I've been thinking

[starrylizard]

Scary I know. :P

There's all these people talking about proper commenting/feedbacking etiquette, talk of friending/defriending and that worry about being rude to defriend, people who think it's only fair to ask before friending, others saying you should ask if you want to be friended back, people actually not friending people on the basis of that person asking permission to friend and taking that as begging to be friended back, people writing meta on proper feedback protocol... O_o

Sometimes I just gack at everyone, step back and say "Is this for real? Chill out people!"

I'm guilty of friending, de-friending and even of later re-friending the same people...usually based on whether their interests seem to match mine at the time, or if their journal appears to be unused at the time or on whether I have more or less time to read LJ posts one week, or if they have super long posts that I find frustrating because I have PMS that week. I didn't realise this could upset people at all. In fact I didn't think people noticed, but I realise now there is a email notifier thingy for it. Luckily most of the time, I just friend and forget about it. You're all such interesting people.

I also regularly leave feedback of the sort:

"Nice :)" or "Thank you! :D" or "Aww, cuteness, thanks :)"

Are there really people that think I'm mocking them and don't like their fic (art) when I do this? Believe me, I don't comment when that's the case. I'm generally of the 'say something nice (or at least constructive) or say nothing at all' way of thinking.

There isn't any dire need for you to comment back to my feedback if you don't want to. It's nice though, because it makes it easier for me to find your art/fic again because of the email notice I get. I won't however hunt you donwn for not replying or never comment on your stories/art again. :)

I friend randomly, friend back even more randomly. And lately I have to say some of the people I look up to and admire their fiction (or artwork) have popped up on my friends list without me even friending them first and how cool is that?! :)

I'm a multi-shipper/gen/friendship-loving kinda girl, who marvels at other people's skills. I love comments, as I'm sure other people do. I love how varied my f-list is, with gen/het/slash/artists/vidder/random non-fandom people all chatting to me willy-nilly. Don't cha'all change now. I hope I've not offended anyone at any point with my randomness.

This has been a completely random post by Starrylizard who has been reading too many references in other LJ's to meta and is utterly confused. O_o

Comments

[starrylizard.livejournal.com]

*grins* Meta-ranting! I like that. I hereby declare that the offical name for what I am doing here. :D

[inkscribe.livejournal.com]

Hee hee. Lovely meta-rant, my dear. :-) I'm danged new here myself and have doubtless inadvertently ticked off people with commenting or friending or whatever, which does bother me on some levels because I generally like to treat people well and if I believe they're deserving of not-so-well treatment then I want to be rather clear about that. ;-) *g*

On a slightly different note, I nearly died laughing when I realised I mis-read one of the above comment ideas as "spaying" zen. I had visions of a very wise and stoic Zen cat, just after his appointment with the vet. *giggle*

[starrylizard.livejournal.com]

Lovely meta-rant, my dear. :-)
Why thank you. :D

have doubtless inadvertently ticked off people with commenting or friending or whatever
Yeah it bothers me sometimes, but after a while in fandom you realise everything you say can possibly tick someone off. I figure as long as I didn't mean it that way though, then my conscience is clear.

*Sprays you with zen* Still deciding on whether to try this. Not being a BNF, I generally start such things and see them flop spectacularly. :P

[inkscribe.livejournal.com]

*nods* Yes, there is that whole thing about people needing to be responsible for their own feelings at the end of the day.

BNF? I don't know the acronym. ???

Finally -- my image of Zen spraying now? Well, the great Canadian troubadour, Leonard Cohen has studied Zen for many years. He is also known to rather enjoy drinking with his master. And rather enjoy it before performances. Red wine, I believe.

So are you spraying me with some red wine Zen? *g*

[starrylizard.livejournal.com]

That would probably stain. ^_^

Wanders off singing "red red wine, stay close to meeee"

[inkscribe.livejournal.com]

So now I'm going to be humming that for the next week you know, right?

That's either semi-evil, or very Zen. *g* Hee hee.

[lobelia321.livejournal.com]

BNF is an acronym I myself learned only about 1 1/2 years into fandom. It means big name fan (I think) and refers to someone who is a Big Cheese in a particular fandom, who is known by everyone, who mods and writes and vids and gets around and is a kind of Well Known Figure. Some people rant against BNFs. I think it's an annoying acronym but that's what it means. :-)

I look forward to your meta-rant on the matter (once you have researched it sufficiently, *g*).

[starrylizard.livejournal.com]

Hee! Yes I meant Big Name Fan. Sorry I forget sometimes and use acronyms. I've just noticed that I can start a fun campaign and no one will join in.

If it was a bigger/more well known person, then they can start something rather mean or stupid and it will still spread like a wild fire. That was my point. :P

I don't mind mostly. I'd not really like to have people paying that much attention to me. It would be kind of freaky.

[inkscribe.livejournal.com]

*nods sagely now that I have become edjumakated in the secret ways of fandom*

Thank you!

Now, as for this meta-rant, is that a request for me, or for Starrylizard? lol :-)