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I think I'm getting the hang of this
It's been about five weeks that I've been here, in this virtual space called LiveJournal. I've figured out how to post, to cut, to join communities, to make my own styles, etc. Technical stuff -- no problem. But I still have some questions about the conventions of posting.
1. Replying to comments
I love the comments function because that's what makes everything a conversation instead of just an essay. But I've never quite worked out if I should reply to every comment or just when I've something brilliant to say in return.
What do you do? What do most people do? What do you think I should do?
2. Posting fic
When posting fic in LJ, as opposed to posting a link, what guidelines do you follow? How long does a story have to be before you decide to link instead of posting? (And maybe there's a hard limit -- I've not checked.)
What about rating? Do you post all fic up to NC17 or do you draw the line somewhere? Does it bother you when other people post/don't post NC17 stories?
3. What else have I been doing wrong?
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Since you asked, I decided to answer...even if it IS only opinion! *grin*
1) I usually only reply to comments if I actually have something to say, no matter how brief or idiotic. If a response comes to you, great! If not, who cares? If EVERYONE responded to ALL comments the threads would be endless and extremely dull, don't you think?
2)I think that each separate post has a length limit of 60,000 words, but I'm unsure about that. I've been surprised in the past by how much I can pack into an individual post.
Most people post up to NC-17. There are ways you can 'protect' more sensitive entries, however, if you aren't comfortable with allowing full public access to higher-rated posts. You can a) post NC-17 fiction to your 'friends list' only, or b) simply put it behind a cut tag warning the public that the fic may have situations, etc...that are not palatable to all readers. Either way, I think you're covering your bases!
Above all, don't neglect the cut tags. I'm guilty of doing this myself, but with most longer posts it's simple courtesy to shorten it with a handy-dandy cut tag.
That's about it! Hope my suggestions helped a bit!
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I usually only reply to comments if I actually have something to say, no matter how brief or idiotic.
I wonder if it's years of answering feedback that makes replying so ingrained to me. When I look at the page of comments and think about not replying to all of them -- at least at the first level -- I get anxious. So, I'll have to concentrate on having something to say. :)
Re:
But it's an open forum for free exchange of ideas. I enjoy myself much more if I just go with it!
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1. I reply to comments if I: a) have something to say, and/or b) have time to reply. Sometimes I'll just do a general "thanks!" in my next post if I don't have time to answer everyone in the previous one, or LJ is being wonky and isn't letting me move pages fast enough.
2. I haven't written anything too big to put into LJ (behind a cut, natch), so I don't know how much it will hold. As for how to set it up, Deslea has a good system - she puts the headers in the main entry, and the story behind a cut (sometimes she'll have the first paragraph in the main part too). I've found this to be the best because then I have an idea of what's behind the cut before I click on it. (Always important when the servers are running slow.) Oh, and don't forget to say which fandom it is! *g*
Ratings, I don't notice.
3. Nothing! :)
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Fiction: There *is* a limit to how much text you can dump in the update box, at least if you use the web client as I do. I frequently post a "part zero" type of header in the LJ entry to inform people about the story and then link to the text at my website, simply because it's easier than cutting and pasting a story into several parts (and my HP stories have tended to be longer than what I've written in the last few fandoms).
I don't think you're doing anything wrong, but I'd be delighted to see you write more--not just fic posts (though I welcome those), but anything you want to blather about!
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That's pretty much what I feel comfortable with. We'll see if it changes. I'm going to try to tamp down my "reply anxiety" and see if I can stand to not reply to everyone on this post. But I may not succeed. *g*
And I'll do my best to blather more. :) I'm trying to post about once a day right now so I don't get *too* blathery.
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As for fic, I put all of mine behind cut tags, even the drabbles. I don't really know why... it just seems to belong behind the curtain. But since I'm writing now in fandoms that most of my friends aren't the least bit interested in, I suppose it's just for ease of skipping past it. Although why I think long-winded posts about my refrigerator should be more interesting to people than drabbles about ficboys they aren't familiar with, I don't know!
Long stories -- anything over about 15k -- I tend to link rather than post, because it's easier than chopping up stories into readable pieces. I have a sense, though, that people are less likely to click on a link than a cut tag, but I have no evidence to back it up.
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I have a sense, though, that people are less likely to click on a link than a cut tag, but I have no evidence to back it up.
See, this is what I think too. And since this is all about the sweet, sweet feedback -- er, I mean, about giving the reader the best possible experience, I'm conflicted.
The link takes you out of the LJ virtual space. And I think that influences people's behaviour more than we might think.
I do find that since I started using a browser that supports tabbing (Camino) I'm a lot more likely to click on external links since everything stays in the same window -- it's not as disruptive.
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2. Stories - personally, I prefer the NC-17 ones to go behind cut tags to keep it safe at work, but even so, what you put in your journal is your own business and people will friend and defriend at will to manage their own work safe issues.
3. Stuff you're doing wrong - last night, right before I went to bed, I kept hitting the refresh button, and I found no new entries from anyone. I'm blaming you.
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I'm fine with that. :) Since I have that sort of power and like to use it arbitrarily for evil.
Now dance for me or there will be no new posts tonight either!
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Posting fic- I cut everything, always (although I probably wouldn't bother with a drabble), putting the header on the outside of the cut. I know there is a limit to what will fit inside a cut, but I don't know how much. It's a lot, anyway.
I run a community (http://www.livejournal.com/community/u2slash) and one of the guidelines is to always cut your fic, just as a courtesy to others. As to rating, everything is allowed, just as long as you put your header in so the rest of us know what we're getting into and have a choice to click or not.
What else?- Can't think of a thing, other than it'd be nice to see more entries. I mean, it's a journal, yannow? :)
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Posting - I post short stories in their entirety, behind a cut tag. I link to longer ones, by which I mean "ones that it would hurt my eyes to read in an LJ." It's very subjective classification. :) I always warn in the cut tag or link if the story isn't work-safe.
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I think I've read things up to about 3500 words that were fine. It's not that different from reading them on an author's website, really.
I seem to be a person who needs rules and guidelines. Once I know them, then I break them, but I need to know they're there.
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Yes, it bothers me terribly when people don't post NC17 stories. Every day, I look at my friends list and curse each and every person who has not provided an NC17 story for me to enjoy! (I'm kidding, of course.)
But it is nice to have NC17 content behind a cut tag, since I am another slacker who reads LJ at work. Until recently I would have added that I don't appreciate explicit icons on LJ, but I gave in and have my browser set to block all images from the LJ userpic server. So go ahead and use an X-rated icon if you like - I won't see it at work!
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That is a smart, smart idea. You are a smart person!
And I apologize for all the days when I haven't posted any NC17 content. I didn't realise how hurtful I was being.
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In my LJ, I'd be more inclined to post a pointer to the fic on my website. I already have to format a story six different ways before I post it everywhere, adding a seventh step would just take that last bit of fun out of it. Plus I often find it easier to read longer fics somewhere other than LJ, which also allows me to download them for later.
As for #3, I've been wondering who to blame for the fact there's no posts made after midnight. According to Barkley, it's your fault. I'm satisfied with that explanation. *g*
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I think I'm going to experiment with doing it both ways -- put a link *and* a cut and see what happens. The format that I use to update my website will probably work just fine for LJ, so it won't be that much more work.
And, yes, everything that goes wrong with LJ is my fault, including people not posting NC17 fic every day. Puny humans! I will crush you!