It's happened to most of us; we post something that we deem 'creative' or 'artistic' over the internet, and like a moth drawn to a fire, there’s one person who feels the need to say something particularly nasty and unnecessary.
For me, the bulk of injustice and idiocy has been done to me on YouTube (based on most of the replies I get, I’ve no choice but to assume that 80% of YouTube’s users are noisy 12-year olds with nothing better to do with their time). After so many poor comments were given to me, I realized that there was a particular way to handle rude comments on any site.
Rude Reply: Delete the comment, block the user. Effective, simple, and cutthroat; this is the simplest and best choice if you get a small pathetic comment like, “this sucks” or “your stupid, get off of [random site name]”. These people, who merely wish to create a spectacle with their childish actions, should not be regarded with seriousness. Replying will only waste your time.
Discrimination: Once in a while, you’ll receive a sexist, racist, ethnocentric, or any other type of discriminatory comment. You'll feel the need to reply harshly, stating that the person is wrong, and supply them with a reason as to why they are wrong. This is pointless. When a person wholeheartedly believes something enough to where they feel the need to post about, on your submission---the only person that can change their perspective is themselves.
It’s happened to me before; I was on YouTube, and someone made a horribly sexist comment. Because I’ve always felt sensitive about gender discrimination, I made the mistake of replying back to them with my explanation of why they were wrong and examples. The argument lasted for the longest, and in the end, the user’s perspective hadn’t change in the slightest and I was left with pure anger at their explanations as to why 'women were weak, and needed to be subservient to their male halves'. The argument had been pointless, and now that I look back at it, I wish that I had ignored his comment and moved on.
So in the end, either leave the comment be, or delete it as suggested above.
Debate, explanation: Let’s say you post something 'Naruto' related, or anime related in general. Every once in a while, a person comes along who does not understand and/or appreciate anime like you do. Their comment is riddled with ignorance, mainly because they have not looked into anime as much as you have.
"Why'd you have to post anime? Can’t you be more original, like post something about movies, literature---something actually deep?"
This is the type of comment you can reply to; they’ve asked a question, challenged your interest in anime (or any other area of art) and it's perfectly alright to engage in a brief discussion about something you feel strongly about. However, this type of comment does not merit a rude reply. They may have offended you, but being unruly will eliminate any chance you have to deeply explain and (like an adult) disagree with their comment. When you do reply, spell everything correctly and be quick and to the point.
Important Note: Learn to identify criticism from insults. I've seen it many times, where a user will simply state that they didn’t like something about your submission, and they point it out, while giving an idea to the creator. Now, taking criticism is never easy, especially when you think the piece of art/literature/other is perfect the way it is. (In actuality, there's always room for improvement!)
However, you have to take into account that people will always have varying opinions and there's nothing you can do about it. When a person offers their own criticism, don't reply rudely back to them. You can however, disagree with their statement, but thank them for their input.
"I appreciate your feedback on my art and your suggestion, however, I think the area that you pointed out does not need any further improvement."
If you read nothing else: If you ignore this entire article, and simply reply to any and all rude comment you receive, keep one thing in mind---spell-check. It may not sound important at times, but it can be the difference of something actually taking you seriously (not thinking you’re a lonely kindergartner at home, with nothing better to do), or not. People, who post comments just to get on your nerves, will occasionally try to find weaknesses in your response and exploit them. It's a trap, but a well used one.
Just poking fun at the series, at 4am. 'Cause everything is funnier when you're sleep deprived. Seriously.
Sakura: Oh Sasuke-kun, will you marry me, and make sweet passionate lo---
Sasuke: What the hell Sakura, we’re only twelve!
Sakura: Does that mean yes?
Sasuke: Not unless Kishimoto approves of underage relationships, which I doubt he woul---
Orochimaru: Ssss….Sasuke-kun… *hisses* I want your body...
Sasuke: Kishimoto, what the hell?
Orochimaru: I’ve got candy... *hisses*
Sasuke: *perks up* You do? What kind?
Orochimaru: *whispers*
Sasuke: I don’t want that kind of candy, you snake!
Orochimaru: What kind of kid doesn’t like Snickers?
*
Naruto: My name is Uzumaki Naruto! You may not know it yet, but I’m going to be Hokage! That’s right, believe it! Believe it, believe it, BELIEVE IT! BELIEV---
*smack*
Yodaime: Shut the hell up.
3,236,347,894,334 episodes later---
Naruto: I’m bringing you back to Konoha, Sasuke!
Sasuke: Aren’t you supposed to be Hokage by now?
Naruto: Aren’t you supposed to be swimming in a sea of your own angst?
Sasuke: No seriously, 3,236,347,894,333 episodes ago, I could’ve sworn that you said you were going to be hokage...
Naruto: *grumbles* Kishimoto still hasn’t penciled that in, but he will, believ---
*Chidori!*
Naruto: *bleeding* Why are you so screwed up?
Sasuke: 'Cause it’s the type of stuff that brings, thinly planned, poorly executed, shitty yaoi fanfiction to life. Deal with it.
One of the many things that I wish to see improved is MyOtaku; similar to TheOtaku, but not nearly as loved as it should be. For newer users, MyOtaku is a formerly lively, exciting little community of people who regularly posted and chatted about day to day life and anime; however, this community has become nothing more than a distant memory. Sure, there are a few faithful members who still update their page regularly (myself included), but I can’t help but feel cheated as the days continue to drag on and MyOtaku becomes more and more irrelevant.
So, I’ve compiled a list of ideas and concerns that I think would help the overall condition of MyOtaku if they were taken with consideration.
Common bugs, glitches, and confusion--
- There are many times (for me at least) where only lines of codes appear and I can’t see anything else. Which is really annoying when I’m about to make a post.
- The comment system has the tendency of cutting off both long and short comments, very short. Nowadays, I have to make sure that when I write a particularly long comment, to copy the text incase it’s lost.
- In MyOtaku when you take a peek at your guestbook section, none of the user’s icons are visible. While it’s not the biggest issue in the world, it’s something that can be fixed.
- New users can no longer signup for a MyOtaku account, and since many users have either left TheOtaku and MyOtaku completely, or have moved to TheOtaku, this means that the MyOtaku community will only continue to shrink.
Ideas to bring the site back to life--
- A system of keeping in touch with other active MyOtaku users, I believe would be a great idea---this could include grouping people together with common interests in anime, real life, and other categories (for instance, a place to input common interests which could then be used to find other users), this would help to bring the MyOtaku community closer and tightly knitted.
- Another idea would be to put, like in the olden’ days, a leader-board back up, and to put a list of people who’ve recently updated their MyOtaku. It’s a great way to motivate users to put more time into their posts and update on MyOtaku.
- The ability to link your worlds and MyOtaku: in the navigational bar on the classic MyOtaku webpage, there should be the option to link your worlds as well, (similar to what I do on my MyOtaku page) so that would make transition to MyOtaku and TheOtaku even simpler.
- Comment notification on TheOtaku is pretty sweet, it cuts out the task of one having to check if their submissions have any feedback the more tedious way, so MyOtaku should have comment notifications for whenever someone drops a line about one of your posts.
- Improve the overall layout of MyOtaku and MyOtaku homepages! The worlds in TheOtaku are great to use because of their convenience and sleek appearance--- why not give MyOtaku a similar remodeling? However, I would still keep the option of customizing the pages with HTML (this option is great for people who really want to give their site a special feel to it!)
- In addition to the idea of keeping the option of HTML customization, a section (in TheOtaku or MyOtaku) should be created for people to create wonderful layouts and display them---and allow other users to use them (with credit), to make their site spiffy as well. I mean, wasn’t it great back then, to have an aesthetically appealing page that people would admire?
- Playlists are a big part of any webpage, they determine the mood and can diversify any page. However, there is only a small area in the 'Edit Profile' section that allows you to place a midi (which is an acronym for 'Musical Instrument Digital Interface') for your viewers. Instead of this, there should be a place to copy and paste the code/url for a playlist (from sites like Playlist.com), so that users will not have to use their introduction, post, or quiz results area to post them.
These are the ideas that I have thus far on the ‘Revision of MyOtaku’, if you have any suggestions and ideas about this article, feel free to drop a comment.
And remember, no matter what happens, and what revisions are taken or not, myO Still <3's You.
Have you ever known someone that was simply prone to having computer problems, every moment of their life?
I am that sad, sad, person.
My laptop had been messed up for years, my desktop computer is shot and being fixed after if refused to turn on, and everyone else’s computer that I’ve touched has either ended up with a malicious virus or a simply dies of a crappy hard drive----the second I touch it.
Now, every time I use a computer that isn’t mine, I can tell that people became wary. They instruct me ‘not to click suspicious links…’ and I just want to shout, “I already know! I spend more time on here than you do.” The thing is, it’s the most common and popular sites that I use that screws with my PC. DeviantArt has struck me a few times; I’ll get redirected to another site that tells me that I have to download anti-virus protection. Or I’ll be on GaiaOnline (which is like a bucket of computer diseases just waiting to happen) and shit just goes awry. It’s a scary world out there, viruses and dead computers are at every turn for me.
After counting, I’ve murdered at least 7 computers.
Yes, I’m that dangerous.
Fear me.
I just got promoted to Senior Otaku! <3 Yet, suddenly.... I feel a lot older. ;~;
I love how news of your promotion is sent to you in a message. :3 Tis' a beautiful thing. ;3
