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Thread: New policy - Limited forum access for inactive users (updated Oct. 14th 2010)

  1. #41
    NS Member techwriter2's Avatar
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    Re: Lurkers - How to get out of the Lurkers user group

    So, as a lurker, I am not entirely sure how I feel about this.

    By the way, the following is only my opinion and not meant to offend anyone - including writers and/or our lovely moderators.

    On one hand, I can see that yes, fanfiction writer and the other creative artists on this board, thrive on feedback. But on the other hand, I am afraid to start commenting on people's work since I feel that if I comment on one, I must comment on them all (very time-consuming).

    Another point was made that if I have time to read something, then I should have time to comment. However, that's not always the case, as I take my fanfiction where I can get it (on my blackberry, ipod or laptop in various places [i.e., ball field, airport, lunch break at work, etc.]).

    Another issue that I may have is that I like to read the fanfiction that is already completed (I'm not big on the in-progress works since I'm impatient and want to know how something ends right away). So, writers may not necessarily see my feedback until well after their story is finished.

    So, all that being said, yes, I am trying to get better about the feedback thing, but I am not sure that being told I have to comment once a month to stay active is going to encourage me to comment more.

    Just my two cents.

  2. #42
    Julie's Soul Sister
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    Re: Lurkers - How to get out of the Lurkers user group

    Hey guys!

    I don't think that rule should bother people that much. Here's why (my 2 cents):

    I've been close to be considered a lurker in the past few months, because I have a busy life, so I understand people saying they are busy. But really, we don't need to apologise for that. I think Julie understands. One post per month, even if you're busy, I don't see how big of a deal it is, mostly if you have time to read a fic, you have surely 2 minute to say something. Just a litte 'hi' somewhere or a small comment and there you go, back for another few weeks. And of course if you're too busy to post for over a month, well the worst that's gonna happen is you're going to be an 'inactive' user until you make one small post. One small post then you're active, I think Julie's rule is pretty easy on inactive people actually

    Nobody's asking for you to be active every day or week.. just, you know, show you're alive once in a while. otherwise, if everyone stop posting at minimum, the Forum will die. Only lurkers means no activity here or barely any activity and then Julie has no reason to keep the forum alive. and we don't want that

    Just my 2 cents, but I don't think anyone needs to take it too much as 'being forced' to be active, as much as 'show you're alive once in a while' and help keep the forum a little alive. And that, even with being busy.

    Just hope it can help people who don't seem to like the rule, to see it in another point of view

  3. #43
    NS Member techwriter2's Avatar
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    Re: Lurkers - How to get out of the Lurkers user group

    Thanks, MelBee!

    Makes me see things in a different light!

  4. #44
    walking with cavemen Senior Member Zannie's Avatar
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    Re: Lurkers - How to get out of the Lurkers user group

    Well, here's hoping the new policy will make a lasting difference in terms of feedback . . . But I'm afraid it will be like the last great "De-lurk" where there was a flurry of activity for about a month and then, when the dust had settled, we'd only gotten two new regular feedbackers out of it. With the new forum capabilities, at least there will be a post from lurkers every 30 days.

    I, of course, know how frustrating it is to see people reading stories daily but never leaving any comments. But I'm afraid this will completely alienate a good number of folks who aren't hardcore Chlexers and just like to check in for an evening every once in a while to read some fics. It's a shame to shut them out completely, just because they don't care about Chlex the way we do (or did). I've sometimes gone to other ship communities just to read some fics and see what it's about. If I'd had to make a post, I wouldn't have bothered. I'm sure that will be the case for most guests who might otherwise have wanted to stop by and see what Chlex is about.

    Anyway, I'm hoping for the best out of this . . .

  5. #45
    Administrator Senior Member Julie's Avatar
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    Re: Lurkers - How to get out of the Lurkers user group

    Quote Originally Posted by Zannie View Post
    I've sometimes gone to other ship communities just to read some fics and see what it's about. If I'd had to make a post, I wouldn't have bothered. I'm sure that will be the case for most guests who might otherwise have wanted to stop by and see what Chlex is about.
    Perhaps not what you meant, but as a guest, whether you're just not logged in or not registered, you can view a certain number of threads/post before you have to register. And, I can't say this for sure because I don't know the full extend of the code on this Lurker usergroup plugin, but I believe that newly registered members have 30 days to check things out and then after 30 days they'll have to make a post. You're not pushed into the Lurker group right away.
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  6. #46
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    Re: Lurkers - How to get out of the Lurkers user group

    I'm going to let you guys on a bit of a secret. I'm a closet lurker. I know what you are thinking: What?! NO! Not you! What does that even mean? I'll click on a post, start reading, realize it's not my thing, click out. Sometimes I'm just looking for new authors to interview. I've read much older stories, in some cases, re-read them, figured that the authors are long gone and I don't want to clog the top 5 so I'll leave. I know, Bad Wolf (Ha! Oh! Doctor Who *cough*). All these things not too terrible, except for maybe the last one, I should know better because you never know when a writer will come back and see their fic is still liked and want to write again or it gives someone new to the board a chance to see a fic they wouldn't easily find.

    My point, it happens to all of us. We all probably do it in some forum or another. I still lurk in the Spuffy fandom. A big reason is that I fear the same thing I feared before I first started here. I don't have anything to add. I'm too scared to break into the community. But I got over that here, I read a fic I was really liking, it was a WIP at the time, and I was just really wanted the author to know how much I was loving it. And this was ruafair's Sanquis Quid Ligurat. She was already 100 plus chapters in, had a ton of reviews, I didn't think she needed mine, and I was certain I wasn't adding anything. But then in her next update she mentions my review. It made me feel confident and so I posted more reviews and now you can't shut me up. If this rule was adopted where the Spuffy stories I read are, then it would give me that kick to make myself known, and I'd start reviewing all over there. You guys just might lose me to them for a while, but then I would remember you guys and come back here, find I've been lurker status, make a post, get pulled back in.

    I don't know about the time thing, these lives people talk about, I don't have one. I can imagine it gets pretty busy. I can tell you that sometimes I don't take a lot of time on my reviews. I usually write one right after I read the story. I like to name at least one thing I really liked, something that stuck with me. So it's like "I liked it when Chloe slapped Lex and then kicked him in the groin. I thought it was funny." So then the author knows what resonates. Starts thinking 'Okay Chlexers enjoy pain and like it when Lex suffers.' And that could help them with future writing. Whatever it is, you're probably thinking it anyway after you've read the story so it doesn't take that much longer to type it.

    As far as 'I don't have anything to add goes,' I do know that if a lot of people comment on the same thing then it lets the author know what is working and what isn't working if a lot of people are confused by the same thing. Say the author off-handedly mentions a memory the character has but does not intend to the write it. If enough people say 'I want to read that' then the author just might write it. If something is confusing and enough people mention it, then the author knows she/he has to clear it up either in that chapter or the next. It really helps improve the authors writing.

    And it really is the most AWESOME ego trip to see that you've gotten another review and it makes you more eager to write. Each time I put a new story up, I would check the board or email religiously to see if I got a new review and then I'd do a little happy dance when I did.

    Anyways I just wanted to say to lurkers to give it a try, but if you want to remain lurking, I understand that too. Now I'm going to go review a Spuffy story because it's time I did so.

  7. #47
    NS Full Member skauble's Avatar
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    Loooooooooooooooooooooong post here :)

    I may be off base here, but it doesn't seem to me that the rule is necessarily targeting fanfiction reviews. It seems to me that a person can post anywhere to stay active. So, to me, this is more about creating a sense of community than it is about solely increasing reviews.

    Which isn't to say that I am unsympathetic to people's concerns at all.

    Quote Originally Posted by sinecure View Post
    You know, I'm not sure how I feel about this new rule. I hate being forced to do something, and sometimes life gets out of hand, so you can't come in and comment just to keep your account active. It may increase comments for now, but I don't know that it'll help in the long run, especially on fic. People are lazy when it comes to commenting on fics. I see hundreds of views on my fics and only get 5 replies, so I get that. Which is why I don't really think this will help at all with fic, if that was the goal.

    I also don't read fic anymore. I'm too busy writing my own billion fics, and life stuff. So, having to come in here to keep my account active by saying something in one of the threads is just annoying to me. I'm here all the time, looking at new threads and the latest posts. I skim them. Sometimes I have nothing to say, other times I have a lot to say. It comes and goes, as does my interest in certain subjects.

    Mostly it's the fact that I have to comment just to stay active. I doubt it'll be a problem for me. I comment enough that I don't think I'll be knocked back to lurker status, but... yeah. Just my two cents.
    First off, a warning: I'm hyped up on sinus meds that make me slightly flaky...flakier. lol So I hope that I don't muck up this next part, because I definitely see where you're coming from and don't want to dismiss your concerns.

    I totally get what you're saying and I'm not one for requirements either (although that probably has to do with my innate laziness as opposed to principle lol). But the way that I look at this is like when you have to register at a site in order to use it to it's fullest advantage. There are a number of reasons for that, but it's something that is often required because it benefits the forum as a whole.

    I have to admit that I have more than a few lurker tendencies in me. But I've been to sites where you can't access some things until you make an introductory post and I do have to say that there have been times when that's helped me to participate in the community because it broke the ice. Taking that first step and it being okay and people being welcoming helped me get past some of my fears of participation.

    And, oddly, that's a fear that I hear a lot. I send out a welcome to people who join (well, now the forum sends it, but it's the welcome that I used to send out manually and the replies back come to me) and I was surprised at how many people lurk because they feel a lack of confidence as opposed to a lack of time (although there are absolutely people for whom that is a legitimate consideration). There are more than a few who decided to tentatively dip their toe in the water an became really active once they realized there was no shark there to gobble them up. lol

    So while I do see the points you make about the cons, I think that there are pros that can definitely benefit the community (and, when it comes to it, the lurkers, too, because dead communities tend to disappear which leaves no place to lurk ).

    Also, from what I got from the first post (although I may have read it wrong. Sometimes me and comprehension don't mesh lol). People don't have to keep their account active all the time. If they leave for a few months and come back they simply have to make a post to move out of the group. So they don't have to make sure to keep stopping in to post if they don't have the time. But I do think for those who currently post or are new and could use the encouragement to post, this can be helpful.


    Quote Originally Posted by techwriter2 View Post
    So, as a lurker, I am not entirely sure how I feel about this.

    By the way, the following is only my opinion and not meant to offend anyone - including writers and/or our lovely moderators.

    On one hand, I can see that yes, fanfiction writer and the other creative artists on this board, thrive on feedback. But on the other hand, I am afraid to start commenting on people's work since I feel that if I comment on one, I must comment on them all (very time-consuming).

    Another point was made that if I have time to read something, then I should have time to comment. However, that's not always the case, as I take my fanfiction where I can get it (on my blackberry, ipod or laptop in various places [i.e., ball field, airport, lunch break at work, etc.]).

    Another issue that I may have is that I like to read the fanfiction that is already completed (I'm not big on the in-progress works since I'm impatient and want to know how something ends right away). So, writers may not necessarily see my feedback until well after their story is finished.

    So, all that being said, yes, I am trying to get better about the feedback thing, but I am not sure that being told I have to comment once a month to stay active is going to encourage me to comment more.

    Just my two cents.
    As a writer here I have to say that I'm not at all offended if a person comments on some stories and not others. As you've mentioned, there are definite time constraints on people's lives and, honestly, sometimes a certain fic prompts a person to say something and another one doesn't. That doesn't mean that one is better than the other, simply that one nudged the reader for whatever reason. I tend to see that more as a reflection on people's personal tastes than on the quality of a story.

    Which isn't to say that I want to discourage feedback. It's simply that I think that a lot of people get caught in the same place you are where it seems like it's an all or nothing prospect where you have to review everyone who posts or you'll hurt some of the writers' feelings. Kind of like a "did you bring enough gum for the entire class" thing. But more often than not I think that ends up with a forum having no posts because commenting on everything is an incredibly overwhelming and daunting prospect. So I'd much rather see people be comfortable with a place where they can comment on somethings and not everything without feeling bad.

    Also, if it helps any, a lot of writers have their stories set to alert them when they get a comment and so if you add a note to a long finished story they still might get it.


    Quote Originally Posted by sydsvaughn View Post
    Woo hoo!! New look, and people more actively talking about Chlex ... maybe this will inspire me to write something again...I've been sorely lacking in writing muses lately. Anyhow, just wanted to chime in you rock ... as you have since day one with this site and if people don't tell you enough...thank you for all you do (and have done for the more than 9 years I've been a part of this lovely forum and fandom)!

    SaraC
    Excellent news! Of course, now somethingeasy will be sending out the ninjas to get you. She's obsessive encouraging like that.


    Quote Originally Posted by Booksketeer View Post
    o.O ...it's, it's NEW! Julie! I'm afraid of the NEW! How long have I been gone?

    ...oh. Long enough for LURKER status, I see. *sniff*sniff* (I'm so ashamed...)

    I'm so sorry! But I've got a million and one good reasons for abandoning everyone...but for convenience sake I'm offering this one-

    I got a job! A real job! Sure, I work from home, but I got a real job! You are now looking at the helpdesk support staff of a Christian filtered internet service!

    Yep. Go ahead and laugh. I did. Lexie- you probably did too when I told you. I love me a good smutty story, but apparently not everyone does . So I help people block naughty sites from their computers.

    On an unrelated note, we just got a blu-ray player and have been looking to see if anyone makes blu-ray porn- just for curiosity's sake, of course.

    -Booksketeer
    Yay for the job! Also for the irony that made laugh - loudly. Actually, I think blocking people from naughty sites when they don't want to see them benefits everyone. Then they don't have to get upset when they come across them and we don't have to defend our content. It's win-win.

    Also, for the record, porn is never an unrelated note.


    Quote Originally Posted by Augustine86 View Post
    Ah, Julie, you're a harsh mistress... But I guess that with that Bitch stick you carry around, I shouldn't be surprised. I feel properly chastised... If I had the capacity to feel shame I would, but this Forum has cured me of that particular malady. I promise to try not to lurk!
    If you'd like, I could feel ashamed of you. Kind of like a surrogate sense of morality.


    So I have to say that I support this idea. And, speaking only for myself, I'd be happy if people posted on discussion or general threads even if they bypassed commenting on a fic I wrote. Don't get me wrong, like all authors I enjoy hearing from readers. But I also love interaction in other areas. So if someone wants to use that one lurker avoidance post to stop by and add a note in a different area of the forum - like episode discussion even if it's just to say the show sucks and they haven't watched for years for exactly the reasons that the majority of us are probably complaining lol - then I think that would be great.

    ~Sarah~

    P.S. OMG, yay for proofreading!!! Because I wrote this sentence:

    Kind of like a "did you bring enough gum for the entire class" thing.
    And included the most unfortunate typo ever.

  8. #48
    Na-No-Wri-Mo-ing!
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    Re: Loooooooooooooooooooooong post here :)

    Quote Originally Posted by skauble View Post


    And included the most unfortunate typo ever.
    Maybe depending on the type of class it was, skooble, it was exactly the appropriate typo. They make cooking classes for everything now!
    Her soul is senstive like a finely made tuning fork. It vibrates and resonates with every little hint of trauma, evil and monstrosity that might be humming in the air, and channels it into expressions of fiction... or recomended websites - somethingeasy

  9. #49
    Escapeism Artist Senior Member asharnanae's Avatar
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    Re: Loooooooooooooooooooooong post here :)

    oh man......... It now so totally looks like I came out of lurkerdom just cuz of this, I swear I had no idea about this whole thing until I just read through the thread....... I did actually come back to being more active on my own, not because of this, but I understand completely that most people will take that statement with little credibility given the timeing, and I hold no bad feeling for it.

    I have been terribly guilty of lurking the the fic forums. I enjoy every fic I read here, some more than others obviously, and I used to always review everything I read...... I don't really know when not reviewing everything started. And its horrifically lame to say it, but part of it was that I am a relatively lazy person, and other people leaving such great reviews gave me the pathetic excuse of feeling like I didnt need to put in my too pennith as well. And I knew it was wrong.... I have alot to make up for.

    I think overall the new restrictions are good ones, and I for one wont be fading into the background in a months time, I may have before, but not this time. So bring on the 'bitch stick' says I!

    and sorry for more self-absorbed sounding melodrama... I think my wisom tooth pain is making me all dicomboulatedly self castigatory in the most strange of ways.....

  10. #50
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    Re: Loooooooooooooooooooooong post here :)

    Off topic, I would just like to say to skauble, do you know how badass it would have been to start chewing gum in class, have the teacher ask if you brought enough for the class and then pull out a bag of gum and say yes?!

    Still on topic of this off topic, which typo was it? Was it the more naughty one kitten and let's face it all of us were thinking, or was it the more innocent (if that's possible) word 'gun'?

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