Forum: Story Discussion and Feedback

Any new experiances with the comment section?

Robberhands 🚫
Updated:

I've seen there there was a thread about the comment section when it was newly introduced but since it was new there wasn't many experiences reported but mainly expectations.

Since I'm a bit bored at the moment (i.e. I should be writing) and a few month have passed, I thought it's worth a seond thread.

My experiences with comments are pretty good. The commenters are nice and friendly and I only had one 'Troll' so far. I didn't even mind his ... let's call it critique, but I asked Lazeez to remove his comments when he started to insult other commenters who didn't agree with his critique.

As always Lazeez was very fast to react and I've never heard of the 'Troll' again. I've no idea if Lazeez read the posts before he deleted them to check if they warranted my request. He simply replied to me that he did delete them.

Now I hope some of you will entertain me with stories about your experiences!

Replies: Dinsdale awnlee jawking

Dinsdale 🚫

@Robberhands

Als nicht-Author möchte ich nur darauf hinweisen, es heißt "experiences", also kein "a".

Replies: robberhands

robberhands 🚫

@Dinsdale

Thanks, but sadly it appears I can't edit the header.

awnlee jawking 🚫

@Robberhands

I've no idea if Lazeez read the posts before he deleted them

Based on my experiences, I'm pretty certain he did. In such cases he tries to be fair to both parties.

AJ

Ernest Bywater 🚫

Well, since we have two processes going:

1. The Author Feedback to talk to the author,

2. Story Reader Comments to make a comment on the story for other readers,

I leave the comments as a way for the readers to talk amongst themselves to discuss aspects of the stories. The few times I've checked them I found what they said interesting. The reason I checked them was someone sent me a Feedback message suggesting I check the comments for a particular story. So I checked the comments on that story and found someone had used that venue to mention something that should've been in the feedback, so I responded to it there if it was appropriate.

What I have found interesting about it is I have in my End Note and in my Blog that I leave the Reader Comments for them to talk amongst themselves, and some regular readers have sent me feedback stating they like the idea of me leaving it as a space for them to talk about the story and me not using the Comments to push my views about the story.

Replies: AmigaClone

AmigaClone 🚫

@Ernest Bywater

me not using the Comments to push my views about the story.

Personally I think that an author showing their views on a story might be interesting in stories where readers bring up theirs in the comment section.

Granted, the suthor's view might be better received if they make a point of not deliberately insulting the intelligent of the reader who might have a differing view of that story.

Replies: Ernest Bywater

Ernest Bywater 🚫

@AmigaClone

Personally I think that an author showing their views on a story might be interesting in stories where readers bring up theirs in the comment section.

If there is something that I feel needs to be pointed out it's either in the story or in my blog already, so I see no point in having a third spot.

Replies: Vincent Berg

Vincent Berg 🚫

@Ernest Bywater

If there is something that I feel needs to be pointed out it's either in the story or in my blog already, so I see no point in having a third spot.

Readers often ask questions about the story which other readers will also be interested in knowing. One time, someone commented on my using British spellings in a story about Americans, which then bleed into a discussion about WHY I did that (which should be a private discussion not dragged out into the public sphere) but I addressed it anyway.

Generally, critiques should be in private so that authors don't miss them and can address them rather than critiquing the story that other readers are enjoying, but you'll always run into people who can't avoid taking pot shots.

Generally, my experiences have been positive, but my "Responses to the author" are now way, way down.

Replies: Ernest Bywater

Ernest Bywater 🚫

@Vincent Berg

Readers often ask questions about the story which other readers will also be interested in knowing.

I've been answering those questions in my blog for a decade or more, so people know to look there. It's better there because many answers relate to multiple stories. I'll continue to do that, too.

robberhands 🚫

When I find something interesting I comment on it and if something is posted as a question directed at me, I answer it. Which means I use it pretty much the same way I use this forum.

Replies: Ernest Bywater

Ernest Bywater 🚫

@robberhands

Which means I use it pretty much the same way I use this forum.

I make it clear in the End Note I don't read the comments, so there shouldn't be any questions for me requiring an answer in there. Also, I have more than enough things calling on my time to add checking the comments on over 100 stories with many duplicated on the two sister sites. If it's important someone will contact me direct, as they have, the rest I leave to the readers.

Replies: robberhands Vincent Berg

robberhands 🚫

@Ernest Bywater

I don't need to check it. The ever so helpful wizard on SoL does it for me and sends a message when someone adds a comment to one of my only three stories.

Replies: Lapi

Lapi 🚫

@robberhands

It changed a bit from in the mail to details in an email but it really helps.

I think I have only have had 1 comment where I would have preferred to reply privately but the reader must have used the Nickname and not a Pen so could not use the mail.

In another post Lazeez may die hopefully 50 plus years from now but if he gets sick or God Forbid takes Holiday, and EB is on 'Walk-about' who takes over and probably several will be needed?

I don't think I'll live that long and have to face that happening but....?

Replies: Ernest Bywater

Ernest Bywater 🚫
Updated:

@Lapi

In another post Lazeez may die hopefully 50 plus years from now but if he gets sick or God Forbid takes Holiday, and EB is on 'Walk-about' who takes over and probably several will be needed?

I don't know, I don't actually work with the site or site management, although I do know Lazeez has one other moderator who helps and may take over. However, Lazeez is in Canada and runs the site as a business there while I live in Australia and I can't see me running it from here. Also, I couldn't get the Aust gov't to let me host it here, because our laws are a lot more stupid than the Canadian ones.

edit to add: My son will be able to take over my Lulu site when I ascend to the great story room, so my stories should stay out there well into the future.

Replies: Vincent Berg

Vincent Berg 🚫

@Ernest Bywater

My son will be able to take over my Lulu site when I ascend to the great story room, so my stories should stay out there well into the future.

Not me. My family all knows I write and publish stories, and all my passwords are on my computer where they can easily find it (Apple IOS lists all my passwords too, if you have the passcodes). But I doubt anyone will ever pay my website fees, publish any unposted stories, or post anything at all. :(

Replies: Ernest Bywater

Ernest Bywater 🚫

@Vincent Berg

But I doubt anyone will ever pay my website fees, publish any unposted stories, or post anything at all. :(

I concur with the first, a maybe on the second, and the third is dead easy, my sales point is Lulu, and while it stays up any sales will continue to go to PayPal and my son will direct the payments to his account.

Vincent Berg 🚫

@Ernest Bywater

I make it clear in the End Note I don't read the comments, so there shouldn't be any questions for me requiring an answer in there. Also, I have more than enough things calling on my time to add checking the comments on over 100 stories with many duplicated on the two sister sites.

If you select 'notify by email' ("forward to email"?), it'll tell you when there are outstanding messages. That's generally how I know when to read the comments, though it'll only list a single message each day, so sometimes they can pile up.

Replies: robberhands Ernest Bywater

robberhands 🚫

@Vincent Berg

That's generally how I know when to read the comments, though it'll only list a single message each day, so sometimes they can pile up.

You can set it up to get a mail each time a new comment is posted.

Ernest Bywater 🚫

@Vincent Berg

If you select 'notify by email' ("forward to email"?), it'll tell you when there are outstanding messages.

I could, but when I checked the comments in the first week the great majority didn't need anything from me, so I spend my time doing other things like fighting with my muse over the new stories.

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Forum: Story Discussion and Feedback

Any new experiances with the comment section?

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