weight to 'anonymous' as well? namely, no weight at all?

votes are an important part of the feedback loop, especially for writers that either do not have the talent or the confidence that you do, or for experiments.

i agree that new poets naturally put value on the votes. but it shouldn't take long for anyone to understand the ins and outs of the system - 5 votes from friends, 1 votes from trolls. at that point, the value they place on the votes should decrease automatically. and to their benefit, in my opinion.

i agree, by the way, with eliminating anonymous voting.

but literotica is a business, not a poetry magazine. their job is to get as many onto the website as they can. i would think readers like to vote, so i doubt they'll think much of such restrictions without a 'business' or 'legal' reason behind them.

 

[Guest]

....and just think - if anon were to disappear how dull things would be - we'd have nothing to grumble about.

 

[twelveoone]

....and just think - if anon were to disappear how dull things would be - we'd have nothing to grumble about.

I promise, I'll think of something...
and if not me... I am sure someone will think of something

 

[twelveoone]

i agree, by the way, with eliminating anonymous voting.

but literotica is a business, not a poetry magazine. their job is to get as many onto the website as they can. i would think readers like to vote, so i doubt they'll think much of such restrictions without a 'business' or 'legal' reason behind them.

heh, heh, heh
what if they disabled the button, unless you had a "name", whose ta know, I heard they did it in Ohio

 

[Eleanora Day]

i agree, by the way, with eliminating anonymous voting.

but literotica is a business, not a poetry magazine. their job is to get as many onto the website as they can. i would think readers like to vote, so i doubt they'll think much of such restrictions without a 'business' or 'legal' reason behind them.

I don't care about votes myself though I believe that Tess has a good point.

This poem, Amante XV has only 123 views. It's languishing. Languidly.

And it's a terzanelle.