Long Comments

Postby SelenaGfan » Tue Dec 10, 2013 3:16 am

I would like to suggest if you are going to leave a long
comment to a story that maybe you PM the writer of the
story instead of posting as a reply.I have stopped read
certain stories because a few people leave very long
comment about characters or situations in the story.
A sentnece or two is fine but a paragraph or two makes
it hard to follow the story the writer posts for enjoyment.

Re: Long Comments

Postby xtc » Tue Dec 10, 2013 3:24 am

I understand what you mean but completely disagree.
Comments are all we writers have to know whether our efforts are appreciated.
I could certainly tolerate a couple of paragraphs of constructive/appreciative comments between episodes. There is lately a lack of feedback which I would not like to see being discouraged.
Boxer shorts are cool,
but little speedos rule!

More by the same author: viewtopic.php?f=5&t=22729

Re: Long Comments

Postby mcsproot » Tue Dec 10, 2013 4:03 pm

Perhaps a section of the board for 'pure stories' could be something? Like once a story is considered complete, the author could post it in that section where it would be locked from other comments.

Or you could copy-paste the story segments into a word document.
23 year old guy from the UK.

Send me a private message on the board if you want to add me to your MSN, Yahoo, or anything else.

Re: Long Comments

Postby sarobah » Wed Dec 11, 2013 2:29 pm

mcsproot wrote:Perhaps a section of the board for 'pure stories' could be something? Like once a story is considered complete, the author could post it in that section where it would be locked from other comments.

I have seen this in other online forums and it works well.
Words, like Nature, half reveal and half conceal the soul within.

Re: Long Comments

Postby Kyle » Wed Dec 11, 2013 9:41 pm

That sounds like a good idea. People should still be able to post them in a section where they're open to comments as well if they want.

Re: Long Comments

Postby zanev » Fri Dec 13, 2013 10:19 pm

Eliminating long comments defeats the purpose of a message board,no one is forcing you to read others posts. If you want to read the rest of the story then just scroll to the comment the author left and read where they left off.
I close my eyes, Inis Mona
And reminisce of those palmy days
I moon o'er you, Inis Mona
As long as I breathe
I'll call you my home

Re: Long Comments

Postby bondagefreak » Sat Dec 14, 2013 7:05 am

Why not have the best of both worlds?
We shouldn't discourage long comments and reviews, for the reasons 'xtc' wrote about.
Instead we should find ways to encourage reviews while still allowing our audience to read the story in a relatively uninterrupted fashion. Something several of us have found useful to do when writing story chapters is to label the post with a bold/large font title. This way everyone knows that the following post is the continuation of the story and not a comment or a review.

Example:

My Story - Chapter 1

blah blah blah

_________________

Comment

_________________

Comment

_________________

Comment

_________________

My Story - Chapter 2

blah blah blah
Image

Re: Long Comments

Postby xtc » Sat Dec 14, 2013 9:59 am

I agree with Bondagefreak about the larger font for chapter headings; In particular, if I use a "Huge", bold font and centred, it seems to make a stylistic point.

Long comments are a double-edged sword:
They CAN interrupt the flow of a story but, as I have said before, they are so often a real boost to the writers.

If I have constructive points to make:
a) There has to be something good about the story to make me want to do so
b) There are times when my remarks would be better kept to pm's
c) The writer MIGHT be pleased to receive my comments

Comments can, sometimes, add to the story. I enjoyed Dominick's contribution to "A Proper Secondary School", for instance. The contributions to "The Real Father Christmas and His Elves" have been a positive enhancement o the story. However . . .
. . . I hate it when someone comments something like "How about someone having sex with camels (for example) in the next episode?" and, sure enough, in the next episode . . . .

If the story is total crap, I'm not going to bother commenting unless it is completely outrageous.

Outrageous includes, but is not limited to:
Racisism,
Religious intolerance,
Complete illiteracy,
Stories involving the sexual abuse of minors,
Porn in general (although that seems to be, to a certain extent, what certain sections of this site are for). Don't get outraged, I don't mean stories involving sex, just the ones that involve poor descriptions of "tie-ups", which are relevant to the site's "mission", followed by coarse, mechanical descriptions of subsequent sex acts.
Stories involving non- consensual sex
"Stories" that are no better than ignorant list of activities that lack any plot or characterisation

Sorry, long rant.
I know I'm likely to stop posting stories on the site soon (too old) but I needed to get that lot off my chest before doing so and disappearing in a huff.

. . . Phew . . .
Boxer shorts are cool,
but little speedos rule!

More by the same author: viewtopic.php?f=5&t=22729

Re: Long Comments

Postby Jason Toddman » Mon Dec 16, 2013 11:23 am

One reason my own output has been dropping sharply lately is because rather than get long comments (which personally I have never objected to), many of my stories get no comments at all. Not even a simple "This is great" or "This is garbage". This has the effect of making me feel that my creative output and time are better spent elsewhere, and I'm sure I am far from being the only one who feels this way.
Comments are like commercials, but if you don't like them you can easily skip over them, and comments are what keeps writers like me going. When readers show no interest in what i write, then I lose interest in writing anything. I'm not interested anymore in writing for readers who can't even be bothered to acknowledge my efforts once in a while.
Dare to be different... and make a difference.
To boldly go where no one in their right mind has gone before...

Re: Long Comments

Postby xtc » Mon Dec 16, 2013 11:56 am

What he said!
Boxer shorts are cool,
but little speedos rule!

More by the same author: viewtopic.php?f=5&t=22729

Re: Long Comments

Postby drawscore » Mon Dec 16, 2013 5:25 pm

Jason Toddman wrote:One reason my own output has been dropping sharply lately is because rather than get long comments (which personally I have never objected to), many of my stories get no comments at all. Not even a simple "This is great" or "This is garbage". This has the effect of making me feel that my creative output and time are better spent elsewhere, and I'm sure I am far from being the only one who feels this way.
Comments are like commercials, but if you don't like them you can easily skip over them, and comments are what keeps writers like me going. When readers show no interest in what i write, then I lose interest in writing anything. I'm not interested anymore in writing for readers who can't even be bothered to acknowledge my efforts once in a while.


Well, I recall getting pretty well lit one night, and went off an a rant about feedback, in which, I called just about everybody a bunch of ungrateful idiots, and a few other things. I'm amazed I didn't get bounced, but then, perhaps the mods look out for screwballs and nutburgers. And drunks.

Like Jason, I rarely post stories, simply because, without sufficient feedback, I have no idea whether members like it, or if they think it's total crap.

Perhaps an icon could be included in the story section, where members could vote up or down; like or dislike, with one mouse click. It might encourage more stories, unless there are a bunch of people out there that don't like anything, and respond by voting down anything and everything that is posted, regardless of who posts it, and/or the storyline therein.

Drawscore

Re: Long Comments

Postby xtc » Tue Dec 17, 2013 3:20 am

I disagree with being able to "vote down" a topic. Just because I don't like particular story or type of story does not mean that many of our members will agree with me. I can also see scope for those of bad will (and we have had one or two of them) automatically to vote down particular types of story without even reading them just because they'd rather the board was tailored more closely to their personal requirements.

I'd be all for a "thumbs-up" button.
Boxer shorts are cool,
but little speedos rule!

More by the same author: viewtopic.php?f=5&t=22729

Re: Long Comments

Postby Jason Toddman » Tue Dec 17, 2013 6:31 am

What he said! :quirk:
Dare to be different... and make a difference.
To boldly go where no one in their right mind has gone before...