The PPC Posting Board - Latest posts

I mean, if the purpose of this is to show what good betaing looks like, then I'd think it was better to show the original, un-beta'd story and the comments, rather than the edited version. Maybe?

I guess this is where Option Two came in, since it would let people watch the whole process rther than just the first stage...

hS

I beta-read several Gdocs not being loged in before I finally got an account to put my own stories up for beta-reading.

PoorCynic just needs to set the Gdoc's properties to "everybody can comment" (supposed that they can even see the document) and "everybody who has the link can read", where the assigned beta is the only person to whom PC sends the link. If you got the link and want to stay anonymous, just be careful to not login (or to deliberately logout) before you open the document, and you will be assigned a random name like "anonymous goldfish".

The bigger problem is keeping the authors anonymous while they edit the document in response to the comments. This may actually involve copying the commented document so that the author can edit without the beta watching, and then copying the revised document back into the copy on PC's account that the beta can see (or making a new copy and sending a new link to the beta) for another read-through.

Setting the properties to "everybody can edit" (supposed that they can even see the document), where only the author and the beta get links to the copy owned by PC might spare PC a lot of tedious work, but would set up an unrealistic situation, because betas usually should only make suggestions, but should not be able to edit directly.

(Note that I don't know the exact wording of the properties, because Google talks German to me.)

HG

I'm busy with exams until the 18th though.

Although I'm going to be very busy with exams until the 17th so I don't know how much I'll be able to write until after then.

I think Proposal One sounds better - it actually achieves exactly the same thing as Proposal Two, but with more versions to look at!

I'm sure I can knock something together. I assume you don't want fanfic - ie, you don't want stories which require canon knowledge to beta?

hS

... PoorCynic would copy the stories into new docs on his account, and then copy the commented versions to new new docs. I know there's a way of doing that that strips the names from comments.

hS

I think Proposal One sounds the most constructive, although not sure if I'd have time to participate myself.

Elcalion

Have a celebratory mongoose!

Elcalion, festive

HAPPY BOARDIVERSARY

I AM USING ALL CAPS

YOU CAN THUS TELL THAT I AM VERY HAPPY ABOUT THIS SITUATION AS A GENERAL WHOLE

HUZZAH!

HAPPY THINGY!

So, er, yay! Boardversary! Have some cake, all.



-Alleb

Like most people have said already, Proposal One sounds like the best. Also like most people, I'm not sure if I could write something in time (exam week, you know). But I'll definitely be down for beta-ing!

Nesh, could you expand a bit on why a pair of bans is on the table?

Now, as to this whole situation, what I'd like to see happen is that both HerrWozzek and Nord Ronnoc swallow their emotions for a bit and apologize for the things they did wrong. Then, they could move back on to ignoring each other, but they'd both have some sense of closure. Unfortunately, there seems to be a "No, you apologize first!" loop going on. One suggestion I have is that, as a compromise, both Herr and Nord could apologize simultaneously. That is, they'd both send their apologies to some neutral third party, who would only pass them on once they'd gotten both of them.

If that doesn't work out, Herr and Nord could just ignore each other completely (I understand this is already sort of happening, given that they've blocked each other on Discord). I suspect this "solution" won't leave anyone satisfied. Among other things, it means both parties "got away" with bad behavior. It also makes it more likely that this will explode again later, and that would be rather bad.

I call on both Herr and Nord to realize that they've each done something wrong here (please note, this doesn't mean that they're equally bad or anything like that, just that no one's behavior in this dispute is spotless) and to apologize for their actions (such as they were) and to accept the other party's apologies like the calm, mature people I'm confident they can be.

- Tomash

I mean, I have a list of Things I Will Make hS Do Upon My Inevitable Rise To Unimaginable Powaaaaah, but that's entirely different and involves entirely more buckets full of soapy frogs. =]

On a less facetious note, I think it's just something to bear in mind when you're posting about Serious Board Things. You've been around since 2003. That's well over a decade, which is a good couple of ice ages in internet time. When you choose to comment on stuff - especially serious stuff like the Constitution - a lot of newer members will simply lack the confidence to gainsay you. I recognise your prior experience, but I have to say it seems like you were the exception rather than the rule.

In every conflict, I always see everyone's side of the story. When I pick sides, I pick the wrong one. I don't think I would be helpful in the discussions on harassment.

The discussions on beta reading? I have no excuse there and will proceed to become an active participant. I'm sorry for my previous inactivity.

--Key

And generally, I pledge to give attention to under-discussed fics. All this is totally against my temperament, but I agree: it's a huge pain how some stories get loads of discussion and others don't get touched -- even just to say "I don't know the fandom, but the story was nice."

I know I have a problem where if I'm not sure what I'm saying will be valuable, I err on the side of not saying anything at all. And I'm starting to think that's a very bad approach -- maybe "the fight scene was boring" isn't the most helpful concrit in the wrld, but at least it starts a conversation.

--Key

In particular, Proposal One. It sounds interesting and it's something to get me writing.

1. Yep, that has already been said, and I do understand now.
   
   2. Let me explain my situation yet again. I told my parents about you guys. My parents don't like you. My parents don't like the idea of correcting someone's fanfic without being asked to do so. My dad also has a thing about the fact that you call yourselves the "protectors" of anything (he believes it suggests megalomania or other forms of brain damage, see also legitimate IRL cults.) I stay on the Board because it's somewhat lesser-known. Putting things down on Wattpad or on my Google account would probably make it easier for my parents to know that I'm associating with you against their will. I'm trying to be safe here. That's the main reason why I want to do the free to use thing, because if they're mine and they're PPC, I'm likely to be dead meat. It does sort of take away some of the experience, I know, but it's for the better, and I'll probably put up regular fanfic for you to review so that I'll still learn the writing lessons I need.
   
   -Twistey

Although if the character replacement is OOC, but not Sued, and one recruits them, it looks like they practically turn into original characters - at least, that's what a lot of recruited replacements seem to be. Wouldn't that kind of situation make it less standard-y, maybe just a bit more than an original agent would be?

-Twistey

Proposal one in particular sounds like so much fun. . . but if it's happening this next couple of weeks, I'll be crazy busy and the only "story" I'd be able to submit would be a college application essay I'm working on :/ (I'd probably be able to beta, though. . .). But yeah, I think that sounds really useful and fun, and like something which could become a recurring community event if it goes well ^.^

--Key

(Wow, I've been thinking way too far ahead to somewhere past the end of the animated series I mentioned in the Permission talk page and my introductory thread.)

Would it be acceptable if a character replacement got caught in the debris of a Sue's assassination and suffered burns and memory loss, then was taken in by someone and made to believe he was a different person by that someone telling him about this other person he supposedly was, and then he somehow found his way into the PPC and became an agent? Maybe the PPC put him in DOGA or something so that he wouldn't ever run into anyone who knew about his past? Hmm. (Crud, does this description make me sound like a Suethor? I think I screwed up the wording or something and made it sound like that.)

Anyway, now that I think about it, I'd have to tweak that backstory around a bit more, since it wouldn't make sense for one of the two villains (and I mean a seriously Stu replacement) to take on that other life. He would just get killed, because the agent in the story would be after him as well as another Sue in his fic. How's that up there sound, either way?

-Twistey

So, you may or may not remember history of japan, which was a really nifty video that taught you everything you needed to know about, well. The history. of Japan. If you haven't seen it, you should check it out, because it's pure comedy gold and you might even learn some things!

Now, the creator- Bill Wurtz- has re-emerged with a more ambitious video- history of the entire world, i guess which is twice as long and just as wonderfully educating.

Language warning for both of these, if you don't like swearing. But it's worth it, I promise.

Yep, that'd probably be the best idea.

Although it might be a problem if they're Assassins/Bad Slashers/any of the action departments... I'd have to write missions, I think. Right? Well, I am going to do some mission-esque things on Wattpad, though; pretty much the same except they're requested so I can say "well, you asked for my opinion." That wouldn't be officially PPC, though, and I've already got two characters (my hired mercenaries, Verse and Versailles) for those mission-esque things. So if the characters are officially agents, what would I do?

And now that I think about it, going back over The Book Thief's plot line, Liesel wouldn't exactly be the best for literature. Sure, she'd be a pretty sharp knife for fics with *ahem, stuff from her time period* stuck in them randomly, but she didn't seem to ever have any traits for the analysis of literature or characters; reading was more just for keeping her sane. And especially because of that, we wouldn't want her dealing with fanfic that can drive someone insane. I could do something similar to Liesel, though, due to the good traits I mentioned earlier.

Well, I'm finding it hard to think now, since I'm listening to Kraftwerk and it's hard to think when you've got synthesizers beeping at you repeatedly, am I right? As such, this is all I can think of to say. Thanks for clearing this up.

-Twistey