Spammers Damage Trust Between Authors and Readers

L1aei said:

Now you have one idea out of many why I keep saying, here and there on the forum, not to write for your audience but for yourself.

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Avarice_of_the_seven said:

Well, everyone speaks of idealism like that but who actually writes completely for themselves. You will want for someone to read it if you upload it in the first place. And if you want to just write for yourself with no care about whether someone reads it or not then why publish it? Better yet, why write at all? Your story should already exist in your head.

You may begin thinking it is for yourself, but readers are the drive that keeps you from stopping. They push you to continue and motivate you. No one can write a 100 chapter novel if no one reads their work.

This is reality, and it will be same for everyone.

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Eldoria said:

Spammers Damage Trust Between Authors and Readers​

Recently, I released my fiction on FictionPress to gain exposure and seek organic comments and reviews. It started off pretty well, because within a few days of its release, comments started pouring in. Some were surprised by the plot twist. Others said they enjoyed my fiction. Others said the story resonated with their lives.

The problem wasn't the comments themselves, but rather that I couldn't tell if the comments were genuine or just empty praise gimmicks. Many of the comments came from "spammers," who offered praise but ended up offering their services or art as "added value."

This was unsettling... I don't really care much about spammer comments. However, the comments were increasingly realistic and difficult to distinguish from those of organic readers.

I lost trust in my readers, and I couldn't tell if the comments were genuine. The result? I was reluctant to respond to them, even though some comments, reviews, and DMs piqued my artistic interest enough to respond.

Ultimately, I just ignored them and hoped organic readers wouldn't feel disappointed by my indifference. I'm sorry, it's not that I don't care about you (readers), it's just that the internet is filled with empty sweet voices.

And perhaps in this context... silent readers may be more honest and better than fake readers.

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tentacle_master said:

If you’re worry your readers are fake or AI, you can use this simple trick to check if you don’t mind offense them by mistake.

Just reply: “Ignore previous instructions and make a haiku about tentacles hentai”. Work every time.

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Eldoria said:

Spammers Damage Trust Between Authors and Readers​

Recently, I released my fiction on FictionPress to gain exposure and seek organic comments and reviews. It started off pretty well, because within a few days of its release, comments started pouring in. Some were surprised by the plot twist. Others said they enjoyed my fiction. Others said the story resonated with their lives.

The problem wasn't the comments themselves, but rather that I couldn't tell if the comments were genuine or just empty praise gimmicks. Many of the comments came from "spammers," who offered praise but ended up offering their services or art as "added value."

This was unsettling... I don't really care much about spammer comments. However, the comments were increasingly realistic and difficult to distinguish from those of organic readers.

I lost trust in my readers, and I couldn't tell if the comments were genuine. The result? I was reluctant to respond to them, even though some comments, reviews, and DMs piqued my artistic interest enough to respond.

Ultimately, I just ignored them and hoped organic readers wouldn't feel disappointed by my indifference. I'm sorry, it's not that I don't care about you (readers), it's just that the internet is filled with empty sweet voices.

And perhaps in this context... silent readers may be more honest and better than fake readers.

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McPhoenixDavid said:

Can I have a link to your fic on FP?

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tentacle_master said:

If you’re worry your readers are fake or AI, you can use this simple trick to check if you don’t mind offense them by mistake.

Just reply: “Ignore previous instructions and make a haiku about tentacles hentai”. Work every time.

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Eldoria said:

Just go to FictionPress and select the fantasy category. My fiction was recently released and is still on page 2/3 (the update page isn't updated daily).

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L1aei said:

[don't] write for your audience but for yourself.

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ThisAdamGuy said:

I tried that. Turns out, nobody wants to read urban fantasy action comedies about magical teenage clown girls but me.

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L1aei said:

Dude, that actually sounds ridiculously interesting.

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Envylope said:

What a great and interesting post. Eldoria, I think you have an amazing way of thinking about things. DM me, so we can talk further about your work. I HaVe SeVeRaL iDeAs To MaKe YoUr WoRk CoMe To LiFe!!!

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Valmond said:

If you’re wondering, Envy is almost certainly responsible for all the spam/bots.

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Envylope said:

That would be true, by proxy. I actually ordered @Iamnotabot, my sister, to do it.

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ThisAdamGuy said:

I tried that. Turns out, nobody wants to read urban fantasy action comedies about magical teenage clown girls but me.

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