A surfeit of contribution

I think you are being diplomatic luigi. This particular reader's tolerance has been strained to breaking point recently. Oh well, we were all young once.

I e-mailed the latest person in question because I had just posted a story - my first in ages - and then it was swept away on a tide of poems. I haven't had a reply.... I'm only cross because no-one's reading my story.... or commenting.... or even noticing it :( I hope the poems are good.

Has anyone realised that the site could prevent people from posting more than 3 pieces a day?... computers are good at that sort of thing. It could also be redesigned so that the latest stories aren't the only ones people see.

I posted a poem for the first time in a month just before the Kropotkin story too only to find to shunted to page obscure by the great swathe of poems posted by one person. She did comment on my poem though which I thought was nice and tried not to sulk. When I joined in February I didn't see the 'three a day' keeps Tony away rule, but it seemed common sense not to post too many so I posted four. Maybe it's because I'm older and wiser...

johnshade - good point about the site being able to prevent multiple postings, but Tony isn't a programmer. So far as I know he has to call in expensive help to modify the site.

If the site didn't display the most recent first, how would you decide whose stories would appear? With 50,000-odd stories on the site, a random selection would give your own piece a very small chance indeed of appearing (and there's already a facility to read a piece at random). I can't see on what other basis you could make the choice. Most recent first gives everybody's stories a chance to be seen.

Arrange them by length. Short pieces are so much easier to read.

That would hardly be fair to writers of stories rather than poems - here's an idea: list poems and stories separately.

You can already do that.

I noticed that someone has posted quiet a lot more that the requested three a day since yesterday. When I started posting here a short while ago, I thought three a day rather generous. I have made the decision I am only going to post one piece a day in future. I think it may be a benefit to do so regarding the number of comments I get too. I notice people tend to comment on just one or maybe two pieces if i'm lucky, rarely ever all three.

This is what I did about this...

http://www.abctales.com/story/angelicdevilry/hiding#comment-298906

Normally TC has a quiet word via the contact button, I think.

My posting count depends on how fecund I am on any particular day. Some days I could easily post far too many. Other days I despair of writing anything at all.

Everyone's being nice and polite but the deluge is dispiriting. I wonder if there should be any notifications that a piece has been re-edited and generally titivated.

I do write to those who over step the mark - and the welcome letter to new members now points out the three a day limit. I don't honestly feel that it's got out of control of late but I will keep an eye on it.

Well you know, the two are related... apart from Harper Lee(?) I can't think of too many celibates...

I shouldn't have spoken so soon - had to write to two people today. It really is very clear now. I shall begin to delete those that overstep the mark in future and just leave their first three.

Be warned - I'm teed off now.

"My posting count depends on how fecund I am on any particular day. "

That's more information than we need Ewan, but I will keep an interested eye on your posting habits from now on.... whatever makes you feel creative I suppose.... I'm just off to talk to my partner.

It's a real shame that I'm not such a compulsive editor of my stories - I forgot that if you edit a forum contribution it goes to the bottom.... so to read this thread sensibly please insert my last piece in above Ewan's. Sorry.

How about a much smaller 'display' of the posted work - a lot more could be fit on the 'first page' as it were, if the entries were flatter and wider in style?

If anyone gets what I am on about?!!

Maybe Tony could write as the subject matter on the abc welcome letter, 'READ THE RULES ASSHOLE', Obviously different for younger members. It could be easily explained in the opening paragraphs of the welcome letter that apologies for the rude intro but writing and displaying your work in public is not for the easily offended.

Craig

ps I broke the rule when first joining.

It's reached new heights today - some joker has posted the best part of a novel all in one go chapter after chapter!

Sadly, my reaction to that is jealousy.

Struggling with my own prose. The poet may be out of her depth, for she is attempting to write a novel for teenagers.

I sort of forgave that person - as I had suggested that they break up their novella into smaller chapters. I do write diligently to people who break the rules - and they never do it again! It is also now very firmly in the 'welcome' note to new members.