Is there a way you can set your programming to automatically reject any entry in the comment section that has the letter combination kik in it ? This is not the place to look for little girls to send you pictures and talk dirty to you. It is annoying to those who enjoy looking at real comments about the story - good or bad.

 

Sadly, no.

It seems we are doomed to have to put up with those morons. Although it is annoying, I don't think it discourages readers. As I've said before, what we get here is a free place to post our stories, and readers to read them. I can put up with the imperfections of the site, I'm just glad its here even if it does also attract some rather grubby individuals too.

 

It may not discourage readers (which seems to be all the site cares about) but it sure as Hell discourages authors!!! I myself directly know of three who have stopped posting stories because of this same attitude.

 

PO469

There are lots who agree with you, but I'm afraid that you'll be talking to deaf ears here at the forum. Responses, if they come at all, will be from the regulars who will suggest that you not allow comments, or to post your stories at the Forum instead of the designated story site, or some other such nonsense that evades fixing the problems that exist for writers. As I said in my last response, some authors have had a craw full and have either already deserted or are contemplating going elsewhere. There are options.

 

Agreed, that does happen. It is a pity when that occurs, but personally I don't see why that is a reason to leave the site. Its rather like moving to a different town simply because there's graffiti on the walls of the one you live in now.

There is always the option of disallowing comments altogether, and encouraging readers to PM comments. Posting stories on the forum as well does tend to result in more constructive criticism than one often receives on the main site, as The Purv has correctly anticipated in his post above.

What we get is free - it ain't perfect but it seems a bit churlish to knock it. Just my opinion, not wishing to argue with anybody. :rose:

 

And if you disallow comments you better be prepared to get negative ratings. It seems to annoy those kik spammers and in return they 'splash click' on the negative button.

 

There is even one individual who looks around for disabled comments and deliberately votes them down, regardless of the story's merit. He seems to think himself above the owners of the site who allow comments to be disabled, and has taken matters into his own hands.

He has bullied me into leaving comments open on my stories, so in that respect he has succeeded in his selfish intentions. I normally dislike bullies and will stand my corner but in this instance I have no-one to fight against, as he remains anonymous, most probably the sock of another author, so I allow comments now.

 

There is another who will neg vote anything that requires being logged in to vote. I wonder if marcdoodle is both of these?

 

I'm sure you didn't mean it to sound like regulars were posting nonsensical options.

'Regulars' have no more power or voice than 'irregulars'. We simply can offer to list what options are available at a free site.

I do have a solution.

I will create a website similar in scope and function to this site, except I can guarantee that there will be no anonymous posting of comments, and, those who do spam will find themselves banned. Moderators will have a wide range of power and will be paid for their efforts.

The cost will be $10 per month per person. Someone simply needs to get me a third of the "active" members here to sign up and I'll put an end to the shenanigans once and for all.

Of course, getting more than a handful of people to pay $10 a month is a bigger task than building the actual site. How sad is that to say?

 

The thing that I find fascinating is that there ARE options; lots of them, and that's where some authors are going; yet, so many here at the forum seem to have the attitude that 'hey we have a free site here, be thankful and don't make waves. Unfortunately, the PTB realize this and thus prohibit us from announcing here the many other sites available. To those that think this is the only option, may I suggest that you do a search (using yahoo, not google) of 'erotica stories'. The first page that Yahoo presents has eight different story sites, and not the best two that I know.

 

Its a valid point, but I like it here, for all its faults. That might not suit everyone, but we all have our choices to make.

 

there is a website already set up in a similar manner

Hosted by Eric Storm, it also has stories by a couple of authors here - Karax & Ka Hmnd.

The problem is the size of the author pool and thus the limited number of submissions. Eric is a disabled person who is maintaining the site at the cost of about $120/yr (his statement) and also approving all memberships to the site which is currently free (although voluntary donations clear up the various adverts and allow some other benefits) and he has a policy of posting one story a month of his own.

If you want instructions on finding the site, simply look up Karax's most recent stories for the link - he has stated that he will be posting one more story in those lines which are not yet completed and then will not be posting anymore at XNXX.

If you compare the two sites, you will find some of the limitations which are imposed on the smaller websites simply by the fact of them being smaller.

All-in-all, we have it pretty good here at XNXX.

 

Like one of the other posters mentioned, I'm not trying to get in an argument, but in reading some 'satisfied customers' here, I have to wonder if they've ever strayed outside these walls. Not being a regular here at the Forum, I can't comment on this side of the building. Maybe it is the greatest thing since sliced rye bread (with corned beef or pastrami), but if I didn't think they would ban me for doing so, I'll post a site or two that I've alluded to and dare you to continue to be proud of the story site here.

 

This is quite a nice discussion, thanks Purvv

I haven't really strayed outside these walls, and perhaps I ought to, but I do feel quite at home here - I have built up (on-line only) friendships with various characters here, and it does, to me at least, feel like 'home'.

 

While other story posting sites may be better, the ones I've seen like L*t*r*t*c*, L*sh St*r**s, and a couple others, have forums that are either dead or essentially closed to new members. I've posted questions about story contests on the forums of both sites I sp*ll*d out and got ignored. The 10,000 post count members simply posted around me. Following some threads, I saw that everyone had either a gazillion posts or two.

As Jayney said, the community associated with our forums here is lively. The veterans seem to welcome newbs into discussions, or tell them off quickly if they're idiots. Crazy as this portion of the website is, it works. That's what keeps me here.

 

I didn't say that I was satisfied but that like a democracy, this is likely one of the better places you will find.

• There ARE a large number of submissions daily - go through the latest updates to find them (I just about ignore the top rated lists).
• There ARE a relatively large number of quality authors submitting those stories.
• The forums have people who actually TALK BACK to you.

+1

 

If you are part of the crowd.

*It takes a while before you are noticed. But once you are, expect constant replies to your comments.

But like anywhere else, if you stay in your corner, no one will make a move towards you. If you want to join, take a step forward, go to people and you will be welcomed.

 

To: darthel0101
To: wantsomefun
To: JayneyRedd

I too appreciate you and your comments, past and present. I KNOW you mean well. I only wish you'd read your own comments though, in light of the discussion point. You are all making the same point with which I certainly have no argument, The forum and its community is totally happy with itself. Jayney has made that perfectly clear. Fine, But this isn't about the Forum, it's a totally different area where the problems lay...the story site. This person has mentioned the kik problem, which is only one of the many problems with the comment section. You respond that the Forum is a lovely place to stay. Others like me complain about the ratings, or the bugs that have ruined the front page of the story site, or the inability to find the stories of individual authors via the 'Author's List' or a whole host of other problems. And still the responses are what a lovely place the Forum is. Hey folks, I'm just using the Forum because it's the only way I know that the PTB are hearing my complaints. They don't usually respond to PMs from authors about problems on the story side.

I say there are other story sites and the response is those sites have bad or non existent Forums. Damn Damn Damn. This isn't about the Forum. Maybe if those responding (and I don't mean just this particular post, but the many other posts of the past that have complained about the story side) will not take it personally that we who are airing these problems are not complaining about the beloved Forum, there might be some concern about those authors who simply want to post stories, not participate in KAWS and CAWS and Rangpor's.

 

True, but it is much like the 'regular' crowd in any normal social situation - be it a cafe, bar, workplace, playground, whatever. There is an 'in-crowd' who have known each other for some time, and are thus more at ease with each other's company, then there are newcomers to the group.

These newcomers are strangers to the already established collective, but may well be welcomed, as soon as they have hung around long enough to become familiar.

There is a certain 'clique' on here, but that is simply the result of many of us having been here for two, three, four or more years. I don't think we are in any way a 'closed' group - we tend to be welcoming and supportive of most newcomers. People come and go, as is the way of internet forums, but the mainstay of the 'crowd' here remains.

Its not a bad place to be if you want to write (or read) erotic fiction.

 

Like I've been told before from someone here. If I post my stories on the Story Side to receive great grades, I stand to be deceived. If I write a story to be liked by the reader, I flop it. So I write it for my own pleasure.

The only reason I post them on the story side, now, is to make sure they are saved in three places. Here in the forum, on the story side and on my HD. It makes for a great backup.

I don't even read the comments or the evaluation grade or the number of reads on the story side anymore. I got depressed when I did. At least here, the comments are almost always constructive.

I still don't get as many feed backs as I wish, but with time the other members will know me more and they will be able to evaluate my progress, if any.

The community is NOT on the story side, it is HERE.