Date Posted:20:15:27 05/16/10 Sun Author: Esther Subject: Well geez Debi, if we don't have rules, how can I break them? >>> In reply to:
debikm
's message, "Good ideas..." on 22:10:00 05/15/10 Sat
What always was so appealing to me about this board is its lack of hard and fast rules. As far as I am concerned, as long as we are respectful and offer creative criticisms, that’s how it should stay.
Don’t be a board hog, posting your stuff all the time and not commenting on others. Give and take, that’s what it’s all about. If I wanted rules and regulations about everything, I’d join one of those very regimented crit groups. Let’s keep it as simple as we can. Post as you like, offer comment as you are able and inclined. What does the poster want? I’m always open the whatever my friends here can offer: hard, soft, typo patrol, whatever. As long as all I get isn’t “This sucks!!!” with no ideas on how to fix it, I’m good.
While it’s true the board works because we’re a giving, courteous group, without a bunch of hard and fast rules, I feel there are guidelines we all need to follow. If not, why do we have a FAQ? Why do homeworks have their own set of protocols? More importantly, why is Paige posting that she’s a bit confused and is asking what is expected of her? She has some damned good points, and it’s her fresh outlook that enforces my opinion that something needs to be done and that this needs to be clarified. I’m not asking that we sign our souls away with our own blood, or expect a drill sergent to enforce them, but yeah, we all need to on the same page. I haven’t forgotten what it was like to be a newbie. And you know what? There might not have been strict rules, (although the library link existed back then and it did answer all sorts of these kinds of things) but I did follow what the others were doing until I learned the ropes. What do newbies have to follow here? With no guidelines, everyone is supposedly able to post whatever they want, however they want, whenever they want, as per their inclination, as long as they’re not being a board hog and are commenting on others posts where able to do so or however they are so inclined. I’m of the mind that this thinking doesn’t lead to a cohesive board working towards the same goal. Even I don’t know what kind of response I’m expected to give on some posts.
Give and take is great. Let’s keep it simple works for me too. So let’s get it that way. Here are my thoughts…
As you are aware, I feel I muddied the waters with instigating the ‘check-in’ way back when, when Larn threw down the gauntlet. A check-in was then, as I feel it should be now, a way to post what we’ve written, onto the board without any expectation besides that it’ll be read by someone. It was meant to keep us up to date on what we’ve been working on and it still has the ability to function in that capacity. Simply, a way to congregate and share our creative writing. The keyword being share. I can’t see the benefit of everyone who wants to post a check-in all starting their own thread because the intent isn’t the same as it is for crits or homeworks and I think it’ll make the board scroll faster than it should. The intent of the post is just to share our writing from the week, and I feel having it grouped together under one post enforces the perception that we all can post a bit from our work, and have the knowledge we’re not the only one out there. Kinda like the Bulletin Board on the Social Board, only we’re sharing something we’ve written. A weekly check-in post should be the call that goes out for the fun to begin. A new post, to me, signifies the need to do something, or that someone is asking for a critique. A check-in, is not IMO, a stepping stone to request a crit because that option is available to anyone as soon as they have a scene that needs a critique and they take the opportunity to start a new post. A separate post requesting a crit is a serious endeavour that should be taken that way. I don’t believe it matters what day anyone posts, but no, I don’t like the impression that comes to mind when someone claims/states a certain day to post. If a certain day works better as far as posting goes, fine, post that day, but don’t call out dibs. If necessary maybe we should bring back the monthly goals because that’s where the desire to post a new scene for critique every week should be posted and not in a check-in. Posting goals for the world to read doed hold us accountable.
Well, some things for you lallybrochians to think about and let me know.
