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User	cuddledumplin | 2005-04-20 |
Subject	untitled
Message	Well, there are some people here who write really well, and I wouldn’t want them to leave even if they don’t have a ratio of 100%. Some people have or had pathetic ratios and did seem to use the site as a posting gallery. It’s kind of like when people criticize the brevity of my comments. You know, I never thought about it until that was added to the ratio, and I’ve gone up by more than ten words per comment (twelve, I think). I still don’t think longer is better, and I NEVER will. Some people don’t write or comment very well, in my opinion, but I don’t feel that I have a right to tell them what to do. You know, I’ve had a lot of arguments on this site, and I think that’s water under the bridge, but I don’t see digging up old bones. There are a couple of people on this site with whom I know I will NEVER get along, but I leave those people alone. I’m not trying to start anything, but if you know you can’t get along with someone, and you don’t expect her to change, why bring it up? Sorry, I think Learah and I take the most flack on this site, and we take up for each other a lot.

User	Learah | 2005-03-03 |
Subject	untitled
Message	*nods* Poor me...

User	Eggman | 2005-03-03 |
Subject	untitled
Message	Poor Learah.

User	Learah | 2005-03-02 |
Subject	untitled
Message	I do feel guilty :( And will try to be nice-r to people. Cos I really don’t mean to be... mean?

User	| 2005-02-28 |
Subject	untitled
Message	I’m super-defensive about this You are super-defensive about it. But I’m not. I’m not going to ignore you and, as I said, I didn’t really expect you to change. mae

User	Learah | 2005-02-28 |
Subject	untitled
Message	I’m super-defensive about this... nothing I say ever sounds right. I just cannot let myself be sweet. I do try to be nice but when I actually try to think about the poet’s feelings instead of what’s wrong with their poem, everything sounds like useless gushing. I just say what I see. And I don’t mean to offend. I’m the person that I am. I don’t see why you’d want someone to alter their behaviour so that you found it more palatable. I have to live with myself, not you. You can just ignore me.

User	mae | 2005-02-28 |
Subject	untitled
Message	Learah, I didn’t really expect you to change. It just seemed a reasonable question to ask. For myself, I don’t find that it takes any extra effort to be polite than it does to be impolite - well, in most cases, anyway. "Sorry that you don’t like my comments, but that’s okay because there are users on this site who care more about their poetry than their brittle feelings, and it is those on whom I concentrate and give my time to... I’ve been burnt by drama queens too many times here. " See, this is the sort of thing I was talking about. Now, if I were to take this personally, which, if it were on one of my poem’s page, I would, you would be saying that I don’t care about my poetry and that I’m just a drama queen. How is that helpful in improving my writing? It doesn’t even address my writing, instead being an unnecessary, inaccurate derogatory comment about me personally. All right, that’s enough from me about this. As I said before, I don’t want to argue with anyone about this. It just seemed a reasonable question to ask in this particular circumstance. mae

User	Learah | 2005-02-28 |
Subject	untitled
Message	Well, what can I say... I should change my critiquing methods so that you don’t feel hurt? I’m sooo sorry your feelings took a dent. Not. In all seriousness, tough. I’m not here to cover what I am saying with sugar so that my message slides down your throat more easily. It just leads to more typing and trying to find a way to suggest the writer’s work needs revision, when... I’m already giving you my time and thoughts on your work. I don’t have to. You can ignore what I have to say, as you did, or you can think about what I’m saying. I see so much BULLSHIT on this site every day, people telling so and so that their work is amazing one day, and the next day, after a brief argument, they’ll say that so and so’s work is actually baneful but they just wanted to be nice first time around. Sod nice. Nice doesn’t help me see what is wrong with my poems. I’m here because I want to learn how to write, not to cushion my ego and let others spoon meaningless platitudes into my mouth. Sorry that you don’t like my comments, but that’s okay because there are users on this site who care more about their poetry than their brittle feelings, and it is those on whom I concentrate and give my time to... I’ve been burnt by drama queens too many times here. I’m not going to change.

User	mae | 2005-02-27 |
Subject	Learah said:
Message	"I was thinking about this last night; the people who overreact to the "tone" of my comments (in that, the people who tend to comment most on my phraseology) are generally American. I don’t know what the story is here,...I just say what I am thinking. It’s not meant to rile anyone. And after all, we’re supposed to be here to learn, so I don’t see the point in finding a prettied method of telling someone what needs to be done to further their skills. " Why not, Learah? Why not be polite about it? You can say what you mean without being rude or belligerent or insulting. As far as most people who "overreact" being American, well, maybe we’re just more polite in general over here. I don’t know. I’ve never been "over there." And who says they are OVERreacting? Awhile back, I was on this site under another name and you critiqued one of my poems. At the outset, I had said the poem needed work. I was looking for useful input. You critiqued it and the way you chose to criticize it was insulting, I’ll have to say. You didn’t give me anything useful in that critique - just insults. When I asked who put the bee in your bonnet, you got even worse. I just let it drop. There really is no need to insult someone to criticize their poem. Why shouldn’t you be friendly or speak in a "prettied up" way? Your comments would certainly be better received. If you’re really trying to help someone learn rather than just sounding off, don’t you think you’d have more success by being friendly instead of belligerent about it? That was awhile ago and I’m no longer angry about it. I don’t want to argue now. I’m simply bringing it up for the sake of this thread. mae

User	Learah | 2005-01-30 |
Subject	untitled
Message	And thanks, Cat... that’s so sweet of you to say :)

User	Learah | 2005-01-30 |
Subject	untitled
Message	Hey... I don’t go out of my way to be arrogant, you know. I was thinking about this last night; the people who overreact to the "tone" of my comments (in that, the people who tend to comment most on my phraseology) are generally American. I don’t know what the story is here, I don’t think Who the hell does that person think they are to use ALL CAPS?! or How dare they post without spellchecking? I just say what I am thinking. It’s not meant to rile anyone. And after all, we’re supposed to be here to learn, so I don’t see the point in finding a prettied method of telling someone what needs to be done to further their skills. The really great thing about comments though, is that if they’re not on your posts, then you have absolutely no reason to read them if you find them distasteful. And I agree with what Kris said, because several other people have come to me asking if we can get Jimmy change the reciprocation factors from comments-comments to posts-posts. We cannot choose our popularity. If a piece goes down well and receives forty comments, that’s great for the author, but it’s a damn pain too, because it means they owe forty comments before they’ll be back on an even keel. Where, if we post a poem, and comment on a poem in return, we are well and truly in control of our ratio and can focus more on commenting without the stress of reciprocation for the sake of it.

User	magnicat | 2005-01-30 |
Subject	untitled
Message	in defense of Learah, i welcome her critique of my work and feel that i have grown a bit in my writing because of her honest and spot on critiquing of my work. i only speak for myself, but i think Learah has a fine eye for getting to the meat and bones of what a poem is trying to say. and she don’t bullshit, either.

User	Mister Fizzle | 2005-01-30 |
Subject	untitled
Message	look you guys. I must be off my fucking meds. This whole comment ratio thing seemed really important to me last night. Now it just seems stupid and petty. So sorry. Learah, you are pretty arrogant, that is true, at least you come across that way. BUT it’s really none of my business, so sorry to piss you off. anyway whatever peace, fizzle

User	Mister Fizzle | 2005-01-30 |
Subject	untitled
Message	Okay Kristina, are you trying to say that for every 10 comments you give you reciee 10 comments from others? If that were the case then by all means I see your frustration. I don’t think thats the case for most of us. Learah, this thread has nothing to do with what your mad about. But if you want to talk about it here thats fine. You are arrogant to a point beyond reason and I personally cringe when I read your crits. Thats my opinion, one which I did not direct at you but have no problem doing so. Your shit stinks like everyone elses. Deal with it. I won’t say another word about it. And your right, I am no saint. I’ve said my share of bad things to people and usually came to regret them. I’ve had my share of the big-headed ego and usually felt pretty fucking stupid after it was all said and done. P.S. don’t you have to be at least 30 to be cantakorous? (all spelling aside) peace, fizzle

User	Learah | 2005-01-30 |
Subject	untitled
Message	Fizzle, you are FAR from saintly and it is beginning to piss me off that I am coming across peoples’ pages just to find messages from you belligerently challenging others’ comments, reciprocation, moral/ethical standpoint. Mind your own business!

User	Kristina9178 | 2005-01-29 |
Subject	untitled
Message	The only problem with this is that you’re not critting one poem per each poem you post. You have to crit one poem per every comment you get on each post. I see what you are saying, but there is a decent argument on the other side of the issue. I think it’s working fine the way it is now. For example, I have 40 comments on one of my pieces. That means to maintain what you are asking, I would have to crit 40 other poems for the one poem that I posted. What I try to do is crit 10 poems for every one I posted, plus reciprocate the people who left me comments, which I pretty much do anyway, but it’s tedious. For example, when I’m 100 over, I have to get my comments to 110 before I post again, then 120 til again. Ya dig? So, as you can see, there’s another side to this argument.