Livejournal Questions

[lettered]

This actually has nothing to do with the recent drama.

I have a confession to make. I'm a genius. But I'm really tragically stupid also.


-how to put on a header. And why everyone can figure it out but me.
-what a DDoS attack is. Looked it up on Wikipedia. Still really don't understand.
-where everyone gets the equipment to do all the icons and everything they do. Seems to me that stuff costs a fortune.
-how to write short fanfic.
-who Rodney is.
-Henry Jenkins.
-GIP.
-how NOT to hotlink some images. I can do it if the image is in a format Photobucket will upload, otherwise I don't understand.
-how people keep up with their flists.
-how people keep up with stuff like which new cat macro is funniest.
-how anyone keeps up with anything.
-why seraphcelene can't be here RIGHT NOW, I dunno, making pie with me.
-how people find out people are talking about them when said people are not talking to them. It's not that I don't like gossip. It's that I don't understand it. I literally seem to have trouble paying attention to anything not aimed straight at me with a missile launcher.
-why I like Harry/Draco.
-flangst.
-how people not being able to post really isn't connected to the Great Strikethrough.
-how to play most online videos, or dl the equipment.
-birthdays.
-why I didn't find a plane ticket to NYC for an earlier day so I could watch DB with a2zmom.
-Spike.
-betas.
-most emoticons.
-who Jo is.
-what Due South is.


In other news, The Sound of Music in Sparta. (link courtesy imnotacommittee.)

Comments

[diachrony.livejournal.com]

THAT IS WHY I DON'T BETA.

Well, or very rarely, and then I demand they use someone else besides me ...

I say "I can copyedit and catch your typos and stuff, but otherwise I am useless."

I'll say stuff like "How did they get from standing up in this part of the room to sitting down in that other part?" and "They'd have to have three arms at once for this" and "But she hit her head and fell down, and nobody said or did anything, and then they all left ... Whut?"

That's about it for me.

I only keep up with my friends list because something like half of them don't post, or very rarely. I keep some folks on because they *used* to post some years ago and were good friends and I want to pick that up if they ever come back. (Plus I tend to let the comms & feeds wait around until I've caught up with personal journals, if ever.)

I never heard of "flangst." Must be friends-list angst, and I need to finish reading the comments to learn more ...

[tkp.livejournal.com]

That's interesting. The technical part of beta'ing is really really important. I'm terrific with grammar, but we can all be wrong, and everyone makes typos. Plus I am NOT so terrific at the three arms stuff and blocking in writing. But yeah, I want more, especially stuff like, "I don't think this part is important" and "I don't think she would say that" and "did you mean for the theme to be this? 'Cause that's what I'm seein'..."

I'm only now realizing that not everyone can do the latter. And it's not because they're not good thinkers or writers or anything at all to do with intelligence and overall capability. It's just some of us have different skills. I certainly can't critique dance.

because they *used* to post some years ago and were good friends and I want to pick that up if they ever come back.

I have one or two like that. I imagine there'll be more as time goes on. There are some people I could never bear to cut. I can't remember if I commented on the comment you left where you said you friended me; I meant to. I wanted to say I'm glad we're mutually friended now because I enjoy talking to you and enjoy/feel informed your posts. I'm always happy to meet someone new with whom I can talk a lot ;o)

I think flangst means fluffy angst, but who the hell knows.

[diachrony.livejournal.com]

Aw, you gave me a warm fuzzy. I'm so glad you enjoy talking to me. It's mutual!

I don't understand this "fluffy angst" thing (I did see that comment) ... leaves me befuddled. I might have to read something in the genre to see what it even means.

I could get my head around saying "I don't think so-and-so would ever say or do this" ... but this reminds me of another post you made some time back that I read when I was going through some of your links. About concrit. I am hesitant to give that kind of f/b because I would usually tend to think "who am I to impose my personal vision?" ... it's a fine line ... and, I don't want to offend anyone and have them not want to be my friend anymore. ::sniff::

But you remind me, I may be better at this than I think I am (esp. since I've so rarely exercised the beta muscle; it might have more potential than I've reached so far) ... there was a time or two when I pointed out to a writer or two in the midst of a story, "Buffy really doesn't behave or talk like that." And they both admitted I was right. So I guess I can point characterization errors out if I find them egregious enough.

(And if the writer isn't too character-hating to be willing to listen, of course.)

[tkp.livejournal.com]

post you made some time back that I read when I was going through some of your links. About concrit. I am hesitant to give that kind of f/b because I would usually tend to think "who am I to impose my personal vision?"

I agree, when it comes to concrit. But beta'ing is different. I think a beta should be someone who shares your views of the characters, or at least someone whose opinions of the characters you respect.

Because betaing is supposed to be about wanting that kind of criticism. However, I have seen people put themselves into situations for the purpose of getting critiqued, and then pouting when someone said something negative about their story (I'm thinking more of rl and original writing, now), but I'm not sure I would want to be friends with such people anyway.

So I guess I can point characterization errors out if I find them egregious enough.

Yeah, some people don't even seem to be aware of how completely OOC some things are! Or if they're aware they don't care. But the more subtle the characterization "error", the harder it is to identify. Because saying "Buffy wouldn't do such and such" is a huge generalization; she *might* if the circumstances were right. It has to be "Buffy wouldn't do such and such in these circumstance and with this history you've given her and in this state of mind, etc etc". And that can be very difficult to ponder sometimes! But it's stuff I like to think about.