A niche writing style(and my frankly opinionated reaction to it)

All right, this one is a rant opinion piece on 2nd person/w Anon character stories.

First of all I should say I actually liked at least one of these of stories, and a few others were entertaining... But this is despite the Anon character and the 2nd person perspective.

When an Anon story has held my attention the character has always possessed a developed 'voice', a distinct style(and personality, even if simple and bare-boned). This is a character with enough development to deserve an actual Name; as a reader the lack of this piece of identity is confounding. I know that using Anon is "suppose to" allow the reader to insert their own name for immersion or to treat Anon as a background piece too move the narrative along(and act as a 'generic' viewpoint character). But, the a fore said 'voice' of the character makes Anon not the reader. Anon has a distinct identity, neither a truly generic set piece nor a blank slot to place the reader.
I'll cover the Anon relation to thread stories on a board later on in this blog... Just wait for it.

So when would Anon work as a character?
1. If Anon was the Archetypical Personification of anonymous internet users(I think I've seen that one before...). Better use that Random and/or Comedy Tags(others to if you want a really twisted/surreal story).
2. It's a gift or commission piece, and it's part of the deal.
3. That is all. See the Thread stories bit before gasket-blowing.

Now onto 2nd. person perspective. Among the earliest(and for a while only) uses of written 2nd. person was in Choose Your Own Adventure (CYOA) stories. In those the reader could choose what actions where taken by the main character at key points; the reader played a part in the narrative and was in command of the character. The protagonist was the readers avatar in the story. Text-based Interactive Fiction(IF) was the same way, with even more control over the character. Like typing in the command "Hit Troll With Bucket" and behold the text-based game would try that action out(unless the parser derped or you entered gibberish).
Table-top RPGs are the oldest and most flexible example of choice and the 2nd. person, the GM(or DM or Storyteller) would describe a scene to a group of players in second person(more often than not), and they would tell him/her what their characters did in response. Cue die rolling and back and forth talking(or arguing). Video and computer game RPGs used 2nd person at times(a hidden narrator addressing the player, describing something). Like the CYOA and IF examples the 'main characters' were Avatars, through which the reader/player Interacted with the story. In all of them a third-party(real or virtual, hidden or not) was telling you(the reader or player) what was happening and you told them something in response(at some point).
In a written, non-interactive story the reader is the Patient(the one acted upon) not the Agent(the one preforming the action). Labeling the reader as the Agent in the story is not the same as inserting the reader into the story. The reader can't interact with the story-world nor its characters. As for the reader inserting themselves into the story: Normally a person's internal monologue isn't in the second person(who thinks of themselves as you rather than I, or experiences the world that way?). 1st. person let's the reader treat the story as one told to them by the character or with a perspective of being there(themselves). 2nd. person in contrast tells them that they're there, and what they do. As if they are commanded or are pestered by a noisy, very present narrator.
Yet again I'll cover the 2nd. person perspective in relation the thread stories on a board later on here.

All right. So how could 2nd. person perspective be used for good effect in a story?
1. If it is relatively short, with events passing by with little voluntary interaction(by the character), and where identity isn't an issue. This can come off as being somewhat dreamlike or like a distant or blurred memory. A difficult, deliberate, evocative effect by the Author.
2. Why yes, there is a noisy, present narrator(Narrator: Oh Stanley...).
3. The character has a disassociate disorder, perhaps played against bits of 1st. person narrative? Ooh, 3rd. person may work too(in place of 2nd. or with all 3 POVs).
4. As #2/3 but mind control is involved?

Tempting (bad) reasons to pick 2nd. Person.
1. It allows the Author to treat the story like a 1st. person, but then use elements of 3rd. person to alert the reader to something the character would miss. Without changing POV... Bad Author, bad. That's cheating with a shortcut, bad habit that...
Poor mauled narrative :-(
2. "Which perspective should I use/how do I even use this perspective?"--"stupid 1st. person, 3rd person etc!" See #1.

Okay, The Anon and 2nd. person perspective related to thread stories on a chatboard or bulletin board service(a BBS, archaic, I know). Posting a story on a thread is a more interactive and piece-meal experience. As a writer you are more directly addressing an audience and interacting with them in the same work environment that your story is situated in. This situation is closer to RPing than a chapter-based, published story off of a live thread(Come on you know there is some convention bleed from Chat and Forum RP on boards). Your directly addressing Anon users/readers by 'not-given-name'... All those reasons collapse away from the board threads. There gone. As are the expectations from the user-base that writer follow them.

As I noted before good Anon/2nd. person stories have migrated off of board threads. Each one was edited, and had some content rewrites to clean up and improve them.
So 1st. or limited 3rd. person would have been an easy change and would have improved flow or immersion(for most readers). Anon could have been 'Named' with one or two background bits added to 'finish' him/her as a character OR a few clever tricks could be used to avoid naming all together(no 'not-given-name' insert needed or at least a pet name instead).
None of these changes are much more difficult than the edits and rewrites done in transfer, so why not? The work feels deliberately unfinished without them.

Tempting (Bad) reasons to use 2nd. person, Part II (+Anon)
Remember that whole conventions thing I brought up? See below.
1. I know my plot(not that plot), and the bulk of the characters, but I am drawing blanks on the protagonist... But the story still comes together and flows!
Note: Fine, but after this is done I bet that 'Anon' person while have an identity, a sense of character. Filling in the blanks will be far easier now(and no, names like Kyle, Alex, Taylor, John, and Jane etc. being too common is no reason to be nameless). Plus if 2nd. person is the POV is the writing that flows out, fine. But, going back and changing it shouldn't be to hard of an edit later.
2. "My story's from _board, _chan, /_/, etc. , it should star Anon in the 2nd. person POV!"
Rebuttals: a1. If you want to show off its origins then mention them in the description, or Authors notes. Your writer's rep and pride isn't going to take a hit if you drop the writing conventions from over there.
a2. If your Anon became a good, memorable character, shouldn't he/she have a name to be remembered?
a3. Most of the other perspectives would make the story/character(s) feel more complete and persuasive(for the reader).
a4. You attract and keep more readers if you don't do 2nd. person+Anon on average, aside from the initial surge of AiE seekers;
It's also more likely to be promoted by a group, or site blogpost (but don't hold your breath Author).
3. "Readers who don't like AiE shouldn't try to read it. I write AiE."
Rebuttal: r1. A good story can be better, a writer can improve. An Author shouldn't hobble themselves with a contrived convention. The above statement(#3) denies an opportunity for both. Deflecting criticism(good and bad), and deflecting away potential readers.
r2. Outsiders will criticize it sadly enough and this is why: AiE is a port over from a corner of the web, out of context, keeping conventions not meant for written works. Readers notice this, most aren't interest in imitating a given site and communities internal norms, and don't get it. AiE isn't a writing style, genre, category or 'club' to belong to. AiE asks readers and writers to forget how to write well, in a select 'cool' manner; it's a fad. 2nd. person doesn't do anything better than 1st. person can, aside from being niche and 'different'(but still part of the group) in writing. The character 'Anon' doesn't do anything better than another per-established trick in writing(besides tying back to chat or boards).

TL;DR: Common, if you don't read this you can't shoot me down, refute me, or even tell someone else: "I already know your point, someone else was more pedantic about it!"
If that's not good enough then you have just effectively concede to me without even knowing my argument. Come at least try...