A random question:

[starrylizard]

I was just wondering if anyone knows what the etiquette is for fanfiction.net as far as commenting goes. Do people usually respond to reviews they get over there?

It's just I've previously only ever put things up in my journal and it seems to be the norm to thank people for commenting and I like to do that. It gives me a fuzzy feeling and sometimes I even meet new people that way. On FF.net though, the replies are private, so I'm less sure. I've only been sending replies to those people who leave direct questions or more detailed commentary. What are other people doing?

I'm a little confused and slightly perplexed by this.

Comments

[sakuracorr.livejournal.com]

I haven't been there for awhile, but I'm pretty sure you don't reply. You didn't back when I was there full time.

[starrylizard.livejournal.com]

Ooopsy. Oh well. I'm sure people don't mind being thanked occasionally. :p

That's what I had kinda decided must happen...or not happen. I rarely read stuff on FF.net, since no one has ever responded the few times that I left a review.

[sakuracorr.livejournal.com]

People who reply to their comments are generally just thought to try to be bolstering their reviews on ff.net. Or at least that's what a lot of people think about the issue in a lot of fandoms.

[strifechaos.livejournal.com]

I was there before they started the whole bit where you could reply so I never do.

Typically because if I want to talk I'll post it up here, ff.net is more of just a site I'll read at.

I do have to agree, those who reply to comments do come off as just trying to bolster their own reviews. Even though that's not what you're doing. People do like being thanked, I'm not sure why it's so different from site to site, it's probably more of the audience and what people perceive the purpose of the sites to be.

I see ff.net as a place that's more of just finding something to read, and if I'm being good I'll review. Livejournal is more of a place where I reply to everything I read and talk with people. *shrugs*

Hope I helped. *grins* *waves*

[reedfem.livejournal.com]

Aaaaaaaagh!!!

::runs screaming from the evil that is FF.net::

[starrylizard.livejournal.com]

Oh! But you don't see the replies. *confused look* Do you?
Well um I guess I won't reply anymore. I just wasn't sure if I was being rude. I hope people didn't think I was trying to get something from them. Fandom is confusing. *le sigh* I'm still such a newbie.

[starrylizard.livejournal.com]

*meep* It's all these unspoken rules I'm never going to understand. Still the fandom newbie here and I think I may always be.

*hides under her live journal rock of safety*

[starrylizard.livejournal.com]

Hee hee! *grins and points*
I must admit, I tend to read fic on livejournal. It's generally good fic over here, whereas I have to really sift through some crap on FF.net, so I generally can't be bothered.

Plus I'm beginning to understand LJ a bit. Even here there are unspoken rules that I seem to overstep in an enthusiastic way...I wish people would tell me these things. *le sigh*

[lark_ascends]

Okay, I sometimes reply to people's reviews.

I do know a number of authors who do reply to thank, and I regard that as a nice gesture, not trying to bolster their reviews.

Generally, I'll reply where people have questions, or as you said, they've given detailed commentary.

I think people are getting used to the idea that you can reply personally now, so I think people are more open to that.

My last couple of stories, I have replied to a number of the comments. But, where it's the crappy reviewers that irritate me, I don't.

[starrylizard.livejournal.com]

*blinks and wonders how long I've been on your f-list*
I just clicked the button, so you can get annoyed by my whiny personal junk too. Enjoy. :D

[starrylizard.livejournal.com]

Hee! *cough* I think I'm one of those silly crappy reviewers when I review.

Okay, so hopefully I wasn't doing anything embarrassing. Cool!

[strifechaos.livejournal.com]

*grins* I have no idea. I might have met you at a meme thing I did a while back or I might have just stumbled upon your work and wanted to read more so in order to not loose your name I might have friended you. Either way it seems to have worked brilliantly for me. *smiles*

Whiney personal junk is half the fun of lj, the other half being mostly replying to other people's whiny personal junk. Fangirl-ish tendencies are also half . . . which leaves us with about a half too much mathematically . . . which is why I don't put too much stock in the subject. *grins*

Unspoken rules make my head hurt, plus I’ve been (still am) there, thus am very sympathetic to your plight.

Anyways, your work rocks so any minor faux pas would be forgiven, no worries. *grins* *glomps* *waves*

[starrylizard.livejournal.com]

Hehe! Maths, what's that?
Compliments will get you a long way. I'm very easy to flatter and very hard to upset, and fangirlishness is what I'm all about on LJ. *glomps you back* *grins*

[lark_ascends]

No, I don't think you're one of the sort of reviewers I'm referring to.

I more mean, people who write things like "Hurt Tony, just don't kill him" (with spelling and language mistakes)

or "brilllANT CHAPTER", where they can't spell or use caplocks. There's just certain reviewers that irritate the hell out of me.

[lark_ascends]

Stupid idiot people also include people who say "update soon" when you've said that the story is complete.

*head desk*

[starrylizard.livejournal.com]

Well ok sure. Not me. I do do the thing where I write "lovely" or "Hee! That was great!", which really tells them nothing, but it expresses the fact that I liked it, which is all I'm getting at. I'm not always very articulate and it sometimes seems the better the fic, the less articulate I am by the end of it. :P

I think some people get annoyed by that sort of thing though.

[lark_ascends]

That doesn't bother me, because I am a person who will review with "great chapter".

Personally, I find it frustrating seeing that 1000 people have read a chapter, and maybe 8 have reviewed. What, the rest didn't like it? If I enjoyed something, I'll review.

Which, yeah, I know does irritate certain writers.

[starrylizard.livejournal.com]

How do you know how many people read it?

[lark_ascends]

Log in to ff.net, and check your stats. There's story stats, which will tell you how many people have read each story in total. If you have more than one chapter, you click on the number for that story, and it shows you the break down in chapters.

Also, user stats will let you know how many (and who) people have added you to their favourites, author alerts, etc.

[starrylizard.livejournal.com]

Oh cool! Wanders off to see how unpopular I am. :p

[lark_ascends]

I find that the average viewerage for a short story is around 400-600.

With chapters, you need to take into account that the first chaper numbers will be screwed.

[starrylizard.livejournal.com]

Mine are around 250-300 mark. Not bad for a new account though. I really should finish putting the rest of my fic up there I guess. I'm so lazy. I hate fiddling with the lines and taking out the tags.

[kyokoaegis.livejournal.com]

They never replied when I reviewed something... then again there is so many bad stories over there that it happened only twice.
Oh sometimes they do answer to their reviews in the next chapter they write but that's all.

[ljmckay.livejournal.com]

I usually only reply to questions. (Of course, it really bugs me if they ask a question but post it anonymously...how exactly am I supposed to respond to that?!)

I think it's a nice gesture to thank people for reviews, if it's not too taxing for you. It's never rude to say "Thank you."