Does anybody turn comments off when publishing new stories?

[Swift1620]

I'm thinking about turning comments off when I submit my next story; I don't receive a lot of comments anyway, but many of those that do come through seem to be from anonymous visitors who just want to create grief (and the one fellow author who for some unknown reason seemed to be personally offended that I hadn't provided him with a literary masterpiece), and I don't like seeing such unnecessary negativity underneath my work. Has anybody done this on their stories, and did you miss receiving comments? Do you think it impacted much on the traffic for your story?

 

[Djmac1031]

I leave them on.

You can of course simply delete the troll comments.

 

[AchtungNight]

I have never turned off comments here. Praise always pleases me and if a troll notices my story and decides to criticize it, at least they took the time. I enjoy responding to both forms of comment when I can.

I have had a love/hate relationship with voting here. Sometimes votes vanish, sometimes I get rating bombed. So for a long time I turned off voting altogether. Now it’s back on, what the heck.

 

[Djmac1031]

I have never turned off comments here. Praise always pleases me and if a troll notices my story and decides to criticize it, at least they took the time. I enjoy responding to both forms of comment when I can.

I have had a love/hate relationship with voting here. Sometimes votes vanish, sometimes I get rating bombed. So for a long time I turned off voting altogether. Now it’s back on, what the heck.

We all agree the voting system is flawed.

That said, it at least gives us some clue as to how the story is doing.

Views only tell us how many clicked on it, not how many actually read the thing.

 

[Swift1620]

I leave them on.

You can of course simply delete the troll comments.

Yeah, I thought about deleting the troll comments, but it's tricky to decide what's trolling behaviour and what's just a really deranged opinion, and I wouldn't be comfortable deleting someone's actual opinion of my work, even if it's unfavourable for the weirdest of reasons.

I've also toyed with the idea of replying, but from experience I know that that can often just lead to increasingly unsavoury exchanges which don't reflect well on either party.

If I could change one thing about this website it would be to prevent anonymous scoring and commenting - I think people might give things a bit more consideration before posting if their on-screen identity were visible.

 

[Djmac1031]

Yeah, I thought about deleting the troll comments, but it's tricky to decide what's trolling behaviour and what's just a really deranged opinion, and I wouldn't be comfortable deleting someone's actual opinion of my work, even if it's unfavourable for the weirdest of reasons.

I leave up negative comments, even the stupid ones. Many of them give me a good laugh at just how far they missed the mark on my story.

 

[Swift1620]

Not everyone who dislikes your story is necessarily a troll. People have the right to express their opinions as long as they remain within acceptable boundaries. As you have been advised before, you do have the option to delete comments that you do not like. It is your story, and you have the right to control it as you see fit, including the ability to block anons only. But remember that blocking votes and comments typically results in a significant decrease in the number of views.

I wholeheartedly agree with your opening points - constructive criticism is the absolute lifeblood of amateur writing - and I hope that nothing I wrote above suggests otherwise.

Hold the phone - you can block anons only?! The advanced options I have when submitting a new story are to turn comments and voting on and off; there doesn't seem to be a way to differentiate between anons and registered users.

 

[Swift1620]

Options --- My options --- Accept Anonymous Feedback?

Hmmm - there's certainly food for thought. Many thanks.

 

[StrangeLife]

I never do. I want people's raw and honest opinions - even when they rip me a new one. Bad feedback is also feedback.

 

[MelissaBaby]

I wholeheartedly agree with your opening points - constructive criticism is the absolute lifeblood of amateur writing - and I hope that nothing I wrote above suggests otherwise.

Hold the phone - you can block anons only?! The advanced options I have when submitting a new story are to turn comments and voting on and off; there doesn't seem to be a way to differentiate between anons and registered users.

You can turn off anonymous comments for all your stories, not on a one by one basis.

In my opinion, though, it's a mistake. I think that in the long run, positive anon comments outweigh negatives.

 

[gunhilltrain]

I'm thinking about turning comments off when I submit my next story; I don't receive a lot of comments anyway, but many of those that do come through seem to be from anonymous visitors who just want to create grief (and the one fellow author who for some unknown reason seemed to be personally offended that I hadn't provided him with a literary masterpiece), and I don't like seeing such unnecessary negativity underneath my work. Has anybody done this on their stories, and did you miss receiving comments? Do you think it impacted much on the traffic for your story?

Usually never; I want to hear what they have to say. I think I had somebody trolling/following me (twice, I think it was the same "guy") but usually if you ignore them, they'll go away. If the comment is completely irrelevant, I may delete it. There were a couple of times when negative comments turned out to be helpful, but I didn't recognize what they were saying immediately.

P.S.: It is rare to have a second "follow-up" comment from somebody. I think it happened once. Attention spans tend to be a bit short.

 

[KeithD]

I don't turn comments off when the story posts. If there are any I think should be deleted I can do that later.

 

[lovecraft68]

Nah, bring it on. I take the bad with the good.

 

[TxRad]

Nope.

 

[bumpercars]

I'm sorry you've had a negative experience with comments. I hope that that's not always the case for you.

I try to learn from negative comments and delete abusive ones, but it's up to you to decide whether it's worth the trouble.

 

[Swift1620]

I'm sorry you've had a negative experience with comments. I hope that that's not always the case for you.

I try to learn from negative comments and delete abusive ones, but it's up to you to decide whether it's worth the trouble.

Thank you very much. I hope that too!

 

[MelissaBaby]

Anonymous comment today on my new story:

I absolutely loved it. You are the best. I enjoy reading anything you write. I bet even your shopping lists are worth reading.

Now, why would I not want to receive that?

 

[SimonDoom]

No. I take pleasure in the nice comments, even if there aren't as many as I'd like, and I can always ignore or delete the bad ones, as I choose.

 

[ElectricBlue]

I've never blocked comments, anons or otherwise. Some of my most intelligent comments are from anon, I'd never give them up.

Also, as others have said, you can delete comments, using whatever criteria you chose. Some people think you're a hero if you keep every comment, no matter how foul, but I don't buy into that. Comments reflect all sorts of things; they can be like a movie poster or like dog turds on a lawn, they're promoting your story as well as declaring the type of street you live in.

I also take the view that comments arrive with the best and worst stories - write really well, or write really badly, and your readers will let you know. Writing competent stories, but stories that don't stand out from the bell-curve - Lit can be a silent place.

 

[Azuldrgon]

I'm thinking about turning comments off when I submit my next story; I don't receive a lot of comments anyway, but many of those that do come through seem to be from anonymous visitors who just want to create grief (and the one fellow author who for some unknown reason seemed to be personally offended that I hadn't provided him with a literary masterpiece), and I don't like seeing such unnecessary negativity underneath my work. Has anybody done this on their stories, and did you miss receiving comments? Do you think it impacted much on the traffic for your story?

I leave them on.

You can of course simply delete the troll comments.

I did that for a bit. Then I realized that it made me look more picky, like I needed to have all good comments.

Comments can be constructive. The thing is just developing the skin to let the anonymous trolls just go by the wayside.

 

[Djmac1031]

I did that for a bit. Then I realized that it made me look more picky, like I needed to have all good comments.

Comments can be constructive. The thing is just developing the skin to let the anonymous trolls just go by the wayside.

I very rarely delete comments. Once, twice maybe over two years.

I had one guy stop by once to thank me for tagging a story with "anal" because it "saved me from reading 5 pages of that crap!"

I had to laugh. If he'd actually read the story, he'd have learned it was only one scene and a brief mention in another.

Couldn't be bothered to read the story yet took the time to comment and make sure I knew he hated it lol.

 

[Cagivagurl]

I'm thinking about turning comments off when I submit my next story; I don't receive a lot of comments anyway, but many of those that do come through seem to be from anonymous visitors who just want to create grief (and the one fellow author who for some unknown reason seemed to be personally offended that I hadn't provided him with a literary masterpiece), and I don't like seeing such unnecessary negativity underneath my work. Has anybody done this on their stories, and did you miss receiving comments? Do you think it impacted much on the traffic for your story?

IMO...
I leave comments free. I don't restrict them.
I believe in the freedom of expression... Good or bad.
I post stories in different categories, including LW...
The comments vary from positive, all the way down to personal attacks.
The only ones I delete are the ones aimed at other people, such as the kind generous people who edited and proof read my stories. Those I delete on sight.
Comments can be helpful... LOL, on occasion...
They can be as funny as hell, and very hurtful...
Like light and darkness. You need to experience one, to enjoy the other...
Word of advice... Develop a thick skin, and don't take the personal attacks to heart. They are just angry people venting...
Think of it as providing a social service... You are giving them an opportunity to let off some steam..

Cagivagurl.

 

[joy_of_cooking]

I had one guy stop by once to thank me for tagging a story with "anal" because it "saved me from reading 5 pages of that crap!"

Couldn't be bothered to read the story yet tool the time to comment and make sure I knew he hated it lol.

Was the comment rude?

I could imagine sincerely thanking an author for steering me away from a story I wouldn't have enjoyed.

 

[Djmac1031]

Was the comment rude?

I could imagine sincerely thanking an author for steering me away from a story I wouldn't have enjoyed.

The exact quote below. You decide .

"Thanks for at least including the 'anal' tag and saving me from reading five pages of that crap, pun intended."

 

[tenyari]

I just wish I could get readers that actually left comments.

I do get readers, even favorites and chapter further in getting read so I know somebody's seen the stuff; but so few of them leave anything.