Venting, ratings · 6:15am Feb 5th, 2019
I'm tired and I just want to vent for a bit.
A short vent for people who disable likes and dislikes.
I'm sorry, but I hate that. You should let people know what they're getting into. Of course, I'm not saying you can't disable them, but it just seems like a cheap way to get people to click on your story. Or maybe it's some other diabolical scheme, I don't know. Sometimes, stories can be downvoted to hell and still be good. Sometimes, it's some messed up shit. Maybe you don't any traffic of negative feedback. I understand. But I think that if it's from a criticism standpoint: learn to take criticism and be willing to take the negative and turn it into a positive. You'll end up getting more positive, whether it be yourself or your story. I think hiding that feature is a bit deceptive. I know my two stories right now aren't the best, but I let people know, quickly, whether they want to read it or not.
That's it. Rant over. Have a good night.
I must respectfully disagree on all points; I find the likes/dislike ratio a contradiction to what the fandom should be about, and an excuse for trolls to take advantage of. Criticism I accept when people comment on my stories, telling me what I've done wrong and offering suggestions for improvement rather than just leaving a dislike and keeping the writer wondering where they went wrong. Communication is key.
I find it's better for people to dive headfirst into a story by their own indulging and curiosity, rather than be driven away by likes and dislikes. The ratio gimmick is just discouraging to write; I don't write my stories to be judged, I write them for my own passion. My entertainment. It's up to people who bother taking a read and leaving comments, but in the end, what matters is what the writer wants to do. If people want to dislike a story, they can just say what they think's wrong and be done with it.
Leaving a down thumb on a story without any explanation isn't criticism. And not everyone can handle criticism; some write and read stories because they enjoy it, not to succumb under stress.
Have a good sleep, friend.
5008373
I fully understand your point of view on this situation. And you're absolutely right, just giving a dislike is not criticism; that's one thing I forgot to say in my venting session. I was more addressing people who do that from the start (although I still believe everybody should keep it, that's just my opinion), as it just feels a bit deceptive to me. And yes, my vent is a little petty. I'm here complaining about a feature on a fanfiction website that I can't control. Regardless of what I think, it's ultimately up to the writer. If they choose to hide or not, I'll ultimately still read it. Hate was probably too strong of a word, I guess I'm "not a fan" of hiding that setting.
All in all, I guess we just think a bit differently about this. I like a quick reference guide, but maybe that's just me.
Honestly, I never thought that an inspiration (a big one at that) would reply to a late night vent session of mine. Thank you for taking time to reply and keep those stories coming!