Comments

I'm sorry if this has already been asked- if it has, I can't find it.

I was wondering if there was a way to reply to comments? On other sites when someone leaves a comment I always reply to thank them. I can't find a reply button, but I'm really bad to overlook stuff.

CandiCame said:

I'm sorry if this has already been asked- if it has, I can't find it.

I was wondering if there was a way to reply to comments? On other sites when someone leaves a comment I always reply to thank them. I can't find a reply button, but I'm really bad to overlook stuff.

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You must come from some low traffic sites. Here, our unwashed masses can be large and unruly.

If the comment comes by email and they give you a return email address, then you can reply directly to them. Otherwise, you reply to reader's comments on your stories by posting your own comment. I've heard authors here doubt that readers who commented ever came back to see if there was a reply. Maybe that varies by category, but at least some of them do follow up on their own comments.

LW excepted. That's the usual rule.

NotWise said:

You must come from some low traffic sites. Here, our unwashed masses can be large and unruly.

If the comment comes by email and they give you a return email address, then you can reply directly to them. Otherwise, you reply to reader's comments on your stories by posting your own comment. I've heard authors here doubt that readers who commented ever came back to see if there was a reply. Maybe that varies by category, but at least some of them do follow up on their own comments.

LW excepted. That's the usual rule.

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I mean, I'm probably not going to get a lot of traffic here, either?

There have been a lot of responses to stuff I've said about posting stories other places vs on Lit where people come back and basically say, "Lit gets more traffic!" And I'm not sure why? I've never asked anything about traffic, but people keep bringing it up. I don't think that I'm going to start a writing career here or anything- I'm more concerned with being nice and thanking my readers.

Like... sometimes a smaller, more closely knit pool can be better, for things like providing feedback. I don't know why people constantly bring up the traffic. For the vast majority of that traffic, I'm not going to know what they thought or get any kind of feedback to help me improve as a writer, according to those links I was given in another thread here on the forums. They said you only got about 1 comment per 1000 views. That means that 999 of those views aren't helping me. It gives me even more reason to thank the 1 person who DID leave feedback.

I guess I'll just leave a comment under them, since they didn't use a username or email. I assume that they don't have an account.

CandiCame said:

I'm sorry if this has already been asked- if it has, I can't find it.

I was wondering if there was a way to reply to comments? On other sites when someone leaves a comment I always reply to thank them. I can't find a reply button, but I'm really bad to overlook stuff.

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As mentioned by others, only by responding with your own comment, sending a PM, or contacting the commenter through their own feedback channel (noting that PMs and feedback might be turned off).

I mean, I'm probably not going to get a lot of traffic here, either?

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A commonly cited statistic from a fair number of writers here at AH is one vote per hundred views, one comment per thousand. If a story is very good or very bad, you'll get told. If it's in the middle of the great bell curve of Lit, expect to be deafened by silence.

You already know about the Feedback Forum, where you can actively solicit feedback - most folk there are fellow writers, not so much readers. Readers who don't write possibly don't even know that forum exists.

It's kind of unfortunate that the comments system on stories don't support direct replies. That's actually why I don't typically reply to comments on my stories (for those wondering why they can't find me under my forum name; I had my name changed a while back, and for some reason it did not carry over to the forum). Knowing most people don't go back to check their comments, I saw little point in replying to questions or comments.

Heck, for totally different reasons, I typically don't bother with the forum either.

TriadWriter said:

It's kind of unfortunate that the comments system on stories don't support direct replies. That's actually why I don't typically reply to comments on my stories (for those wondering why they can't find me under my forum name; I had my name changed a while back, and for some reason it did not carry over to the forum). Knowing most people don't go back to check their comments, I saw little point in replying to questions or comments.

Heck, for totally different reasons, I typically don't bother with the forum either.

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The system does support direct replies on story comments. You can directly answer right there with a comment yourself, and I sometimes do. I think you mean you can't get back directly by e-mail. But it's really up to the other party to check back for responses on their comments. A lot of times when I've received an e-mailed comment and responded, I've found that it's a fake e-mail address and doesn't connect (this is frustrating when the person has asked a direct question they presumably want a response to). That's no better than just putting the comment on the story where the original comment was made. You can always try sending a PM if you only want the one who made the original comment to see the response.

[Mod - just delete this comment, I'm done. It was a mistake to bother coming back]

I did reply to one person once using a comment of my own. I don't seem to get a lot of public comments so it was well visible. Person accused me of copying some song lyrics. Not only did I not do that but my poem was written before that singer was even born.

CandiCame said:

For the vast majority of that traffic, I'm not going to know what they thought or get any kind of feedback to help me improve as a writer, according to those links I was given in another thread here on the forums. They said you only got about 1 comment per 1000 views. That means that 999 of those views aren't helping me. It gives me even more reason to thank the 1 person who DID leave feedback.

I guess I'll just leave a comment under them, since they didn't use a username or email. I assume that they don't have an account.

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Keep in mind that people using the Android app for reading also cannot leave comments.
I do most of my reading on the phone, and hence for me the only way to give feedback is to rate.

Hoorah for your positive attitude on thanking! I recently got my first comment that actually had suggestions about writing... but it made me giggle so much that I couldn't take it on board. That said, I could write them a thanks.

TriadWriter said:

[Mod - just delete this comment, I'm done. It was a mistake to bother coming back]

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Every time Pilot runs off another writer with his passive-aggressive bullying, the rest of you become more accustomed to it and accepting of it. You should do something when you see this instead of just commenting around it like it never happened.

EDIT: obviously this does not apply to Lovecraft, the only person I've ever seen call this bully out on a consistent basis.

PilotInDisguise said:

The system does support direct replies on story comments.

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Literotica story comments do not allow for a direct response. A direct response is one that is attached in the way that Youtube comments sections function, and they often feature some kind of notification that alerts the original commenter. I understand that someone as old as you might not understand the nuance of idioms as they pertain to 'new' technology, but try not to let your addled blithering do more damage than it already has.

Traffic at Literotica is, I believe, higher than at most or all the other erotic story websites. Your story probably will have more readers here than elsewhere. Since trying to reach an audience with my stories is one of my main goals, I like knowing that my stories are getting readers even if the great majority of them will never comment. I can infer the overall level of approval by the comments, favorites, and votes I get.

I will post a comment to my own story to reply to reader comments in certain ways, such as to thank everybody in general for commenting on my story, or to provide an update on when another chapter is coming (although I should stop doing this because I'm always wrong and it irks some readers), and replying if someone has made a statement or allegation about my story that is incorrect and that I want to be corrected publicly.

It's nice to see that people want to reply personally to comments where they can. I think every little bit helps encourage readers to be engaged.

One way to encourage interaction between authors and readers would be to give authors the option of having a blog page. Has anyone ever discussed that? It would be a great way to enhance author-reader interaction. It would provide a central place for fans (or critics -- I guess we have to keep them in mind too) of certain authors to go to interact with them. It would provide a platform where authors could promote themselves. I suppose it would make the site more cumbersome to manage.

AwkwardMD said:

Every time Pilot runs off another writer with his passive-aggressive bullying, the rest of you become more accustomed to it and accepting of it. You should do something when you see this instead of just commenting around it like it never happened.

EDIT: obviously this does not apply to Lovecraft, the only person I've ever seen call this bully out on a consistent basis.

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I've seen him make sarcastic comments before, but this didn't seem like one of them. I had the sense he was genuinely responding to this particular comment in good faith.

You raise a big issue that is beyond the scope of this thread. I've been posting on these forums for almost two years, and based on what I've seen no good can come from "calling people out" on their obnoxious posts, unless the behavior is so bad and/or the obnoxious poster is on the moderator's radar already that the poster can get banned or suspended. But that rarely happens, and short of that no good comes from replying in kind to people whose comments you object to. I see no evidence that Pilot is at any risk of getting banned or suspended for anything he says.

My philosophy is, as much as possible, to steer clear of getting personal with people here (except in a nice way, where appropriate), and to stick to the substance of their comments. The whole idea of taking things personally on a site where nobody knows anyone else strikes me as absurd. JBJ calls me "Simple Simon" -- it just makes me laugh (and he has lumped me with Pilot a couple of times, which also makes me laugh). If I see someone getting personal with me, as in questioning my motives or qualifications, I try not to take the bait and reply in kind. No good comes of it, ever. It doesn't make anybody behave better. Others can stew in their churlishness, if that's what they want to do. It's no skin off my nose. I think the better course is to try to take the high road even when others don't.

Progress is always more difficult than the status quo. That doesn't mean you shouldn't try.

AwkwardMD said:

Progress is always more difficult than the status quo. That doesn't mean you shouldn't try.

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Agreed. But I think we have a different idea of how to achieve progress here. My preferred approach would be not to take things personally and not to get personal, ever. I think by acting the way we would want others to act we do more to set a tone that will make this a better place than we do by "calling people out."

If you don't like something Pilot, or someone else, has said, go ahead and criticize his comment. But no progress is made by calling him a "bully" or telling him you don't like him.

Question: How do you direct reply to Anon?

You can't forget that this site does allow anonymous comments and ratings. Until they require everyone to have a user ID Anon will keep posting comments.

Also, pilot is correct. Lit. does allow unverified email address on private comments. So there goes that.

Of course you also have the choice to not accept anonymous feedback. But they can still create an alt ID to make comments and then never check them for PMs. So until they tighten up the ID requirements, sometimes you will never be able to reply to some comments.

SimonDoom said:

Agreed. But I think we have a different idea of how to achieve progress here. My preferred approach would be not to take things personally and not to get personal, ever. I think by acting the way we would want others to act we do more to set a tone that will make this a better place than we do by "calling people out."

If you don't like something Pilot, or someone else, has said, go ahead and criticize his comment. But no progress is made by calling him a "bully" or telling him you don't like him.

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Setting a good example, which you do, is important, but that is more beneficial for new users than it is for curtailing someone who, if you scroll up, is actively driving other level-headed contributors away.

Don't be indifferent. I know it's exhausting to care, but it's worth it in the end.

Zeb_Carter said:

Question: How do you direct reply to Anon?

You can't forget that this site does allow anonymous comments and ratings. Until they require everyone to have a user ID Anon will keep posting comments.

Also, pilot is correct. Lit. does allow unverified email address on private comments. So there goes that.

Of course you also have the choice to not accept anonymous feedback. But they can still create an alt ID to make comments and then never check them for PMs. So until they tighten up the ID requirements, sometimes you will never be able to reply to some comments.

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Talking about comments on stories, not email feedback. There is no "reply" button in the comments section, which is what the OP was asking about. They're using email feedback as a proxy, unweildy as that may be, and hoping we had better solutions or secret knowledge.

AwkwardMD said:

Every time Pilot runs off another writer with his passive-aggressive bullying, the rest of you become more accustomed to it and accepting of it. You should do something when you see this instead of just commenting around it like it never happened.

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I'm confused. I don't see any passive-aggressive bullying going on, and I don't have a clue why the other writer seemed to take offence. Was there more there originally than we can see now?

AwkwardMD said:

Setting a good example, which you do, is important, but that is more beneficial for new users than it is for curtailing someone who, if you scroll up, is actively driving other level-headed contributors away.

Don't be indifferent. I know it's exhausting to care, but it's worth it in the end.

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I'm not indifferent. Bad behavior on social media generally, and at this site in particular, bugs the crap out of me. I'm a staunch believer in the idea that people can disagree strongly with one another yet be civil to one another. That idea is under assault from all sides right now, as I see it. Those of us who believe in this principle have to fight to preserve it.

The question is what to do about it.

From my experience, there's nothing to be gained by telling somebody in an Internet forum they're an asshole, even if they really are an asshole. And there are plenty of people out there who are true, 100% assholes. But many are only partly assholes, and as I see it the way to deal with people is to assume they're not assholes and to deal with the part of them that's not an asshole. It's a strategy, not a surrender. It may seem unsatisfactory to some but as I see it there's no good, civil, constructive alternative.

I have no idea why Triadwriter pulled out. I do very much know why Awkward is choosing to attack me. I don't see why the DIRECT response to a comment posted to a story isn't an answer directly in the comment section where the original comment was posted. If there are some forms of hooking into Lit. that don't permit an author to put comments on his/her own story, I know nothing about that. I only use the computer. My response was in good faith to respond to the question. Awkward isn't going to drive me off the discussion board. I don't attack her this way.

NotWise said:

I'm confused. I don't see any passive-aggressive bullying going on, and I don't have a clue why the other writer seemed to take offence. Was there more there originally than we can see now?

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Probably not. I think it rather reference site wide 'incompatibility between some personalities' so to speak, going a long time back - as indicated by using non-current name(s). I'm not diverting too much attention to it, but unintentionally picking a thing or two up about. In current case I rather agree with Simon, there was no malice intended. Then, I believe it never is (and that's my general attitude unless and until the opposite is proven beyond reasonable doubt, in each particular case separately), and although KeithD (apparently also once upon a time know as Pilot) style may indeed not be for everyone and there can be strong opinions, even sometimes seemingly uncalled for, I only recall few posts that really made me scratch my head. But some of that may happen to anyone, I believe. Then, I'm officially passive-aggressive myself...

More on the point, yes as far I understand (having not (yet) published anything I'm not really qualified to reply) if the comment is made anonymously, there really no luck and the only option is to leave your comment; what some authors do. If there is an username, there is opportunity to send feedback trough the user page. It probably can be turned off though.

From several dozen comments I have made so far, I had received direct thanks about three to five times, starting prolonged discussion twice, at least twice got author comment, and also at least twice got another commenter reacting on my comment.

This board is rather civilized and polite compared to most. Yes, every now and then it gets a bit barbed but honestly, it's rather nice coming here. I think sometimes it's more people think they know each other to well and get irritated when there's no need to because of what they read in. Don't forget a huge percentage of communication is non- verbal and that all gets lost on chat boards.

You can argue that "well this instance isn't so bad", or "but he's always been nice to me" all you want, but you've all seen it happen. You all know what I'm talking about. It just hasn't been directed at you.

I'm gonna let this go, and the reason that's easy for me is because he's a bully. It's just who he is He's gonna pick on someone else tomorrow or the next day, and we'll have the whole conversation over again. Time is on my side on this one.

KeithD said:

I have no idea why Triadwriter pulled out. I do very much know why Awkward is choosing to attack me. I don't see why the DIRECT response to a comment posted to a story isn't an answer directly in the comment section where the original comment was posted. If there are some forms of hooking into Lit. that don't permit an author to put comments on his/her own story, I know nothing about that. I only use the computer. My response was in good faith to respond to the question. Awkward isn't going to drive me off the discussion board. I don't attack her this way.

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That's not a direct reply. They're coded differently.

A comment thread on pretty much every other writing site has comment threads. That's what I was asking about. I think that the other poster didn't believe that you didn't know that, and took your response as bitchy- because I did too until I saw another poster say that you might honestly not know.

Most places use threads, not static comments.

So on Lit, it's like this, and this is all you get.

-Comment
-Comment
-Comment

On most other sites it goes like this

-Parent Comment (Useful feedback)
-------response (thanks for the feedback!)
--------response (You're welcome)
---------response (You've helped me a lot!)
-Parent Comment (Feedback that wasn't useful)
--------response (Thanks for reading, even if you didn't like it!)
----------response (useful feedback because author has engaged the reader)
-----------response (Thanks for the feedback!)
-Parent Comment

Etc.

I was trying to figure out how to make a RESPONSE, not a NEW COMMENT. Because that's the language that is used in a lot of places, I think that the other user might have thought you were trolling them by pretending not to know that. I didn't see the original response, so I don't know. But if I had to guess, that would be my guess, because that was also my gut reaction.

It never occurred to me that you couldn't reply. And I can't imagine anyone wants to use email- I don't even have an email account linked to my account, I don't think. Like another user pointed out, it's cumbersome.

I was honestly just hoping that you guys knew something I didn't! I'm bad to overlook things.

Edit: It didn't originally format correctly