Quantitative Analytical Essay Thing
Essay35 total reviews
Comment from alexisleech
I really enjoyed this, Michael. Not only was it well written, your ideas were excellent. As you say, if it ain't broke don't fix it, and the site has helped so many of us to achieve our dream. Having said that, there are a few areas that could be even better if, as you say, we all make a bigger effort. Your idea to review one or two writers/poets out of our fan list every week is a brilliant idea. I for one, am going to put that into effect immediately!
Alexis xxx
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I really enjoyed this, Michael. Not only was it well written, your ideas were excellent. As you say, if it ain't broke don't fix it, and the site has helped so many of us to achieve our dream. Having said that, there are a few areas that could be even better if, as you say, we all make a bigger effort. Your idea to review one or two writers/poets out of our fan list every week is a brilliant idea. I for one, am going to put that into effect immediately!
Alexis xxx
Comment Written 15-Aug-2015
Comment from w.j.debi
A well written essay, Mikey.
Here is what I liked:
You begin in a positive manner.
I love the entire "Practical Improvements" section. You have some well thought out ideas, especially 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6.
Your suggestions to improve an already great site are directed to the site AND to people on the site who can take some responsibility to improve things by taking time to
--give real reviews, including just saying how it makes you feel if you don't understand the form.
-- reading all the entries before voting in a contest. I guess I assumed everyone did that, but from reading the entries in this contest I now realize that is not true as nearly all the entries I have read so far have mentioned that as a concern.
You mention how Fanstory has benefited you.
You are straightforward.
You use humor.
Good luck in the contest and even more luck in having some or all of you ideas adopted.
Debi
reply by the author on 14-Aug-2015
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A well written essay, Mikey.
Here is what I liked:
You begin in a positive manner.
I love the entire "Practical Improvements" section. You have some well thought out ideas, especially 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6.
Your suggestions to improve an already great site are directed to the site AND to people on the site who can take some responsibility to improve things by taking time to
--give real reviews, including just saying how it makes you feel if you don't understand the form.
-- reading all the entries before voting in a contest. I guess I assumed everyone did that, but from reading the entries in this contest I now realize that is not true as nearly all the entries I have read so far have mentioned that as a concern.
You mention how Fanstory has benefited you.
You are straightforward.
You use humor.
Good luck in the contest and even more luck in having some or all of you ideas adopted.
Debi
Comment Written 14-Aug-2015
reply by the author on 14-Aug-2015
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I'm so pleased you have a positive reaction. Many of the entrants are on the same page on several issues. I'm hoping that helps sway Tom. I'm optimistic that we may see some of these ideas perhaps in the future. Slowly but surely. Thanks for the great review. mikey
Comment from Mystic Angel 7777
Have you been reading my book? LOL!! Well done but in the end nothing will come of it as the best way to promote change is to change the mindset of those that have been here the longest. I wish you the best in the voting and thank you very much for sharing it.
reply by the author on 14-Aug-2015
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Have you been reading my book? LOL!! Well done but in the end nothing will come of it as the best way to promote change is to change the mindset of those that have been here the longest. I wish you the best in the voting and thank you very much for sharing it.
Comment Written 14-Aug-2015
reply by the author on 14-Aug-2015
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Super point. So true, change the mindsets...
Yes, I liked your book. :)
I'm delighted with the meeting of the minds on many points among the entrants. Tom's been known to listen to a consensus on occasion. We'll see. Thank you kindly. mikey
Comment from --Turtle.
First off, I wanted to commend you for this writing prompt. What a great outlet for thoughts, and some of the suggestions I saw were pretty cool thoughts. Even if the site doesn't change, it allows people to constructively consider what they would like to see.
"When something ain't broke, don't fix it" comes to mind* here. With that [in mind**](said)?,
(the word 'mind' echoed a little bit for me, (i.e, drew attention to itself in its repetition), that is why I would have suggested the use of 'said' as an alternate thought starter.)
I have ideas to improve an already excellent experience.
(I liked that you kept with a positive tone towards the experience, while recognizing that there are also things that you wish were different, ie to complain of, the presentation of the information flowed from one thought to the next smoothly.)
steam a picnic weenie.
(This was a colorful comparison that peppered the essay with voice, keeping an essay that could easily become dry, entertaining and engaging)
procedure(,)? i.e. practical improvements. Number two would be improvements concerning our own.
(not sure, but I wanted a punctuation here. It might be fine, this one. I paused to think though)
I offer [these](the following) as practical improvements to consider:
(I keep thinking that the colon and 'the following' might be needed hand in hand)
reviewing as poets within striking distance[,] see the possibilities unfold.
(Suggest not separating the subject and verb with a comma here. Really not supposed to, I don't think)
am? Well ... too far. I'm serious about the other matters though.
(You have given these aspects of suggestions some thought, and I think you expressed them very well. I often forget about the drive for the awards and ribbons that the site offers, (mostly because I'm here looking for others like me, who have a goal and sight and the heart to pursue it, but maybe not enough experience to get everything right, or maybe I'm just here to avoid being divorced if I ask my husband to read this chapter... just one more time, does it still suck? Just one more time... Where are you going, honey? I love you... come back.)
3: We desperately need a reviewing tutorial with front-page access.
(considering that the lifeblood of this site is getting and giving reviews, you would think that there would be a strong focus on helping people give reviews. I liked number three of your suggestions. Though I noticed, : ) the shiny metals came before the considerations on reviewing. And I wondered, if people reviewed closer to any guidelines, that might interfere with the pursuit of recognition. Let me say, reviewing is rough business.
4: In response to the many members who complain about the inequity of competing in contests against more (an interesting suggestion, but if based on the honor system ... uhg could get a bit complicated. Oops, that's my engineering problem-solving brainstorming hat. Always wanting to examine the application and potential failure mode. I like that you acknowledged that it would take some thought on how to practically apply.
might say I am at[;](,) there is no denying that it is a far cry from where I started.
(Why the semicolon? I wasn't sure it fit; it's more like an introductory element. Sometime I think of semi colons as a way of linking two sentences together, or if a comma would cause confusion because there are so many in use... reconsider the semicolon)
With that in mind, these are the (following) commitments I suggest we make going forward:
CONTESTS:
I propose that we commit to reading every entry BEFORE placing our vote.
(reading, yes... I know I do. Else it's not fair. Rating though? I don't always rate. Too stressful to have to tell someone who is clearly not open to a review that their work is in bad shape. I will if they are open, willing...receptive, or there is a benefit of the doubt, but many point out they aren't open, and there are so many people who want help that I don't have to spend time on those who don't.
I propose that we have a rudimentary understanding of the rules BEFORE placing our vote.
(Seriously stating the obvious and it's soooo needed.
I propose that we base our vote on the quality of the piece and nothing else.
4: Puppy pictures ... don't get me started.
(Ha... and here I started giggling. But it works.... For how can you rate a sentence under a puppy picture less than 5? How can you give suggestions to improve a puppy picture?
Even if it is one or two a week, it could make a huge difference if we all made the commitment.
(My improvement here came because of great, solid, awesome, hardcore, not afraid to point out bad writing reviewers... redridder, Lauren, Nor, rama, Alvin... They made me think, and work, and were the stepping stones to a better place for what I want to accomplish. If they had patronized me or been afraid to point out why they thought I wasn't catching them, I'd been stewing in my own delusional juices to nowhere. They are why I spend way too much time reviewing others. Because I want to pass on the gift of information and learning to others. But dang it, I don't want to discourage the 110 year old dyslexic bipolar, who just got a leg amputated, and is writing about the time they were raped as a child, and it's sooo poorly written, I don't know what to do with myself.
STOP writing before they sound so preachy you want to throttle them!
(This was a funny/ entertaining way to end this essay, self-depreciating humor that tied off the essay cleanly.)
--Turtle.
reply by the author on 14-Aug-2015
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First off, I wanted to commend you for this writing prompt. What a great outlet for thoughts, and some of the suggestions I saw were pretty cool thoughts. Even if the site doesn't change, it allows people to constructively consider what they would like to see.
"When something ain't broke, don't fix it" comes to mind* here. With that [in mind**](said)?,
(the word 'mind' echoed a little bit for me, (i.e, drew attention to itself in its repetition), that is why I would have suggested the use of 'said' as an alternate thought starter.)
I have ideas to improve an already excellent experience.
(I liked that you kept with a positive tone towards the experience, while recognizing that there are also things that you wish were different, ie to complain of, the presentation of the information flowed from one thought to the next smoothly.)
steam a picnic weenie.
(This was a colorful comparison that peppered the essay with voice, keeping an essay that could easily become dry, entertaining and engaging)
procedure(,)? i.e. practical improvements. Number two would be improvements concerning our own.
(not sure, but I wanted a punctuation here. It might be fine, this one. I paused to think though)
I offer [these](the following) as practical improvements to consider:
(I keep thinking that the colon and 'the following' might be needed hand in hand)
reviewing as poets within striking distance[,] see the possibilities unfold.
(Suggest not separating the subject and verb with a comma here. Really not supposed to, I don't think)
am? Well ... too far. I'm serious about the other matters though.
(You have given these aspects of suggestions some thought, and I think you expressed them very well. I often forget about the drive for the awards and ribbons that the site offers, (mostly because I'm here looking for others like me, who have a goal and sight and the heart to pursue it, but maybe not enough experience to get everything right, or maybe I'm just here to avoid being divorced if I ask my husband to read this chapter... just one more time, does it still suck? Just one more time... Where are you going, honey? I love you... come back.)
3: We desperately need a reviewing tutorial with front-page access.
(considering that the lifeblood of this site is getting and giving reviews, you would think that there would be a strong focus on helping people give reviews. I liked number three of your suggestions. Though I noticed, : ) the shiny metals came before the considerations on reviewing. And I wondered, if people reviewed closer to any guidelines, that might interfere with the pursuit of recognition. Let me say, reviewing is rough business.
4: In response to the many members who complain about the inequity of competing in contests against more (an interesting suggestion, but if based on the honor system ... uhg could get a bit complicated. Oops, that's my engineering problem-solving brainstorming hat. Always wanting to examine the application and potential failure mode. I like that you acknowledged that it would take some thought on how to practically apply.
might say I am at[;](,) there is no denying that it is a far cry from where I started.
(Why the semicolon? I wasn't sure it fit; it's more like an introductory element. Sometime I think of semi colons as a way of linking two sentences together, or if a comma would cause confusion because there are so many in use... reconsider the semicolon)
With that in mind, these are the (following) commitments I suggest we make going forward:
CONTESTS:
I propose that we commit to reading every entry BEFORE placing our vote.
(reading, yes... I know I do. Else it's not fair. Rating though? I don't always rate. Too stressful to have to tell someone who is clearly not open to a review that their work is in bad shape. I will if they are open, willing...receptive, or there is a benefit of the doubt, but many point out they aren't open, and there are so many people who want help that I don't have to spend time on those who don't.
I propose that we have a rudimentary understanding of the rules BEFORE placing our vote.
(Seriously stating the obvious and it's soooo needed.
I propose that we base our vote on the quality of the piece and nothing else.
4: Puppy pictures ... don't get me started.
(Ha... and here I started giggling. But it works.... For how can you rate a sentence under a puppy picture less than 5? How can you give suggestions to improve a puppy picture?
Even if it is one or two a week, it could make a huge difference if we all made the commitment.
(My improvement here came because of great, solid, awesome, hardcore, not afraid to point out bad writing reviewers... redridder, Lauren, Nor, rama, Alvin... They made me think, and work, and were the stepping stones to a better place for what I want to accomplish. If they had patronized me or been afraid to point out why they thought I wasn't catching them, I'd been stewing in my own delusional juices to nowhere. They are why I spend way too much time reviewing others. Because I want to pass on the gift of information and learning to others. But dang it, I don't want to discourage the 110 year old dyslexic bipolar, who just got a leg amputated, and is writing about the time they were raped as a child, and it's sooo poorly written, I don't know what to do with myself.
STOP writing before they sound so preachy you want to throttle them!
(This was a funny/ entertaining way to end this essay, self-depreciating humor that tied off the essay cleanly.)
--Turtle.
Comment Written 14-Aug-2015
reply by the author on 14-Aug-2015
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I'm thinking of making the puppy pictures GIF. That should get me some votes. :)
What an awesome review. This site has soooo much to offer if one just makes the smallest effort to find it. Oh, and leaves there ego at the doorstep.
It was a shock to realize that I couldn't write for beans after being the darling of all the little circles I was in before I arrived here. But, what a shame to have gone to my grave without learning a thing.
Hahaha. This is a marriage restoration site. I've no doubt it is a relief for many a spouse. But, then there are the poor spouses who tire of the back of their partner's head like my wife. :)
Agree with all of your edits. I'll try to get to them soon.
Thanks for your insights and the great review. mikey
Comment from sweetwoodjax
hey Michael, I enjoyed reading your suggestions for changes with your usual witty repartee. I agree with some of them. I am so frustrated with prompts right now i'm limiting myself on them. when you're paying out almost a dollar, there are eighteen entrants in a contest and 37 votes but you can't get enough reviews to get recognized, something is going terribly wrong. I wish you the best of luck in the contest.
reply by the author on 14-Aug-2015
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hey Michael, I enjoyed reading your suggestions for changes with your usual witty repartee. I agree with some of them. I am so frustrated with prompts right now i'm limiting myself on them. when you're paying out almost a dollar, there are eighteen entrants in a contest and 37 votes but you can't get enough reviews to get recognized, something is going terribly wrong. I wish you the best of luck in the contest.
Comment Written 14-Aug-2015
reply by the author on 14-Aug-2015
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Wow. You'd think for a dollar they'd be falling all over themselves. That makes me question all our suggestions that everyone should get fifty cents a review. If a dollar doesn't get a review then...
It's a big problem and an irritating one. Simple fairness really. At least take a look at the entries before voting. Jeesh. Well, thanks for reading and your insights. I'm glad you enjoyed. We'll see what happens. :) mikey
Comment from BeasPeas
You have touched upon some interesting aspects of FS. I think the following are important.
Improvements to consider: I agree with #4 and #6 wholeheartedly.
Reviewing: I agree wholeheartedly with #1 and #3. #2 is a surprise. I didn't know people actually do this (cut and paste). Marilyn/BeasPeas
reply by the author on 14-Aug-2015
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You have touched upon some interesting aspects of FS. I think the following are important.
Improvements to consider: I agree with #4 and #6 wholeheartedly.
Reviewing: I agree wholeheartedly with #1 and #3. #2 is a surprise. I didn't know people actually do this (cut and paste). Marilyn/BeasPeas
Comment Written 13-Aug-2015
reply by the author on 14-Aug-2015
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Thank you so much. I suppose the cut and pasters are few and far between, but you know how it is, when something is unfair it really stands out. :)
Thanks for the positive words. Tom does listen and make little changes from time to time, so we'll see. mikey
Comment from I am Cat
Hi Mikey!
Wow! Some great ideas... some i wish I had thought of... wait... I might have! lol
;)
I love your suggestions, and i wish I had a six to award it, alas, you will have to teach me your ways, master. ;)
but let's start at the top...
1. Top ten get trophies... *looks at ranking...* Yeah baby! ;) I'm all for that. lol
2. As for POM and SOM, yeah, why aren't these pieces marked? I mean, even the Story of the Month winners... Yeah, it says that the first place Story of the Month Winner (on the portfolio) is the winner, there is a ribbon... but on the second place, in the portfolio, it says it was a Story of the Month contest entry (which makes it sound like I entered my own piece, which I didn't), so I think it would be nice if it said, 'nominee", and it actually won second place, so why doesn't it reflect that?
The only place on the site where it says that I won second is on the front page for about two days.
They don't leave the winning entries at the bottom of the booth like all the other contests, they remove the Story of the Month and the Poem of the Month and the Book of the Month winners. And on the pages of the winners, nothing, except on the first place, there is a small ribbon and a congratulations. That's nice,it's great! But second, and third and honorable mention are great too... Come to think of it, it's just an honor to be nominated! So why not mention that?
LOL
There is so much hush hush surrounding the whole thing... it's like it's taboo.
:(
Anyway, yeah... I agree with you.. (Just ran my mouth a lot to say, Yeah baby!)
3. yes to the reviewing guidelines... hell, send new members guidelines in their PM boxes to welcome them... in fact, send them to everyone every month as a reminder. there are plenty of long time members who give you two sentences as well, or judge your religion... so yeah. ;)
LOL
4. As far as competing in contests with like leveled writers... who are you going to pick as your level? Who? And who decides? Is it your ranking? Or does someone say, "Oh Cat seems to be really good"... (well guess what? Cat has had exactly ONE, count them, ONE poetry class and ONE non-fiction class in her Life! and that was in 1989) So what's the level? Where do you put me? I'm college educated and articulate (some days) ;) I get a lucky poem and a lucky story now and then... yeah, I don't have a REAL job and that's all I've friggin done for the past forty years... I married well. Does that make me a 'learned poet"? No. It doesn't.
But hell, I'm not afraid to compete with the best. Bring it on. ;) I'm truly not here for the contests. I'm here to have fun, and to get better and better and better. That's all.
And I am too damn old for drama.
5. If people want to tout their wares, let them.
6. I think we BOTH agree on this printed portfolio thing... We've put that in writing... So it is written, so it should be done. ;)
Contests:
1. I'm reading EVERY SINGLE ENTRY AND I'm reviewing them... and it's exhausting...
next
2. Rules. Good lord... do you know how many poems have won contests and they didn't even get CLOSE to the rules? i know someone who actually ran the contest, told the member that he/she did not meet the contest rules, was laughed at and spoken to very harshly by said member, the contest maker contacted Tom about the problem and said that the member should be disqualified and could he handle it, and was basically told, NO. Said member WON the contest... and one of the member in the contest WAS disqualified because his entry was too long, but the one who won, that entry wasn't even CLOSE to the rules for the contest. NOT EVEN CLOSE. But (and this is just my opinion) because the poem was pumped all the way up to the first page and had taken in lots of money and reviews... it won and was not disqualified, The contest maker, a very nice person, vowed NEVER to sponsor another contest on FS EVER again. And I don't blame them. do you?
4. puppies...aw... I'm not swayed by puppies...
Religion. WE are not allowed to review religious poems properly. You will be eaten alive.
And the things I've been told by members for saying things like, "I said prayers to a god who wasn't there..."... well, let's just say it wasn't pretty.
I can be a whore if I want to.
I'm a writer.
That's what I do.
ok?
I can mass murder people.
and go to church on Sunday.
You don't know...
I'm a writer.
I can masturbate IN church and it should matter to anyone.
Because... you got it. I am a writer.
case closed.
REviewing. I completely agree with you... and the length of this review and every single review I've ever done here, should stand by the fact that I agree with you on this.
Yet... and still... I'm sliding backwards in the ratings, because I give a REAL review. It might take half an hour, it might take an hour... it might take 15 minutes, but never is it cut and paste.
I attempted to be cute the other day and answer a SIX WORD POEM with a 12 WORD REVIEW... TWICE the words of the poem. Not only did the computer knock me back on my ass and tell me to be more 'wordy', but it erased my (ahem) 12 words.
What ensued afterwards is quite a review to read... as it lasted for half an hour. lOL
Suffice to say, I've spent an entire hour reviewing your entry... I'm going to now go and vote on it.
And if this site kicks out my review (because i'm not stupid now, i"m going to copy and past it FIRST (because i don't trust the software)...
then I'm going to be pissed off)
Have a great night Mikey!
reply by the author on 14-Aug-2015
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Hi Mikey!
Wow! Some great ideas... some i wish I had thought of... wait... I might have! lol
;)
I love your suggestions, and i wish I had a six to award it, alas, you will have to teach me your ways, master. ;)
but let's start at the top...
1. Top ten get trophies... *looks at ranking...* Yeah baby! ;) I'm all for that. lol
2. As for POM and SOM, yeah, why aren't these pieces marked? I mean, even the Story of the Month winners... Yeah, it says that the first place Story of the Month Winner (on the portfolio) is the winner, there is a ribbon... but on the second place, in the portfolio, it says it was a Story of the Month contest entry (which makes it sound like I entered my own piece, which I didn't), so I think it would be nice if it said, 'nominee", and it actually won second place, so why doesn't it reflect that?
The only place on the site where it says that I won second is on the front page for about two days.
They don't leave the winning entries at the bottom of the booth like all the other contests, they remove the Story of the Month and the Poem of the Month and the Book of the Month winners. And on the pages of the winners, nothing, except on the first place, there is a small ribbon and a congratulations. That's nice,it's great! But second, and third and honorable mention are great too... Come to think of it, it's just an honor to be nominated! So why not mention that?
LOL
There is so much hush hush surrounding the whole thing... it's like it's taboo.
:(
Anyway, yeah... I agree with you.. (Just ran my mouth a lot to say, Yeah baby!)
3. yes to the reviewing guidelines... hell, send new members guidelines in their PM boxes to welcome them... in fact, send them to everyone every month as a reminder. there are plenty of long time members who give you two sentences as well, or judge your religion... so yeah. ;)
LOL
4. As far as competing in contests with like leveled writers... who are you going to pick as your level? Who? And who decides? Is it your ranking? Or does someone say, "Oh Cat seems to be really good"... (well guess what? Cat has had exactly ONE, count them, ONE poetry class and ONE non-fiction class in her Life! and that was in 1989) So what's the level? Where do you put me? I'm college educated and articulate (some days) ;) I get a lucky poem and a lucky story now and then... yeah, I don't have a REAL job and that's all I've friggin done for the past forty years... I married well. Does that make me a 'learned poet"? No. It doesn't.
But hell, I'm not afraid to compete with the best. Bring it on. ;) I'm truly not here for the contests. I'm here to have fun, and to get better and better and better. That's all.
And I am too damn old for drama.
5. If people want to tout their wares, let them.
6. I think we BOTH agree on this printed portfolio thing... We've put that in writing... So it is written, so it should be done. ;)
Contests:
1. I'm reading EVERY SINGLE ENTRY AND I'm reviewing them... and it's exhausting...
next
2. Rules. Good lord... do you know how many poems have won contests and they didn't even get CLOSE to the rules? i know someone who actually ran the contest, told the member that he/she did not meet the contest rules, was laughed at and spoken to very harshly by said member, the contest maker contacted Tom about the problem and said that the member should be disqualified and could he handle it, and was basically told, NO. Said member WON the contest... and one of the member in the contest WAS disqualified because his entry was too long, but the one who won, that entry wasn't even CLOSE to the rules for the contest. NOT EVEN CLOSE. But (and this is just my opinion) because the poem was pumped all the way up to the first page and had taken in lots of money and reviews... it won and was not disqualified, The contest maker, a very nice person, vowed NEVER to sponsor another contest on FS EVER again. And I don't blame them. do you?
4. puppies...aw... I'm not swayed by puppies...
Religion. WE are not allowed to review religious poems properly. You will be eaten alive.
And the things I've been told by members for saying things like, "I said prayers to a god who wasn't there..."... well, let's just say it wasn't pretty.
I can be a whore if I want to.
I'm a writer.
That's what I do.
ok?
I can mass murder people.
and go to church on Sunday.
You don't know...
I'm a writer.
I can masturbate IN church and it should matter to anyone.
Because... you got it. I am a writer.
case closed.
REviewing. I completely agree with you... and the length of this review and every single review I've ever done here, should stand by the fact that I agree with you on this.
Yet... and still... I'm sliding backwards in the ratings, because I give a REAL review. It might take half an hour, it might take an hour... it might take 15 minutes, but never is it cut and paste.
I attempted to be cute the other day and answer a SIX WORD POEM with a 12 WORD REVIEW... TWICE the words of the poem. Not only did the computer knock me back on my ass and tell me to be more 'wordy', but it erased my (ahem) 12 words.
What ensued afterwards is quite a review to read... as it lasted for half an hour. lOL
Suffice to say, I've spent an entire hour reviewing your entry... I'm going to now go and vote on it.
And if this site kicks out my review (because i'm not stupid now, i"m going to copy and past it FIRST (because i don't trust the software)...
then I'm going to be pissed off)
Have a great night Mikey!
Comment Written 13-Aug-2015
reply by the author on 14-Aug-2015
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Wow. What an awesome review. We're totally on the same page or pages as it were.
It takes soooo much time to do things right. That's why I stopped posting. I don't have time to respond or review or do anything worth a dime except write. So, I just stopped. Well, I can't help but sneak something in once in a while. I'll be a good fan one of these days when the real world leaves me alone. I do read a lot of your postings. I'm a free verser at heart, so I love a great free verse poet like you. See, gotta run already. Thanks for the super review. mikey
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That's fine Mikey, I understand... it does take over your life. I've quit this site twice already LOL
and now I'm back for the third time.
I joined in 2011, as I am Cat.
changed my username in 2012 to Poetic, Just Is. and then left in 2013.
Now, I just returned the first of April... and had to work my way back up the charts after erasing all my work. LOL
So yeah, I get it. My deal is, I like to do it right, and that means... OBSESSION. LOL
Don't get caught... run! run! (but come back and just say Hi and read my stuff) LOL
and let me read yours! :)
It's draining, it really is. But it's fun too.
(as long as you can stay out of the drama) AND I DO. ;)
Thanks Mikey!
Comment from barkingdog
And you were saying about puppy pictures?
I agree with your suggestion that we review members other than those we have fanned. I've found some wonderful new writers that way.
I read all of the entries before voting. If others don't, shame on them for obviously playing favorites.
I hope the site takes all of the writers' suggestions to heart. Guidance on reviewing for new members is a big one in my book.
reply by the author on 14-Aug-2015
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And you were saying about puppy pictures?
I agree with your suggestion that we review members other than those we have fanned. I've found some wonderful new writers that way.
I read all of the entries before voting. If others don't, shame on them for obviously playing favorites.
I hope the site takes all of the writers' suggestions to heart. Guidance on reviewing for new members is a big one in my book.
Comment Written 13-Aug-2015
reply by the author on 14-Aug-2015
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I love puppy pictures, especially one's of Kelly my Cocker Spaniel!
I've been too buried in the real world this year, but reviewing a few new members a week goes a long way in helping them get acclimated and welcomed. It did me. Thanks for reading and the great review. mikey
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You're welcome. Mikey.
Comment from Curly Girly
Hi, Michael
You have offered a comprehensive overview of site improvements, and I don't think anyone will better yours.
:)
Your *good idea for newbies:
The page could include the list of Recognized Reviewers, Fanstory reviewing standards as well as tutorials on proper reviewing.
(BUT, I would hate my reviewing to be upheld as a shiny example ... oh, no! It's probably not that great.)
*Another good idea of yours:
There are many published authors on this site. I feel we should be offering a great deal more attention to them. Tom could profit from their book sales ... $$. Why not? I am happy to sell.
My comments:
1. Reading ALL contest entries--I don't do this because, a) More than half don't pay. b) Time consuming: I operate from a farm in south NZ and have a mega-slow (and expensive) satellite connection). So why would I waste my valuable time earning nothing? I work, farm, study, cook, clean, laundry, write. (This is a massive personal load and I often struggle to keep up with FS).
2. Reviewing poetry is the hardest. a) Some poets write cr*p. Only they know what they are thinking; the rest of us are left to guess. I have learnt to avoid most of those long, tedious, free verse writers that ramble on ... and on ... and on ... about ... huh? b) I hope reviewing is not made harder--it's hard enough. c) Who does copy & paste reviews? I haven't seen any. Tom would ban them until repentance! All we have to do is report them. Big Tom will come running with his internet-taser and zap them into thin air like fried flies. d) Confession: I have been known to copy and paste 'thank yous' for reviews received, simply because of my precious time management issues, but I read them ALL; and my regular readers know.
3. Yes, you are right, there could be more poetry awards. The haiku contests seem to be dominated by an 'old guard' who, unintentionally, operate as a snooty, impenetrable clique--all supporting one another and handing out 4 stars or less to others. They are humourless mother grundies and sticklers for rules--everyone else who tries to enter their contests gets their fingers burned.
*Here's a point: We all know who enters certain contests. It's so easy to find out. I can recognise the styles of the following people, easily: Dean Kuch, Ideasaregems--Dawn, Kiwisteve, Girraffmang and the haiku-darlings. All we have to do is click on their names and we can see what they wrote! So the contest entries are not secret or private--in which case why can't we just stick them out there and let our fans know that we entered??????????????????? PLEASE, Tom, answer that. Instead, we pretend it's a secret contest, and nobody reads our 'hidden' work.
I've given up on contests. St*ff them.
The last few times, I did read all entries for a humorous poem contest, but I could not decide who was the best between 3 entries--so I did not vote. What a waste of time for me, and the poor writers.
Yeah, I hope the contests get a 'makeover.'
However, despite all this energy which has gone into these wonderful suggestions, I know one thing is likely to happen: NOTHING.
Smile!
:)
reply by the author on 14-Aug-2015
|
Hi, Michael
You have offered a comprehensive overview of site improvements, and I don't think anyone will better yours.
:)
Your *good idea for newbies:
The page could include the list of Recognized Reviewers, Fanstory reviewing standards as well as tutorials on proper reviewing.
(BUT, I would hate my reviewing to be upheld as a shiny example ... oh, no! It's probably not that great.)
*Another good idea of yours:
There are many published authors on this site. I feel we should be offering a great deal more attention to them. Tom could profit from their book sales ... $$. Why not? I am happy to sell.
My comments:
1. Reading ALL contest entries--I don't do this because, a) More than half don't pay. b) Time consuming: I operate from a farm in south NZ and have a mega-slow (and expensive) satellite connection). So why would I waste my valuable time earning nothing? I work, farm, study, cook, clean, laundry, write. (This is a massive personal load and I often struggle to keep up with FS).
2. Reviewing poetry is the hardest. a) Some poets write cr*p. Only they know what they are thinking; the rest of us are left to guess. I have learnt to avoid most of those long, tedious, free verse writers that ramble on ... and on ... and on ... about ... huh? b) I hope reviewing is not made harder--it's hard enough. c) Who does copy & paste reviews? I haven't seen any. Tom would ban them until repentance! All we have to do is report them. Big Tom will come running with his internet-taser and zap them into thin air like fried flies. d) Confession: I have been known to copy and paste 'thank yous' for reviews received, simply because of my precious time management issues, but I read them ALL; and my regular readers know.
3. Yes, you are right, there could be more poetry awards. The haiku contests seem to be dominated by an 'old guard' who, unintentionally, operate as a snooty, impenetrable clique--all supporting one another and handing out 4 stars or less to others. They are humourless mother grundies and sticklers for rules--everyone else who tries to enter their contests gets their fingers burned.
*Here's a point: We all know who enters certain contests. It's so easy to find out. I can recognise the styles of the following people, easily: Dean Kuch, Ideasaregems--Dawn, Kiwisteve, Girraffmang and the haiku-darlings. All we have to do is click on their names and we can see what they wrote! So the contest entries are not secret or private--in which case why can't we just stick them out there and let our fans know that we entered??????????????????? PLEASE, Tom, answer that. Instead, we pretend it's a secret contest, and nobody reads our 'hidden' work.
I've given up on contests. St*ff them.
The last few times, I did read all entries for a humorous poem contest, but I could not decide who was the best between 3 entries--so I did not vote. What a waste of time for me, and the poor writers.
Yeah, I hope the contests get a 'makeover.'
However, despite all this energy which has gone into these wonderful suggestions, I know one thing is likely to happen: NOTHING.
Smile!
:)
Comment Written 13-Aug-2015
reply by the author on 14-Aug-2015
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Loved all of your comments and insights. Agree, agree, agree. There are no truly blind contests. Well, some of the entries ARE blind and that's a shame for them cause most of the entries aren't. I know mine are easy to spot even when I try to make them look plain. Some styles are just easy to spot even without the bells and whistles. Make em all open and let are fans get a chance to read and review. I fair the same in blind and open contests anyway. It doesn't make that much difference if the voters know. Most of us are friends so we end up with five friends to chose from anyway. :)
The copy and paste reviewers may not be word for word, but they say almost the same thing in every review. Yep, Tom will step in, but not everyone bothers to report them.
So true about time being a factor. I'm finding that out this year. Last year I sat in front of the screen constantly. This year, I'm a terrible fan and can barely respond to a review. I try not to even post, but I can't resist once in a while. What a junkie! Thanks for the awesome review. mikey
Comment from Bill Schott
Responding to the entire article you've written would be difficult, as the subject matter is tedious and ultimately self-serving. I will attempt to touch on every item.
Practical Improvements
1. No more trophies. The selection process is already flawed; why make it worse?
2. Members are sought out by individuals they are interested in. There are links upon links now.
3. The reviewing list is a matter of accumulated reviews. People who review twenty-four hours a day will be at the top. The rest of us will be where we fall according to the time we give to this self-serving task.
4. Contests that pay cash from Fanstory are already a mutual admiration affair with elbow-rubbing cronies usually winning. Others that are lopsided are most likely the result of e-mails or phone calls eliciting votes.
5. Agreed.
6. I see the logic for the author, but the commitment of binding seems counterproductive to an e-based site.
Contests? Flawed at best and all 'improvements' merely serve whoever lost for whatever reason.
Reviewing? Muting is available. No other complaint will ever be addressed.
I enjoyed reading this essay and mean no disrespect in my response.
Happy day.
reply by the author on 14-Aug-2015
|
Responding to the entire article you've written would be difficult, as the subject matter is tedious and ultimately self-serving. I will attempt to touch on every item.
Practical Improvements
1. No more trophies. The selection process is already flawed; why make it worse?
2. Members are sought out by individuals they are interested in. There are links upon links now.
3. The reviewing list is a matter of accumulated reviews. People who review twenty-four hours a day will be at the top. The rest of us will be where we fall according to the time we give to this self-serving task.
4. Contests that pay cash from Fanstory are already a mutual admiration affair with elbow-rubbing cronies usually winning. Others that are lopsided are most likely the result of e-mails or phone calls eliciting votes.
5. Agreed.
6. I see the logic for the author, but the commitment of binding seems counterproductive to an e-based site.
Contests? Flawed at best and all 'improvements' merely serve whoever lost for whatever reason.
Reviewing? Muting is available. No other complaint will ever be addressed.
I enjoyed reading this essay and mean no disrespect in my response.
Happy day.
Comment Written 13-Aug-2015
reply by the author on 14-Aug-2015
-
I certainly relate to most of what you say. A lot of what we do here isn't all that serious and much of what I'm offering is geared more to the social or fun side of things. I'm pleased you agree with attention paid to published authors. That is after all the serious side and many of us when all is said and done are most interested in that. True, most of it is futile, but there are little improvements here and there. Thanks for the honest input. mikey
