Listen up, silent majority!

As I suggested earlier in this thread, I contacted a few of the members who've read several hundred stories but posted no responses, to ask them why. So far only one response to my IM's, but it's an interesting one. Here it is, with his permission:

"To be honest I've never been one for attention and I strive to keep my internet presence to a minimum. I have on one or two occasions posted on a forum but most of the time I make it a habit of not sharing my thoughts online, be it commenting on youtube videos or blogs or articles or stories in this instance. I should not have to change my personality or be forced to defend my actions when I have done nothing to offend anyone or broke any rules, except for keeping to myself.

While I understand the "need for validation" that comes with offering a piece of one's self in the form of creative musings, I feel that I should not be obligated to comment on something to as you say "boost their egos". Yes, I read lots of different stories, and sometimes I enjoy them or sometimes I don't. I'm sure that every one of the members of this community experience the same things at one point or another, in my mind there is no need for me to let the "world" know how I feel about something. It really is of no importance to anyone except myself and if I choose to share my opinion then I should be able to do so freely instead of being forced to do so.

I have seen the notices about posting comments and the restrictions placed on the account if "orders aren't followed". Sure, I could go through random stories and write comments like "great!" or "awesome" or "boring" but I feel that those kinds of comments are not what the authors are looking for so instead I choose to respect them and not comment because I would not provide commentary of another nature.

Thanks for your time, hope that answers your question."

Thanks, Phil, for making this effort. Quite frankly, I'm surprised that you got even one answer, particularly one so long as this. Let me address him (not you) as follows:

Let me start by making an analogy. Let's say you have been invited to a dinner party. Either from having been there before, or because your were told so by someone, you know that the hosts will expect their guests all to sit around the dining room table through an extended meal and converse. Some people talk a little, and some less, but whether or not they actually talk, they all sit there, and listen, and if directed a question, will give some polite if minimal response.

That is not how you are accustomed to eating. When at home, you invariably take your your plate of food into the living room where you can plop down on the couch in font of your television. You are also comfortable going to other friends' homes where that is what's done. Even when you go out to a restaurant, you choose one with several large-screen TVs.

Although you always watch TV while eating, that is NOT your 'personality.' That is a 'behavior.' It may very well be a behavior that fits well with you personality, but it nonetheless is not your personality.

Now in receiving your invitation to this dinner party, you have several choices. The first it that you decline the invitation. You respect the fact that your hosts have certain expectations, but since it makes you less than comfortable, you decide to stay home to eat in from of the TV, or accept an invation to a house where eating in front of the television is the norm, or you go out to your favorite restaurant where you can pay to have a meal in front of a TV.

Your second choice is to accept the invitation. Once the food is on the table, however, you can fill up your plate with food, carry it into the living room, turn on the TV, and plop down on the couch. After all, it's what you're accustomed to doing. Just a little hint here - although you can do this, it's rude, boorish, and inconsiderate. Now with any luck, the hosts will do nothing beyond imploring you to come back to the table, pleadings which you can blissfully ignore. Maybe they'll not offer you seconds, but that's ok, since you took enough on your first helping to satisfy you. Perhaps they will even invite you back again in the future - maybe there's something about your pathetic existence they feel sorry about, or (more likely) you're half of a couple, and they would never exclude your other half based on you behavior. In any case, you'll get the opportunity to do it all over again, but you still don't need to change your behavior.

Your third choice is to accept the invitation, go to this dinner party, and participate according to the expectations of your hosts, by sitting at the dining room table, listening politely, and occasionally responding to questions. Why would you do this when it's not your accustomed practice? Well, perhaps the food is exceptionally good, and you don't want to miss out on that, and you have enough good manners to not to flle to the TV room. Or perhaps you like one or more of the people there (even if it's only your spouse who has dragged you along) and you want to be with them and be seen as behaving while you're with them. Or perhaps you realize that, despite your accustomed manner of eating, you believe its good for you occasionally to break the pattern and do a new thing.

Now let's get back to the Library. First thing to make clear is the fact that no was is requiring you to do anything. Your have choices (just as you have with that dinner party). AND, you will be invited back, no matter which choice you make (which would be unlikely with the case of the dinner party). Now eventually, if you don't comply with the requests of your hosts here, you make be limited someone, in being restricted from having as many 'seconds' (by being limited to ten stories per day), but you can still use the Library.

OR, you can choose NOT to come here, and instead to the many other sites on the web where you must either pay (either to enter, or to get full use of the facilities), endure advertisements, or just find there is LESS material, or lower quality material. Or perhaps you will find those other sites just as good, in accordance with your own preferences, as this one. If so, then why not go there rather than here?

I suspect that you come here (in addition to if not instead of other sites), because there is something here you can't get at other sites.

Now what makes LSF different and perhaps worthy of your complying the minimal requirements for commenting? First of all, there is the quality, quantity and variety of the reading material, beyond what you'd find anywhere else. Second, here, there are more features than anywhere else that help you find what you may be looking for. Third, no one is trying to sell you anything here, there are no fees, and there is no advertising. Fourth, all this exists because of VOLUNTEER efforts - the site development and management, the validators who categorize the stories allowing them to be searched, and the authors who write the stories; no one is paid (beyond the interaction with readers that is being sought). And fionally, THAT is the type of community that the management - hour hosts! - have created. It is the wish and expectation of your hosts that readers participate. Anyone with good manners would understand that expectation and respond accordingly.

The last point I will make is that, although some (most?) authors want the validation that comes from receiving comments, more than that, we want FEEDBACK - what we do well, what we could do better, so that our writing improves, which benefits not only us, but the people who read our stories.

Thanks for sharing this, Phil. I thought it was full of rationalisations but could basically be reduced to a statement of "I'm not going to be told what to do by anyone".

I don't agree with any of you on this one, guys. These readers are enjoying your fine stories that took some effort to generate and revise. If they did not have your free fine works to view, they would have to buy expensive porn on the internet. You deliver a superior piece of literature and deserve a couple of sentences of gratitude for you work.
Bravo, Februs, freeze out those freeloaders!
IC

I try and comment on every part of a serial. It helps me to gather my thoughts and keep up with the action. My commenting habits spark lots of conversations with other authors and that led me to begin writing spanking stories. Sometimes the serial parts are short, less than 300 words and there may not be much to say, so I alternate commenting. But I read one of Laurence Kinden's series where every word was specifically chosen to convey a host of meanings and I could not resist interpreting each part.

It takes a great deal of thought and planning for an author to generate a complex series. Much more effort than the brief moment it take to write a comment after each part.
IC

I also forget to mention that when one makes a comment and the previous comment (s) was about the same as what you were going to comment, go ahead and repeat the same comment. Sometimes, I even use the same words since the previous comment did a better job explaining what I wanted to say. I don't care. I say it the say I want to say it. "Full steam ahead."

This is my answer to the "why"-question. Let me start by outing myself. I've read some 300 stories, and have not substantially commented on any of them. I'll try to say something about why that is, and then change my ways (after all, doing as I'm told is my cup of tea ).

I think there are at least three things to point out:

It has taken me some time to understand this site's culture. I didn't notice the 500-story-rule when I joined. To be honest, I didn't really realize it could be considered rude not to comment after reading. There seemed to be an inner circle of authors who commented on each others work, and as I was not a part of that, I thought it was fine for me to be reading and not commenting or "reviewing". I did, however, notice that this site urged it's members to comment, and more so than other sites I've been to. So I thought I would, in due time. But:

This inner circle consists of very talented people. It means that a lot of the stories are brilliantly written, and it also means that comments hold a very high level. They often make good points, and they are well put. This is a good thing, of course, but it makes the barrier to entry higher. Starting to comment have seemed difficult and time-consuming, and has been put off for a long time. Because:

This site can be used in different ways. I have mostly used it to pop in, read a story or two that is currently being read, and pop out again. As some of you people who are making this site what it is, would like members to participate more, I'll try to be a better library-citizen from now on, as I really appreciate this place.

I was once on a forum where the administrators wanted comments, to start a new threat or subject matter and to also stay on line with the site for a time. Any deviation from this rule and you are cut off. The forum was the same subject matter. I commented allot and was cut off. I didn't stay on that long and I never started a new topic. The LSF is easy compared to that forum.

I know of a forum (not a spanking one) where various options (posting in certain forums, reading other forums, etc) were just not available until you had replied to X messages.

No, it's not one that I enjoyed going to... But the minimums here are extremely low. One comment per 500 reads? That's practically nothing.

Goodgulf

But many authors appreciate reader's comments more than author's comments. I think that a reader's comment is like a birthday gift from your child. Your partner may give you a diamond and you are happy with it, but the clumsy painting of your little child warms your heart just the same way.