Newby writer Jade claims in blog to be responding to 'feedback' when she has enabled neither email or comment features. Maybe she's psychic.
IMO, with the privacy changes to mail and addition of commenting, at least one of those should be required in current postings.
I Notice a few newer writers got into posting the same info on both their comments and blogs. Lately they seem to have grown up a little.
Or maybe they have more than one alias on the site and could be responding to comments from one of their other pseudonyms....
at least one of those should be required in current postings.
There are SOL members who send inappropriate remarks to authors and threaten them with violence. These members do not like the topic the author writes about, the way the author addresses the topics, or some other aspect of the story.
IIRC, Lazeez can disable a member account, but, he is unable to determine the person who owns the account. All the person has to do is register with SOL using a different user name, so Lazeez cannot block the person from accessing SOL. The only way the authors can protect themselves from receiving these comments is to disable email and comments.
What you are suggesting is that Lazeez force authors to open themselves to the inappropriate negative criticism and remarks of readers who do not like what they read.
What you are suggesting is that Lazeez force authors to open themselves to the inappropriate negative criticism and remarks of readers who do not like what they read.
Not at all. Generally, when someone gets their hands slapped, they take the time to reflect and realize they went overboard. So sometimes, if you do take a break from comments, turn them back on again and see whether the textual storm has subsided. If so, you can resume your normal conversations with readers.
Anyone can be an ass, but it takes a bigger man to realize when they've lost their way and sets out to correct their path. Don't take away their ability to become better than their worst moments.
We all slip from time to time, but only the pigs live in the muck their entire lives. Most eventually climb out and get on with their lives, as writers need to as well.
IIRC a little over a year ago, an author was commenting on the death threats, or was it just physical harm, one of his readers sent him.
I doubt that author found those threats acceptable after thinking about them for a while.
IIRC a little over a year ago, an author was commenting on the death threats, or was it just physical harm, one of his readers sent him.
I doubt that author found those threats acceptable after thinking about them for a while.
I've received a number of reader e-mails that some would consider unacceptable. Since I preserve a strict firewall between my authorial identities and my real identity, I can afford to laugh at them.
As far as I can tell, none of them came from fellow authors. Those I might well find disturbing.
AJ
Wow... you guys have some harsher critics than I do, I guess.
I haven't received any death threats or even threats of violence... I got a couple "You suck!" and "Your story sucks" and even "You are disgusting for putting that in your sucky story." style emails, but that is the extent of my 'hatemail'.
Now I have to figure out if I am doing something right or doing something wrong! Time to write something controversial and find out?
I know!
'Evangelical transexual juvenile killer whales try to build the Fourth Reich to wipeout intersex harp seal environmentalists!'
Instant classic.
you guys have some harsher critics than I do,
I don't usually get bad/rude feedback, but I got several the other day from a belligerent reader. I almost put in a request for a block user option, but it didn't escalate.
It started with him complaining that in my story the person gave up their cell phone because it was too expensive. He said that's not realistic. I told him that if I wanted to write something 100% realistic I'd write non-fiction. He sent the same message again which I ignored.
Then there was a different complaint I don't remember. I responded. He sent the same message again. I didn't reply. He dropped it.
And then he complained about a swinging story I wrote. He said swinging is cheating. I told him it wasn't. He sent the same message again. I asked him what he was complaining about. Was it that I didn't include the "cheating" story code? I sent him SOL's definition and the dictionary definition of cheating and a link to an article comparing swinging to cheating. He didn't answer my question. Just sent the same message again. So I didn't reply and he didn't either.
It seems he wanted to get something off his chest and have the last word. As long as I stopped replying he stopped sending the same message. If he would have continued I would have asked for the ability to block someone.
I doubt that author found those threats acceptable after thinking about them for a while.
Sorry, I wasn't suggesting that authors forgive everyone, rather that, after time, the site abusers typically shut up, whether that's remorse or boredom. Once they're not getting constant attention for spouting hatred, few continue ranting.
I had to shut down ALL comments in one story following multiple vile anti-Muslim comments, but when I reopened comments later on, the abuse didn't continue.
All I'm suggesting is that sometimes you need to shut down a conversation, but often, given time, people calm down and resume their normal activities. So I was suggesting they re-open the story comments, if only for a few days as a trial.
