Forum / Fave Groups

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    Gloria Garfunkel
    Apr 01, 10:46pm

    There's a proudly popular zero fave group, a happy 10 and 15 fave and a proud 25. Then there is a 50 with no members. Anyone have stories for a group somewhere between 25 and the empty 50? Or should we just leave it as it is as a remembrance of times when fave-swapping was so bad people actually got 50? Or add a couple more realistic numbers?

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    Gloria Garfunkel
    Apr 02, 02:33pm

    There seems to be a 40+ group. Both have more than 50. No 30+. Anyone care? I don't. Just checking. Not as interesting criteria as topical groups.

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    Jim V
    Apr 02, 06:28pm

    I've never gotten 30, and don't believe I ever will, so I'll leave that business up to the popular kids.

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    Susan Gibb
    Apr 02, 07:36pm

    I obviously don't care about groups or faves, since I pulled all but two of my stories out of here from over the years and haven't posted any in a while or left them up longer than a couple weeks.

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    Gloria Garfunkel
    Apr 02, 08:28pm

    So unanimous I don't care votes. I think Faves were more popular in the past. Their reputation has been sullied. Groups seem meaningless in general to some as well. They're pretty ambiguous and not sure worth the effort.

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    Jim V
    Apr 03, 02:30am

    I don't know if it's unanimous. Two is hardly a consensus. But I do think interest in this topic is low because the people who get 30 faves are a rare group. As for me, I aspire one day to be good enough to keep such esteemed company.

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    Sally Houtman
    Apr 03, 02:53am

    I think we should have a -2 faves group.

    Now *that* would be cool.

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    Gloria Garfunkel
    Apr 03, 02:53am

    I don't think they are any more esteemed than a ten now. When I started in June, everyone got at least twenties. Standards have changed. I got one over thirty and it's good but not that much better than a 14 now. It's totally relative and fluctuating. That's why there's no interest. it has absolutely no validity.

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    Gloria Garfunkel
    Apr 03, 02:55am

    The negatives are new. Shows how low we've sunk.

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    Sturla Grey
    Apr 03, 03:50am

    I really am having a hard time accepting that I don't have at least one story with 10 faves out of all the fiction-loving writers on this site!

    Won't you help me out? this story is my personal "fave"

    I only need 5 more faves to reach my paltry goal!

    Thank you in advance!

    http://fictionaut.com/stories/amanda-garay/maize

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    Lynn Beighley
    Apr 03, 04:08am

    I fav this thread. I also group it.

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    Gloria Garfunkel
    Apr 03, 04:58am

    Lynn, I'm with you. Amanda: They are arbitrary numbers. They wax and wane over time. I'm sorry I brought it up. The new numbers are very low compared to the old (cheating) numbers; I've gotten my first zeroes. There's a big zero group. I'm joining. I'm expecting more. Zero is the new Fifty.

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    Gloria Garfunkel
    Apr 03, 05:13am

    The zero group has the best writers! Check it out.

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    Susan Gibb
    Apr 03, 09:38am

    The old numbers were not necessarily "cheating" numbers. There were some fantastic writers on here that have moved on to focus on publishing.
    Give it up.

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    Gloria Garfunkel
    Apr 03, 10:38am

    Even fantastic writers admitted trading faves. There has definitely been fave deflation since that practice has seemed to stop. It's not fair to the current members to idealize the members of the past at their expense. There are some fine writers with lower scores now. It's a fact. Other than that, I give it up.

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    Susan Gibb
    Apr 03, 11:26am

    Amanda--it's rare that the longer stories will receive the readings they deserve, and so your 5 faves mean much. Writers are voracious readers but with flash fiction and poetry, it's hard to get many to focus that much time on a single writer.

  • Frankie Saxx
    Apr 03, 11:36am

    Fremdscham (German)

    Embarrassment felt on behalf of someone else (often someone so ignorant to what they have done that they don’t know that they should be embarrassed for themselves); vicarious embarrassment.

    (from http://betterthanenglish.com/fremdscham-german/ )

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    Sam Rasnake
    Apr 03, 11:56am

    One absolute possibility here - and I'm having a difficult time with notions of the cheating business - I hope everyone is also keeping in mind that every time an author places a comment on his or her own piece, the work moves up in the standing. That aside -

    A possibility is for no one to give a star, and for no one to accept them. Maybe the giving of a star should be totally removed from the mechanics of FN. -If your ideal is some sort of balanced field.- I know that an author can delete individual comments from his or her own works - I've done that - but I don't believe that a star can be removed by anyone who receives them - or, in the spirit of this thread: traffics in them. As an author, I should also be able to remove stars given to my works. This would, of course, require an overhaul to the established workings and climate of FN.

    Perhaps we could then focus on commentary to posted works if that's what we feel is most vital to the writing process.

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    Susan Gibb
    Apr 03, 11:56am

    Me?

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    Susan Gibb
    Apr 03, 12:00pm

    That "Me?" was a question to Frankie--to see if I'm embarrassing myself (as I'm occasionally wont to do).

    Good points, Sam, but obviously the faves and such are wanted by some, desperately needed by some. I think we can just let these work as they have been and really, we all can judge faves and comments on their individual merit just by knowing the folks here better.

  • Frankie Saxx
    Apr 03, 12:09pm

    All this fucking bullshit about favorites is like whining about the politics of who has more likes on Facebook.

    It does not fucking matter.

    Fictionaut favorites don't make you a better writer.

    Fictionaut favorites (more of) don't mean you're a good writer.

    Fictionaut favorites (lack of) don't mean you're a bad writer.

    Fictionaut favorites don't mean anything...

    except someone clicked a button.

    What the fuck does that have to do with writing?

    I don't understand what the constant fucking obsession is with the goddamn fucking favorites in this place but I'm starting to understand why people are leaving if it has become fucking impossible to have a discussion here without the politics of fucking Fictionaut favorites being alluded to in every fucking discussion.

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    Susan Gibb
    Apr 03, 12:19pm

    You're right, and I refuse to get sucked into the discussions anymore.

  • Frankie Saxx
    Apr 03, 12:30pm

    Should probably go back to the word bunker with the weird porn and whiskey. Am clearly not fit for polite company today.

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    Gloria Garfunkel
    Apr 03, 09:59pm

    Let's celebrate that Jurgen was the third member of the Zero Fave group, showing his sense of humor and perspective with many other of Fictionaut's shining lights.

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    Sally Jayne Heymann
    Apr 04, 12:28am

    "Art becomes deformed when in any way it's driven by approval." Junot Díaz

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    Gloria Garfunkel
    Apr 04, 01:39am

    BrilliANT QUOTE. Should be motto of the Zero Fave group. That was the whole point, right from the beginning, and it's gotten so distorted and sick. Love it. Faves are ruining the very art it is faving. Imagine just having thoughtful comments. Faves are a total distraction. Thanks for that.

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    Gloria Garfunkel
    Apr 04, 01:46am

    I have to admit I made all my zero faves "private." For all I know they were my best, riskiest stories. I'm putting some in the Zero Fave group next chance I get.

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    Gloria Garfunkel
    Apr 04, 02:28am

    You are encouraged to join the Zero Favs Group and its purpose and make it a more active force.

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    Gloria Garfunkel
    Apr 04, 02:32am

    http://fictionaut.com/groups/0-favs

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    Gloria Garfunkel
    Apr 04, 02:48am

    Also, we shouldn't be counting comments. Some people prefer to give comments to readers on their own site for continuity. It makes no sense to count those comments, or stop the practice to accomodate the counting. That counting should stop. It distorts the approval process as well but is a much more continuous and natural way to have a conversation about a piece. If we focused only on comments and conversation, it wouldn't be an issue. Meanwhile: IGNORE IT AS A DISTORTION RATHER THAN RESENTING IT..

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    Jim V
    Apr 04, 07:44am

    I don't ever delete comments unless they're the passive-aggressive, retaliation for something said elsewhere type that some writers think are clever, but are really kinda pathetic.

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    Gloria Garfunkel
    Apr 04, 01:37pm

    Comment-counts contribute to "Reccommended" and some people resent writers like me who comment on the story page rather than THE WALL. It boosts the fave count in some subtle way I don't understand but I don't care. It makes for better, less choppy conversation. I deleted my wall. I found it a pain in the ass.

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    Charlotte Hamrick
    Apr 04, 04:19pm

    Is the focus here on faves and comments or on writing. I'm beginning to wonder. I will fave or comment on work I enjoy or that stimulates my imagination. I hope readers will do the same for my work. However, it won't break my heart if no one ever faves or comments. I often don't, even when I do like a piece.

    This thread seems to be getting more complicated by the day. Just sayin'.

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    Gloria Garfunkel
    Apr 04, 06:20pm

    Effects of faves and comments on writing. But it is time to terminate a pointless discussion. You are right. There will always be bitter people out there.

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