Do you think posting a reason before rating should be required?

Yes, I think that people should tell why they did or didn't like a piece of creative works, but, getting people to say it is next to impossible to do. Even if you made it a requirement to leave a comment in order rate something, you'd get a lot of one to three word comments.

But if you put up a poll with a low mark as an option, then you have to expect that people are going to press that, just as you say, out of spite. That's pretty much why internet polls (and the internet in general) suck.

What's interesting though, is that they pressed the two star and not the one star.

Get used to not getting a lot of feedback. In my experience people tend to fawn over artwork more than stories in recent times.

What good does one word do compared to a star rating, which is in itself a one word review?

I'll have to agree with Intergral. I've been writing stories for a long time, and I've gotten almost no real feedback. I've had a few people give me good advice and tips, but most have been nothing, or "Cool" I've even had people post that they don't like it on "Expansionstories.com" but no reason why. It's just how the game is played.

It would be nice if you could comment on the stories in the same manner as the pictures.

To be honest uhcm, I've maybe had 5 people get back to me about any of my stories with any nice comments (and that's over a 10 year period). Maybe mine aren't so good, but I wouldn't expect anything you do to generate any kind of feedback on the internet. Obviously if someone does it's a bonus, but you certainly shouldn't expect it.

I think it's the nature of the internet that people rarely bother to convey how they feel since everything is 'free'. Some folks also seem to think that you're just there to please them, but the only person who should be truely happy with your work is you.

If you've written a story that your happy with then chances are it is good.

To get improve your chances of feedback put a link to your stories in the signature of every related forum you're a member of and you'll increase your chances, but don't expect it. Having said that it still hasn't worked for me :!: :wink:

I've also gotten very little feedback on my stories over the years. It is the nature of the beast. This is why I keep saying in all of your topics that you should write for yourself, write what interests you, and make your own creative decisions without worrying about what the audience thinks or wants. Even the sites dedicated to creator feedback still endure the "Nice!" and "Cool!" comments. I agree with what several people have already said: More detailed and considered feedback is always going to be more helpful to the author, but light feedback is the nature of the beast.

Also, consider that this is not Amazon or YouTube. You're dealing with an underground fetish. Many people would rather read quietly and not discuss what turns them on because they are uncomfortable even getting this far. You're clearly interested in living your life loudly here, with *stops to think of the correct term* non-verbal asides and whatnot, but there are a lot of lurkers who prefer their privacy. By releasing a story publicly, you're giving them permission to read it and respond however they like -- including not at all.

You can invite feedback but you can never demand it. Nor can you set the terms and conditions of the feedback you do get; you can encourage a format but you can't enforce one. That's true about offline feedback as well.

This may horrify you to learn, but as a professional writer, you generally only get feedback if you have done something wrong. Most writers get rehired when they do good work; they don't get pats on the back. They just get another assignment. I was used to being mollycoddled and stroked and the star of my own little world until I was a full-time editor hiring writers and realized...hell, stroking them is not part of my job, and I don't have time to do it. And I think the same applies here: People are too busy to do much more than consume most of the time. Sometimes "Nice!" and "Cool!" is their version of being verbose -- and it's better than no reaction at all.

Strongly agreed. Because...

After seeing comments like that, where you've come into this with a history of retaliation for feedback that wasn't in the form you wanted it to be, I do feel like I'd be better off not getting involved at all.