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Spam Review

Discussion in 'Creative Zone' started by Wings, Oct 29, 2018.

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  1. Wings

    Static
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    Ever wanted a helpful review full of constructive criticism and honest feedback? Ever wanted someone to tell you what they like and dislike about your fanfiction? Ever wanted a writer to share some tips and dispense some advice?

    Well, these reviews are not for you.

    Today I got three or so spam reviews from multiple users (who I’m pretty sure are the same person) who literally reviewed the review of another person who reviewed my story. Crazy enough, right? They’ve been asking me for weeks to block certain authors and when I respectfully told them I’d accept any constructive feedback, even if I didn’t necessarily agree with it, that I was ruining their life. Then another user PMed me with a nearly identical message.

    Turns out after some research and reading some forums, this person owns ten or more accounts that send the exact same messages and target certain reviewers. How.. refreshing?

    I wanted to know if anyone else has experience odd spam reviews since I see a lot of review controversy floating around on fanfiction.net. Whether it’s about capitalization, grammar or story development these two groups will always find a way to argue. And then there are review bots, which I have had the pleasure of never encountering.

    Have you ever had a crazy review experience?!
     
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  2. Gazi

    Lilith
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    I think I know exactly who you're talking about, because I was caught in the middle of that whole mess too. At first I didn't block the users that I had been warned about, but the first person who had warned me about them was really very persistent, so finally I just looked at the profiles of the people they'd warned me about and...yeah, definitely not people I'd like to have 'reviewing' my story. A bunch them actually say on their profile pages that they get a lot of complaints about harsh reviews, and that right there is a bad sign for me. I can take constructive criticism, but when you spend a paragraph of a review trying to tell the writer what the so called 'right' way of writing dialogue is (I got such a review from one of them before I actually got around to blocking them), then that's just not somebody that I feel is worth listening to.
     
  3. ShinigamiMiroku

    Sorceress' Knight
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    I know of one user who goes around to Pokémon fics just to give the same "advice" that is, while correct on a technical level, does not fall under specific conventions established by Game Freak.
     
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  4. Morgaine

    Morgaine Goddess of Shinies

    Bolero
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    I think that you are talking about the so called Critics United. They are basically just checking the recently updated/uploaded for stories that do not conform to their personal preferences. I got a PM from somone warning me about it, and after checking/confirming it for myself I blocked those users.

    I have no patience for people having a review war on my stories, nor copy/paste reviews. I have had one spam review on my newest stories but that is where it has ended so far.

    I'd like to say that write for me and my friends, not for reviews or the views (they are motivating, of course). If someone actually has some good stuff to say, I will listen, but I will not deign to suffer people that feel so high and mighty they do not even read the story, but just sent spam reviews.
     
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  5. Hraesvelgr

    Hraesvelgr Snek in Your Boot

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    I haven't, I got the list off a friend and just blocked all names on that list. If I ever start posting again I can make due without lazy pointless copy/paste reviews.

    I write for me, and my friends, rest that may like whatever I write is just a bonus. I have no tolerance for that kind of spam.
     
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  6. Wings

    Static
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    Well, I’m glad I’m not the only one who has suffered from this. I don’t really have a problem with harsh critics like St Elmo and Farla, but their opposition drives me insane. One of them (KingPyle, I believe) emailed me with an exact copy of a PM I sent to St Elmo in response to review. It wasn’t a bad PM, but the subject letter he sent was “Your pm is posted.”

    Odd flex, but okay I guess?

    There was nothing malicious in that PM—just an honest and thoughtful response to a review where I explained why I disagreed with some of St Elmo’s views and agreed with some of his grammar corrections. That was literally it. Anyway, I’m going to block the spam reviewers now. I’d rather get an honest review than a fake one from a user who accessed my PMs and posted them.
     
  7. Wolf Expert

    Wolf Expert Canine Scholar

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    Years ago there was someone who commented on one of my stories in a chapter where my characters had been captured and tied up very briefly, nothing too weird, and the person who commented said he wanted to see them tied up more often. He then advertised something of his own in a following chapter.

    Someone else PMed me asking to roleplay as my characters and it was kind if weird and I blocked him.
     
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  8. Wings

    Static
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    Yikes... both of those situations sound very uncomfortable.
     
  9. Saraceaser

    Elfea
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    I actually got a PM from one of my friends on Fanfiction.net warning me about that a few weeks ago. Luckily I haven't gotten spam reviewed by those people yet and already blocked the users, but I think it's ridiculous that people would take the time and effort just to do such mean and immature things.
     
  10. Wings

    Static
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    It is odd, isn’t it? I wonder if anyone has reported them before.
     
  11. Moonstruck-Mist

    HoverBoots
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    I've received primarily constructive reviews over my time as an author (about a year online now), but even I have a fair share of bad reviews and spam. It's not often, though one example would be on one of my favorite stories, My Hybrid, which was released well before I was even good at writing (back in, like, 2015. Yeah, I sucked three years ago). Well, I'm doing a rewrite for it now, but it still had a bad review game on it. But right now, after having removed it and blocking several people who I was warned about by a fellow user on Fanfiction, I haven't had any problems apart from the occasional message, which is later deleted and/or blocked. So, I have had experience in the past, but slightly less now. It's annoying entirely, but, hey, recognition. I can't complain... entirely.
     
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  12. Baratheon

    Baratheon Ours is the Fury

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    I haven’t had any really aggressive or overly critical people review my fiction, but I don’t post it often. Haven’t seen much on the stuff I’ve read, either— is it really common? I use AO3, but I didn’t realize FF.net had these types of people if so; you’d think it’d be about the same type of people on both sites...
     
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