On the nature of trusted status

[GoodBoy741]

I looove getting trusted status. It gets rid of a lot of the frustration of having a story in my head but not being able to write it yet. A few times I wrote out several threads in advance and just saved them on my desktop until their predecessors were approved, but even then I held off to a degree because I didn't want to work ahead too much.

So I wanted to see what everyone thought about handing out trusted status. Not so much about getting it, I've asked a couple of editors for it and they kindly agreed, so I haven't had trouble getting it. I just wondered if anyone had any opinions about giving it out.

Are there any reasons not to, other than the writer not being good enough or trusted enough? Would you hesitate to give it out so that it wouldn't make the other writers feel bad? Would you hesitate to give it out because you don't want someone to write a bunch of threads in a hurry and burn out?

I'm kinda feeling that having trusted status on certain stories makes me want to write on those stories more. Does anyone feel that this might be true in general, and thus giving out trusted status encourages more threads?

 

[TJChurch]

Recently, I dropped all trusted status on stories I'd adopted. Then, a lot of those writers added some really good threads, so I considered giving it back... Only to have those same writers add utter crap (continuity problems, not to mention grammar & spelling) literally the next say.

Also, I had a thread saved for a story once not long ago that had no "Add Thread" option where it'd go... I saved it, waiting, until my computer crashed just recently. I share your love for getting TS.

 

[Torg]

So I wanted to see what everyone thought about handing out trusted status. Not so much about getting it, I've asked a couple of editors for it and they kindly agreed, so I haven't had trouble getting it. I just wondered if anyone had any opinions about giving it out.

I give trusted status to people who write good threads content-wise that don't need editing. I don't care if they take the story in the direction I would; that's their job. But if they can write a reasonably long thread with few or no grammar, spelling, or punctuation errors, Trusted is not far behind.

I personally am as likely to add to a story I have Trusted status for as for any story. My whims for what to write for vary so widely that I can't predict what story will be next.

 

[horny-oz]

I haven't given it out in a while but its more because I want to know when something of mine has been updated and read it first (greedy!), I'm pretty prompt with my approvals anyway so I hope my few semi-regulars don't mind.

On the other hand, I guess I like getting it but as I've never had multiple updates ready for a story I wasn't editor of its never been an issue.

 

[RicoLouis]

Personally I will give it to anyone who writes better then me. Which isn't hard. Though I have had several writers who have submitted just complete crap. It also depends on how closely to my idea of the story the writer is. I am protective of some of my stories. As far as getting it. Sometimes I find I write better if I have time to think it over so waiting for a thread to get approved gives me more time to think about what I want to do next. Even in my own stories I like to go back sometimes.

 

[kwill81]

I don't mind giving it providing the writing is good. I still read what is written by them even after it's given. If I see misspellings or anything I do a little editing.

 

[Bran_Hopewell]

There's a few authors that I give trusted status to. It depends on how fast I want a story added to. I don't mind going through and editing threads that really need it, though, so if I get something that's utter crap, I'll either edit it or remove it.

 

[deathofcards]

Personally I've never been that keen on Trusted status. I like to know that an editor is approving my work and also providing me feedback on what I've written. I also realise that in stories where it has been setup to occur automatically it can lead to it being abused. This is something I'm guilty of take a look at the long stretch of threads I wrote for Graduation Night. I could easily have chopped those up into multiple threads but because I had Trusted status I got away with submitting what I wrote.

I'm fully aware that I am being complimented when I recieve such status however.

Then there is the other side of this I'll never give someone trusted status for any of my stories I like to read and approve of what is being written for my stories first as I like to provide people with feedback.

 

[Bran_Hopewell]

Personally I've never been that keen on Trusted status. I like to know that an editor is approving my work and also providing me feedback on what I've written. I also realise that in stories where it has been setup to occur automatically it can lead to it being abused. This is something I'm guilty of take a look at the long stretch of threads I wrote for Graduation Night. I could easily have chopped those up into multiple threads but because I had Trusted status I got away with submitting what I wrote.

I'm fully aware that I am being complimented when I recieve such status however.

Then there is the other side of this I'll never give someone trusted status for any of my stories I like to read and approve of what is being written for my stories first as I like to provide people with feedback.

That's a good way to look at it.

 

[Murakami]

I like having trusted status because then I can keep going on something until I run out of steam (and I'm pretty good at running out of steam before I start writing crap). Also, for legal reasons, I can't save this type of content locally (don't worry, I'm not under age), so if I get an idea for something long and I'm not trusted, it either never gets written or the first part does and then the rest sometimes doesn't (which is the reason why several of my threads are only one deep or have horrible follow ups).

As forgiving status, I have limited experience here since I only have one story, but my rule has been if I look around and like the person's stuff and like what they gave me, I will generally give it to them so long as they don't turn around and give me crap once they have it. I have no problem de-trusting people or even wielding the report thread button for the delete if they try to abuse things. And I always check over any new threads in John Almighty and yell if they are bad.

 

[Gunde]

Insipid spam, a sign of the moral degeneration of modern society, or just plain tedious?

 

[Cat_Tha_Cat]

The annoying thing about trusted status is when editors give it out too freely. The Create-a-Wrestler story, as far as I can tell, automatically makes every single editor trusted, and let's just say you wouldn't have to look very hard to find a post that reads like it was written by someone who rides the slow bus. Especially "ashley massaro"...

 

[cats]

I find many threads that have some potential die to quickly because the author vanished. I look at auto trusted status, (when used properly,) and granting trusted status to the first few decent authors provides some safety against that all to common disappearance into real life most authors eventually do.

I don't want to leave my few threads with no ability to grow, and I could very well have a piano drop on my head tomorrow. But this is less of an issue with the adopt a thread option.

 

[moonblack]

I give Trusted status for a story based on the threads the writer has added to that particular story. I never give trusted status for all of my stories - always one story at a time.

 

[android1966]

I'm in two minds about this one. I pretty much agree with Deathofcards post.

It's great that someone likes your stuff enough to award trusted status and of course that means you don't have to wait a day or two to carry on the story.

On the other hand getting feedback from the editor is good too and disappears once you're autoapproved unless they rate the thread and leave a comment that way.

Gratuitous dancing banana