When someone with fandom experience leaves an unlocked post unsupervised, my assumption is that the post is unlocked and unsupervised for a purpose. She must have known that the post would be linked to.
I never say anything in a locked post that I wouldn't say publicly so I don't mind sharing here. I haven't allowed anon comments since 2004. There's no (good) reason on earth why someone has to comment anonymously. I lock my non-icon posts for a variety of reasons -- I want to know who's reading, I want to control who's reading, I want defriending to mean something, I don't want non-story posts randomly linked to... I also filter posts to appropriate audiences.
I was amused by the commenters who felt as if they'd been used by someone with too much time on her hands. I'd have thought that fans who search for stories they haven't read are equally blessed with time.
I've been in fandom for seven years and it wouldn't have occurred to me to supervise a post like that! But then, I don't make posts like that, and I've never had any personal experience with trolling or even heated discussion, so maybe that's why.
Locking posts is a good strategy, too, exactly as you point out -- you can control who's reading. You get so many comments too that the people who comment probably know each other (at least some of them) quite well too, for some value of "knowing." I lock posts with information I don't want out there, but I try to keep in mind that's not always safe either...
Good point about having time on your hands if it's possible for you to go and search for fics in the first place! Maybe it's a procrastination strategy. I know I've searched for many silly things online when I should be doing something actually productive.
I like to be helpful so when someone asks for information I want to give it. I try to suppress the urge because I've found that often they don't want the information or they want some other version of the information or they ignore my answer. What Toft did was an extreme version of 'I'm asking a question I don't want an answer to', and you could argue that she was taking advantage, but the commenters ought not to blame her for the time they spent looking for something they didn't know about and that didn't exist (or, it would seem, did exist after all
( ... )
Filters definitely have their uses. There weren't any on Dreamwidth at first and I think people were encouraged to only add people to their access lists who they felt comfortable sharing locked posts with, but a person might have RL friends and knitting friends and other groups who are interested in one or two things but not more, and it would make sense to use filters then.
Communities that link to posts without warning can certainly be interesting... I'm reminded of a metafandom link to a post that was about what the poster didn't like to see in fics. The post was called The Very All-Encompassing Rules to All Writers Ever, of course. *g* (Not literally, but something like that.) Then people from Metafandom commented that the rules were actually personal likes and dislikes, and some were annoyed by the post and the rules. It was so... on the one hand, I understand that they were annoyed, but on the other hand, the poster did not go and spread the link to hundreds of people themselves, it was just linked to by someone else, and it seemed like
( ... )
i thought i'd weigh in because i was surprised by how much flack toft-froggy is getting for not "supervising" the post. i have a lot of issues with the post, and i have some issues with her apology, too, but i definitely don't have an issue with her not having realized immediately that it would need supervision (or being able to supervise it right away). none of us is tethered to our keyboard, and sometimes keeping on top of what's happening with a post isn't possible 24 hours a day. i don't think that reflects anything about the poster. i've been in fandom for eight years (i think?) and it wouldn't have occurred to me.
Someone said that the nasty anonymous comments are a new occurrence, but then another person claimed it was old hat in some fandoms, so I don't know. The newness would explain why it didn't occur to us that supervision was needed.
In a way the accusations feel justified because my LJ (and DW) feel like my space, and it feels like I should be able to make sure the people who comment feel comfortable. But I'm not sure it's possible, in reality.
I don't have any problem with Toft having not supervised her post. There aren't many people who can watch the internet 24/7, which seems (sometimes) to be the proposed ideal for supervising comments to a post.
I do resent the hell out of her abuse of the generosity of the people at the storyfinders com. It seems to me to scream of a sense of entitlement: that anything which amuses her is okay, and she needn't consider how her actions may have a negative impact on others. Sometimes people outgrow that kind of sense of entitlement. I hope she does--but I won't be waiting for that to happen.
As far as locking posts goes, I think that has to be an individual decision, considered anew with each post--is the subject matter controversial, or likely to prompt angry or distressed responses? Is it something personal which you don't necessarily want spread far and wide? I don't think there's an ideal answer which fits all possibilities. As with so many things in life, we have to just try to find the best answer for the moment at hand.
Watching the internet 24/7 does seem to be the proposed ideal for handling posts like this: a person should also apologise as quickly as possible, and a day or two seems like weeks in internet time. But sometimes life happens and it's just not possible. (And, of course, sometimes people don't want to apologise and procrastinate. It's probably not possible to tell, though.)
She seems to think her requests were a form of fandom celebration, but... no. Not really. If everyone knew the requests were fabricated, then it would be different.
Your post-by-post approach sounds sensible. It's also what I do. *g*
Well, this is a tad late, but I thought I'd butt in.
I can't speak for all TH fans, obviously, but my reasons for keeping everything locked is a couple things. The biggest is simply that I talk and post about a lot of personal things. I don't really want strangers I don't know looking at pictures of me and friends, and also I don't want people I know in real life being able to link my journal to me so definitively.
The other is that I talk about TH fanfiction a lot, and some of it can bother and provoke people, and I really don't want to deal with someone getting mad about porn or a pairing or something. And I don't want a future employer or family to see any of it either.
So mostly it's a control thing. I imagine the fanfiction thing is a big part of a lot of locking, as well as personal pictures/stories in entries.
I certainly understand locking personal posts, but I lock personal posts and I still don't lock everything, so I was wondering if there's another reason. Of course it may just be more practical to lock everything, especially since accidents are less likely to happen if friends locked is the default setting.
Porn and pairings seem to be a major source of wank in any fandom, so your policy sounds wise!
Thanks for weighing in. I know everyone's got their own reasons and habit can also be behind locking, but I was interested in learning more about it. Kind of like posting long pieces of fanfiction in chapters felt very new and strange to me at first. Now I'm used to it and don't question it anymore. :)
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I never say anything in a locked post that I wouldn't say publicly so I don't mind sharing here. I haven't allowed anon comments since 2004. There's no (good) reason on earth why someone has to comment anonymously. I lock my non-icon posts for a variety of reasons -- I want to know who's reading, I want to control who's reading, I want defriending to mean something, I don't want non-story posts randomly linked to... I also filter posts to appropriate audiences.
I was amused by the commenters who felt as if they'd been used by someone with too much time on her hands. I'd have thought that fans who search for stories they haven't read are equally blessed with time.
And I'd say more but I have to catch a bus.
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Locking posts is a good strategy, too, exactly as you point out -- you can control who's reading. You get so many comments too that the people who comment probably know each other (at least some of them) quite well too, for some value of "knowing." I lock posts with information I don't want out there, but I try to keep in mind that's not always safe either...
Good point about having time on your hands if it's possible for you to go and search for fics in the first place! Maybe it's a procrastination strategy. I know I've searched for many silly things online when I should be doing something actually productive.
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Communities that link to posts without warning can certainly be interesting... I'm reminded of a metafandom link to a post that was about what the poster didn't like to see in fics. The post was called The Very All-Encompassing Rules to All Writers Ever, of course. *g* (Not literally, but something like that.) Then people from Metafandom commented that the rules were actually personal likes and dislikes, and some were annoyed by the post and the rules. It was so... on the one hand, I understand that they were annoyed, but on the other hand, the poster did not go and spread the link to hundreds of people themselves, it was just linked to by someone else, and it seemed like ( ... )
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In a way the accusations feel justified because my LJ (and DW) feel like my space, and it feels like I should be able to make sure the people who comment feel comfortable. But I'm not sure it's possible, in reality.
Thanks for weighing in, I appreciate it! :)
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I do resent the hell out of her abuse of the generosity of the people at the storyfinders com. It seems to me to scream of a sense of entitlement: that anything which amuses her is okay, and she needn't consider how her actions may have a negative impact on others. Sometimes people outgrow that kind of sense of entitlement. I hope she does--but I won't be waiting for that to happen.
As far as locking posts goes, I think that has to be an individual decision, considered anew with each post--is the subject matter controversial, or likely to prompt angry or distressed responses? Is it something personal which you don't necessarily want spread far and wide? I don't think there's an ideal answer which fits all possibilities. As with so many things in life, we have to just try to find the best answer for the moment at hand.
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She seems to think her requests were a form of fandom celebration, but... no. Not really. If everyone knew the requests were fabricated, then it would be different.
Your post-by-post approach sounds sensible. It's also what I do. *g*
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I can't speak for all TH fans, obviously, but my reasons for keeping everything locked is a couple things. The biggest is simply that I talk and post about a lot of personal things. I don't really want strangers I don't know looking at pictures of me and friends, and also I don't want people I know in real life being able to link my journal to me so definitively.
The other is that I talk about TH fanfiction a lot, and some of it can bother and provoke people, and I really don't want to deal with someone getting mad about porn or a pairing or something. And I don't want a future employer or family to see any of it either.
So mostly it's a control thing. I imagine the fanfiction thing is a big part of a lot of locking, as well as personal pictures/stories in entries.
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I certainly understand locking personal posts, but I lock personal posts and I still don't lock everything, so I was wondering if there's another reason. Of course it may just be more practical to lock everything, especially since accidents are less likely to happen if friends locked is the default setting.
Porn and pairings seem to be a major source of wank in any fandom, so your policy sounds wise!
Thanks for weighing in. I know everyone's got their own reasons and habit can also be behind locking, but I was interested in learning more about it. Kind of like posting long pieces of fanfiction in chapters felt very new and strange to me at first. Now I'm used to it and don't question it anymore. :)
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