It's posts like this to me at the Fictionmania Hyperboard that made me stop posting stories for free. People who can't thank an author but they sure can complain. Here they are complaining because I promoted my story? Bet $10 he or she didn't even read it.
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Comments
Can't get in
Your link asks for a username and password.
I've never needed one when I've visited Fictionmania in the past.
Having said that, it is a long while since I've been there. BCTS fulfils all my present needs.
Penny
FM's Weird Idiosyncracies
For some odd reason, if you have a registered name @ the FM Hyperboard, it uses different links than a non-logged-in/non-registered user..... Here is the link for those without usernames @ FM -- http://fictionmania.tv/webmessage/reply.html?uniqueID=11180620
Some times I wonder why I don't cross-post to Fictionmania...
Then I see stuff like this and it reminds me why.
And I'm not just talking about the subject matter of a lot of the boards, I'm also talking about the general formatting and structure of the site. As much as I love computers I've a deep affection for GUIs, and Fictionmania feels so outdated compared to BC visually it's appalling.
Eh. Personal taste though. My stuff wouldn't appeal there anyhow, methinks.
Melanie E.
There are some days....
(today comes to mind) where it feels like I'm composting over there....
Love, Andrea Lena
huggles, Drea
I should comment more there, but I save my love for here.
I find FM's site ...
... to be totally fuss free and very clear to use without any frills to obscure the content. The worst site I use is BT's (British Telecom) which is my ISP. I only visit if I absolutely have to sort out the odd problem with email etc. It really is awful and overburdened with unnecessary graphic and pretty pictures. Some of us prefer function to triumph over form but I guess we're in a minority.
To be honest, I much prefer FMs layout to the one at BC but the atmosphere isn't so friendly, hence the reason I visit here :)
Robi
The UI problems are more than just visual
I've tried searching stories before there and the search system -- while admittedly being more flexible than BC's in terms of content parameters -- is far less intuitive and convoluted in the extreme. I had several times I would perform a search only to have the site forget my parameters after only a couple of pages of stories were listed, either defaulting back to the site's normal story list or shortening my list of parameters and giving me results I didn't want. With the comments sections for stories being removed from the stories themselves it also removes much of the spontaneity I enjoy with BC's comment system and reduces the interaction between audience and writer.
A table or two, or just some basic formatting, would help the site's presentation a great deal, but a lot of work needs done under the hood too, and none of that even touches on the fact that most of the site's content is far too risque for my tastes.
Different tastes and all that.
Melanie E.
Totally agree with Robi
As someone who's been using Fictionmania for nearly three years, but only joined BigCloset earlier this year, I totally agree with what Robi says. Yes, function rather than form! Maybe those of us who grew up before personal computers - and I came very late to them - have a different feeling for what is intuitive?
Agree with his last paragraph as well - Fictionmania looks better (!!!) but Big Closet has the feel of a (very welcoming) community :)
kandijayne