Newcomer's lament

[dr_mabeuse]

I've been on the Literotica boards a lot, but just started exploring Chyoo maybe a week ago. Here's my beefs and wonders:

(1) I didn't check out Chyoo earlier because from the Literotica board it looks like it's some totally different site, probably Japanese from the sound of the name. I figured I'd have to learn a whole new system before i could use it and it just didn't seem worth the trouble.

(2) Why isn't there a screen link from the Chyoo discussion boards to the Chyoo stories? I can get from Literotica to Chyoo discussion boards, but not to the Chyoo stories. Apparently I have to use the URL to get to the stories. I can do that, but it would be easier just to have a screen link. I don't have to go through a URL on Literotica. How come? Why not integrate them better?

(3) Once I get to the Chyoo stories, I can't get back to Literotica. Why is that? I mean, are these sites connected or what?

(4) I've contributed 3 threads over the last couple of days. At least I think so. There's no confirmation that I submitted anything. I worked pretty hard on these. Were they submitted or not? I checked in all the "My threads", "My stories" places, and everything tells me zero. Did I just waste my time?

(5) How come I can't PM an author from Chyoo? Instead I have to send them an e-mail. The message box in the e-mail section doesn't wrap the lines. This is pretty disconcertiing. I like the way that the SRP board in Literotica lets you PM right from the board. Can't do that here.

(6) Why do I keep having to log-in to Chyoo everytime I change screens? Today I worked on a thread for a long time (I was already logged in), and then when I hit "submit" it told me to log in, and when I went back to my "compose" screen my text was gone. Where is it? Submitted or just gone?

If you want Chyoo to be as popular as Literotica, I think these problems are going to have to be addressed. I for one will not be submitting anything more until I kjnow what's happened to the stuff I've already submitted. Or didn't submit, as the case may be.

---dr.M.

 

[jakelyon]

It's still fun!!

Keep at it. The branching story lines are fun to write for, and some of the stories have turned out pretty good.

All of the points that you have raised are valid ones. Regular users of Chyoo have pointed them out countless times over the few months that I have been contributing to stories. Just read back a little on the Site Feedback Forum and you will see all of your issues have been brought up before.

To my knowledge nothing has changed, and I have decieded not to worry about it. The site works pretty well, and if you keep mulitple windows open between discussion and the site it is easy to hop back and forth. For instance right now I have three windows open.

The biggest problem that you have to work around is the time out on the thread writting. I always write in Notepad then cut and paste it over to Word for editing and spell check and then post it to Chyoo. It is impossible to write a good thread in the time alloted and there is no spell check.

I write in notepad to avoid the problems that crop up with apostrophes and quote marks if you write in word.

It sounds complicated but it is really quite easy once you have done a couple of threads. I have written 175 threads so I know this works pretty well.

Keep at it and send me an e-mail, or pm, or whatever if you need any help. I would really like to see you try to contribute again.

Hopefully this will help reduce your frustration and make you want to contribute.

Thanks.

 

[niceguy2002tim]

Welcome to Chyoo

Hello,
well I just wanted to say Welcome to Chyoo. I've been a member since July 02 and after encountering all these problems I've learned ways about that, as Jake has. All in all I think Chyoo is a great site and it's very rewarding. I love the experience. I love being able to share my talent with everybody. I like perfere Chyoo over Literotica, most likely because I was a memember of Chyoo first. here are my tips.

1) Adding a new thread.
When you want to add a thread to a story, keep your net browser open to the page where the "add new thread" button is. Open microsoft Word or note pad, whichever. Write the thread, then go back to your web browser and click the button. Almost certainly it will ask for your login again. But once you log back in it will open the blank page, then cut and paste. Send it off and wait till it's approved.

Also, I hate to say this... but to me it sounds like all the threads you've written for Chyoo have been lost. It is in large part to the time-out function of Chyoo. It's a real pain in the ass until you get use to it.

2) quotation marks, apostropies are different on Chyoo.
If you type in word then paste it to Chyoo it will be displayed as code on the story. " and ' will appear as #85637; and such. To fix it you have to retype all the " and 's. Other people say using Notepad works, but I haven't had any such luck.

3) Forums...
Open multiple windows. Right click instead of left click on the links. Also, is it really all that hard to type www.chyoo.com?

4) Approving stories.
when you create a new story the webmaster if there really is one... has to approve it before you can do anything with it. The waiting period can last anywhere from 1 day to 3 weeks.

5) Editing threads.
Once you story is approved other people who read it can add new threads. And you become the editor. Therefor you get to view and fix and do whatever to their work before adding it to your story. Again, the time-out function is a bitch here. When I am editing, I finish my editing, then copy and paste the edited work into Microsoft Word, then I do the same with the comment I have. That way if it does time me out all I have to do it cut and paste. Paste the edited thread over the nonedited one and paste my comment in the empty box.

Chyoo can be a pain, but when you are use to it, it's fun!

-Tim (niceguy2002tim)

 

[Legolosis]

Just 1 Question?

i am new to chyoo.

and one thing i am finding difficult, is the reader's promt, it says on the create new story hint box to type (first_name) for first name and the same for last name.

Can anyone please help?

 

[gystex]

What it's talking about is that it is possible for an editor to "personalize" a story for the reader by allowing them to enter the name of the primary character. As a writer, you must use the following tags to represent the first and last name:

The first name should be {FIRST_NAME}.

The last name should be {LAST_NAME}.

Spelling, case, and punctuation must be exact or it won't work.

I have seen some authors use the {FIRST_NAME} tag as the guy's name, and the {LAST_NAME} tag as the girl's, and that can work well as long as contributors understand how to work it.

 

[dr_mabeuse]

Jake and niceguy,
thanks for your help. I've been writing in MSWord and cutting and pasting as you advice, and so far it seems to be working okay. My threads have been approved and the quotation marks and apostrophes appear to be okay as well, unless the editor's went and fixed them on their own.

It's not that typing in the URL for the stories is difficult, it's just that it's so unnecessary. I'm no expert in HTML, but how hard could it be to put a link on the screen? How many people stop in here, can't figure out what's going on, and leave because they can't find that link? I know I was one.

And these other problems, like the timing out, are likewise just unnecessary and I'll bet would take next to no time to fix if someone would just do it. But I'm sure you guys have been saying that since this site opened, The fact that you have learned work-arounds is some testimony to how much you enjoy being here though. I just hope I get used to it soon.

Thanks again,
---dr.M.