Let's talk about comments!!!
I always wished that "likes" were not anonymous on DUP. Like on Facebook, you could move your cursor over the "likes" to see who was paying attention, and a poet would see I'd read his or her work and enjoyed it. Comments are difficult sometimes. Often a poem touches you but you don't know why, or maybe there are ten comments on a piece already and your own comment just seems redundant, or maybe you just want to encourage somebody on the right track but can't find the words. I know I've spent some long minutes just writing a simple comment on a piece that I thought had merit. It can be difficult to express why a poem grabs you. As far as critique, honestly, I wouldn't consider offering more than maybe encouraging someone to spellcheck their heartfelt effort.
Like anybody posting here, I enjoy comments on my efforts and am honored when I make it onto somebody's reading list. It does seem there was a time when the RL was used more sparingly, for the occasional absolute masterwork, but DUP is an evolving culture, and RL has become a way to honor a piece you like. Anyway...after reading over the thoughts expressed in this forum I will indeed try to comment more often.
Like anybody posting here, I enjoy comments on my efforts and am honored when I make it onto somebody's reading list. It does seem there was a time when the RL was used more sparingly, for the occasional absolute masterwork, but DUP is an evolving culture, and RL has become a way to honor a piece you like. Anyway...after reading over the thoughts expressed in this forum I will indeed try to comment more often.
javalini said:I always wished that "likes" were not anonymous on DUP. Like on Facebook, you could move your cursor over the "likes" to see who was paying attention, and a poet would see I'd read his or her work and enjoyed it.
Strangest thing! I was just thinking that this morning! I've noticed lately, more than I can remember before, that there are more likes than comments, and you do. You do just wanna know who?
Haha!
Strangest thing! I was just thinking that this morning! I've noticed lately, more than I can remember before, that there are more likes than comments, and you do. You do just wanna know who?
Haha!
RevolutionAL said:
Strangest thing! I was just thinking that this morning! I've noticed lately, more than I can remember before, that there are more likes than comments, and you do. You do just wanna know who?
Haha!
On another poetry site I use which shall not be named… they have this as a paid feature. I wish that was the same here lol
Strangest thing! I was just thinking that this morning! I've noticed lately, more than I can remember before, that there are more likes than comments, and you do. You do just wanna know who?
Haha!
On another poetry site I use which shall not be named… they have this as a paid feature. I wish that was the same here lol
Anonymous
There is a Welsh/English bilingual site where members are allowed to comment anonymously if they feel intimidated, too shy or awkward. It never descends into personal insults. As I wrote somewhere above, if the recipient finds the criticism helpful and constructive, it is a good thing.
If I adore a song and am asked why? Sometimes, I simply can't articulate why it reduces me into shivering shreds. Similarly with poetry.
If I adore a song and am asked why? Sometimes, I simply can't articulate why it reduces me into shivering shreds. Similarly with poetry.
Strangeways_Rob said:
If I adore a song and am asked why? Sometimes, I simply can't articulate why it reduces me into shivering shreds. Similarly with poetry.
This is interesting, I was wondering about taking an honest approach, something like... "Hi your poem rocks but for the life of me much like oral sex, I have absolutely no idea why I'll keep coming back!"
- I jest guys, chill I know exactly why I like the poem!
If I adore a song and am asked why? Sometimes, I simply can't articulate why it reduces me into shivering shreds. Similarly with poetry.
This is interesting, I was wondering about taking an honest approach, something like... "Hi your poem rocks but for the life of me much like oral sex, I have absolutely no idea why I'll keep coming back!"
- I jest guys, chill I know exactly why I like the poem!
PoetSpeak said:Totally agree with all that you said ..
What pisses me off most are those who just leave a RL and no comment. They use the RL like Bitcoin. We are supposed to be poets. Write your comment and if the poem is extraordinary, award a RL. Also agree on reading new members. Only way to find the jewels in the crown.
Comments don't have to be long either.
My BIG LIKES have merit. It I give you one, you've written a quality poem in my eyes.
Nice job Styxian
hullo
BIG LIKE
you sound a bit delusional. you've no idea why other people rl a poem without leaving a comment. bitcoin ? if that's the way you view comments and reading lists you're doing it wrong.
What pisses me off most are those who just leave a RL and no comment. They use the RL like Bitcoin. We are supposed to be poets. Write your comment and if the poem is extraordinary, award a RL. Also agree on reading new members. Only way to find the jewels in the crown.
Comments don't have to be long either.
My BIG LIKES have merit. It I give you one, you've written a quality poem in my eyes.
Nice job Styxian
hullo
BIG LIKE
you sound a bit delusional. you've no idea why other people rl a poem without leaving a comment. bitcoin ? if that's the way you view comments and reading lists you're doing it wrong.
lepperochan said:
you sound a bit delusional. you've no idea why other people rl a poem without leaving a comment. bitcoin ? if that's the way you view comments and reading lists you're doing it wrong.
OMFG!
never believed i would have ever agreed with You on any issue..................until now.
Many of us [ OK, admit i am not a newbie - but back in the day...] (Newbies to the our site and visitors) might be reluctant to chime in due to STRONG OPINIONS offered up by long reigning members and or Admin or Moderators.
WHY does the poet getting the praise have THAT GREAT NEED TO KNOW who gave it?
& why must they know the reason for such!???
i would want the Webmiss to keep the anonymity to said poets for RL-ing reads just because ...................
you sound a bit delusional. you've no idea why other people rl a poem without leaving a comment. bitcoin ? if that's the way you view comments and reading lists you're doing it wrong.
OMFG!
never believed i would have ever agreed with You on any issue..................until now.
Many of us [ OK, admit i am not a newbie - but back in the day...] (Newbies to the our site and visitors) might be reluctant to chime in due to STRONG OPINIONS offered up by long reigning members and or Admin or Moderators.
WHY does the poet getting the praise have THAT GREAT NEED TO KNOW who gave it?
& why must they know the reason for such!???
i would want the Webmiss to keep the anonymity to said poets for RL-ing reads just because ...................
Tallen said:
OMFG!
never believed i would have ever agreed with You on any issue..................until now.
Many of us [ OK, admit i am not a newbie - but back in the day...] (Newbies to the our site and visitors) might be reluctant to chime in due to STRONG OPINIONS offered up by long reigning members and or Admin or Moderators.
WHY does the poet getting the praise have THAT GREAT NEED TO KNOW who gave it?
& why must they know the reason for such!???
i would want the Webmiss to keep the anonymity to said poets for RL-ing reads just because ...................
to be fair, the site has its stats : reads , likes, reading lists, comments, forum comments competitions, reading challenges
all have their stats and it is very easy to get caught up in the numbers or indeed the comments but..
I done it myself when I first joined. but have since not really bothered with them.
if the webmiss has a strong opinion then she is right whatever it is.
OMFG!
never believed i would have ever agreed with You on any issue..................until now.
Many of us [ OK, admit i am not a newbie - but back in the day...] (Newbies to the our site and visitors) might be reluctant to chime in due to STRONG OPINIONS offered up by long reigning members and or Admin or Moderators.
WHY does the poet getting the praise have THAT GREAT NEED TO KNOW who gave it?
& why must they know the reason for such!???
i would want the Webmiss to keep the anonymity to said poets for RL-ing reads just because ...................
to be fair, the site has its stats : reads , likes, reading lists, comments, forum comments competitions, reading challenges
all have their stats and it is very easy to get caught up in the numbers or indeed the comments but..
I done it myself when I first joined. but have since not really bothered with them.
if the webmiss has a strong opinion then she is right whatever it is.
I don't comment a lot or do the forums much.
If I like it enough I'll RL it. I hit like here and there. I tend to almost comment, I will write something and then delete it because well I don't really know. If we were in an actual conversation with voices I'd say a lot more. I second guess my written comments more than vocal ones.
If I like it enough I'll RL it. I hit like here and there. I tend to almost comment, I will write something and then delete it because well I don't really know. If we were in an actual conversation with voices I'd say a lot more. I second guess my written comments more than vocal ones.
in my early days of DU i mostly just read a hell of a lot of poetry, i was often worried about commenting or giving my opinion depending on the subject matter whether it was a poem or a forum, i tend to read a lot of raw poetry on this site and sometimes particular comments aren't needed but perhaps more recognition to the person for expressing and writing it, i've always been very aware of that while having a little home on this bit of green, i didn't really converse with any members at the time either back in 2017 it was very touch and go at times.
almost five years later i still follow certain things when it comes to commenting and contributing on particular forums, i tend to comment on poetry that speaks to me in a certain way or i've really enjoyed somebody else's introspection whether it's something personal or something going on in the world, i tend to readlist if i genuinely believe it's a poem other people should be reading or i believe people may possibly relate to it whether it's in a big or small way ☺️
almost five years later i still follow certain things when it comes to commenting and contributing on particular forums, i tend to comment on poetry that speaks to me in a certain way or i've really enjoyed somebody else's introspection whether it's something personal or something going on in the world, i tend to readlist if i genuinely believe it's a poem other people should be reading or i believe people may possibly relate to it whether it's in a big or small way ☺️
when i first joined DU, it was also all reading. gave it my first bash after having read and commented on other poems for ages, just telling people what i saw and how it came across to me. i asked questions and eventually got to a point where i wanted to try writing for myself. people were blunt but not horrible, and that was what i wanted. knew i wasn't any good at it, but wanted to learn, you know? those were workshop days on every poem i posted, man.
RLs have always been like bookmarks for me, for poems i will and want to remember, and it's a recommendation for anyone looking for great poetry to read. they should be like a rabbit hole, people just get lost wandering through them and into other profiles and their RLs, going deeper underground. for lack of a cheesier pun. :)
RLs have always been like bookmarks for me, for poems i will and want to remember, and it's a recommendation for anyone looking for great poetry to read. they should be like a rabbit hole, people just get lost wandering through them and into other profiles and their RLs, going deeper underground. for lack of a cheesier pun. :)
Jestalessa said:when i first joined DU, it was also all reading. gave it my first bash after having read and commented on other poems for ages, just telling people what i saw and how it came across to me. i asked questions and eventually got to a point where i wanted to try writing for myself. people were blunt but not horrible, and that was what i wanted. knew i wasn't any good at it, but wanted to learn, you know? those were workshop days on every poem i posted, man.
RLs have always been like bookmarks for me, for poems i will and want to remember, and it's a recommendation for anyone looking for great poetry to read. they should be like a rabbit hole, people just get lost wandering through them and into other profiles and their RLs, going deeper underground. for lack of a cheesier pun. :)
That’s a beautiful way of putting it all in relation to this site.
RLs have always been like bookmarks for me, for poems i will and want to remember, and it's a recommendation for anyone looking for great poetry to read. they should be like a rabbit hole, people just get lost wandering through them and into other profiles and their RLs, going deeper underground. for lack of a cheesier pun. :)
That’s a beautiful way of putting it all in relation to this site.
Jestalessa said:
RLs have always been like bookmarks for me, for poems i will and want to remember, and it's a recommendation for anyone looking for great poetry to read. they should be like a rabbit hole, people just get lost wandering through them and into other profiles and their RLs, going deeper underground. for lack of a cheesier pun. :)
Exactly, you beat me to it. RLs are not assigning trophies and such. It's not anything more than a reader letting the DUP world "I like this, I want to save it for quick access".
RLs means reading list. Go figure. It is a convenience feature for our own page.
If someone takes a peek at our page, they can also get an idea of what we like, based on RLs. And, yes, maybe that peeker just may go check out that poem as well.
So bonus!
RLs have always been like bookmarks for me, for poems i will and want to remember, and it's a recommendation for anyone looking for great poetry to read. they should be like a rabbit hole, people just get lost wandering through them and into other profiles and their RLs, going deeper underground. for lack of a cheesier pun. :)
Exactly, you beat me to it. RLs are not assigning trophies and such. It's not anything more than a reader letting the DUP world "I like this, I want to save it for quick access".
RLs means reading list. Go figure. It is a convenience feature for our own page.
If someone takes a peek at our page, they can also get an idea of what we like, based on RLs. And, yes, maybe that peeker just may go check out that poem as well.
So bonus!
Interesting conversation.... I often feel like I don't have time to leave the comments that I think poem deserves. But then, I just spent a ridiculous amount of time reading this entire thread and am about to post a lengthy response... I could have been reading and commenting on poems instead. Ooops! (And actually, I'm supposed to be working, damn...)
TL;DR: Comments, yay, I love them!! Leave the kind that people ask for when you have time. But remember people have lives too and we can't shame each other for not being "committed" enough to this community. Like Brenda said, there are seasons...
I think people are here for different reasons. You can't assume that just because someone has posted a poem here means they want to "improve" it, or ever expect their poetry to "become" something other than self-expression. Some people are just venting in a safe space, and looking for human connection. Usually, that's my goal - poetry is a vehicle for connection. There are feelings and thoughts that need to get out of me before they wreak havoc in my real life. So yes, I absolutely crave comments that make me feel less alone in whatever those feelings may be, so almost ANY comment at all is a gift. (Poetry as therapy? Yep, I'll wear that. I don't think I'm alone.) That said, I'm not just writing prose journal entries here. If I've done something specific to express myself in a way that resonates with you (alliteration or metaphor or pick your fancy poetry word...), then I'm happy to hear about it in an encouraging way, even if I'm not primarily seeking that kind of feedback most of the time. I do sometimes play with different forms, and I do sometimes ask for critique... so I'm glad that we can choose the sort of feedback we want on each poem.
For those who are here to perfect their art.... that's awesome!! But I would hope that if anyone was ever going to publish poetry beyond this social media platform (because that's what it is, social media... it's not a "publication"), they would recruit some trusted poetry friends to help them edit & make those poems better - personally, I wouldn't rely solely on the great faceless public of social media for that level of critique, and I certainly wouldn't choose which poems to publish based solely on social media metrics. So, to find those trusted poetry friends in the first place, relationship-building matters here, and comments are the primary way of doing that. But it takes time. People can't expect to parachute into a "community" like DUP, post a few poems, get valuable critique that perfects their craft, and then be off on their way to poetry fame.
As for giving comments.... sometimes I'm hesitant to comment on poems that ask for honest critique, because really all I want to say is "OMG I feel this!" (because I personally appreciate hearing that) but I don't feel like that's good enough to be called a critique. Frankly, I'm intimidated by the idea of giving critique. Who the hell am I to do that?? Yes, I notice ALL the typos and misspellings.... and I rarely mention them, because a) I've seen enough of these conversations about how butthurt people get by that, and b) sometimes people do that stuff intentionally, and it's their "poetic device". Whatever, go for it! See above paragraph about why I don't think I'm doing anyone a disservice by letting those things slide. Editing is their responsibility, not mine, unless we've already established that sort of relationship...
The fact that "likes" are anonymous here makes them basically meaningless to me. I never look at those metrics, because number of reads and likes with no "person" attached to them doesn't tell me anything in social media land where there are bots and creeps galore. I don't have evidence for this, but I think maybe some people use a RL add as a way of letting someone know that THEY personally liked the poem, because we don't have any other way to do that here. I don't personally use the RL this way, but I can understand the temptation, because I don't want people to think I'm only here for myself, and never reading other poets. Maybe PoetSpeak is on to something with his simple "LIKE" comments - it's a middle ground between anonymity and lengthy engagement.
I don't think I'm alone in my "performance anxiety" around commenting - good comments often take time that I just don't have. At the same time I absolutely see how important it is, especially for new poets. I have occasionally "adopted" a new poet and made a point of commenting on their work until they reach the point where more people are engaging with them - but only one or two poets at a time, because this is a hobby and I only have so much capacity. Without the comments, this place would be dry and boring. Reading other people's comments is a big part of how I get to know who y'all are.
But sadly...the times I've had to back away from DUP for a time have always been entirely because I'm not able to keep up with my own expectations around commenting and responding to comments. It's hard to keep things in balance. On the one hand, poetry is lifeblood... but it doesn't pay my bills or care for my family. Reality sucks. Although I love getting comments, I try not to take the presence/absence or quality of other people's comments personally, because dammit, you all have lives to lead that I know nothing about. I hope we can all extend the same grace to each other. When I can, I'll pick up the slack so that those of you who need to step away for life events or mental health reasons can do so too. ❤
Also... DUP points?? Good lord, I didn't even know they existed. Good on ya if that means something to you, you can have mine!
TL;DR: Comments, yay, I love them!! Leave the kind that people ask for when you have time. But remember people have lives too and we can't shame each other for not being "committed" enough to this community. Like Brenda said, there are seasons...
I think people are here for different reasons. You can't assume that just because someone has posted a poem here means they want to "improve" it, or ever expect their poetry to "become" something other than self-expression. Some people are just venting in a safe space, and looking for human connection. Usually, that's my goal - poetry is a vehicle for connection. There are feelings and thoughts that need to get out of me before they wreak havoc in my real life. So yes, I absolutely crave comments that make me feel less alone in whatever those feelings may be, so almost ANY comment at all is a gift. (Poetry as therapy? Yep, I'll wear that. I don't think I'm alone.) That said, I'm not just writing prose journal entries here. If I've done something specific to express myself in a way that resonates with you (alliteration or metaphor or pick your fancy poetry word...), then I'm happy to hear about it in an encouraging way, even if I'm not primarily seeking that kind of feedback most of the time. I do sometimes play with different forms, and I do sometimes ask for critique... so I'm glad that we can choose the sort of feedback we want on each poem.
For those who are here to perfect their art.... that's awesome!! But I would hope that if anyone was ever going to publish poetry beyond this social media platform (because that's what it is, social media... it's not a "publication"), they would recruit some trusted poetry friends to help them edit & make those poems better - personally, I wouldn't rely solely on the great faceless public of social media for that level of critique, and I certainly wouldn't choose which poems to publish based solely on social media metrics. So, to find those trusted poetry friends in the first place, relationship-building matters here, and comments are the primary way of doing that. But it takes time. People can't expect to parachute into a "community" like DUP, post a few poems, get valuable critique that perfects their craft, and then be off on their way to poetry fame.
As for giving comments.... sometimes I'm hesitant to comment on poems that ask for honest critique, because really all I want to say is "OMG I feel this!" (because I personally appreciate hearing that) but I don't feel like that's good enough to be called a critique. Frankly, I'm intimidated by the idea of giving critique. Who the hell am I to do that?? Yes, I notice ALL the typos and misspellings.... and I rarely mention them, because a) I've seen enough of these conversations about how butthurt people get by that, and b) sometimes people do that stuff intentionally, and it's their "poetic device". Whatever, go for it! See above paragraph about why I don't think I'm doing anyone a disservice by letting those things slide. Editing is their responsibility, not mine, unless we've already established that sort of relationship...
The fact that "likes" are anonymous here makes them basically meaningless to me. I never look at those metrics, because number of reads and likes with no "person" attached to them doesn't tell me anything in social media land where there are bots and creeps galore. I don't have evidence for this, but I think maybe some people use a RL add as a way of letting someone know that THEY personally liked the poem, because we don't have any other way to do that here. I don't personally use the RL this way, but I can understand the temptation, because I don't want people to think I'm only here for myself, and never reading other poets. Maybe PoetSpeak is on to something with his simple "LIKE" comments - it's a middle ground between anonymity and lengthy engagement.
I don't think I'm alone in my "performance anxiety" around commenting - good comments often take time that I just don't have. At the same time I absolutely see how important it is, especially for new poets. I have occasionally "adopted" a new poet and made a point of commenting on their work until they reach the point where more people are engaging with them - but only one or two poets at a time, because this is a hobby and I only have so much capacity. Without the comments, this place would be dry and boring. Reading other people's comments is a big part of how I get to know who y'all are.
But sadly...the times I've had to back away from DUP for a time have always been entirely because I'm not able to keep up with my own expectations around commenting and responding to comments. It's hard to keep things in balance. On the one hand, poetry is lifeblood... but it doesn't pay my bills or care for my family. Reality sucks. Although I love getting comments, I try not to take the presence/absence or quality of other people's comments personally, because dammit, you all have lives to lead that I know nothing about. I hope we can all extend the same grace to each other. When I can, I'll pick up the slack so that those of you who need to step away for life events or mental health reasons can do so too. ❤
Also... DUP points?? Good lord, I didn't even know they existed. Good on ya if that means something to you, you can have mine!
You chat a lot of sense there, squee.
All of it totally valid as well. I think if anything your comment just highlights the vast difference in opinion that critique has.
I think a lot of people are really intimidated over it totally unnecessarily because it’s been made into this massive thing… sometimes, it’s just nice to receive that feedback however that arrives.
Thanks for your thoughts here, I really enjoyed reading your post.
All of it totally valid as well. I think if anything your comment just highlights the vast difference in opinion that critique has.
I think a lot of people are really intimidated over it totally unnecessarily because it’s been made into this massive thing… sometimes, it’s just nice to receive that feedback however that arrives.
Thanks for your thoughts here, I really enjoyed reading your post.
