Lois & Clark Forums Forums Fan Fiction Fanfic Related What are the all-time LnC classics?

Oh, we're supposed to change the message icon when we post a story?

I'd just been doing the same thing I always do when I post on the boards--copy/paste the story into the thread, add the title to the subject line with the chapter number, and hit the button to post it.

I don't even really pay attention to anything above the field for the subject--on any board I visit--and didn't realize that when I post a story (or chapter) I was supposed to change the message icon. Was I?

It's not a requirement, no. It's recommended that an author use the blue arrow message icon when posting a story or story part, to help distinguish it from the feedback threads. And it is mentioned in the FAQs, but not everyone reads those (or remembers everything that's in them )

It's certainly not mandatory.

Kathy

It's not that I don't my name associated with smut it's that I don't want to be put to task because I've allowed minors to access it. While most of the fanfic can be compared to a Harlequin romance there is that small percentage that can't be.

It's not a risk I'm willing to take and I thank you for understanding that.

If you're refering to #loisclark it's true I haven't been on channel in a while but I do log in enough to make sure that X stays with us. I can't transfer ownership to someone else, it would require the creation of a new channel.

There are a number of users with 400 access and above that can help out with commands but there cannot be another 500, like I am.

If I am needed for anything I'm usually just an email away.

Thanks!

Nono, what I mean is that X changed the topic about two days ago saying that the manager hadn't logged in and that the people with level 400 access and above needed to email undernet with their decision on a new manager. I'm not personally asking for a new manager undernet is through X. I'm just saying it is being wonky and maybe someone needs to go do something about it and I wasn't sure who that was.

I just wanted to say, Anne, that I personally love that you have it password protected. I'm all for freedom of speech, but kids are a different story in my book.

And I'd be devastated if some legal mumbo jumbo shut down all the work you've done!

Just my opinion -- I like the protection for the nfic forum. I don't write nfic, and my kids are grown, but I have an awfully smart 9-year old grandson, and I have the feeling that my son would be annoyed if he managed to get into the nfic -- especially considering the custody fight going on between my son and his ex.

As to the way the message board is handled, stories separate from the feedback, I remember the way it used to be when the feedback was attached. If you have a dial-up, it can take a huge amount of time for a story with lots of feedback to load, and my time at the computer is a lot more limited than it used to be. I like the system as it is, but that's just my humble opinion.

As a rule, unless I'm in a rush and forget, I try to post a TOC to each part as I go, so that all anyone has to do is go to the TOC to find all the parts. I still haven't figured out how to make it fancy (changing the url link to a word or two) but that's just because I have trouble following written instructions. I have to be *shown*. But my method seems to work, even if it isn't as elegant as some other people's.

Nan

Thanks for letting me know that. I'm a little put out that no one has alerted me to this before now.

I'm on the channel now.

Thanks.

The thing about joining a new fandom is that there are always people who were there before you, who set up systems and habits and their own way of doing things, and these systems all had reasons and logic behind them when they were established. Sometimes because it suited the constraints people had - eg dialup, or people wanting to save story segments to their hard drive. Sometimes because it seemed to be the most sensible system anyone could think of at the time. Sometimes just because someone started doing it that way and everyone followed.

Yes, we began maintaining a separate feedback thread because doing it the other way (as attached to the story) was inconvenient for a lot of people. I remember many requests for feedback to go separately. Then TOCs emerged because - as you're noticing - it became difficult to catch up with all parts of a story. In the beginning, not too many people were posting fic here, and it wasn't posted in instalments - you'd get an entire fic posted at once, because that's the way the Archive accepts fic. And then we moved to instalments, and it became difficult to find earlier instalments, so the fanfic index was set up - have you found that? If not, then click on the big Fanfic Index link at the top of the fanfic folder. There, you'll find all fic listed by title, with a link to the TOC. And, of course, then TOCs came - someone came up with the idea for a table of contents, and it took off.

So that's why we do what we do. Now, it's a system the old-timers are used to, so I can certainly see why some people are looking surprised that it doesn't work for others and wondering what the problem is. We're in a situation where there are a lot of new members here (which is wonderful, by the way), and it's only natural that you're thinking about ways it could be done differently.

So, what are you thinking of? I'm not sure, personally, that having the feedback threads in a different folder would work especially well, or be popular. Posting each subsequent part of a story in the same folder? That might work. I think the reason it wasn't done originally was that it would take too long to load for those on dialup. Maybe, also, it would be a pain to scroll through to find the newest chapters? I don't know. Also, I'm not sure but there may be a limit to how long (not number of responses but number of characters) a thread can be. Don't know there.

Anyway, the admins are always open to suggestions - these are your boards! I do have to say that in some fandoms any attempt to change the way things are done will get people completely slapped down. That's not the way we work here and I don't think it's ever been. But, as Yvonne hinted, it can feel like a bit of a slap in the teeth if the approach seems to be 'this is crap and it needs to be better'. But do suggest changes or improvements all you like, though!


Wendy
Boards Admin Team

Hyperlinks are one of those things that look really complicated when you don't know how to do them, but are actually very simple, Nan. Just:

Right-click on the header of your story segment/fdk thread and choose "copy link location" (or whatever equivalent your browser names it). That will copy the url of your post for you. Or you can open up the post and just highlight and copy the url from the top of your screen.

In your TOC post, click on the url button at the bottom of the page.

When the little url screen pops up, paste your copied url into it.

Hit ok.

Type whatever you want to call it ("Part One", "Comments", whatever) into the blank screen that comes up next.

Hit ok.

And that's you. When you then make the post you should find that the link is shown as whatever you named it – Part One, Comments, etc.

LOL! Hardly, Lisa. I don't have time to get back to you properly on this just now, but I'll be back in the morning. (And I have to do some thinking on how to circumvent some possible logistical difficulties, which I'm sure can be got around). Meantime, thanks for the offer – much appreciated.

LabRat

One idea I've had from time to time is the idea of having only one feedback thread per story - no matter how many parts there are. It would certainly cut down on the number of folders and then if you get a good discussion going, it wouldn't get cut off by posting a new part. Just a thought.

ML

I kind of like this as an idea - and Caroline's similiar idea from earlier - but logicstically I think Wendy may be right. It would probably end up a very long thread and be a nightmare to download for those with a slow internet connection.

I know that Sue's feedback over in the nfic folder isn't exactly the norm, but could you imagine all of those fdk threads combined into just one? Yowsa! It would probably take three years to download.

Even fairly standard fdk would probably add up to quite a long thread if the story was fairly lengthy.

So it's probably not a flier for that reason. Pity though, I think.

LabRat (who shouldn't really be back here, but couldn't resist checking her pc on the way back from the loo. I so have to get out of that habit... <G>)

Well, I don’t mind hearing this. I rather thought that Alcyone’s statement was talking about folks that say, “I’m not gonna read your story any more if you don’t do such and such and such… In other words, they expect you to change your story to fit their needs. I don’t mind being told by someone that they aren’t reading or are going to stop reading and why (I truly want to know.), but there’s a difference between telling you politely and ramming it down your throat about how much they hate what you have written. I’ve had both happen.


Yes, I totally agree.


Oh, Yvonne, I hope you don't think I was one of those who haven't been friendly. I promise that wasn't my intention. I think I've caused enough of a firestorm as it is. I don't want to be seen as rude on top of that.


I would never have thought that I could do my own TOC’s until I tried, so I’d encourage other authors to do the same. And, Labby, I appreciate all you do for us. (How do you do it all anyway?)


Well, when I start feedback headers, they are usually pretty boring, but I’ll remember this Labby and make sure that I don’t do this. Anything I can do to make your job easier, I’ll do. Again, thanks…


I’ve only posted one of those, and I agree. I would not want a minor to have read it.


Well said, Annette.


Hear, hear!!


You know one thing that might make the TOC’s easier to navigate is if they were alphabetically driven instead of date driven. But I have no idea if that’s possible. I have a feeling that it would too much hassle for you admins. (I can usually find what I’m looking for by using a search anyway.)

It probably still would take too long for those with dial-up. (Thank goodness, I was able to stop the dial-up a month or so ago.)


Maybe if authors could be conscientious about posting a URL to just the previous part of their story that would help folks. (I’ll do that.)


Oh, my, I don’t think that would work. Just take a look at Sue S. Faustian Bargain feedback threads. I just looked and one of them (at least one) has 115 replys.


Hehe... Glad to know I'm not the only one that does that kind of thing...

Alphabetical can't be done because the UBB software orders threads by date of post. That's the way it works.

If you want alphabetical, though, use the fanfic message board index


Wendy

Yeah, I kind of figured it wasn't possible.

I don’t think that same feedback for multiple parts would work very well. There are many stories that have many parts, I think it would be difficult to navigate.( Then again maybe it’s nice for the authors to have all their feedback in the same place for that particular story.)

Not knowing if you have read the story or not (with feedback and story as the same thread that jumps up and down) wouldn’t be a problem I think, since read topics change colour.

Another idea I have (that I hope isn’t unbridled criticism) would be to have some kind of autolink feature so that a feedback thread is automatically attached to the each story, and you just can click between them.
But that might not be technically possible. and would require extra work on somebody’s part.

Arawn, I'm sorry you appear to have such difficulty in understanding my request. Perhaps a few illustrative examples will help:

Unbridled criticism:

"I’m glad that I’m not the only person that thinks that the current fic layout board is a nuisance."

"Hunting down all the part of a new story that quite often is mislabelled is most often a pain."

"Even finding my favourite authors can take minutes."


Suggestion for improvement:

"might be nice if the fics were set off some other way than by blue arrows."

"You know one thing that might make the TOC’s easier to navigate is if they were alphabetically driven instead of date driven."


I'm sorry that all the examples of unbridled criticism come from your posts but, unfortunately, you do seem to be the most talented at this form of discourse.

Yvonne

Yvonne, I’m grateful that you took the time to explain what bothered you. I can (often) be rather dense.
I much rather have people tell me that my zipper is down then trying to hint at it in some oblique fashion.

I’m sorry about that too. I’ve have never on this board deliberately tried to be offensive.
I enjoy heated discussion, but I get my fill of that in other places. I come to this board to soak up the fluffy bunny atmosphere, at the same time I want to give something back to you and the other writers who have given me so many hours of entertainment. So I raise issues and suggest things that I think might give you more recognition.
Since it so relaxed around here, I wasn’t that circumspect when I brought up the password issue, but I have understood that it hit a nerve. Since the material is so good I thought I would do the writers a service by suggesting a more open access. I’m sorry if I stepped on any toes.

I also wanted to say that I hold this board in great esteem. Perhaps you recall when I raised the issue of uncommon organization? While my experience with fanfic is limited, everything I know of the internet suggests that this board is well run and that the administration does an excellent job.
For me, criticism is most often a sign of respect. If I find something mediocre or hopeless I would never bother to type something down(The exception would be if my life depended on it or something). Really, nothing in this world is so good that it can’t be better.

"I’m glad that I’m not the only person that thinks that the current fic layout board is a nuisance."

You know, I’m actually embarrassed reading that. It was in relation to the next sentence, but even so I perfectly understand if you find it offensive. When you find something a problem and discover that no one else agrees with you, you start to wonder if it's you, hence the “joy” that I wasn’t the only one that found it problematic. I never saw it as vindication that I gotten one over the administration, as it can be perceived, and I apologize most profusely if it was taken that way.


"Hunting down all the part of a new story that quite often is mislabelled is most often a pain."

I thought this was what you meant. And I miswrote this sentence. it would be more true say “sometimes” instead of “most often” nuisance instead of pain.
It didn’t accurately describe my views and was perhaps coming on to strong. I’m sorry.

"Even finding my favourite authors can take minutes."

Perhaps it would be more polite without the "even" otherwise this is simply an observation and is quite correct, I find it relevant in the context.

Well if I’m quite happy that you took me as an example, I asked for it, and it gives me a valuable opportunity to reflect on how I express myself.
I’m not sure "talent" is a word I would use for abrasiveness (at least when it’s not intentional), I see it as more of a handicap. By your sentence I take it that you consider it a pattern in my posts?

I had no idea this was a problem! I used to make tons of such threads. I'm so sorry!



Annette, I can't speak for anyone else, but I rarely make it to IRC these days, and on those rare occasions that I do, I almost never see any "oldbies." It is quite likely that the only people who have been in IRC lately are people who didn't know what to DO about the message they were seeing.

Hey, no problem. There was absolutely no reason why you would think of it. It's the kind of thing that just wouldn't occur to you unless you were actually updating the TOCs.

LabRat

I've got to say that I've seen something interesting happening in the last couple of days - actually two somethings.

First, I've noticed the mention of 'icons' in other threads.

Second, I've noticed at least two people have posted feedback that say they were previous lurkers and hadn't always posted feedback... I'm glad to see those shy folks posting feedback.