Hello all --
I'm very happy to have joined this site, it seems like a nice family. And I'll keep plugging along with my little stories until someone tells me to stop, if that's ok with you!
I had a few questions, though, if you don't mind. Didn't want to do anything to step on toes, so I thought I'd ask first.
1. The whole story "voting" thing. What is that? What are we voting for? Are we voting to say we liked a story? I can't imagine reading a story that someone took the time to write and NOT voting my appreciation... but it doesn't seem to be that. So can someone tell me what it is?
2. Editing/bumping stories. I've seen the occassional thing I've wanted to edit in my stories... but I've resisted doing so because I was afraid it would automatically kick my story to the top of the page... which doesn't seem very fair. Can someone tell me if that will happen if I edit?
I won't bore you with info about me, but I'm happy to answer any questions. I do have a yahoo 360 blog that I was updating for a while so you're welcome to check it out if you like. Here's the link:
Bimbo Alison's Blog at Yahoo 360
As I said, I'm really happy to be here, and I hope I can contribute my share.
Thanks,
Alison
Comments
In the interest of science...
Your second question (not to slight the first one) is something I've always wondered.
I know comments are automatically bumped up with revision AS AN EXPERIMENT,
I am going to change one word to my latest blog, to see what happens.
Be right back...
Well shit, I guess it really CAN happen here..,
.
In the interest of Science...
Give me a ping (word), Vasili. One ping (word) only, please. ... LOL! From my past experience editing a story doesn't return it to the top of the list. You are correct about the comments Laika. That does return it to the top.
grover quoting "Hunt for Red October" in Carolina.
hugs!
I'm back...
Hi, I'm back. Just changed one word of my latest blog. This did NOT put it back at the top of the list.
So now I can edit to my hearts content. Although WHAT I WON'T DO is to change the content of a blog or comment in response to comments that were written after it, to make myself appear prescient, or to undercut what folks have said. This is "double dipping the chip", so to speak, and when people do this it drives me nuts! It makes me hesitant to comment on their blogs, out of fear that when I talk about, oh say, this coffee mug, drawing some analogy between it and whatever it is they said,
they'll go back and write, "Talk about coffee mugs if you're a big stupid doo-doo head!",
making me appear foolish. I think it's better manners to just write a new comment
(or a 2nd one) than to edit what you'd said after folks have commented on it.
I would, I don't know... ask Sephrena Miller about all this, but she has enough to do.
My "experiment" answered my questions at only the slight risk of embarrassment
if it DID move my blog up.
Well shit, I guess it really CAN happen here..,
.
Ask Sephrena Miller
she can answer your questions. She has helped me out a lot. If she can't, she will lead you to one that can.
May Your Light Forever Shine
Voting
Welcome to the Big Closet, Alison!
Think of the voting feature as a recommendation. If you like a story and think others would enjoy it too, give it a vote. You can check the Daily Voting block on the right side of the front page to see the stories that have gotten the most votes on any given day, and the [More] link takes you to a page that shows the all time vote getters (I think).
As the others have said, you can edit as much as you like without affecting the position of your post. Where a story or blog is placed is dependent on the date and time it was originally posted, which can only be altered by Erin (and maybe some others with administrative privileges).
Scott
Writing is like prostitution. First you do it for love, and then for a few close friends, and then for money.
-- Moliere
Bree
The difference between fiction and reality? Fiction has to make sense.
-- Tom Clancy
http://genomorph.tglibrary.com/ (Currently broken)
http://bree-ramsey314.livejournal.com/
Twitter: @genomorph
Yea, voting
Yeah, what Scoot said. Ideally, I think, the voting would be like polite applause (not a standing ovation.); a show of appreciation and saying the story was worth the time. But I wish more would use it.
Joy; Jan
(I really like your Moliere quote, Scott. I fluctuate between the love and close friends levels, but I'm a real slut and 'close friends' is open to a whole lot of people. The money thing would really sort of ruin it all.)
Hello Alison
Like you I'm a newbie here. From me, Welcome! I'm still trying to figure out what this intimidating lot are all about, but actually I think they are pussycats really. Keep the stories coming.
Joanne
Voting as opposed to commenting
Wotcha!
I was new here once too - though that seems like a lifetime ago now...
People write and afterwards, like to know that people read their stories. The count helps a lot, but it doesn't tell us (the uppity authors like me, who want to know how the readers REALLY felt), whether they liked the stories.
Now commenting is a really good thing and has fuelled many an argument - sorry - discussion on its merits, since many people don't take advantage of this simple gesture that really helps to maintain enthusiasm within the writing community here.
Arguments against are that professional authors don't get or need this so why should we?
The answer is that we are not professionals, though the quality of some of the stories would lead one to think that some of the authors border on professional. Any-who, we don't get the big, fat cheques that the professionals get. We don't get added to an international or even national bestseller list, don't get Booker or Pulizer prizes, just the kudos from a few friendly people who take the time out to pat us on the back metaphorically with a simple (or sometimes - not so simple) comment.
I think after a couple of failed attempts to get it off the ground, the voting idea was born.
It's a single click and as said earlier, is a recommendation, rather than a standing ovation, round of applause or even a "quite good!" for the work submitted.
So many methods have been tried to get people to be a little more effusive with their praise or comments in general, but many of those readers out there can't be bothered. Trouble is, whatever method is put in place, not enough people use it especially after the first day of submission.
Perhaps the old way which was to add a line saying "please comment - or vote - or both" at the end of a story submission would be good, just to nudge those lazy buggers out there into action. After all, apart from good-natured people who have the money to donate to this, a very worthy cause (the site itself), it's free, gratis, no charge, handed to you on a plate and the least that readers could do, is encourage those who take the time and effort to entertain, which is after all, the reason they come visit isn't it?
Nick B
Alison
To Nick B. Bravo