In which the merits of the fake LJ-cut are debated

[kalimyre]

So I've noticed a lot of fake lj-cutting on my flist lately. You know, when you write a post and put a link in it, but through the clever use of coding make the link look like a cut tag. I have to admit, this is something I've never quite understood. So I turn to you, O Wise Flist, to explain it to me. Also to click the happy buttons in my poll

Comments

[delurker]

I hate fake cuts. They make me feel like the poster is lying if I'm a bad mood, or like they're being pretentious if I'm in a good mood.

[delurker]

And I see some more people have commented while I was getting the cakes out of the oven, and that's what I mean. People using fake cuts to get more people to click make me feel manipulated, and I despise that.

[kalimyre]

Hmmm, that's an interesting viewpoint. On the one hand, yes, I can see how it's sort of deceptive. But on the other hand, isn't that what a story header is all about? You want people to read your story. You are basically selling your story in the space of a summary, rating and authors notes. If the fake cut makes your story more appealing, isn't that part of the process?

Then again, promoting your story and lying about it are two different things. I'd be irritated if I read a story that promised slash and delivered het instead. So yeah, I can see being bothered by the deception factor.

[resonant8]

The reason I make no assumptions is, I'm afraid, because I typically don't click on any link looking for a story unless either it's by someone whose work I already know or it's recced by someone whose taste I trust.

Having said that, I hate, hate, hate that thing where you have to click on a cut tag to get to a link, and I hate even worse that thing where you click on a cut tag in a community post, and from there you get a link to a personal journal post, and then you have another link to click to get to the story itself. I begin to think it isn't worth it. (And if that link leads you to the writer's front page or warning page? I scream.)

[ane]

I really hate those too. It had better be a pretty damn spectacular story if you make me click twice to get to it.

It was especially annoying when I had dial-up at home and would do the first click into a new tab and then not realize until I went to the tab later when I was offline that the person did the annoying double link thing. And I should read your story because?...

[kalimyre]

Oh, urg, those chain links are annoying as hell. I don't mind reading a story on an author's personal web site, as long as the site is clear and readable and easy to navigate. But the more times I have to click to get there, the less likely I am to keep trying. (This probably says something disturbing about the laziness of internet culture as a whole.)

As for actually choosing to read stories--it depends. If it's someone whose work I know and like, yes, and also yes for recs. But I'll give unknowns a chance too, if the pairing or topic interests me, and the story header is cleanly written.

[elmyraemilie]

I am so undiscerning that if you showed me two journal entries and asked me which one had the fake cut and which one had the real cut, I probably couldn't tell you

[kalimyre]

I will give unknown stories a chance even if they don't have many comments, provided the pairing or summary interests me, but some things will make me hit that back arrow really fast. For example, if the author actually says in the story notes something to the effect of "I wrote this in study hall and it probly sucks o well please R&R or I wont write more" then, no.

As for leaving comments on fics I didn't like that much... maybe. I might leave concrit if the author specifically asks for it, and if I think the story shows potential. Generally, though, if I don't have anything nice to say, I don't say anything at all.

[syrenslure]

I do it when I post my stories/icons to communities, unless it's an exchange that requires the actual fic. It allows me to keep all of my feedback in one place - easy to find, easy to answer.

I put the normal headers and then a link that is a fake-cut leading to the exact same part of that post in my journal. It also makes it easier, if I have to edit the post, I only have to do one, and don't have to hunt down copies..

[b]( [a href=""]Text of link[/a] )[/b] - replace [] with <> and put a space on either side of your link inside the parenthesis, bold the whole thing.

[kalimyre]

Yes, so far, cross-posting and consolidating comments in one place seems to be the chief reason for fake cuts. And I can understand the merit, certainly. But when you do it, do you indicate that it's a fake cut? Do you put in text that says something like "fake cut to my journal" or do you make it look like the story is there on the comm? (Although, indicating that a cut is fake would seem to defeat the purpose.)

[syrenslure]

I guess I didn't answer the why a fake-cut vs a plain link. I think it's just a style issue. I like the look of it. I'm not trying to manipulate anyone, other than that is the expected style of a post, and the link is clearer and easier to find.

[kalimyre]

Mmm, true, a cut is more visible than a link. Especially with difficult people like myself, who have their journals set so the link text color and the regular text color are similar. You could, I suppose, bold the link without putting in the parentheses, but that's just confusing. *g*

[dzurlady]

and the link is clearer and easier to find.
Really? Why not set it out some other way, such as placing it on its own line, or labeling it 'Link to Story' or placing the link in the story header info etc etc?