Sophinisba Solis (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
sophinisba) wrote2007-05-08 09:34 pm
sophinisba) wrote2007-05-08 09:34 pm
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LJ personal standards and practices meme
Yay, ![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
singeaddams made up a meme inspired by elanorgardner's post here that has gotten a lot of us talking about how we do things on LJ! I hope a lot of people do this
1 - What do you get out of LJ? Why are you here? How did you get here?
I started coming to LJ toward the beginning of 2005, following a link from west-of-the-moon.net, where I used to do a lot of my reading, tomariole's story Devoted. I really enjoyed seeing the interactions between her and the readers who commented on her fic and it started to make fanfic writers seem a lot more approachable than I'd previously thought. I think it is a wonderful place for discussion and getting to know people better in the same place where we keep up with fic. Coming on LJ (usually) makes me very happy and it's something I look forward to during the day. I feel like the corner of fandom I've found is a really supportive community and accepting of differences, and I love it here.
2- How do you see ...
a- Your LJ Past?
I first got my LJ in May of 2005 and at the time I wasn't sure whether I'd be writing or posting any fanfic, I just knew that I wanted a convenient way of commenting on others' and keeping up with new postings. At first almost all my posts had to do with fandom even though there wasn't a lot of fic. I think I had ideas that I would be one of those people who writes really smart meta posts and has great discussions with the fandom at large. That didn't end up happening, but I'm mostly happy with the way I have things now. I am certainly glad I started writing and posting fic.
b- Your LJ Present?
These days I still use it as a place to post fic (I don't post mine anywhere else, though I might start doing that at some point) and to talk about fannish things, but I also make a lot more personal posts than I used to as a way of working through my feelings on things or asking for advice or, yeah, sometimes to solicit virtual hugs. I don't worry as much about whether I am spamming, writing about things that aren't interesting to people, because I figure they are always free to skip a post if they're not interested or if they don't have time to look at it or comment. I am pretty good at using lj-cuts so people don't have to look at things if they don't want to.
c- Your LJ Future?
I think my answer would be really similar to Baranduin's. I feel like I'm with the hobbits and their fans for the long haul. That doesn't mean I'm always going to be posting LotR fic or even reading any fic, but LJ and the relationships I've formed here are an important part of my life now and I wouldn't want to give them up.
3 – Give us your thoughts on Filters. How do you use them? If you say for Coffee, I get to kill you.
For reading, I've done a lot of different things, depending on how I'm feeling. Sometimes I have a lot of spare time and I like to luxuriate in LJ, asclaudia603 puts it, by reading every post I can. Other times I get busy and I keep up with a smaller group of people I'm close with. I also sometimes post with filters because there are a lot of people that I have friended mainly so I can keep up with their fics or because we interact on fandom community stuff but with whom I haven't made any personal connection, so I don't want to spill my guts to them. Small filters can also be nice for betaing/previewing posts or for venting when I'm angry but don't want to take it out on people who don't know me pretty well (and have some tolerance for anger).
4 – Tell us about your Friending/Unfriending policy. Why do you do it? (BITCH!) Or why do you not? (WUSS-ASS!)
I'm pretty much a wuss. I do it once in a while, but for the most part once I have someone friended I leave that alone. I do wish that this could be less fraught, and that one could friend and unfriend casually depending on changing interests, but since for the most part I like the LJ system (including the friends list) so much, I just accept that the friending thing is going to be tricky and awkward.
a - Conversely, if you get surprised by Joule, do you want to know why the axe fell on you? Does it hurt, even when expected? Could you care less?
It’s actually only happened a couple times that someone unfriends me before I do them, and only once with someone that I'd actually considered a friend. I used to get sad about people not friending me back when I add them (not that I would complain about it to them, but it used to make me sad, I'm just saying) but I have gotten more and more accepting of that and more comfortable with the idea that most people do welcome my comments even if they're not reading or commenting on my journal. (Er, I haven't actually looked at the Joule thing in a while, so who knows? Maybe I've been unfriended by lots of people!)
5 – Privacy Issues anyone? Is your journal an open, welcoming Disney castle or is it a dark fortress encircled by a moat filled with zombie piranha?
I keep all my fic and most of my fannish posts open so that anyone who wants to read can get at them. Stuff about school I tend to lock just because I worry it makes me identifiable (should someone I know from rl find out about my slash habit and come looking for me). And then more personal stuff I sometimes filter to people who've been more friendly and supportive to me or who've shared their own stuff with me. Yes, I have issues! Sometimes I still feel crazy exposed after I make a post. Once in a while I decide to make it private later, especially if I was really unhappy when I wrote it and I don't want people to see it later and think I'm still upset when actually I'm already feeling better. Also I don't ever use my real name in LJ-land, only if I'm going to meet someone in person, and even then I pretty much prefer to use the name Sophie because it's the one that goes with this part of my life.
6 – Would you be eager to meet your LJ pals out in the real world? Or would you rather die the Death of a Thousand Cuts?
I had an absolutely wonderful time in Houston last summer and again in Florida this January when I got to meetdanachan, claudia603, and azrhiaz. I can't wait to get to Houston and Chicago this summer and see more of you and I really wish it were easier for us to get together, especially for people who can't travel as much for financial or health reasons or folks like layne67 and suzy74 who love so far away.
7 – Your commenting rules and regulations for yourself. Itchy typing finger? You can’t be bothered?
Eh, it all depends on my mood and how much time I have. I do almost always comment on fics I read. Meta not so much. As for other types of posts, I wish I commented more often and were better at coming up with things to say, even if I don't feel like I haven anything particularly useful to add. I agree withlyrastar77's comment here that commenting on people's posts is sometimes a gesture as much as it's about the content of the comment. It's a way of maintaining and strengthening relationships, showing that you care or you're interested or just that you're paying attention, in a way that you might do by smiling or nodding or giving someone a hug in a face-to-face interaction. Obviously that's not to say that I expect people to comment on every post. It's not about expectation at all, really, just observing that this is one of the ways we get to know and trust one another better.
8 – How do you prefer people would comment to you? With honesty? All ♥ and roses? Do you warm your hands at the Flames with a smile on your face?
I actually don't think I've ever had a really negative comment in my journal, and have only had a couple (er, two) negative interactions in the time I've been on LJ, so I can't really say how I'd feel if people started telling me to buck up and quit whining about not wanting to write my papers, or if they said they didn't like my fics. I would probably be very sad. On the other hand, I sure do get curious sometimes about what people really think.
9 – Do you like it when your f-list shares your hobbies and passions? (YAY, LOTR and ONLY LOTR! Keep our lists pure!) Or do you hate it when everyone’s interests begin to splinter and you don’t know who/what the hell they’re talking about? (Win...who? Due where? What gate? What’s all this Japanese stuff? Dark Shadows?! )
Oh, I love it when people share their multifandom squee, though there as with every other kind of post I'm a firm believer in LJ-cuts. I'm almost sure I would never have started watching Lost or Supernatural, watched Firefly and Serenity, or read the Harry Potter books beyond the first three (which I wasn't thrilled with) if it weren't for the enthusiasm of other people on LJ and wanting to share in that. I love it when people share the music they're listening to and the videos they're watching.
10 – Do you like your F-list to be enthusiastic about the artistic endeavors that you share or can you putter happily along without feedback?
Honestly, I don't think I'd post fic if I didn't know someone else was getting something out of it, and there have been times I've been disappointed with the response I got and that made it hard for me to keep going, especially with the WiPs. That said, I do not ever want people to feel obligated to read or comment on my stuff. There are plenty of people on my f-list who interact with me in different ways and don't read my fic and I am really happy to have them here. This is really a whole big set of questions and I actually want to do a separate post about writing and reading and posting, though this one is taking a lot longer than I expected it to, so maybe I will leave the other one for another day!
11 – CONFLICT! To be avoided like Gonorrhea or to be faced with your finger out (and sometimes up?)
Like I said, for the most part I've managed to avoid it so far. There are sometimes things that upset me but when I feel a rant coming on I usually e-maildanachan and/or claudia603 and they commiserate but help calm me down so I don't go and confront someone and end up making it worse.
singeaddams made up a meme inspired by elanorgardner's post here that has gotten a lot of us talking about how we do things on LJ! I hope a lot of people do this 1 - What do you get out of LJ? Why are you here? How did you get here?
I started coming to LJ toward the beginning of 2005, following a link from west-of-the-moon.net, where I used to do a lot of my reading, to
mariole's story Devoted. I really enjoyed seeing the interactions between her and the readers who commented on her fic and it started to make fanfic writers seem a lot more approachable than I'd previously thought. I think it is a wonderful place for discussion and getting to know people better in the same place where we keep up with fic. Coming on LJ (usually) makes me very happy and it's something I look forward to during the day. I feel like the corner of fandom I've found is a really supportive community and accepting of differences, and I love it here.2- How do you see ...
a- Your LJ Past?
I first got my LJ in May of 2005 and at the time I wasn't sure whether I'd be writing or posting any fanfic, I just knew that I wanted a convenient way of commenting on others' and keeping up with new postings. At first almost all my posts had to do with fandom even though there wasn't a lot of fic. I think I had ideas that I would be one of those people who writes really smart meta posts and has great discussions with the fandom at large. That didn't end up happening, but I'm mostly happy with the way I have things now. I am certainly glad I started writing and posting fic.
b- Your LJ Present?
These days I still use it as a place to post fic (I don't post mine anywhere else, though I might start doing that at some point) and to talk about fannish things, but I also make a lot more personal posts than I used to as a way of working through my feelings on things or asking for advice or, yeah, sometimes to solicit virtual hugs. I don't worry as much about whether I am spamming, writing about things that aren't interesting to people, because I figure they are always free to skip a post if they're not interested or if they don't have time to look at it or comment. I am pretty good at using lj-cuts so people don't have to look at things if they don't want to.
c- Your LJ Future?
I think my answer would be really similar to Baranduin's. I feel like I'm with the hobbits and their fans for the long haul. That doesn't mean I'm always going to be posting LotR fic or even reading any fic, but LJ and the relationships I've formed here are an important part of my life now and I wouldn't want to give them up.
3 – Give us your thoughts on Filters. How do you use them? If you say for Coffee, I get to kill you.
For reading, I've done a lot of different things, depending on how I'm feeling. Sometimes I have a lot of spare time and I like to luxuriate in LJ, as
claudia603 puts it, by reading every post I can. Other times I get busy and I keep up with a smaller group of people I'm close with. I also sometimes post with filters because there are a lot of people that I have friended mainly so I can keep up with their fics or because we interact on fandom community stuff but with whom I haven't made any personal connection, so I don't want to spill my guts to them. Small filters can also be nice for betaing/previewing posts or for venting when I'm angry but don't want to take it out on people who don't know me pretty well (and have some tolerance for anger).4 – Tell us about your Friending/Unfriending policy. Why do you do it? (BITCH!) Or why do you not? (WUSS-ASS!)
I'm pretty much a wuss. I do it once in a while, but for the most part once I have someone friended I leave that alone. I do wish that this could be less fraught, and that one could friend and unfriend casually depending on changing interests, but since for the most part I like the LJ system (including the friends list) so much, I just accept that the friending thing is going to be tricky and awkward.
a - Conversely, if you get surprised by Joule, do you want to know why the axe fell on you? Does it hurt, even when expected? Could you care less?
It’s actually only happened a couple times that someone unfriends me before I do them, and only once with someone that I'd actually considered a friend. I used to get sad about people not friending me back when I add them (not that I would complain about it to them, but it used to make me sad, I'm just saying) but I have gotten more and more accepting of that and more comfortable with the idea that most people do welcome my comments even if they're not reading or commenting on my journal. (Er, I haven't actually looked at the Joule thing in a while, so who knows? Maybe I've been unfriended by lots of people!)
5 – Privacy Issues anyone? Is your journal an open, welcoming Disney castle or is it a dark fortress encircled by a moat filled with zombie piranha?
I keep all my fic and most of my fannish posts open so that anyone who wants to read can get at them. Stuff about school I tend to lock just because I worry it makes me identifiable (should someone I know from rl find out about my slash habit and come looking for me). And then more personal stuff I sometimes filter to people who've been more friendly and supportive to me or who've shared their own stuff with me. Yes, I have issues! Sometimes I still feel crazy exposed after I make a post. Once in a while I decide to make it private later, especially if I was really unhappy when I wrote it and I don't want people to see it later and think I'm still upset when actually I'm already feeling better. Also I don't ever use my real name in LJ-land, only if I'm going to meet someone in person, and even then I pretty much prefer to use the name Sophie because it's the one that goes with this part of my life.
6 – Would you be eager to meet your LJ pals out in the real world? Or would you rather die the Death of a Thousand Cuts?
I had an absolutely wonderful time in Houston last summer and again in Florida this January when I got to meet
danachan, claudia603, and azrhiaz. I can't wait to get to Houston and Chicago this summer and see more of you and I really wish it were easier for us to get together, especially for people who can't travel as much for financial or health reasons or folks like layne67 and suzy74 who love so far away.7 – Your commenting rules and regulations for yourself. Itchy typing finger? You can’t be bothered?
Eh, it all depends on my mood and how much time I have. I do almost always comment on fics I read. Meta not so much. As for other types of posts, I wish I commented more often and were better at coming up with things to say, even if I don't feel like I haven anything particularly useful to add. I agree with
lyrastar77's comment here that commenting on people's posts is sometimes a gesture as much as it's about the content of the comment. It's a way of maintaining and strengthening relationships, showing that you care or you're interested or just that you're paying attention, in a way that you might do by smiling or nodding or giving someone a hug in a face-to-face interaction. Obviously that's not to say that I expect people to comment on every post. It's not about expectation at all, really, just observing that this is one of the ways we get to know and trust one another better.8 – How do you prefer people would comment to you? With honesty? All ♥ and roses? Do you warm your hands at the Flames with a smile on your face?
I actually don't think I've ever had a really negative comment in my journal, and have only had a couple (er, two) negative interactions in the time I've been on LJ, so I can't really say how I'd feel if people started telling me to buck up and quit whining about not wanting to write my papers, or if they said they didn't like my fics. I would probably be very sad. On the other hand, I sure do get curious sometimes about what people really think.
9 – Do you like it when your f-list shares your hobbies and passions? (YAY, LOTR and ONLY LOTR! Keep our lists pure!) Or do you hate it when everyone’s interests begin to splinter and you don’t know who/what the hell they’re talking about? (Win...who? Due where? What gate? What’s all this Japanese stuff? Dark Shadows?! )
Oh, I love it when people share their multifandom squee, though there as with every other kind of post I'm a firm believer in LJ-cuts. I'm almost sure I would never have started watching Lost or Supernatural, watched Firefly and Serenity, or read the Harry Potter books beyond the first three (which I wasn't thrilled with) if it weren't for the enthusiasm of other people on LJ and wanting to share in that. I love it when people share the music they're listening to and the videos they're watching.
10 – Do you like your F-list to be enthusiastic about the artistic endeavors that you share or can you putter happily along without feedback?
Honestly, I don't think I'd post fic if I didn't know someone else was getting something out of it, and there have been times I've been disappointed with the response I got and that made it hard for me to keep going, especially with the WiPs. That said, I do not ever want people to feel obligated to read or comment on my stuff. There are plenty of people on my f-list who interact with me in different ways and don't read my fic and I am really happy to have them here. This is really a whole big set of questions and I actually want to do a separate post about writing and reading and posting, though this one is taking a lot longer than I expected it to, so maybe I will leave the other one for another day!
11 – CONFLICT! To be avoided like Gonorrhea or to be faced with your finger out (and sometimes up?)
Like I said, for the most part I've managed to avoid it so far. There are sometimes things that upset me but when I feel a rant coming on I usually e-mail
danachan and/or claudia603 and they commiserate but help calm me down so I don't go and confront someone and end up making it worse.
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This took me forever and I'm now very slowly making my way through my f-list with no filter (meaning omg A LOT of
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Love you big time *hugshugshugs*
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I'm soooo self-absorbed! :D No, really. Yours is absolutely great.
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You just made my whole week with this comment! I am so delighted and honored that my interactions with these lovely, wonderful people encouraged you to post fanfic of your own. You are lovely, talented writer, and your fics are real highlight for me. I'm so glad you're part of this community, and that I can interact with you. *hugs*
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*loves*
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Thank YOU for blowing me over with an unexpected exam fic!!! :D I still remember how awesome it was to receive that. :)
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