Originally posted by jjsof
but demanding for a comment is no way related to plagiarism...?? they very clearly say that one must comment to receive the further links... asking the readers to comment is different... demanding is entirely different... (good that they have implemented this rule for not posting external links... so NO more blackmailing readers for blog links)
and writers should understand that this is a PUBLIC FORUM, means everything in this forum should be accessible by all the members of it... and if they are uncomfortable with the public, i don't think this is the right place for them to expose their creations...
one thing that depressed me a lot is... i felt that the readers are losing their self respect...
i wish there should be a proper relationship between the reader and the writer... a healthy one...
a reader should have a mentality of appreciate or criticize, what they read something and writers should not take it personally ...
Well, asking/demanding for a comment and plagiarism are of course two different issues; I was merely stating plagiarism as one of the reasons why people would make the decision to shift their stories to blogs.
However, I do think it's the writer's prerogative to set the limits for who would be able to access their stories, whether it is by asking or demanding - that's their personal choice/style. As I said before, they post their stories at their leisure; not because they have to. Just the same, you read at your leisure, not because you have to. If you don't like the stories, then it's a simple matter of choosing not to comment and moving on. If you have constructive criticism, offer it - how they take it is really their issue. If it is taken in a way that shows you that they have no tolerance for it, then once again, maybe it's not a story/author that you want to invest much energy in, and once again you have the option of moving on. However, for a reader to think it's their entitlement to demand to keep reading a story while reserving the right to like/comment, I would state that it's the writer's prerogative to determine the parameters under which they want to share their story.
If any author makes you feel like you are losing your self-respect, I would say that they don't deserve your readership. By the same token, writers spent a great deal of time and energy in creating and developing a story and posting it on a public forum; given that there is no financial benefit to be had by doing so here, they would clearly value a readership that appreciates their efforts rather than one that reads their material in silence. In short, it's a two-way street.
-Devi