Over the last few months, I've set up an eFiction site. So far, it's only got 4 authors and 23 stories. It's not widely known or publicised. It's basically just a site I set up for authors who don't want to set up their own site & learn HTML etc.
Today, I found out that one of the author's stories got a very nasty & hurtful review (and not even a review, really - just a spray of abuse). There are, of course, plenty of theories about who it was but that's not my (main) concern.
What do other owners of sites do with reviews? Do you always require signed reviews (where the troll has to go to the trouble of signing up)? Do you have many issues with trolls? I don't want to discourage people leaving comments by making them create an account but on the other hand, I don't want young authors deleting their stories because some slug is off their meds.
Suggestions? Comments?
I'm afraid that flames are a part of publishing online. There's really no way to escape them, and they are usually given to every sort of story, even the best, most fabulous ones.
I allow anonymous reviews, but I only allow authors to delete anonymous reviews. Sometimes I'll find a flame before the authors do, but I usually don't do anything. I just watch after them. If they were signed in, and it's a pattern, then I could ban them. If I had a big problem with flames from anonymous reviewers, I would probably disallow anonymous reviews, but only one isn't enough.
Whoever said nothing is impossible never tried slamming a revolving door.
url: https://www.potionsandsnitches.org/fanfiction
php: 7.4.33 msql: 5.6.51-community GPL
efic version: 3.5.5 latest patches: yes
bridges: none mods: challenges, tracker, story end, beta, word
Yes, one isn't really enough, I agree.
I'm hopping mad about it because I think the review came from someone within our community, which sort of makes it not only disappointing but kinda creepy.
I guess I'll leave anonymous reviews and see what happens. Why does the internet bring out the nastiness in people (or, at least, make it easier for them to be that way)?
Sometimes both, the nastiness and it is easier for people to hide behind aliases/screenames. Sometimes the problem can be having the right community with people who are not going to do such things.
