Bad Comments

You can say that again AustCarr! That expresses my thoughts exactly.

I have gotten comments, both here and elsewhere, that I didn't appreciate.

I don't mind negative comments, Indeed I value truly critical comments that tell me what didn't work for a particular reader rather higher than the "Good Story" comments (although those are nice too). But "This story was a sack of S**t" isn't helpful.

Even less helpful are comments explaining what an evil person i am to have written a particular story. Once, back on USENET years ago, I got a comment about a story -- it was one of the "Twins" stories I write with Sampast, I think -- explaining that I was probably a pedophile myself, but was in any case pandering to and encouraging pedophiles, and would be responsible for molestation of children by them. That was a bad comment. It also was from a person who hadn't, i believe, thought things through.

But by far the greater proportion of the comments ere are not like that, and I am glad to get negative as well as positive comments.

I couldn't agree more with Guy and Austcarr! Better by far it is to receive critical comments than have the frustration of people reading your efforts and not saying a word.

"His sins were scarlet but his books were read" is perhaps an apposite comment on this thread.

I can't imagine anybody here writing such things!

I didn't see this type of comment at the time of reading, but I have to say it would truly be arrogant and inappropriate. I don't think the Admin's would allow it to stay. Something said in that manner should have a consequence worse than a trip to Ms Thrashbottom.

I wouldn't agree at all that the worse thing is to be ignored. Personally I would rather not know that someone found the age of the participants in my tale makes them feel desperately uncomfortable because I wonder why on earth they continued reading it. The trouble is everyone has their own idea of what is acceptable to them in a story. I can't pretend that every comment is welcome, it may be for some authors but not for me. Admittedly the vast majority of comments are welcome but not those that I feel are questioning the right to free speech.

This is just making a moral judgement and is not a comment on the merit of the story. My advice is if it offends you, you should stop reading it! We all see things differently after all.

Absolutely. People have their own opinions and make their comments accordingly. If they don't like something they've read and say so, that's fine - providing they do it in a polite and respectful manner.

As has been pointed out already, once an author shares their offerings they are opening themselves up to criticism as well as praise.

As for "This story was a sack of shit" - it may well be, but IF it needs to be said, there are far more constructive ways to say it without causing offence and deliberately provoking people!!

I'll just add my 2 cents. The idea that there are bad comments strikes me as somewhat heretical given how much effort the library puts in to getting people to comment at all. That said I can see why some of the comments mentioned upset people. I think there is a difference between a critical comment and a mean one. I for one think critical comments are always welcome, as they help us improve as writers, but I know not everyone feels that way. I know in a previous thread it was suggested that critical comments should perhaps be sent straight to the author via a popup instead of put on public display. For me though any comment is welcome.
Nswitch/thereader0987

I totally agree with you on this point. Why should I tell anybody that I don't like their special type of kink? Nobody forces me to read about it, but repeatedly telling an author that his stories are disturbing means implicitly that something about the other fetish is perceived as (morally) wrong. We shouldn't do that to each other. It's enough that society in general is quite unsagacious.