This song is not for you lovers
Apr. 18th, 2010 07:10 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
dolorosa_12So, I've been thinking about Livejournal etiquette (and online etiquette more broadly). It was brought on by a couple of posts linked in a ![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-community.gif)
metafandom roundup, one of which was a sort of users' guide for newbies to journalling sites, and the other of which was about non-journal-based vs journal-based fandom. It made me realise that I have, over the years, developed my own set of very clear rules for (Livejournal-based) online interaction. I should emphasise that they are MY RULES, and not in any way directed at others. They were arrived at by a combination of trial and error, based on my seven years on LJ, and they work for me, but they may not work for you.
The first lot of rules are for my blog specifically, and the second are for interacting on LJ communities.
1. Tone
a) Use language consistently. I write in what could probably be defined as two styles: Conventional, semi-formal review/commentary/opinion style and Shrieking Internet Fangirl™. I hope it's clear when I'm using each style, and why. For the most part, I strive to write slightly more informally than I do as a book-reviewer, and speak in the first-person more than I would do in other written contexts. I don't use txtspk or many internet abbreviations; although I swear a lot in real life, I tend to refrain from swearing in this blog.
b) Use turns of phrase that appear to be accepted/in common usage among the internet circles I frequent/watch. It's especially important to me to use naming conventions for groups who in real-life contexts are often described as 'minorities' that seem to be the accepted usage by such people and their allies online, even if such terms are not standard usage in my dialect of English (Australian English).
2. Style
My actual writing style is quite inconsistent on this blog, ranging from confessional to detached, emotive to impartial. However, I try to maintain consistency with things like lj-cuts, which I use to hide the following:
Potentially triggering or offensive material
Spoilers
Image-heavy posts
Long posts. I didn't used to cut for long posts, and it bothers me slightly to do so, but as I tend to write about a wide range of things, I thought it was only fair, since not all of you are reading my blog for the same reasons.
3. Navigation
a) Consistent use of tags, so that my readers can select what sort of posts they want to read. I became a lot better about this after I sought out friends and communities who shared common fandom interests. When I was only using LJ to follow the lives of real-life friends, this didn't matter so much, but I find it really frustrating to join communities only to find they don't use tags at all. I appreciate not everyone wants to read about my real life, linkspam, political ranting, pop sociology, squeeing (delete where appropriate) and I feel it's only polite to give them the option not to do so.
b) Clear introductory paragraphs to each blog post, for the same reasons I outlined in a).
4. Interaction/Respect for my readers
a) I rarely flock my entries, as I'm not a very private person, nor am I a big enough fish in the fandom ocean to require flocking to avoid flames and trolls, but I respect other people's reasons for doing so and refrain from commenting on flocked entries, flock my own entries if people ask me to do so etc.
b) Give credit when it's due. I credit all icons, images, links and quotes when known. (There are several user icons that I use whose makers I don't know. If anyone knows, please tell me so I can give appropriate credit.) When I take icons, I comment on the icon post and let the maker know that I'm using them. If someone asks me to remove a link/image/icon etc I do so.
c) Consistent use of names. I'm pretty comfortable about using my real name online. Most of my online friends know it and use it. (That being said, I have very clear preferences about how I should be referred to: Ronni or Dolorosa, essentially, or![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
dolorosa_12 if you're referring to me directly on LJ. I detest being referred to as Dolorosa_12, but it strikes me as a bit special snowflakish to be really strict about.) However, I don't use anyone else's real name unless they've given me permission to do so or use their own real name online in a variety of contexts. In all other cases, I use people's usernames, or, when referring to real-life friends who aren't online, initials.
d) I notify people when I'm adding them as friends, and tell them why. This wasn't as much of a problem initially, because for about five years my friends on LJ were real-life friends and online friends I'd met through the 'Pub or Obernet, and it was clear how I knew them. However, in recent times I've added a lot of people because we share fandoms on LJ, or I like their fanfic or writing. I either tell them in comments to a post that I'm adding them, or I send them a PM. It absolutely infuriates me when people add me and don't explain why. I can sometimes work it out by looking at the comms we have in common, but I never add such people back.
e) MOST IMPORTANTLY I respond to all comments. Or, let me qualify that: I respond to all comments at least once, unless they're statements that require no further comment. In fact, I'm so obsessive about this that once I've written a post, I tend to hang around on LJ for at least another hour in case people comment, and if for whatever reason I'm not going to be able to respond straight away, I let people know. It's almost unheard of for a comment to go 24 hours on my blog without me responding. This strikes me as common courtesy, and is in fact what inspired this rant/essay.
I was answering a question in ametafandom-linked post about the differences between journalling site-based fandom and other online fan communities (forums, mailing lists etc). I wrote a really detailed response basically saying that I like both types of fan community, but that as a non-fic-writer, non-artist, non-vidder who's in fandom for the meta and discussion, I found forums more welcoming and less hierarchical, and easier to make friends in. I like LJ, and I have met some great people through it, but I don't know any of them as well as my forum friends, and I've always suspected that it is because LJ creates a fandom hierarchy with creators of fanworks above consumers, whereas on forums everyone operates on a potentially equal footing. The blogger's lack of response to my comment pretty much proves my point.
[These rules are for comms, not my own blog.]
5. Know the rules
Read the rules and follow them. This isn't that difficult. Most comms have rules on their userinfo, and if I'm unsure, I check them again before posting. It's not that difficult to PM a mod if anything is unclear.
6. Lurk
Familiarise myself with the unwritten rules of each comm. Believe me, this is where a lot of newbies stumble. I always read at least 100 or so posts when I join a new comm, as every online community has its little quirks, depending on the personalities of the people who use it. In particular, I read the comments to posts, as they often make it very clear when a poster or commenter has broken one of these unwritten rules. If I'm particularly anxious, I'll search Fandom Wank or a snark community for posts about said fandom, just to know if there are any things that cause drama or wank within that particular fandom, so as to steer clear of those topics!
7. Variety is the spice of life
Be very clear what I want out of each fandom and the places where I can get each of those things. For example, with some fandoms I want discussion, some I want icons, some I want fic, some I want clear, up to date news (especially within Whedon fandom) amd in some I want crack and craziness. A quick Google or search through LJ's search function is usually enough to find a comm to suit each type of fannish interaction, unless it's a very small fandom, in which case I have to take what I can get (pagansfandom, I'm looking at you in all your awesomosity).
8. Have fun, and be unashamed
Ultimately, I'm online because it's one of my favourite pastimes. I'm online because I want to talk to like-minded people about things we love. If I'm not getting that out of a particular fandom, it's time to leave. That doesn't mean leaving all the other fans behind; if our friendship transcends fandom, then it will continue even if I've lost interest in said fandom. I'm unashamed of the things I like, and I talk about them, and I don't see any point in hiding my enjoyment of various books/films/tv series/bands/singers. Life's too short!
I've changed a couple of my icons. It's the first time I've really struggled with my Basic account's six-icon limit. I stuck with Basic a few years ago because I don't like looking at ads, and I didn't have any control over the kinds of ads my journal would've shown, and I've never regretted the decision much until now. Six icons is enough to convey my five main moods: Happy/enthusiastic, Busy, Sad, Angry, Surprised, with one left over for a generic default icon. However, fifteen icons would be even better! But what I really struggle with is the limit on posts. It's about 400, and I write so much that I've gone over it years ago, which means LJ keeps deleting my oldest entries. That makes me somewhat unhappy. But not enough to upgrade.
One interesting link from Penny Red about political apathy and Gen Y. (I disagree with her labelling us the 'lost generation Mark 2', though. Please! We're Generation Meh or the Whatever Generation!) It ties in nicely with what I was saying about Regurgitator and my generation. I agree that both posts make generalisations, but they're generalisations with some truth.
EDIT Hellometafandom people! It's great to see you here. Just a quick heads up about a couple of things:
I've never beenmetafandomed before (although I follow it and read a lot of the posts that get linked to in metafandom), so I apologise if I make any newbie mistakes when it comes to discussing meta with a whole group of meta-enthusiasts.
Also, I'm going to be awake for about another 45 minutes (until midnight UK time), so I'll be responding to comments for that time. After that, if I don't respond, it's not because I'm ignoring you, just that I'm asleep, and I will reply as soon as I can tomorrow.
Anyway, I'm really enjoying talking to you all!
metafandom roundup, one of which was a sort of users' guide for newbies to journalling sites, and the other of which was about non-journal-based vs journal-based fandom. It made me realise that I have, over the years, developed my own set of very clear rules for (Livejournal-based) online interaction. I should emphasise that they are MY RULES, and not in any way directed at others. They were arrived at by a combination of trial and error, based on my seven years on LJ, and they work for me, but they may not work for you.The first lot of rules are for my blog specifically, and the second are for interacting on LJ communities.
1. Tone
a) Use language consistently. I write in what could probably be defined as two styles: Conventional, semi-formal review/commentary/opinion style and Shrieking Internet Fangirl™. I hope it's clear when I'm using each style, and why. For the most part, I strive to write slightly more informally than I do as a book-reviewer, and speak in the first-person more than I would do in other written contexts. I don't use txtspk or many internet abbreviations; although I swear a lot in real life, I tend to refrain from swearing in this blog.
b) Use turns of phrase that appear to be accepted/in common usage among the internet circles I frequent/watch. It's especially important to me to use naming conventions for groups who in real-life contexts are often described as 'minorities' that seem to be the accepted usage by such people and their allies online, even if such terms are not standard usage in my dialect of English (Australian English).
2. Style
My actual writing style is quite inconsistent on this blog, ranging from confessional to detached, emotive to impartial. However, I try to maintain consistency with things like lj-cuts, which I use to hide the following:
Potentially triggering or offensive material
Spoilers
Image-heavy posts
Long posts. I didn't used to cut for long posts, and it bothers me slightly to do so, but as I tend to write about a wide range of things, I thought it was only fair, since not all of you are reading my blog for the same reasons.
3. Navigation
a) Consistent use of tags, so that my readers can select what sort of posts they want to read. I became a lot better about this after I sought out friends and communities who shared common fandom interests. When I was only using LJ to follow the lives of real-life friends, this didn't matter so much, but I find it really frustrating to join communities only to find they don't use tags at all. I appreciate not everyone wants to read about my real life, linkspam, political ranting, pop sociology, squeeing (delete where appropriate) and I feel it's only polite to give them the option not to do so.
b) Clear introductory paragraphs to each blog post, for the same reasons I outlined in a).
4. Interaction/Respect for my readers
a) I rarely flock my entries, as I'm not a very private person, nor am I a big enough fish in the fandom ocean to require flocking to avoid flames and trolls, but I respect other people's reasons for doing so and refrain from commenting on flocked entries, flock my own entries if people ask me to do so etc.
b) Give credit when it's due. I credit all icons, images, links and quotes when known. (There are several user icons that I use whose makers I don't know. If anyone knows, please tell me so I can give appropriate credit.) When I take icons, I comment on the icon post and let the maker know that I'm using them. If someone asks me to remove a link/image/icon etc I do so.
c) Consistent use of names. I'm pretty comfortable about using my real name online. Most of my online friends know it and use it. (That being said, I have very clear preferences about how I should be referred to: Ronni or Dolorosa, essentially, or
dolorosa_12 if you're referring to me directly on LJ. I detest being referred to as Dolorosa_12, but it strikes me as a bit special snowflakish to be really strict about.) However, I don't use anyone else's real name unless they've given me permission to do so or use their own real name online in a variety of contexts. In all other cases, I use people's usernames, or, when referring to real-life friends who aren't online, initials.d) I notify people when I'm adding them as friends, and tell them why. This wasn't as much of a problem initially, because for about five years my friends on LJ were real-life friends and online friends I'd met through the 'Pub or Obernet, and it was clear how I knew them. However, in recent times I've added a lot of people because we share fandoms on LJ, or I like their fanfic or writing. I either tell them in comments to a post that I'm adding them, or I send them a PM. It absolutely infuriates me when people add me and don't explain why. I can sometimes work it out by looking at the comms we have in common, but I never add such people back.
e) MOST IMPORTANTLY I respond to all comments. Or, let me qualify that: I respond to all comments at least once, unless they're statements that require no further comment. In fact, I'm so obsessive about this that once I've written a post, I tend to hang around on LJ for at least another hour in case people comment, and if for whatever reason I'm not going to be able to respond straight away, I let people know. It's almost unheard of for a comment to go 24 hours on my blog without me responding. This strikes me as common courtesy, and is in fact what inspired this rant/essay.
I was answering a question in a
metafandom-linked post about the differences between journalling site-based fandom and other online fan communities (forums, mailing lists etc). I wrote a really detailed response basically saying that I like both types of fan community, but that as a non-fic-writer, non-artist, non-vidder who's in fandom for the meta and discussion, I found forums more welcoming and less hierarchical, and easier to make friends in. I like LJ, and I have met some great people through it, but I don't know any of them as well as my forum friends, and I've always suspected that it is because LJ creates a fandom hierarchy with creators of fanworks above consumers, whereas on forums everyone operates on a potentially equal footing. The blogger's lack of response to my comment pretty much proves my point.[These rules are for comms, not my own blog.]
5. Know the rules
Read the rules and follow them. This isn't that difficult. Most comms have rules on their userinfo, and if I'm unsure, I check them again before posting. It's not that difficult to PM a mod if anything is unclear.
6. Lurk
Familiarise myself with the unwritten rules of each comm. Believe me, this is where a lot of newbies stumble. I always read at least 100 or so posts when I join a new comm, as every online community has its little quirks, depending on the personalities of the people who use it. In particular, I read the comments to posts, as they often make it very clear when a poster or commenter has broken one of these unwritten rules. If I'm particularly anxious, I'll search Fandom Wank or a snark community for posts about said fandom, just to know if there are any things that cause drama or wank within that particular fandom, so as to steer clear of those topics!
7. Variety is the spice of life
Be very clear what I want out of each fandom and the places where I can get each of those things. For example, with some fandoms I want discussion, some I want icons, some I want fic, some I want clear, up to date news (especially within Whedon fandom) amd in some I want crack and craziness. A quick Google or search through LJ's search function is usually enough to find a comm to suit each type of fannish interaction, unless it's a very small fandom, in which case I have to take what I can get (
pagansfandom, I'm looking at you in all your awesomosity).8. Have fun, and be unashamed
Ultimately, I'm online because it's one of my favourite pastimes. I'm online because I want to talk to like-minded people about things we love. If I'm not getting that out of a particular fandom, it's time to leave. That doesn't mean leaving all the other fans behind; if our friendship transcends fandom, then it will continue even if I've lost interest in said fandom. I'm unashamed of the things I like, and I talk about them, and I don't see any point in hiding my enjoyment of various books/films/tv series/bands/singers. Life's too short!
I've changed a couple of my icons. It's the first time I've really struggled with my Basic account's six-icon limit. I stuck with Basic a few years ago because I don't like looking at ads, and I didn't have any control over the kinds of ads my journal would've shown, and I've never regretted the decision much until now. Six icons is enough to convey my five main moods: Happy/enthusiastic, Busy, Sad, Angry, Surprised, with one left over for a generic default icon. However, fifteen icons would be even better! But what I really struggle with is the limit on posts. It's about 400, and I write so much that I've gone over it years ago, which means LJ keeps deleting my oldest entries. That makes me somewhat unhappy. But not enough to upgrade.
One interesting link from Penny Red about political apathy and Gen Y. (I disagree with her labelling us the 'lost generation Mark 2', though. Please! We're Generation Meh or the Whatever Generation!) It ties in nicely with what I was saying about Regurgitator and my generation. I agree that both posts make generalisations, but they're generalisations with some truth.
EDIT Hello
metafandom people! It's great to see you here. Just a quick heads up about a couple of things:I've never been
metafandomed before (although I follow it and read a lot of the posts that get linked to in metafandom), so I apologise if I make any newbie mistakes when it comes to discussing meta with a whole group of meta-enthusiasts.Also, I'm going to be awake for about another 45 minutes (until midnight UK time), so I'll be responding to comments for that time. After that, if I don't respond, it's not because I'm ignoring you, just that I'm asleep, and I will reply as soon as I can tomorrow.
Anyway, I'm really enjoying talking to you all!
