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Just kind of curious really? Personally it usually will attract me to a story and the comments themselves.
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Comments
Strange beasties
Comments are a strange beasty, really. I'm not sure anyone really understands what will generate large numbers of them with any predictable regularity. You can post a great story and get dozens of them... or just one or two nice thank you, good story posts. You can post an awful story and get a couple recommendations to get a proof-reader, or you can get dozens of comments and a whole train of discussion over something that wasn't really all that important to the story in the first place. Episodic stories are even more confusing. One chapter might get lots of comments, another few... about the only thing I can think of that has a high probability is use of cliff-hangers... but mostly those will just be people saying "Curse you! And your little dog too!"
Very strange
I've been online since 1989 and comments people make about EVERYTHING are all in the same boat so it's not limited to this venue or even about story comments to authors. It goes across the board. If you get a few good notes or a constructive comment you should walk away proud. A lot of work goes into a story and you'll never get back all you deserve. On the right day it might be a slew of comments that react to a comment that has nothing to do with your story!
People given legs that work will go where they will. If you figure them out then you have a very valuable career ahead of you. The best feedback you get is from people that know you. Making friends is the best plan. I think you can do that here. It's mostly a nice place. Feeling good about what you write comes best from within.
comments and cliffhangers
Yes, I agree with Chaos---
comments are chaotic in nature with the numbers varying greatly chapter to chapter.
I also agree with the use of cliffhangers bringing out comments of the nature of "I can't believe you used a cliffhanger", although many authors do so (even in print books).
I have noticed one other strange phenomenon - - whenever (only twice so hardly a trend yet) I leave a comment about the comments, they stop. Yes, it's like my comment put up some sort of "dead end street" sign and no one comes down it to leave another comment.
This may or may not be the reason but it just seemed a little strange to me, enough so that I have stopped leaving comments about comments on my chapters. My comments have not been negative but merely an attempt to explain my thinking (in a round about way so I don't give too much away in the storyline).
Commenting about comments, and so on, and so forth....
Interesting comment about your response to a comment resulting in an end to the comment string. My own personal feeling is that it makes me want to respond even more - I enjoy the back and forth with an author, but then again I have always been an argumentative type, lol.
To me, it's not the number of comments - or even the fact that someone else may have already expressed my same thoughts - but rather how intelligent or feeling the comment is. Some comments just make you want to respond with a question as to the commenter's lack of knowledge or dubious parentage, while others are stimulating and just beg to be answered. To me, that is the distinction.
The fact that someone else may have already stated that which I wanted to say usually elicits a comment from me agreeing with them. Of course, as the saying goes, the true test of another person's intelligence is how well they agree with you.
Unfortunately, we tend to grade things on a basis if quantity, not quality. It is truly unfortunate that the number of comments is the measure rather than the content of the comments that are left.
Dallas
D. Eden
Dum Vivimus, Vivamus
I agree, strange beasties indeed
Large numbers of comments can attract but then they can deter some coments as the potential commenter sees their's has esentially been made already.
And few comments could mean a so-so story OR just people missed a good one.
John in Wauwatosa
P.S. The quality of what is IN the comments can be more important than the number.
John in Wauwatosa
What discourages ME from commenting,
is authors who do not respond to the comments that they get. You're definitely not one of those, so you needn't worry. = )
*Kisses*
Another thing I find VERY discouraging is use of the c-word...
*Shudder*
c-word...
condescending? Cadmium? College, collage, cad, cuttlefish, cake, coitus, clitoris, cute, coin?
For me, if there are a lot of posts already commenting on what I was thinking about, I'm not going to add a "Me too!" - those drive me nuts online as it is.
I'll get a life when it's proven and substantiated to be better than what I'm currently experiencing.
The c-word (and it's variations)...
--------- killed the cat...
*Shudder* =(
CZ-52 killed the cat? Well,
CZ-52 killed the cat? Well, yes, but that's a bit overkill. I guess it could be 'cannon killed the cat', but that's SERIOUS overkill. That's more like 'cats' plural...
I'll get a life when it's proven and substantiated to be better than what I'm currently experiencing.
The C word!
I'm sure the majority of North American BCTS readers are familiar with the word 'FANNY", well in the land of OZ Fanny = 'The C word'! OMG!
Is that because:
When we beat you in the Americas Cup?
Do you come from a land down under?
Where women glow and men plunder?
Cann't you hear, can't you hear the thunder?
You better run, you better take cover.
Is that because we are upside down? (although I can prove that we are on top of the planet called 'Earth'). (That could cause some discussion amongst the belivers)
Is it true that 'Fanny in the USA is = Bum?'
Please correct me if I am wrong.
Why dont we all just call 'C', "Fanny", like "your Fanny is Funny".
LoL
Rita
Age is an issue of mind over matter.
If you don't mind, it doesn't matter!
(Mark Twain)
LoL
Rita
What?
Crustaceans killed the cat? May it never be!!!!
Love, Andrea Lena
Have you ever heard of -
Mud Crabs?
I actually have eaten the best in New England but there not as good as Aussie Mud Crabs!
LoL
Rita
Age is an issue of mind over matter.
If you don't mind, it doesn't matter!
(Mark Twain)
LoL
Rita
constructive criticism
That's a c-word that will stop commenting right quickly. Ok, I know it's not a single word... but seriously. When you start raising flags about keeping comments constructive, the people who care suddenly start feeling guilty and are looking back over their previous comments to make sure they are responsible for hurting someone's feelings. The people who don't care aren't going to change their attitudes in most cases anyway and ignore those sorts of comments... so you end up reducing the positive comments and feedback while putting focus/attention on the negative ones. That doesn't impact BCTS as much as some other places (like Crystal Hall, for instance) because there's less of a public author/writer improvement mentality here (the focus is on the stories, not on how well it was written or how much the author is improving with each one). Crystal Hall (and the Whateley Universe authors) sees a lot more critical feedback than occurs here (at least from what I've seen in public comments). And redrawing the line as to what is acceptable from time to time does impact comment quantity for a while.
LOL
In reading the comments about comments, I have seen all that has been observed. And like the question, where do elephants go to die? I have no answers.
So many times I would respond making a what I thought was a thoughtful comment, to find that my comment shut the comments down. I have become a bit concerned that maybe I have some bad JU JU or something, so to those people who have had this happen to them I am deeply sorry.
Sniff Sniff Sniff.
Michele
With those with open eyes the world reads like a book
Where do Elephants go to Die?
When they get the last trunk call, they go to Elephant Heaven!
They are beautiful!
LoL
Rita
Age is an issue of mind over matter.
If you don't mind, it doesn't matter!
(Mark Twain)
LoL
Rita
I tend to read others'
I tend to read others' comments before making my own, and that certainly inhibits me from commenting. What can I say that hasn't already been said? If I simply want to say, I liked it, I send a Kudos.
Hi! Bailey Re comments!
To raise a comment.
Is that 'Do comments ---?', or 'Does comments --?'.
PS - just taking the piss. Ha!!
I believe you are the best at answering any comments I have ever made,although there are some other authors who also are great. I appreciate it that you have read them and responded. This must be a big job but I have a feeling that someone else you love is helping out, I won't mention her name, her Initials start with Jonelle, but please say hello from Rita!
If I comment to authors I would love a response or at least a reply to all who have bothered.
I think I have been with BCTS for close to 5 years, my experience is I read authors who reply to comments more than those who don't.
Overall I would love to see a summary of authors we have commemted on responses/verses non responded to? The data is there, but I guess someone has to do the analysis/program if it's a popular request and affordable.
I notice that on FM that they request a comment to encourage authors, however you have to go back to the story to find any response which can be hard to track - similar to BCTS.
If I was BCTS I would include this as an option in the 'Messages' selection. E.G. 'comment responses/stories/authors'.
I have been in ICT for 55 years, year one I knew everything: year 55 I know nothing: and thats not Altzim-em something!
LoL
Rita
Age is an issue of mind over matter.
If you don't mind, it doesn't matter!
(Mark Twain)
LoL
Rita
High numbers, really?
Don't know as I have never had a high number of comments, or for that matter, readers, but than that is understandable.
I've found...
I've found that it doesn't matter how many comments there are, after someone writes the last one, nobody writes any more.
This is more of a perception problem than anything else, by the time you notice there are a lot of comments, it's usually about the time for the comments to start drying up. It's about like asking why something is always in the last place you look, since you stopped looking when you found it, it would have to be the last place.
Of course people stop commenting when there are a lot of comments, except when the stop earlier, or when the comment more.
The thing that bugs me about
The thing that bugs me about comments is when someone augers in on unimportant side plot accessories (not even elements, they're that insignificant!), and runs with questions and speculations on rhose same nit-noid things. That seems to stop comments. I do try to engage those who comment, because feequently they have a point of view that's not coincident with my own, and i may learn something to help the next story.
Imagination is more important than knowledge
A. Einstein