Why is it unregistered people cannot see posts?

Mercsenary · Feb 28, 2008

Maybe add to the definition of a lurker is that their last post was "insert time period here" ago and it wasnt very constructive or didnt really contribute to the conversation.

The difference between a member who went missing to deal with other issues and a lurker would be that the last post was constructive or added something to the conversation.

At least that's my two cents.

Mick · Feb 28, 2008

Mercsenary said:

All that does is affect the list of members though and not the bandwith. Far as I know the issue is with the bandwith not the list of people.

Besides it isn't like people plan for things to happen, sometimes things happen and they have no advance warning.

ran_hoshino · Feb 28, 2008

Hawk said:

Well, that one would be me I guess. The most intresting part is it would most likely still be a couple of weeks before any other poster on this board even knew I existed if this discussion had not begun.

As it is with nuclear death frog's comment I am feeling more confident about actually posting some of the rough ideas and story outlines that I have, even if I still need to finish reading the Naruto Previews section.

Still I guess I can understand where you are coming from Hawk. So what ever you decide I am sure will be what you believe to be best for the forum.

Hawk · Mar 2, 2008

Whenever I feel up to making this particular decision, likely won't be for a while yet.

The most pressing issue at the moment, is if TFF is going to go zetaboards or remain invisionfree. So it's only until I've made a stand on that, that something along the lines of this might get implimented.

And if I decide to go zetaboards, there'll be a week or two of heads-up for everyone.

After that, if I decide to go for this, it'll be a week or two of heads-up for everyone regarding that matter as well.

So it's not something you're likely to see in the imminent future...

WarmasterCain55 · Mar 2, 2008

So does that mean we'll have to pay for it?

I can't afford that. My budget is tight enough as it is.

JiigarGhen · Mar 2, 2008

No, zeta is simply what invision is upgrading to. As far as I know, and I'm pretty much dead certain of this, it's free.

WarmasterCain55 · Mar 2, 2008

Oh...ok.

What's the PM system like? I'm tired of not having enough space in my inbox.

PCHeintz72 · Mar 2, 2008

One feature that I'm curious on, that I did not even think about until a minute ago, is can we attach files in either posts and PM's? If so, what would be the size limitations and formats?

WarmasterCain55 · Mar 2, 2008

PCHeintz72 said:

That's a good feature to have...especially for beta's.

PCHeintz72 · Mar 2, 2008

Ehhh... uncertain why it would be for betas, or even what you mean in that context.

But I asked because Beehive based forums allow it in both posts and in PM's, as does or did Delphi, and make sure the user is limited to a grand total of some 20mb per user/member, but PHP and Invision based forums do not.

My problem is that I attach my master favorites links list package as a downloadable post occasionally at Anifics (every 6-8 weeks of late). But I currently cannot do so at places like here or Fukufics because it is not allowed by the software.

Currently that is approximately some 1200kb as a RAR file.

I've been getting around the issue simply by referring people back to the Anifics copy by a link in post updates here and at Fukufics.

Luschor · Mar 2, 2008

I guess I should add my own thoughts on this.

Registration:Fine by me, Hawk has said this forum is for writers and not a fanfiction archive. And the time period you wait isn't that long.

Purging/Eradicating Lurkers: I'm more hesitant about this one. I don't like the associations I get with the whole 'you have to post something or you're out' thing.

I understand why Hawk can get annoyed and whu he wants to remove them if they're slowing the site down. And since this is Hawks forum he can pretty much do whatever the hell he wants here.

I'm a bit uncertain about the definitions for a lurker, I myself was a Shameless Lurker for over a year before posting my first (horrible) attempt at writing.

My opinion is to not start purging the lurkers until it is a real problem, I'll admit this is partly because I myself don't want to get purged but even so.

Well, that's all of my thoughts on this for now.

Glory to TFF.

Mercsenary · Mar 2, 2008

PCHeintz72 said:

Think he meant it as in attaching a beta read file to a pm to your beta instead of sending it through email.

Also I meant the addition to the definition for identification purposes so that its more clear who is and is not a lurker.

locke69 · Mar 2, 2008

Actually, attaching files to posts is an option on Invision forums. Though its not implemented well on Invision forums. And there is a limit to the size of the file, it can not exceed the amount of space reserved for any forum. The default size is 28 MB, though with a forum with as much activity as TFF, the size reserved for this forum may be larger then default.

That and Hawk disabled that function here.

PCHeintz72 · Mar 2, 2008

locke69 said:

Hmmm...

No Invision based forum I've ever been to has had the option enabled, thus I never knew it was an option.

Hawk · Mar 3, 2008

28mb's? Hm, sounds a bit weird, considering that the Disk usage limit for this forum is 16mb's and we're currently using 6,13mb's of it, meaning that we're only about 10mb's of stuff away from the limit.

Dunno what happens when we actually hit that limit, but it'll be interesting to see the day when that actually takes place.

But with 28mb attachments, those 16mb's would be gone pretty darn quickly, I should think. Can't be counted off the disk usage space, but be stored elsewhere in some manner, or invisionfree boards would hit the limit constantly.

Carrotglace · Mar 10, 2008

Well, I've been here less than a week. I don't fit in any of the Lurker categories as of yet. Though, I do lurk quite a bit these days. I also don't see the point to joining a forum I don't intend to post too. There are other places to read if that's all I'm interested in.

I don't read much in the way of fanfiction anymore. When I have time to do something like that, I usually use it to write my own stuff. Not to say I won't, but I doubt I'll be keeping up with anyone else's stories with any sort of regularity.

There has been recent flood of Naruto fanfics, it seems to be replacing the Ranma Fandom stuff. I hate Naruto, not for any rational reason. He's too loud to be a ninja, and bright orange is a poor choice of color for a shinobi's wardrobe. [Harry Potter seems to be filling a bit of the older fandoms as well.]

I'm starting to develop an interest in original fiction. I've even considered reusing a few story lines and characters from fanfics I've written. I've thought about turning Dragon and Ghost into an original story for a few years now. [It would be much longer, and start with the main characters much younger. I'm not up to it yet.]

I've started an original story using an idea similar to my Harry Potter fic. A young rather timid girl living in an orphanage gets zapped by lightning and remembers being someone named Edward Teach, better known as Blackbeard. [Who, despite his fearsome reputation, isn't know to have ever killed anyone.]

As much as I like writing fanfics, it would be nice to get paid for writing. I'd like to get published someday.

At any rate, I tend to not post much on forums these days. I do go through and and peruse them once or twice a week. Picking on any topic that catches my interest and adding a comment only when I feel compelled to do so for some reason.

One thing I've noticed in my first post here, is that the dialog box extends a bit too far to the right, and there's no left right scroll bar at the bottom of the page. I'm guessing about how well the part I can't see looks. It's no more than one or two words deep, and I've got an irritating feeling changing a few settings on my browser will probably fix it.

I'll likely be around, and may stick my nose about and offer advice from time to time.

On the subject, people who lurk here and don't post... They might consider a membership at Anifics, or another similar forum, [there are lots] and then sign on to a place like this when they feel ready to write, or wish to seek guidance. There's nothing wrong with a place that's just for writers. Hanging about and lurking isn't likely to do much to help your writing skills.

It sounds kind of like signing up for an art class in an art museum, and then just sitting about and looking at the pictures other people are drawing. It's great that you like art, but you could have just walked about the museum instead, and you'd have learned just as much.

I'll probably start posting drafts here myself. Though, I kind of doubt many will be unfinished. I tend to sit down and do an entire chapter at once, and then worry about editing after.

Who knows, maybe having someplace to put up a draft for comment will help make me less lazy about editing?

shadar · Mar 10, 2008

I think I fall under the terminology of a lurker, although I'm trying to work my way out of that and becoming a more involved member of the forum. It was a few months after I joined before I put my first post down, mostly because I was a bit hesitant at posting (well, okay, a LOT hesitant.)

But still, even though I didn't post for a while, I think I've improved as a writer simply reading how quality writers conceptualize their ideas and how to communicate a story better. That's not to say I'm stealing ideas and such, but TFF led me to the real quality fanfiction, whether old, archived, or new.

(I started on Fanfiction.net, and other "mainstream" fanfiction sites, and I found it extremely frustrating with the amount of drivel and sewerage found there.)

Anyway, the exposure to good writing at TFF gave me signposts and directions for my writing, I guess, that I didn't have before. At least I can now feel that I'm up to a basic standard good enough to maybe post a story onto one of the Preview sections (even if they're not written yet).

The ideas I had before were fit for nothing but the trash heap, really. Plot holes galore, 2D characters... bad layout and all that. If there was something wrong, I probably had it. (Not yaoi though. Honestly, I can't stand yaoi.)

With no one to correct me in my creativeness (I was grammatically correct, but I lacked almost everything else that a writer needs), I was basically stuck as a poor writer, and probably would never have improved at all. I was never happy with my work, and I wasn't even confident enough to show any of my friends my work (considering how cringe-worthy those stories were... they were really lucky.).

Nowadays I approach writing Fanfiction a totally new way, and I owe it all to the greatness of TFF.

I guess I'm trying to say that even though I started as a lurker, I really want to become a more active member of the TFF community. I've almost finished the planning stages of a Harry Potter and a Naruto story (Not Xover, but two separate ones), and I'm beginning to write.

I'm trying to get to the stage I'm semi-happy with it, so I can post something onto the Previews section to be polished up. But, since I'm writing only in my spare time as a final year University Student, that makes it a bit difficult. I'm a perfectionist at heart too, so... it might take a while, but I'm definitely committed to posting a story at TFF soon!

So yeah, I think the current system with registration and stuff is fine.

As for lurkers... well, when I came to TFF, I was honestly incredibly intimidated by the stuff I found here. Some stuff I found were so jaw-droppingly good that I felt myself unworthy of posting [my posts are mostly a bit... inane, but I'm hoping to improve that too]. Even now when I've improved, I KNOW there's that metaphorical mountain towering over me in terms of writing ability, and I'm barely sitting in the foothills, if even that.

But TFF has also given me the jump start and, I guess, the motivation to begin trying to seriously and consciously improve myself as a writer. Seriously, I owe TFF a lot, and I feel that I'm finally starting to advance on my own path as a writer of fanfiction.

I just wanted to try and put forward my story as a lurker aiming for redemption. Not all lurkers would have similar stories, I acknowledge. But for every dozen or so lurkers out there here, there may be others like me who are fledgling writers and have been inspired or improved someway by TFF, even if it takes us a bit of time to become confident enough to post on TFF.

It's difficult to know where to draw the line, concerning lurkers. Making it arbitrary to post something would make it difficult for moderators, since I expect dedicated lurkers would begin posting more minimum length posts with little to no content inside them. More policing and more restrictions leads to more work for the moderators, and I don't think that's a good path to tread.

Carrotglace · Mar 10, 2008

I can see where some people are coming from. It can be a bit educational to see how other writers handle their business. I learned quite a bit from the old FFML back in the days of dial up.

I do feel that a certain amount of interaction is required to learn after a certain point though. You don't have to post a fanfic or anything, or even so much as a poem. If you're just sitting around for an entire year not interacting at all with anyone. You're not really learning any more at that point IMHO.

Just post a review, or a bare bones idea, or ask for clarification on something you didn't understand in a story. Hell, even the occasional 'You spelled [Insert Misspelled word here] wrong', or 'Hey, fox demons have nine tails, not thirteen'.. With all these people posting stories and whatnot, someone is bound to screw something up sooner or later. Just point it out. Just a witty comment on occasion should be enough. Do something constructive with your time here. Otherwise you're just a bandwith sucking leech, of no value to the people who put effort into their work, and commune together to improve it.

I'm not accusing anyone in particular of anything, [I've not been here long enough] but it seems to me that some of the complaints about such a policy are little more than people getting upset about their 'I get to see it first' pass. Kind of like sitting in on a major movie production for little more reason than to spoil what happens to their friends before the film comes out to theaters.

If you're here for a year, and not writing anything, you're not learning. If you're here for a year and not commenting about anything at all, you're not contributing. What use are you?

I've got no particular preference about the join policy here. I do see Hawk's side of things on this issue though.

Think of it this way. If you get hired on at a job, don't do anything for a year, and then get fired. Do you really expect to keep your job by saying 'I was going to do something sooner or later. I just haven't learned enough yet.'

Even if you just hang about reading most of the time. You must have formed an opinion about something you've read at some point over the year you've not posted. Why not share that, even if you don't feel up to sharing something of your own?

It's not like you have to rush your first post or anything. A year, or even, six months is plenty of time to warm cold feet a little and get some bearings.

trapper jim · Mar 13, 2008

Will TFF be implementing measures similar to those "shinji the good sharer" announced in his forum a few years back: namely if an author doesn't post an update or a fic within x number of months, he gets the boot?

BakaNeko · Mar 13, 2008

Whoa! Where did that come from?

Granted, I know it's what that person did on his forum, but that level of monitoring and restrictions is totally out there from what we know of Hawk-sama.

trapper jim · Mar 13, 2008

I only asked because I remember that "shinji the good sharer" justified his actions by pointing out that the massive number of people and posts exceeded his free hosting capacity and would force him to upgrade to a paid plan. He therefore kicked out readers(the forum was only for authors he said) and authors that he judged(whenever he felt like it) used up storage space and bandwidth or had nothing to contribute. Entire threads that were too long or unrelated to fanfiction(in his opinion) got deleted.

In my opinion, Invision's free forum hosting was a good long-term strategy at the time. They knew that as a forum became more popular, it would consume more bandwidth and storage(threads would become too long and use up too much space unless some way to archive them exists, but at the price of reduced accessibility) - forcing it to either upgrade to paid hosting or look somewhere else(at the cost of almost certainly losing membership and data that could not be migrated). This business model only faced serious competition when challenged by Google's(and its competitors) relaxed storage limits for its groups.

JiigarGhen · Mar 13, 2008

Well, given that our Beloved Leader is far more laid back and FAR less anal-retentive and arbitrary than shinji seems to be...I highly doubt he'll be resorting to measures like that.

locke69 · Mar 13, 2008

Trust me on this, as long as people use imageshack or the like sites for their image calls instead of the forum itself, this forum will not be forced to head to "paid for land" anytime soon. As Hawk himself said, the forum at the present time has only reached a third of maximum space.

If people want to expand the life of this forum, they need to host their avatars on image sites, not on the forum itself.

Bluezone777 · Mar 13, 2008

Um... there is no limit as to how many posts or members this or any other forum on IF can have. and having lots of members does nothing to anyone here other then having a long member's list to go through though you can search through that for a specific group or a single person. oh and that paid plan that Shinji spoke of doesn't exist either.

I personally would just leave them alone as the saying goes " don't fix what ain't broke."

gryffyn · Mar 13, 2008

Carrotglace said:

Just wanted to mention that I have that problem a lot myself since I tend to use rather large font sizes in my browser (Firefox). I've found though, that I can just use the right/left arrow keys to move the window and see the rest. Mostly happens with large pictures and people who use looong section breaks or squish a bunch of words together to indicate babbling.

As to my not posting often, I find that by the time I've read through someone's post and all the following posts, anything I was likely to comment on has already been said. Particularly on the simple "Awesome! Moar please!" type of posts. ^_^

Why is it unregistered people cannot see posts?

Well-Known Member

Well-Known Member

Well-Known Member

Well-Known Member

Well-Known Member

Well-Known Member

Well-Known Member

The Sentient Fanfic Search Engine mk II

Well-Known Member

The Sentient Fanfic Search Engine mk II

Member

Well-Known Member

Well-Known Member

The Sentient Fanfic Search Engine mk II

Well-Known Member

Well-Known Member

Well-Known Member

Well-Known Member

Well-Known Member

Well-Known Member

Well-Known Member

Well-Known Member

Well-Known Member

Active Member

Active Member