Fanstory Crisis: It Is Us
Essay53 total reviews
Comment from I am Cat
As of late, Mikey, I've seriously thought about leaving, because we are forced... yes, forced to award and reward bogus ick with FIVES... the default setting here at fan story. We have six sixes weekly (as you know) for the REALLY amazing stuff, and the rest of the time, the GREAT stuff, we want to give GREAT ratings, and we WANT and NEED to award the people who are doing it right... but WHY do we have to give those same ratings to those who are doing it wrong?
Because if we don't, we will pay out the rankings for it. People are mean and spiteful sometimes and they actually come to you and say, 'review my work'... but I don't want to, because I don't want to give it low scores... but I want, even less, to give it High scores.
It's a rock and a hard place.
I do, however, give them honest, if not padded, reviews.
Yes, I'm in.
What do I do?
reply by the author on 12-May-2016
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As of late, Mikey, I've seriously thought about leaving, because we are forced... yes, forced to award and reward bogus ick with FIVES... the default setting here at fan story. We have six sixes weekly (as you know) for the REALLY amazing stuff, and the rest of the time, the GREAT stuff, we want to give GREAT ratings, and we WANT and NEED to award the people who are doing it right... but WHY do we have to give those same ratings to those who are doing it wrong?
Because if we don't, we will pay out the rankings for it. People are mean and spiteful sometimes and they actually come to you and say, 'review my work'... but I don't want to, because I don't want to give it low scores... but I want, even less, to give it High scores.
It's a rock and a hard place.
I do, however, give them honest, if not padded, reviews.
Yes, I'm in.
What do I do?
Comment Written 10-May-2016
reply by the author on 12-May-2016
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You are correct in that, Cat. It is forced. Anything other than a five is going to be a problem. It is the way it is. The sixes are really trinkets as there aren't enough of them to truly reward what deserves rewarding. I give everyone honest reviews in that I'm not lying about anything I'm saying. But, there's no question I'm often leaving quite a bit out. And it's usually, "THIS SUCKS". LOL
"It's got a nice picture with a lovely presentation and it's an interesting topic and you care about it and it shows and there's a cute cow in your picture and you seem like a nice gal okay, bye."
Currently the target is people who are reviewing dozens of pieces a day without reading them. That's got to be the lowest.
There are other issues as you've already shown. Really, no reason to leave, that's why things suck more than they should, people leaving.
Let's ALL stay and fix what we an and enjoy what's here and climb a tree and eat a banana.
Do? Report anyone who reviews your work without reading it. Report anyone who gives you a review that isn't following site guidelines. Keep your eyes open and gather as much evidence as you can when you see anything against site policy occurring. Stuff like that. :))
mikey
Comment from Phyllis Stewart
I understand what you're saying, but I think you may be too aware of this. It happens, sure, but not nearly as often as you make it seem. Btw, I ALWAYS report those cutnpaste fake reviews to Tom... a couple a week sometimes. And I mute the ones you can't reason with.
reply by the author on 12-May-2016
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I understand what you're saying, but I think you may be too aware of this. It happens, sure, but not nearly as often as you make it seem. Btw, I ALWAYS report those cutnpaste fake reviews to Tom... a couple a week sometimes. And I mute the ones you can't reason with.
Comment Written 10-May-2016
reply by the author on 12-May-2016
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That's enough to accomplish what needs to be done IF we can convince everyone to get on board and do it.
We're mainly concerned with a small few who are reviewing without reading the work. They happen to be doing so to the tune of a hundred or so pieces a day. It's just wrong. If we can stop it, we will. In the meantime, like you say, there's plenty of things to enjoy here. mikey
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Anyone who suspects a generic review should go to the offender's profile and look at their COMMENTS to see if they always write the same or nearly the same thing. Then report to Tom and he takes care of the jerk.
Comment from tfawcus
Whilst I understand where you are coming from with this, I'm not sure that it is necessarily as wide a problem as you suggest. I find, on the whole, that a reasonable proportion of the reviews I receive are encouraging, supportive and show evidence that the reviewer has read my work and is responding to it. There is also a core of a dozen or so of my 'fans' who can be relied upon to offer useful suggestions for improvement. Gold indeed!
In the same way that not everyone on the site is a good writer, not everyone is a good critic - and when it comes down to it, most of us are here because we want to improve our skills as writers, not as critics. The latter is, of course a means to an end, but not an end in itself. We are not paying commercial rates here for in-depth analysis and editing from a professional, we are seeking exposure and response, of its nature much more likely to be subjective than objective in most cases. We are mostly amateurs in the company of amateurs.
Yes, I want to get my writing out there and I'm seeking a response to it - but as is the case in any writing group, there will only be a few who understand exactly what I'm getting at or who have the technical knowledge to critique the form that I have chosen. If 10% of the responses do that, I'm delighted. I don't mind in the least if there are others who unjustifiably inflate my ego! This false sense of my own worth is what keeps me writing! So, there are some who buoy me up and keep me afloat and others who put wind in my sails. A good combination on any voyage.
As to my own reviewing, I enjoy responding in depth to those who respond to my writing in depth. I've even been known to do it occasionally for two cents - but not very often. However, although now a gentleman of leisure, albeit not always gentlemanly or leisured, I can't do this for everyone all the time. I have no qualms about giving a 'fluff' review to a banal 'poem' of a dozen words, to pick up the chance of $2.95. I have no qualms about offering sympathy to those who are writing their way out of trauma and loss, rather than noticing their bad spelling and grammar and word order. I confess that much of what I write is subjective, but in many cases these subjective responses have led to a better understanding of my fellow writers. Sometimes they have opened the door to better dialogue and more honest criticism, and in some cases they have helped to establish a feeling of friendship and mutual empathy. Just to be in the company of people who enjoy writing and expressing their feelings is, on the whole, more than enough for me.
This is not the right place to be if you are looking for a professional editing service on the cheap - though, surprisingly that is sometimes what you get. If you do, what a bonus that is!
Ah, Mikey. I think I have out-blathered you and my time is up!
In case the message didn't get through all that verbage, I don't think, in general terms, that FanStory is in too bad a shape and I'm prepared to forgive the foibles of a few. All said and done, though they may do little good, they also do little real harm.
reply by the author on 12-May-2016
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Whilst I understand where you are coming from with this, I'm not sure that it is necessarily as wide a problem as you suggest. I find, on the whole, that a reasonable proportion of the reviews I receive are encouraging, supportive and show evidence that the reviewer has read my work and is responding to it. There is also a core of a dozen or so of my 'fans' who can be relied upon to offer useful suggestions for improvement. Gold indeed!
In the same way that not everyone on the site is a good writer, not everyone is a good critic - and when it comes down to it, most of us are here because we want to improve our skills as writers, not as critics. The latter is, of course a means to an end, but not an end in itself. We are not paying commercial rates here for in-depth analysis and editing from a professional, we are seeking exposure and response, of its nature much more likely to be subjective than objective in most cases. We are mostly amateurs in the company of amateurs.
Yes, I want to get my writing out there and I'm seeking a response to it - but as is the case in any writing group, there will only be a few who understand exactly what I'm getting at or who have the technical knowledge to critique the form that I have chosen. If 10% of the responses do that, I'm delighted. I don't mind in the least if there are others who unjustifiably inflate my ego! This false sense of my own worth is what keeps me writing! So, there are some who buoy me up and keep me afloat and others who put wind in my sails. A good combination on any voyage.
As to my own reviewing, I enjoy responding in depth to those who respond to my writing in depth. I've even been known to do it occasionally for two cents - but not very often. However, although now a gentleman of leisure, albeit not always gentlemanly or leisured, I can't do this for everyone all the time. I have no qualms about giving a 'fluff' review to a banal 'poem' of a dozen words, to pick up the chance of $2.95. I have no qualms about offering sympathy to those who are writing their way out of trauma and loss, rather than noticing their bad spelling and grammar and word order. I confess that much of what I write is subjective, but in many cases these subjective responses have led to a better understanding of my fellow writers. Sometimes they have opened the door to better dialogue and more honest criticism, and in some cases they have helped to establish a feeling of friendship and mutual empathy. Just to be in the company of people who enjoy writing and expressing their feelings is, on the whole, more than enough for me.
This is not the right place to be if you are looking for a professional editing service on the cheap - though, surprisingly that is sometimes what you get. If you do, what a bonus that is!
Ah, Mikey. I think I have out-blathered you and my time is up!
In case the message didn't get through all that verbage, I don't think, in general terms, that FanStory is in too bad a shape and I'm prepared to forgive the foibles of a few. All said and done, though they may do little good, they also do little real harm.
Comment Written 10-May-2016
reply by the author on 12-May-2016
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I think i can agree with everything you're saying right across the board, Tony. Really we're dealing here with a few bad apples and no where near any large number at all. But what they're doing is just wrong and shouldn't be tolerated. Reviewing endless pieces without reading them and collecting the money is just thievery. Well, we'll try and stop them if we can. And like you say, in the meantime, there's no reason not to enjoy ourselves here as it is mostly an enjoyable and productive experience. Great response, mikey
Comment from damommy
Good for you. There are many things that need addressing and you have covered just about all of them.
This essay is so well written that I started reading it and couldn't stop. Sometimes, I must confess, I don't read the essays. However, in my defense (not that you're accusing me), I don't lie just to get the ratings. I figured out a while back that the rataings/rankings are not worth the trouble. I just want to know when someone likes my work.
I've been given low ratings because someone didn't like that a write "silly" stuff for children. Oh, well. Most people are gracious and very helpful. I appreciate a sincere critique, but not ones that are cruel.
Hang in there. I think you have a lot of people on your side. We may all get kicked off the site. Hope not. 8-)
reply by the author on 12-May-2016
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Good for you. There are many things that need addressing and you have covered just about all of them.
This essay is so well written that I started reading it and couldn't stop. Sometimes, I must confess, I don't read the essays. However, in my defense (not that you're accusing me), I don't lie just to get the ratings. I figured out a while back that the rataings/rankings are not worth the trouble. I just want to know when someone likes my work.
I've been given low ratings because someone didn't like that a write "silly" stuff for children. Oh, well. Most people are gracious and very helpful. I appreciate a sincere critique, but not ones that are cruel.
Hang in there. I think you have a lot of people on your side. We may all get kicked off the site. Hope not. 8-)
Comment Written 10-May-2016
reply by the author on 12-May-2016
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That's so darn true. Most of us really just want to know if people like our work. Wow. It's really simple when you think about it. "Hey, read this. Whatcha think?" That about sums it up. :))
Some of the reviews are absurd, but they just take the wind our of our sails and no amount of sense or logic soothes the hurt. We all feel it. And you're so right, most people here are downright wonderful. Oh, no one's going anywhere. It was fun writing this just to see how truly together we all are. Sure is nice to know and hear. Thanks a bunch. mikey
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Keep me posted. 8-)
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Keep me posted. 8-)
Comment from Pantygynt
And you forgot the guy who copies your work and pastes it into the review. And the are the odd genuine mistakes if I get massive praise and low stars I always ask for an explanation. Newbies need time to settle too. Basic ally though I'm with you. I shall be harder on the worst in future.
reply by the author on 12-May-2016
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And you forgot the guy who copies your work and pastes it into the review. And the are the odd genuine mistakes if I get massive praise and low stars I always ask for an explanation. Newbies need time to settle too. Basic ally though I'm with you. I shall be harder on the worst in future.
Comment Written 10-May-2016
reply by the author on 12-May-2016
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Oh, yes. Like we aren't familiar with our own piece. I'm all for helping newbies and the vast majority of them are gung ho to get it.
There's just a few that need to be cut down. The idiots need to be silenced just like you say, mute them. All in all, things are fine. But those little irritations sure ruin a day. mikey
Comment from F. Wehr3
Nice work on this, Mikey. I'm glad you expressed this. I made a similar point recently in the forum in regards to muting. What we really need is top payers to be on board. It doesn't matter if every fifty-two cent writer chips in. The ones who pay dollars have to abide. I found two things for your consideration.
I understand that simple loss is a factor.' You can remove your unnecessary 'that'
I will review your work and you will review mine.' two sentences, use a comma before your conjunction.
I had to make suggestions; otherwise, it's not a review. I think you know the rules.
Take care,
Russell
reply by the author on 12-May-2016
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Nice work on this, Mikey. I'm glad you expressed this. I made a similar point recently in the forum in regards to muting. What we really need is top payers to be on board. It doesn't matter if every fifty-two cent writer chips in. The ones who pay dollars have to abide. I found two things for your consideration.
I understand that simple loss is a factor.' You can remove your unnecessary 'that'
I will review your work and you will review mine.' two sentences, use a comma before your conjunction.
I had to make suggestions; otherwise, it's not a review. I think you know the rules.
Take care,
Russell
Comment Written 10-May-2016
reply by the author on 12-May-2016
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Of course. I always appreciate the help. Corrections made. Great points. The forum is a great place to simply keep things in the open and on people's minds. Great input. Appreciated. mikey
Comment from BOO ghost
Oh, me -- this was a riot but it was based on fact too. What Mikey says here is so true. I got some lame quick reviews too lately. i been gone for six months, but I did notice how less detailed reviews were. Obviously, they were in it for the member cent pumps and doubloon. I did read this rant from the beginning to the end. My policy is now, i try to give a decent review and try to help if I see some obvious SPAG. I give praise where praise is earned. This message from the messenger seems well overdue. Speaking for myself, I strive for quality no quantity. i am not even ranked, I do not believe, but rankings can be misleading. Not a gauge i would evaluate a person's writing ability or quality of work. Mikey speaks the truth. He is a humorous sort, it was mighty hard not to stop laughing as I read it, but simultaneously, I knew that he spoke the truth. Simply, he is fed up with the system, maybe the system needs some tweaks here and there. One thing that would help was, if Fan story could create some special tournaments. I say tournaments because fooling with the current stat system would take a big deal of overhauling. this way, all fan story has to do is add some type of tournaments. In these tournaments, should you win one, you will be given another nugget. That means that you will have 7 stars instead of six. More you win, the more stars you receive. Yes, system needs some counseling, indeed. This post was entertaining for me -- BOO. I usually try not to give a cheap review. I'm not in the rankings. I think that this must be an important issue, or Mikey would had not took his time in creating this and posting it, since, he could be working on another poem or contest entry. I praise him for speaking up, for the fanstory people. He speaks the truth and i concur with his thoughts... BOO
reply by the author on 13-May-2016
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Oh, me -- this was a riot but it was based on fact too. What Mikey says here is so true. I got some lame quick reviews too lately. i been gone for six months, but I did notice how less detailed reviews were. Obviously, they were in it for the member cent pumps and doubloon. I did read this rant from the beginning to the end. My policy is now, i try to give a decent review and try to help if I see some obvious SPAG. I give praise where praise is earned. This message from the messenger seems well overdue. Speaking for myself, I strive for quality no quantity. i am not even ranked, I do not believe, but rankings can be misleading. Not a gauge i would evaluate a person's writing ability or quality of work. Mikey speaks the truth. He is a humorous sort, it was mighty hard not to stop laughing as I read it, but simultaneously, I knew that he spoke the truth. Simply, he is fed up with the system, maybe the system needs some tweaks here and there. One thing that would help was, if Fan story could create some special tournaments. I say tournaments because fooling with the current stat system would take a big deal of overhauling. this way, all fan story has to do is add some type of tournaments. In these tournaments, should you win one, you will be given another nugget. That means that you will have 7 stars instead of six. More you win, the more stars you receive. Yes, system needs some counseling, indeed. This post was entertaining for me -- BOO. I usually try not to give a cheap review. I'm not in the rankings. I think that this must be an important issue, or Mikey would had not took his time in creating this and posting it, since, he could be working on another poem or contest entry. I praise him for speaking up, for the fanstory people. He speaks the truth and i concur with his thoughts... BOO
Comment Written 10-May-2016
reply by the author on 13-May-2016
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Hell, my friend, you give some of the best reviews here. You never short change anyone. These jackasses are not even reading the damn work. They're just making up bullshit and taking the money. It's a joke. Then they're giving all this praise so no one says anything. Hell, we can't all be the best writer in the world. Something's fishy there. HAHAHA! Well, we'll get 'em. Thanks a bunch. I better figure out what to write for your contest. I see people are already entered while I twiddle my thumbs. mikey
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the lion is awake?
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Of course. I have to get up in an hour and a half. Jeesh....
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wow! It is best to stay up. Boy Lion king. Are you getting help now at work?
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Yep. I help myself. HAHAHA!
Not as many people though. A little more time at home, so not as crazy as it was. These fools love to go to the hospital though. Jeesh. It's crazy, I'm the healthy one.
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Haha, bet they like oxycodone and morphine poppers. I bet you could had written my story, Psyco Assylum better than me. You are one of the interns in a white suit. Boy. don't know you will make it with no sleep. Good luck with your story! We got lots of big guns in this one. Wild wild west. James west
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I can go without sleep. No worries, I do it all the time. I gotta read yours. I just skimmed through it. Looks awesome. Big guns huh? Wait till they get a load of my little friend. HAHAHA
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Hum... you got me wondering?? Little friend? Big guns? Can't wait to see it Lion King. Spooky won't show what he's got.
Comment from robyn corum
Mikey, I know of one member who is bad about this - the praiser, but I'm not sure who else is guilty. Maybe I'm in the dark about the serial bad reviewers?? help? I stay over here in my little hole and miss soooo much! Every time I get one of THOSE reviews I wonder what to do -- should I finally SAY something? Or let it go. It's such a puzzle. There's that line, you know?
Thanks for this piece. Maybe it will help!
reply by the author on 13-May-2016
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Mikey, I know of one member who is bad about this - the praiser, but I'm not sure who else is guilty. Maybe I'm in the dark about the serial bad reviewers?? help? I stay over here in my little hole and miss soooo much! Every time I get one of THOSE reviews I wonder what to do -- should I finally SAY something? Or let it go. It's such a puzzle. There's that line, you know?
Thanks for this piece. Maybe it will help!
Comment Written 10-May-2016
reply by the author on 13-May-2016
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I tell them, "You didn't read this did you? Naughty girl." If they did they'd protest right? They never do. We all can't be superstars. You and I can of course. But the whole darn site can't. A review that just praises you and doesn't say a word about what your piece is about is probably fake. It isn't difficult to write a fake review, we could do it right now without even having a piece to read. Turn them in or tell me and I will. LOL WAR, what is it good for. WHOOOOOOAA. mikey
Comment from Barb Hensongispsaca
Wait you said 1 point and 2 cents?
Sorry I had to be me. And what is wrong with your picture?
Anyway, you did speak the truth and I have already started since I have read all 200 forum pieces, well maybe 100, on this subject. I always feel guilty passing on pieces people have worked so hard to do but I just cant review something I don't understand. I have started t mute...is there a limit? How are we rewarding bogus reviewers? And how did we get so out of control? It has changed so much since adepearl was here and that is a short time. I know more different styles have been introduced and I have had to pass on some because I don't understand the new fangled pieces that are just made up this year. My mind was ruined in the palindrome. This was a perfect rant but it wont reach anyone but your followers, now where?
This rating does not count towards story rating or author rank.
The highest and the lowest rating are not included in calculations.
reply by the author on 13-May-2016
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Wait you said 1 point and 2 cents?
Sorry I had to be me. And what is wrong with your picture?
Anyway, you did speak the truth and I have already started since I have read all 200 forum pieces, well maybe 100, on this subject. I always feel guilty passing on pieces people have worked so hard to do but I just cant review something I don't understand. I have started t mute...is there a limit? How are we rewarding bogus reviewers? And how did we get so out of control? It has changed so much since adepearl was here and that is a short time. I know more different styles have been introduced and I have had to pass on some because I don't understand the new fangled pieces that are just made up this year. My mind was ruined in the palindrome. This was a perfect rant but it wont reach anyone but your followers, now where?
This rating does not count towards story rating or author rank.
The highest and the lowest rating are not included in calculations.
Comment Written 10-May-2016
reply by the author on 13-May-2016
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Oh nothing's wrong with it. I'm just being cute. HAHAHA! People are giving thumbs to some of these people who don't even read the work because they give so much lavish praise in their phony reviews. So it moves them up the ranks and makes them eligible for awards and stuff. Grrrrr. Brooke was a big influence and so was Maureen and a lot of others like them. There's some real clowns on board lately that have no morals at all. But we'll get them. Lots of people have their eyes open. Just remember, someone who does nothing but praise without one single word about your piece, didn't read it. If they read it they'd know something about it, yes? I could write a review right now that sounds good about a piece that doesn't even exist, we all can. But these guys are doing a hundred a day. That's a lot of money and a lot of review points. Check out the top reviewers. Do their reviews look very good to you? They sure aren't Rama Devi.
HA! Those palindromes damaged all our brains. LOL mikey
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I have another name for the palindrome and it is not that long...4 letters to be precise. LOL
Comment from Jannypan (Jan)
Wow! Michael fifteen views and not one review. Maybe you scared some off!
I agree with everything you wrote. You have a great way of organizing and presenting your work whether a poem, essay, story, or other style.
Your lines flow smoothly and no extra fluff. When I was reading this, I could 'hear' you reading this aloud. It is filled with the passion I have come to expect from you. You have an amazing ability to write. I am happy that you share with all.
I was actually sorry to come to the end of this essay. One aspect that I would like changed is the number of people that a person can mute--6 is not enough. Along the same lines, I believe 6 is not enough times to reward outstanding work. I would like it to be at least 10.
There are some writings that I review and maybe don't 'get' all. But, I try to find something that is good or that I understand and mention that. I will never lower a rating just because I did not understand something--words, ideas, message etc.
You should run for President of Fan Story! I am not being silly here--that is my true belief. You are a strong leader and could make a HUGE difference.
Thanks for sharing some great ideas and instances that need improvement. Jan
reply by the author on 13-May-2016
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Wow! Michael fifteen views and not one review. Maybe you scared some off!
I agree with everything you wrote. You have a great way of organizing and presenting your work whether a poem, essay, story, or other style.
Your lines flow smoothly and no extra fluff. When I was reading this, I could 'hear' you reading this aloud. It is filled with the passion I have come to expect from you. You have an amazing ability to write. I am happy that you share with all.
I was actually sorry to come to the end of this essay. One aspect that I would like changed is the number of people that a person can mute--6 is not enough. Along the same lines, I believe 6 is not enough times to reward outstanding work. I would like it to be at least 10.
There are some writings that I review and maybe don't 'get' all. But, I try to find something that is good or that I understand and mention that. I will never lower a rating just because I did not understand something--words, ideas, message etc.
You should run for President of Fan Story! I am not being silly here--that is my true belief. You are a strong leader and could make a HUGE difference.
Thanks for sharing some great ideas and instances that need improvement. Jan
Comment Written 10-May-2016
reply by the author on 13-May-2016
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Aww. You're too sweet. You kind of have to rotate the mutes. When you run across a new one, get rid of the oldest one. They've usually forgotten about you by then. I think they should do the sixes by percentage. The people who review a lot more should get more. Brooke and I used to talk about that. She reviewed dozens of people a day. Others review maybe ten a day. Glad you liked this. The main thing is, we all stay in touch and keep together. Sometimes it feels like we're all alone, but we NEVER are. Thanks a million. mikey
