... are not what I'm going to talk about in this thread. I just wanted to get something off my chest concerning a very specific forum behavior that relates, tangentially, to the MA's problems.
I see a lot of complaints, rants, legitimate arguments, and even constructive suggestions on how the MA systems could be improved. Taken by themselves, they are what they are, and I'm cool with them.
What drives me batty is seeing, usually near the end of many of these posts, something similar to: "and no one is playing my arcs!!"
Please, please, please, if you have criticism for the system, criticize the system. That's fine, and I support you completely in airing your grievances. If you're having a problem finding an audience, save that complaint for a separate thread (or, better yet, take constructive action instead). It's really a separate issue.
First: the system does not exist to make sure that YOU have a huge audience. No system can, unless it, for example, forced everyone to play all the way through five unpopular arcs (good or bad) before they could publish a single one. I don't want to see a system like that. Drawing people to your arc is YOUR responsibility, not the system's. There are a lot of suggestions around here for positive ways to promote your stuff. Find them and use them.
Second: making a negative post and then appending a whiny demand (direct or indirect) for an audience is not going to get you positive attention. If anything, it's going to get you negative attention, the same way that a child screaming and breaking things to get attention from its parents will cause the parents to yell back and send the kid to bed without dinner. It just makes me want to punish you - not by one-starring your arc, but by avoiding it completely.
Third: no matter how well-reasoned or accurate your complaints about the system are, when I see that you're trying (consciously or not) to get attention for your work in the same post, your arguments lose a lot of credibility. They start to look less like legitimate arguments and more like rationalizations for your disappointment.
Summary: if you want to draw flies to your arc, try using honey instead of vinegar.
The Myriad Problems of the MA System ...
... are not what I'm going to talk about in this thread. I just wanted to get something off my chest concerning a very specific forum behavior that relates, tangentially, to the MA's problems.
I see a lot of complaints, rants, legitimate arguments, and even constructive suggestions on how the MA systems could be improved. Taken by themselves, they are what they are, and I'm cool with them.
What drives me batty is seeing, usually near the end of many of these posts, something similar to: "and no one is playing my arcs!!"
Please, please, please, if you have criticism for the system, criticize the system. That's fine, and I support you completely in airing your grievances. If you're having a problem finding an audience, save that complaint for a separate thread (or, better yet, take constructive action instead). It's really a separate issue.
First: the system does not exist to make sure that YOU have a huge audience. No system can, unless it, for example, forced everyone to play all the way through five unpopular arcs (good or bad) before they could publish a single one. I don't want to see a system like that. Drawing people to your arc is YOUR responsibility, not the system's. There are a lot of suggestions around here for positive ways to promote your stuff. Find them and use them.
Second: making a negative post and then appending a whiny demand (direct or indirect) for an audience is not going to get you positive attention. If anything, it's going to get you negative attention, the same way that a child screaming and breaking things to get attention from its parents will cause the parents to yell back and send the kid to bed without dinner. It just makes me want to punish you - not by one-starring your arc, but by avoiding it completely.
Third: no matter how well-reasoned or accurate your complaints about the system are, when I see that you're trying (consciously or not) to get attention for your work in the same post, your arguments lose a lot of credibility. They start to look less like legitimate arguments and more like rationalizations for your disappointment.
Summary: if you want to draw flies to your arc, try using honey instead of vinegar.
Thanks for reading and good luck. Z