Look! There is a thing!

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In fanthropology, a poster asked how people preferred to receive their feedback. As I expected, most indicated, "just send feedback", although a few expressed a mild preference for one method over another, though not to the exclusion of other methods.

One commenter replied that she preferred LJ comments because then she could go back and reread her feedback. She admitted that one could save email feedback, but then "you'd have to admit to yourself that perhaps you were just a bit sad and needy on the subject".

I blinked -- doesn't everybody save their comments in some fashion or other? It seems natural to me. I wrote --

"Um... if it helps any, I save all my email feedback.

A. Each story has its own folder for all the versions -- printable with block paragraphs, printable with tabbed paragraphs, coded for LJ, coded for mailing lists.

B. In the folder is a document named "Feedback", to which I copy/paste all email feedback (and sometimes the LJ comments, in case it ever disappears), and my responses.

(Note: this does not mean I get pages and pages of FB; anything over 15 comments is unusual. We take our strokes where we can get them. *g*)

Do you think Olympic winners -- or winners of any kind -- don't pull out their medals and ribbons to remember, once in a while? I knew a lady whose husband made her a display board for all her horse-show ribbons. Why should us saving our feedback be any different?

In other words, I don't think saving/rereading FB comments is at all "sad and needy" -- it's (a) human and (b) reaffirming to ourselves that we did good at something. We all need that sometimes."

So here's my question -- do most (or all) of you save your feedback comments in some fashion, or was the first commentor right, and those of who do are somewhat "sad and needy"? I'm expecting major percentages of savers compared to non-savers, because it does seem a natural, "human" thing to me, but maybe I'm all wet. It wouldn't be the first time. *g*

Yo! It occurs to me that I'm leaving out large numbers of fan-creators; shame on me! You artists, vidders, photomanippers -- how do you feel about feedback (besides wanting more)?

Hmm... maybe I should make a poll, for those who want to answer, but don't want to bother to comment. So...

[Poll #817857]


The poll is not intended to stop comments; go ahead and be as expressive as you want down below. Just be aware that school has started; my often slow answers have become a crawl. But I do enjoy reading what everyone has to say. Ready, set, go!
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Over on fanthropology, a poster asked (among other things) if first-time authors deserve a little leeway in the "critique" aspects, or if they should be held to the same standards as other writers.

Now, I have to say that I've been uncomfortable lately. It seems that it's not enough anymore (in some circles, anyway) to offer simply feedback. Now it should be "concrit", in which the reader should help the author improve by detailing the flaws and showing her how to fix them. Every time I see this, my inner child screams, "I don't wanna!" And really, why should I?

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