Sooo... what do you do with your feedback?

[KillerMuffin]

The scenario:

You have a story posted.
People send good feedback.
People send bad feedback.

You do what with it?

I reply and save it. I don't know why, I never use it. I don't use the addresses to spam people. I just collect it. It's covered in cyber cobwebs.

Well, MSN got nasty and cut 1,000k off the mailbox size unless you wanna fork out $20. Hah, not to the spam capital of cyberland. So I'm going through all of my feedback and loading it onto the harddrive.

This strikes me as incredibly pretentious on my part. I mean really. 2 years of feedback and I'm saving all of it? What could I possibly do with it? Other than save it for later reading.

What do you do with it? Are you as bad as me or do you have a better solution?

 

[MaxSebastian]

I reply as soon as I can to good feedback, though it sometimes takes a few days, then leave it in another folder on hotmail. Evil Microsoft demanded I pay for more room, just like KM, but I just deleted the lot and started the collecting process again.

I haven't really missed those I deleted, either. Sure, it's nice to look back, but it's better to look forward.

As for anonymous feedback, that gets deleted almost straight away - it's nice to get it, but there's no reason to keep it since you're not going to reply and so there's no possibility for correspondence. Some of them ask questions like: 'where did you get your idea from?' and I just sit there and think so how am I supposed to answer you, numbnuts? before deleting it.

Bad feedback... well, so far my readers have been nice to me

 

[Tatewaki]

Hi KM, Max!

I reply to the good feedback as soon as I get it, provided that it wasn't anonymous. So far, all of the kudos have had return addresses. I print out the really nice ones, and leave the rest on my HDD. Outlook Express 6 can automatically sync with Hotmail, so I don't bother even logging into Hotmail anymore. All of my mail is already on my HDD. Let MSN charge what theyt want!

On the flip side, the bad feedback I play that by ear. Some of it isn't really bad, it is more like constructive criticism. I read it, assimilate it, and if it makes sense, apply it to my writing. The other "Fuck you" type of feedback gets burned on the spot. I find that if I don't keep it hanging around, it doesn't bother me so much.

-T

 

[Axeltheswede]

What to do with feedback

I'm with you Muffin on the MSN thing. I will pay them the same day Mr. Gates invites me to dinner.

I am saving feedback by category. Ongoing stories seem to generate the most personal questions. They all seem to request a notification when the next chapter is posted. I do that.
Incest generates the most interesting emails. Vivid imaginations produce some incredible scenarios for what they would like to see next. "Dress her up as a cheerleader in a silk blouse and plaid skirt, white kneesocks, carrying a leather umbrella through Daly Plaze at high noon."
Spankers are pretty ardent fans too.
Seeing the difference in feedback by category is a real incentive to branch out. I think it would be interesting to see what sections like Non-consent, Anal, and Interracial would bring.

I am interested to hear if others can share some feedback trends by category.

 

[its Leslie]

I never save any manner of feedback.

If its good I take it to heart.

If its nasty and anonymous, well I guess I stuff it in cracks where it performs some useful service heheh.

I always say something even if its just "hey thanks for the email" if the person was nice enough to send me a comment.

But lately I have not been into receiving email at all from unknown persons.

To much effort concerned with that one email that will be "harmful".

 

[MysteryWriter]

hum

read it... reply to it... take excerpts to use on my web page... toss it...

 

[Guest]

I reply to e-mailed feedback (unless it's anon, natch), but belong to another site where the reviews are just posted; those ones I generally just read.

Whether I take it seriously or not all depends. The "you SICKO!" letters, I just shrug off with a snicker -- if they think it's so sick, why are they reading it?

I prefer detailed feedback, more than just "great story" (why? what in particular? give me more!). It's helpful to know what I got right, as well as what I got wrong.

And I save all the e-mails ... but I'm such a packrat, that's no wonder.

Sabledrake

 

[wildsweetone]

feedback

read it, reply to it when possible, print it off, wallpaper the study with it. N O T
still collecting it, will return to this thread for ideas in a month

 

[Sabledrake]

Ack ... that "Unregistered" was me ... don't know why it unregistered me, sorry.

Sabledrake

 

[P. B. Walker]

I pretty much do the same thing. I reply (if there is an email address) and address any comments the person might have had. I also thank them for taking the time to provide feedback. And yes, I actually do save them. It's not a big deal for me though. First, I have a verizon email and I download my email from the server. So it's on my 100 GB HD. If I ever get that much feedback, I'll whip it out in front of all of you and jack it off for all to see. LMAO. Sadly, I don't get that much feedback. I started here in Nov. 2001, and I've posted 5 stories up to this point. I think I have maybe 20 emails with feedback and only one of those was slightly nasty... actually it was more confusing that nasty.. but it had a negative tone. Another sad fact... I think most of those feedback emails are due to the fact that I'm participating in the Feedback Circle Redux. I doubt I would have 10 emails if I were not in that group.

- PBW

 

[The_old_man]

What little I have recieved, I answer if there is a return addy.

I answer any questions(Other than personal) that they ask, thank them, and deleet.

 

[Couture]

I read it, reply to it, and then zap it.

I started saving it at first, but then it grew and grew and I never went back through the emails for anything. So, I said to myself, "Self why are you keeping all these emails?"

I do keep those emails that have good ideas in them or touch me particularly, but what am I going to do with a few hundred K's of "Great Stories"

Then again, I save their addresses so I can spam them anyway . . .

-c

 

[Whispersecret]

I must be the most insecure person on this forum.

First, I always reply, usually right away, but sometimes it takes a couple of weeks. Then I print them out. Each story I've written has its own file.

When I'm feeling upset with my writing (like when my novel got rejected), I read through the files and revel in the praise. It really helps re-establish one's sense of accomplishment when one is feeling discouraged.

I also keep the email addresses of the more eager "fans" and keep them on a mailing list so I can notify them of new stories. I'm not very prolific, so this doesn't happen very often.

 

[DRxBlue]

Haven't had a LOT so far, but it's all been nice!<blush>

i've been cutting and pasting all the commentary i get into a document. There are days already when i lose my nerve and get too shy to write.

when i have a page full i'll print it up and hang it up to act as a cheerleading squad.

if it's got an email address, i respond immediately. i get plenty of time in between. <larf>

So far nobody's asked me to rent extra room, BUT i'm new.

 

[lovetoread]

I answer the email and save it.

I do have a hotmail acct that is full of them,so I switched and went to yahoo.

I am saving it there too.

But I love each and every one of them...named or not.

But the problem I have is answering the emails in my hotmail or yahoo name and getting im'd by them later and not knowing how in the world they got my name.

OK,so I am slow sometimes...

 

[SexyChele]

I try to respond to all feedback, if an addy is provided. If it's positive feedback, I let them know I appreciate it. If it's negative, and they've provided something constructive, I thank them for helping me along.

If it's anonymous, well, not much I can do about responding to those!

I might keep them a few days, and then I delete them. Unless the feedback came from a friend - those I keep.

 

[Justin_Thyme]

Guess I'm like most everyone who has posted. I respond as quickly as possible to those who leave tracks, delete the anonymous replies, and file the e-mails w/ my response. When the accumulation starts to get out of hand, I delete everything and start over. If I were computer literate, which I am not, I would find a way to save the e-mail addy's should the opportunity arise sometime to correspond again. Don't know why, but I have no desire to beleaguer anyone with notifications of new posts. I find, now that I have a few stories posted, that folks who have sent feedback in the past find the new posts and respond anyhow. I also find, that as with everything else I save for awhile [years], almost immediately after a cleanup session, I have occasion to wish I had not been so thorough.
Justin

 

[DRxBlue]

*Wry chuckle*

I also find, that as with everything else I save for awhile [years], almost immediately after a cleanup session, I have occasion to wish I had not been so thorough.
Justin

That IS one of those absurd ironies. Seems like within a minute of pushing that "Delete" button, i nearly always have one of those Homer Simpson "DOH!" moments.

 

[Art]

Mah Fead-bak.

Feedback....yea, I used to save the stuff. Mostly it was just good stuff. Oh, there was the occasional nut, but most of it was pretty nice. Then I realized that I never reread the stuff, I just kept it, so later I dumped it. Now I get it, read it, usually answer it, and then remove it. Oh, I like getting it, I just don't see any point in keeping it. Worthwhile feedback has an email address with it.

I don't get the anonymous stuff any longer. I cut that out. You really get the nuts of the world there. They can't write, spell, put a complete sentence together, or say anything useful. That I didn't need.

The stuff that's the most useful here is the voting. And, sometimes it the most surprising. The stories that I think were gems turn out to be so-so, and the ones that I was sure were just fun and so-so often do a lot better.

And, that's the way it was....

 

[Tawny T]

I reply to EVERY e-mail or feedback. If they went to the trouble of writing me, the least I can do is write back to them.

Most men are very nice and polite. I do get a few - very few who think that if I write erotica, I'm a slut! I give them a firm letter and if they are too far out of line, then they get blocked. I think I have blocked TWO in the last four years. Not bad!

I don't keep any of my e-mail, as I get far too much. If someone writes back again and again - almost daily, I will drop them down in priority and answer them back in 3 or 4 days. Unfortunately, I can't spend all my time answering my fans - I want to write stories! I love them every one - they have been very good to me over the past four years. I try to treat them right.

Incidentally I had one man say I should give it up because I had NO talent for it at ALL. I told him to look on the boards and see who was VOTED on. Never heard back from him. Sour grapes? Don't know.

For very popular stories I make a form letter and then tailor it to each person I send it to. Saves a ton of time. I tell them it's a form letter and appologize for that, and beg their indulgance. They seem to understand.

I hear so many readers say they write to the authors, but never get an answer back, and they are amazed that I would take the time to answer them.

My advice to authors is; if a fan takes the trouble to write to you, at least have the decency to answer them - even if it is brief.

 

[ozeboi69]

feedback

I delete all feedback once I've read it/replied to it, unless suggestions are offered for future work - in which case I copy and save that portion of the feedback only.

I've used the feedback that I've received predominantly to learn what the bulk of readers on Literotica want to read, particularly since my Literotica feedback (being a general erotica site) has been noticeably different from other, more targetted sites that the stories are also now on.