Alternatives?

[Bramblethorn]

How many of the sites suggested here include forums? (Fora????)

I think what's more common these days is instead of a story site having its own forum space, people will create spaces on other sites - there's a Reddit Literotica sub (though that one's mostly story adverts rather than writer discussion), I know of a few Discord servers used by writers, and so on.

 

[M_K_Babalon]

Because the mods actually screen the stories closely and don't just push things through.

In a way I feel that Lit vs LS is a microcosm of society. One just hacks their way through but is the biggest so people deal with it. LS enforces all their rules, screens the stories, has much more respectful forum-albeit its small-and basically makes a real effort so of course they're way behind Lit and probably SOL as well.

As for paid members first? I'd so monetize this site if I ran it. Unlimited reading for $4.99 a month and you have to have a user ID to vote and comment. Hello profit, hello coming up with ways to get some money to the authors, goodbye anon crap bags.

I'd make Lit....well, Lit! Muahahahahah

I don't have complaints on how they enforce writing standards. There's just very little you can do if you're not a paying member.

 

[Britva415]

Is there anyone who's used a computer for any significant period of time who hasn't stared into the abyss? Watched the sea monsters laugh as they drag your data down into the depths, never to be seen again, and flip you off as they go?

That's how people learn to back up: You get burned, then you smarten up.

 

[Britva415]

I wonder how many people here still use a Hard Disk Drive?

SSD, same thing

 

[lovecraft68]

The less google in my life the better. I have some floppys from back in middle school and probably early high school. I wish I had something to read them and have a good laugh.

It's a bit weird being a child during the tech boom and remembering the before times, when the old things lingered. I know you're in your 60s so you probably get it. I'm not that old, but the first computer I ever typed on for English was an Apple 2.

I'm 57 68 is my birthyear not my age.

I think when I was 16 our high school had gotten one computer for each class room and the servers in the basement were massive. No internet.

 

[lovecraft68]

I don't have complaints on how they enforce writing standards. There's just very little you can do if you're not a paying member.

They charge the readers or the authors? Both?

 

[Bamagan]

If Lit were to dry up and blow away, the Patreon pie would get a hell of a lot bigger, real fast. I'm positive a lot of readers would follow authors there.

I wonder how many of us would start accounts there and see how many "buy-me-a-coffee's" we could earn.

Probably get a hell of a lot more comment engagement too. For better or for worse.

I had a Patreon for a while. They were (reportedly) pressured by credit card companies to collect data on anyone providing adult content. I closed my account because they required a selfie of me holding a current photo ID in order to keep getting paid.

It may not be a viable alternative for authors who value more than a veneer of anonymity, nor for readers who don't want a money trail to such content providers.

 

[Nightaelf]

I wonder how many people here still use a Hard Disk Drive?

I do, well it's a SSD, but still.... and a cloud service.

 

[Britva415]

I'm not recommending whether anyone should do it or not, I'm just predicting that there would be more buyers (patrons, readers) than ever.

 

[lovecraft68]

Oh, I forgot to mention someone is stalking me on Reddit so I better not go there.

https://www.reddit.com/r/literotica/comments/1n3aun6/do_we_know_who_lovecraft68_and_silkstockingslover

 

[Britva415]

I do, well it's a SSD, but still.... and a cloud service.

Yeah, I didn't really understand that comment. You can't use a device which doesn't have any drive at all, even in 2025. Who cares if it's a "hard disk" or an equally failure-prone SS drive. Hell, those might be even worse than HDD's, reliability wise.

 

[old_prof]

The big advantage of a cloud server for storage is that they should be providing some redundancy and backups, meaning you are reasonably well protected from failures. For most of us, storing on a personal computer is fine until the single point of failure goes. I doubt many of us have replacement drives or motherboards sitting around waiting for a failure. A cloud service will, plus have sufficient excess hardware to immediately use until the replacement hardware will be installed.

 

[Britva415]

A cloud service will, plus have sufficient excess hardware to immediately use until the replacement hardware will be installed.

Can you describe the scenario where you can use the cloud service when your hardware is fubar?

 

[alohadave]

Can you describe the scenario where you can use the cloud service when your hardware is fubar?

Login to the service from any other internet connected computer.

 

[SmilingLez]

There are two types of computer users.

Those who keep backups, and those who who have yet to peer into the Abyss.

I skimmed over your reply and this is what my mind registered, "those who keep backups, and those who have yet to pee into the Abyss"


On another note, Literotica's CMS is ~25 years old. Perhaps upgrading/replacing it so they can take the increased load of submissions might be the easiest solution.

 

[Kelliezgirl]

Oh, I forgot to mention someone is stalking me on Reddit so I better not go there.

https://www.reddit.com/r/literotica/comments/1n3aun6/do_we_know_who_lovecraft68_and_silkstockingslover

Seems like it would be easier to just message you here... if they really just wanted to talk...

 

[WCSGarland]

I post most of my stories on A03 and Inkitt as well. They don't get the same traffic, but I'm not quite ready to jump to Reddit or XNXX yet.

 

[RejectReality]

Everyone should be cultivating multiple venues anyway. Locking yourself in to only what works on Lit stifles you.

Odds are with the amount of traffic and the longstanding name recognition that Lit has, when Laurel and Manu decide it's time to pack it in, they'll get an offer that's hard to refuse from some chat/hookup conglomerate or something who only want the archive and a portal to drive Lit's traffic to the site that they actually care about. They'll give the site a pretty redesign with multiple ads on every page and forum thread that strips the functions down to the bare bones so all you can do is basically submit and read — nothing else. They'll integrate their site into all the menus like it was always here with their links being biggest and boldest. Probably pawn the day-to-day off on a group of regulars here so they don't have to bother with it at all, and have plenty of scapegoats to sacrifice when the need arises.

 

[WCSGarland]

Everyone should be cultivating multiple venues anyway. Locking yourself in to only what works on Lit stifles you.

Odds are with the amount of traffic and the longstanding name recognition that Lit has, when Laurel and Manu decide it's time to pack it in, they'll get an offer that's hard to refuse from some chat/hookup conglomerate or something who only want the archive and a portal to drive Lit's traffic to the site that they actually care about. They'll give the site a pretty redesign with multiple ads on every page and forum thread that strips the functions down to the bare bones so all you can do is basically submit and read — nothing else. They'll integrate their site into all the menus like it was always here with their links being biggest and boldest. Probably pawn the day-to-day off on a group of regulars here so they don't have to bother with it at all, and have plenty of scapegoats to sacrifice when the need arises.

Cynic much?

 

[Kelliezgirl]

Everyone should be cultivating multiple venues anyway. Locking yourself in to only what works on Lit stifles you.

Odds are with the amount of traffic and the longstanding name recognition that Lit has, when Laurel and Manu decide it's time to pack it in, they'll get an offer that's hard to refuse from some chat/hookup conglomerate or something who only want the archive and a portal to drive Lit's traffic to the site that they actually care about. They'll give the site a pretty redesign with multiple ads on every page and forum thread that strips the functions down to the bare bones so all you can do is basically submit and read — nothing else. They'll integrate their site into all the menus like it was always here with their links being biggest and boldest. Probably pawn the day-to-day off on a group of regulars here so they don't have to bother with it at all, and have plenty of scapegoats to sacrifice when the need arises.

Sad, but probably true. A hobby board I used to go to quite a bit got bought by some media company and it basically went from being pretty darn useful to shit.

 

[Kelliezgirl]

Cynic much?

To Quote Sir Terry:
If there was anything that depressed him more than his own cynicism, it was that quite often it still wasn't as cynical as real life.

 

[alohadave]

Cynic much?

Realist.

 

[WCSGarland]

Realist.

Yeah... I suppose that would be the other side of that coin.

 

[DeMont]

I'm curious if there's a site out there like Lit? The current discourse is that things are looking bleak, at least that's my interpretation of what's being said. I don't often visit the boards, but lately...

So, if things go tits up, where do we go?

@MelanieShaman,
Good evening my dear colleague, a pleasure to greet you.

While I find this question a somewhat curious one, at this time, I can only suggest that if Literotica were to stop being the "life project" of Laurel and Manu then another "Literotica" would appear in its place. The demand for such platforms as this will not die but, as you suggest, will simply find somewhere else to go and there are, I think, no shortage of people ready to create, or re-create, such a place as we have here.
Deepest respects,
D

 

[Cagivagurl]

My fear isn't about where to go, but....
What happens to the stories. Your's mine, everybody's...
Do they get deleted? Do they remain ours, or are they simply handed over to the new owners (if it were to be sold....
If the site just folded, do the stories stay trapped in a server somewhere???? To be gathered up by AI...

Merely my thoughts.

Cagivagurl