Anonymous feedback - Helpful or PIA?

[ChristopherDB]

I'm new here and currently don't allow anonymous feedback on my stories. My thought when making that decision was that I would just get a bunch of useless comments since any spineless person could leave a comment, probably a bad one, regardless of if the story got good ratings overall.

Recently I got a private message, a polite complaint actually, that I don't allow anonymous feedback. It just got me wondering if I should allow such a thing. That said, to be a registered member here is free, and authors have to stand behind work they submit, so is it wrong to expect that from readers who wish to comment on our work?

What has been the experience of other authors here?

Christopher

 

[JAMESBJOHNSON]

The problem with feedback of any kind is thin skin and dismissing all feedback as Troll Turds. If your reviewer is articulate and knows her business you might profit from an opinion. If all you want is Mama's THATS MY BOY! AWARD just let your mom leave comments.

 

[polynices]

I'm new here and currently don't allow anonymous feedback on my stories. My thought when making that decision was that I would just get a bunch of useless comments since any spineless person could leave a comment, probably a bad one, regardless of if the story got good ratings overall.

Recently I got a private message, a polite complaint actually, that I don't allow anonymous feedback. It just got me wondering if I should allow such a thing. That said, to be a registered member here is free, and authors have to stand behind work they submit, so is it wrong to expect that from readers who wish to comment on our work?

What has been the experience of other authors here?

Christopher

The decision obviously has to be up to you - and it's true that Anonymous at his worst is a total pain who can probably cause more irritation to most of the recipients of his drivel than is logically justified. (That certainly goes for me.) That said, I've had quite a lot of positive responses from Anonymous readers - far more, in fact, than the negatives.

I think we have to remember that a lot of the stuff we post here is still part of a moral and emotional minefield. To put it at its simplest, if it didn't feel 'naughty' or 'wicked' to be reading the stories here, they probably wouldn't work at all for a lot of people - maybe the majority. That sense of sin may be why such a small proportion of readers actually comment, or even vote. To insist on a commenter putting his/her name to an opinion - to admitting, for example, they enjoyed something they felt morally squeamish about - will probably dissuade a lot of people from commenting at all.

But, as I said, to allow anonymous comments obviously has to be a personal decision.

- polynices

 

[elfin_odalisque]

To disallow comments is a bit like putting your hands over your ears and going 'la,la, la,la'

Your story may be good or bad but, generally, public comments - even anonymous - are worth having. If you get a reall troll you can just delete (why though?) but I advise against supressing fair criticism. That's how we all learn and the supression of free speech begins.

 

[sacrificedangel]

There are very few occassions where you get a real troll attacking...and they are fairly obvious since they tend not to be talking about your story. You can get comments of all varieties, bad ones that say they hate it (or less elloquently lol) but dont give you any pointers to "why", and so are not much use. Its nice to get the "way to go!" comments...but at the same time, the comments I value most are the ones that give me guidence. These are incredibly important to anyone starting to write here, and by dis-allowing anon comments, you are missing out on these people. Most of the best advice Ive had (apart from those who do often leave their names) have been from anon. You just have to learn to seperate the non-helpful comments from those that are invaluable.

 

[Zeb_Carter]

Although it is true that Anonymous is a prolific commenter, I find that sometimes a gem does appear out of his keyboard. Now that being said, his nasty, obnoxious comments far out way those gems but, they are so funny and show just how ignorant he is that I prefer to allow his ranting and ravings so others may giggle at his stupidity.

Welcome to the AH.

 

[ChristopherDB]

Thanks all. I don't mind if someone says that my stories suck, I just insist on knowing why they think they suck, and didn't think I'd get anything helpful from an anonymous poster.

Christopher

 

[3113]

Where is the Story? How do you feel about Criticism?

Two questions: (1) Where is your story posted?

People get invested in stories. They sometimes take 'em personally, as if you were writing about them or their friends instead of fictional characters. If your story is in Loving Wives, then you get readers who take things very personally. Every woman is their ex-wife, every man either them or the guy the wife left them for. And so you get a lot of comments, and a lot are going to be brutal. Like how could you let that bitch do that? Etc. And then there are the real trolls who just want to be nasty. Post in Gay Male or Lesbian or cross-dressing, and they'll show up to leave hateful, homophobic graffiti at least once.

If, however, you're posting in, say, Romance or First Time or Erotic Couples--you probably haven't much to worry about. You get that graffiti maybe once in a blue moon. The rest of the comments will be either positive or constructive--honest. "I liked it!" or "I didn't like it and here's why...."

So. Where is your story posted? That's question #1. Question #2 is, how sensitive are you to criticism of any sort on your story? Most writers here are writing for themselves; they haven't any aim to improve or make the best sellers list someday. If that's the case, then you don't need to have your feelings hurt even if the criticism about your writing is true. But if you do want to continue and get better, then you really need to deal with those feelings. As getting better as a writer doesn't happen in a vacuum. And what is the point of being a writer is you're not dealing with those who read your stuff--even if they don't give a name?

Answer those two questions. If you've posted in a hotbed category like Loving Wives, write for yourself and are super sensitive to criticism (it makes you cry), then forget it. If you posted in a quieter place like Romance, hope to be a professional writer, and can learn to deal with criticism, then open the story up. Soak up the praise and learn from the critiques. And when/if you do get comments that are just graffiti ("You suck!") then erase them. Don't let any discussion about "Free Speech" bother you on that score. It's your story and those who read it have a right to read it and the comments without having it marred by graffiti. Just like they have the right to enjoy a meal at a restaurant without having to look at some spray-painted, prurient word on the outside wall.

 

[Zeb_Carter]

This is from Anonymous on one of my stories...

Finally a unique story

Ive visited this site off and on for almost 10 years and its was a pleasant suprise to come across a different kind of story. I really enjoyed it.

Sure it stroked my ego and if I hadn't allow Anonymous to post I wouldn't have gotten this little ego stroker.

I have lately received a lot of praise for recent stories posted...some by Anonymous himself.