![]() This profile was created so that I could interact with the members of "Critics United" and other similar groups at ffnet without fear of retribution. It turns out that it was completely unnecessary. So, I have decided to turn this profile page into a guideline for dealing with them. First, let's talk about who and what they are- Critics United is a small group of civic-minded but over-eager ffnet account holders who police the website in order to ferret out and report users who submit content outside the site guidelines, as they interpret them. Often the content reported by them is clearly and definitively not allowed. However, they sometimes find and report content which is clearly allowed or which falls into a grey area. There are approximately ten core members who are active and a similar number of associate members or acolytes. Which means that on a website with millions of members, about twenty of those users are associated with Critics United. The active core members are generally just reporting things that they find in their chosen fandoms. The associated acolytes, on the other hand, are trying to prove themselves worthy to be accepted into the main clique. This has two interesting byproducts- 1) they are very aggressive and spend a high percentage of their time looking for violations so that they can impress the core members and be accepted as full members. 2) this allows the full members to hide behind the fact that the most aggressive members of their coalition are not technically members of their group. So they can encourage harassment of "rule breakers" while still claiming that no actual members of their group are harassing anyone. What should you do if you are targeted by this group? First, do not engage with them. 1) they have no power over your content or your submissions. none. zero. 2) they have no influence with the site moderators. none. zero. 3) they are probably better at online debate than you. remember, this is their hobby. They do this for fun and entertainment and, while arguing with them can be fun, it is ultimately a waste of your time because THEY HAVE NO POWER OVER YOUR CONTENT OR SUBMISSIONS. Second, if you are concerned about your submission being taken down, 1) check the Submission Guidelines and Terms of Service to see if your content is allowed. (remember that the Terms of Service contains the legal definitions and descriptions. The Submission Guidelines are a short, informal list created to be easy to follow.) There are websites which define "fair use" and "copyright" in easy to understand language. Just go to Google and search for one. A little bit about me- I appreciate good writing and encourage it whenever I can. To this end, when I am asked for critique or assistance, I give honest, in-depth and focused critiques or assistance. When I am not asked for critique or assistance, I mind my own business. I leave at least one comment on every story I finish. I know how much time and effort it takes to produce a story and I want to (at a minimum) let the author know that their effort is appreciated. Occasionally, I will find a story that is poorly written, but has an interesting premise or some other redeemable quality. In this instance, I will send a PM to the author, letting them know that I see the potential of their idea and offering to help them realize it. Sometimes they will accept, (in which case I do my best to help them) sometimes they will decline (in which case, I move on.) I have never reported a story to the administrators of this site, but I have reported several users who post spam "reviews." |