We have updated our Community Code of Conduct. Please read through the new rules for the forum that are an integral part of Paradox Interactive’s User Agreement.
The soldier nods appreciatively, enjoying the statistical analysis. "Certainly, it's always a thing to marvel at. In the past, I know that I've been concerned about how many views might be the result of my own navigation through my stories in order to procure links for setting up what has been taken over by the threadmark system--a wonderful inclusion on the part of P'dox here--versus those generated by others.
"I also should mention that it is contingent upon the size and scope of one's post. Look at @El Pip's works: significant discussion and debate to maintain that majestic posting system. Versus say, mine, where posts are largely something of 'interesting, can't wait for more' rather than discussion."
"Interesting to bring up @El Pip in that he has one that transcends the before and after of the forum changeover. Did not include him because of that, but may be informative. I had to estimate for Butterfly Effect but assumed his response rate is/was about the same (so looked at a later work.) Higher than 2 comments per post, but if you include these (and yours) in the average it yields
The Butterfly Effect (El Pip)
1000000
7000
1680
5320
24.00%
76.00%
0.005
3.17
Kings First Minster (El Pip)
8000
118
28
90
23.73%
76.27%
0.011
3.21
Der Adler, der Wolf (Wraith11B)
198000
1000
375
625
37.50%
62.50%
0.003
1.67
I think if you folded those in the others, it doesn't move the needle too much (Comment to view avg moves to 0.01 and comments to own posts moves to 2.12.) That said, I would agree. Some writAARs offer something to discuss (which, of course, I/we hope to do as well) but some works offer a bit more "meat" to "chew" than others. What causes that conversation, I could not say. From my tenure, it may be the curiosity of what might be in the alternate history which causes the discussion (and/or some just wish to include their own "desire" for said alternate history AND current history. We see it more in HoI and Vickie, but it happens in the earlier historical games as well.)"
coz1 pours himself a coffee and hopes the steam won't leak from his head.
coz1 picks up brain matter and gently tries to stuff it back into his head, such that it is and then smiles, "And look at this...
[Read "my" as "the writAAR"]
I decided to take a sampling using the exact same methodology of some of the more "famous" AARs over the last few years including AAR of the Year Winners and other awAARd winning works by the likes of @BigBadBob , @Bullfilter , @DensleyBlair , @Eurasia , @JabberJock14, @JerseyGiants88 , definitely yours @HistoryDude , @Le Jones , @Macavity116 , @Peter Ebbesen , @Revan86 , @TheButterflyComposer , @volksmarschall and @Werther . I found the numbers pretty consistent with what I saw above on my own. Some numbers change, but the end result is about the same. 16 different AARs written between 2017 and the present with the same .008 comment to view and 2 replies to posts as an average. How about that?"
He stamps out his cigarette in the ashtray as he watches the smoke emanating from a very fresh open wound in his skull.
I note the interesting trend of most of these having HIGH author posting percentages too. The lower ones are due to how much audience interaction there is, including full on reader submitted content. But most have an author making up a good half or just under of all posts.
Urgh. I have been attempting to beat my audience into the former category for six years and have finally succeeded with an AAR...following Weimar Germany.
From my tenure, it may be the curiosity of what might be in the alternate history which causes the discussion (and/or some just wish to include their own "desire" for said alternate history AND current history. We see it more in HoI and Vickie, but it happens in the earlier historical games as well.)"
Often there's a determined commentator or two willing to have arguments about anything that comes up, or endlessly theorise, or talk about the period in general (which seems to happen most in HOI and CK2). Or complain about how insane the game is (which was the basis of much of my comment section, before I tricked them with WW1 and 2 stuff).
Again, we come back to write something, and they will come. Esepcially if you keep doing it.
In my experience it’s just about sheer bloody persistence. The majority of Echoes chapters were 2,000-word affairs posted once every few days to a handful of active readers. When I was forced to start slowing down and post, say, a 5-10,000-word update quarterly I found that in between times people would just… talk. With a not-unhealthy amount of prodding from myself, plus good classic ingredients like the presence of both TBC and Pip in the same thread.
Once you find your mini group within the forum, you’re set really. I have no idea how many unique readers have read Echoes, but I do know (and am very fortunate in being able to know) that about half a dozen people will seriously engage with what I post. Which I’d call success, but others will differ.
Once you find your mini group within the forum, you’re set really. I have no idea how many unique readers have read Echoes, but I do know (and am very fortunate in being able to know) that about half a dozen people will seriously engage with what I post.
Funnily enough, I have a mostly new group for Tomorrow, different from all prior AARs. Presumably because the old group, whilst still prominent and off and on writers, don't read as much as they used to.
Some AARs serve as natural talking grounds too. Butterfly Project is infamous for talking about absolutely anything tangentially related to the period, but @Le Jones pieces are generally hotbed for it too, and spawning grounds for AAR ideas. As was Ged's Existential Nightmare, partly by design, as it was a tutorial and discussion on CK3 on release.
Interesting discussion you kicked off there @coz1 - which gives me vague but undefinable feelings of irony as I write it! It’s something I’ve pondered too ever since I started writing AARs back in early 2017. So a time that only encompasses the 2016+ period.
My own anecdotal feeling is that comment levels have fallen even in the last 6-12 months, but that’s not scientific. I’m wondering whether it’s also related to the relative size of the pool of people still following some of the threads. So CK2 in its heyday a couple of years ago, rather than now with CK3 competition, HOI3 which now only has a couple of extant works still going, etc.
The two of mine you cited were both either from the start or later designed to encourage comment and participation through format, though not solely written and constructed for that purpose.
TT came to include a bunch of player based characters for those who were long term commenters (as a kind of reward system, but mainly because I thought it would be amusing for all concerned) and had things like cabinet meetings where people could comment on issues of the day and debates about next steps in a game situation which was a bit non-standard for Hoi3/WW2 stories. And we got a bit of a commenting community going.
Blood and Battle’s format was designed to be interactive from the start and did generate a pleasing comment rate at first, beginning in the ‘golden age’ of CK2 activity. But the comments steadily wound down over time even though I thought the story matter was becoming more interesting of itself, big events happening that took years to come to fruition, etc. Part I think because I gradually needed less help with the game (so fewer questions for me to ask), part because both CK2 and general commenting culture were dropping off a bit. And maybe also because the story wasn’t as interesting any more <shrugs, takes another sip of whiskey>.
Both of those pieces had own comment % of around the low 30s or so. Despite my frenetic posting rate of chapters and diligent comment feedback posts. Not sure I’ll ever recapture that with the more recent ones.
The ones there that had those extraordinary high rates of comments (eg Plantagenet, Royal Prerogative) that I’m familiar with were/are just extraordinary works that justifiably generated devoted followings and many different commenters. It’s just the vibe.
I think some works, yours included @coz1 , are extraordinary narrative works that are perhaps more likely to be read and greatly appreciated but not necessarily commented on from the “let’s chip in because it might affect what happens next” genre, more the story is preordained and delivered, let’s just read and appreciate. And for those times when you post very quickly and people are regularly having to catch up multiple episodes, or people ‘discover’ it later and have to do the same, (both of which I’ve encountered with your Wessex back catalogue and WOTR): well, even for those who believe commenting is divine () it’s going to lower the view/comment ratio a bit.
Often there's a determined commentator or two willing to have arguments about anything that comes up, or endlessly theorise, or talk about the period in general (which seems to happen most in HOI and CK2)
Ps: also (and I can recall discussing these questions years ago) I’ve never really been able to work out how the view number is determined, whether your own ones count, etc etc. it would be interesting to simply know how it is calculated.
Yeah, I'm glad the run ended pretty quickly. Nice, covered the entire release and first few patches, done. Eventually merits a return when CK3 does something interesting or new.
People are leaving less comments than they used to (which I believe has much to do with the "like" function in which people are more likely to simply do that than actually write something in reply. I believe the response feature holds a place, but it does not equal nor should replace real actual feedback.)
Your sitting position changes. The gasp swallows the air above you. The sound escapes the corner you occupy. The posture enlarges to a harrowing size. The keyboard is ready. The eyes are locked on the screen. The hands are positioned. The fingers are about to trigger.
You take out one of your emergency flasks of vodka. You drink all of it.
"-People- have not replaced the words with any buttons available at any point of the time the forums have. Words have not been withheld for any amount of time to be posted for the day of the thread. It has not been a succeeding change, nor it has been an alteration of activity instead of any potential comments.
"Even the given statistical analysis, however it has a significant amount of assumptions, can still be used as an argument against the changing behaviour of the interaction within the threads. It is roughly the same.
"It has to be declared once again that yes, when the post is made, it is meant to be seen, read, acquired, understood, comprehended, acknowledged, and the list is endless in its beauty.
"Yet the response to a post can be in various forms one cannot reliably predict in any way.
"The quality of a post as a reply is a concept that has its own level of discussion, but that is not the case against the above argument.
"The button in the target, like, is ostensibly holding other meanings when the general effects on the life patterns of the homo sapiens is considered. Yet even that is not the case here at this point of delirium."
You take one another flask out of your backpack, drink it, while being fully aware of the menu of the bAAR.
"Getting less comments to any written work has to be defined in order to continue the counter-argument. Acquiring the feeling of not-be-seen-any-more is the concept that lies behind the notion. The a priori statement, which assumes that there is [the before] and [the after] times of [a concept], [a structure], [a form], is false as given from the beginning by that false assumption. Then comes the banality of [the nostalgia] with all its problems one can possibly create at the moment of [the concern]."
You pause, yet your eyes devour the light, creating the horizon of events on it, not allowing its escape from the limit it hurls on any possible existence.
"The actual basis is the longing for the fresh brain. The state of the organ when it was still amazed by every other act on it that it could react to. The youth. The mind when it was seeing the stars with every infinitesimal move of the universe it could perceive.
"Gone are the times of sparkling astonishment. Yes. As the brain grows in its thunderous power, and the mind gets mature beyond the adolescence, the perception follows with its complete inertia.
"x years ago comes a comment from the mind of a y-years-old to a post made by another z-years-old. x years fly by the stream of life, yet it is an insignificant amount compared to the time-flow of the universe. And yet again, x years after, the repeated stimulus of the outside will provoke less or fewer or maybe gentler or perhaps more subtle or probably more reserved - and the list is uncontrollable in its charm - reaction.
"That is the basis of the feeling. Now comes the coping mechanism. The accusation methodology requires [the enemy], which depends on the process of creating [the other]. In this case it is those using the words as the defence of [the core], and the attacker side is those defaulting into simple buttons to express feelings as [the other].
"The argument by itself is flawed. The argument would have better chances of fighting when the actual horror is defined, and it begins with the actual nihil. The infinite nothingness. The certain nought. The definite nil. No response.
"Not the reaction. It is not the quality of the comment that is argued; it is [the existence] against [the absolute zero].
"And do not fall into the trap of the banality; bringing out the quantity against the quality. That is an invalid dichotomy. They are not counter-concepts; quantity is by default a form of quality.
"...there are only two (2) serial commentators in the entire AARland. This generalisation excludes those who focus on the individual works; only (2) serial commentators who actually comment over a higher number of works than any other, such that it is a valid assumption that those (2) are the actual serial commentators in the entire AARland, for the entire AARland, on the entire AARland. This has been (3) in certainty, and it has been even more in the past. Now that is a valid point of discussion."
The third flask of emergency-vodka is taken out. It seems the backpack has a certain corner for infinite-reserves. Quite the backpack. Burn on the throat. Joy is ever-growing. Time is running out. Along with the tolerable patience for the post. You hasten.
"And that brings out the former point: x amount of years have passed. [y + x] now equals to a quantity that physically prevents those comments to be made. Besides, [z + x] also equals to a quantity that physically provides less patience for waiting an amount of time after gaining the momentum of the flow. The flow of the words created by the lightnings within the dreams from the mind reaching into the infinity."
You stop finally.
"One always longs for the younger days. It was the opportunity to be the irresponsible of the moment. The young can be the daredevil when discovering the universe unleashed upon the moment and every moment. Run are those days away; responsibilities emerge; life has to be created by the individual to be lived by the individual. One can never go back. The entropy does not flow in that direction."
You put the empty flasks back. You get up, walk for the coat, find out the cigarette pack, and get ready to go outside for a quick smoke.
"...and like it or not coz1, my friend, you will get your -like-s. They are useful tools. I leave a -like- immediately after reading a post, to mark it down, to remind myself that the post has been read. Properly.But I am just a new weirdo, registered comparatively recent."
You open the door, then without looking before the step: "...and I do not read every aar; I do not like every aar I read; and certainly I do not leave a -like- without a purpose.Others may -must- have other reasons; my prediction is the lack of time."
You are outside, lighting the cigarette, smoking it out.
<But the camera stays in the bAAR. Your never-ending words are heard through shouting to bypass the heavy door>
"...yeah, those two are HistoryDude and Midnite Duke. Currently. I wouldn't use the term -serial commentators- so lightly; that is reserved for them.Idhrendur and Nikolai are notable additions to the list for consideration."
<brief pause; probably smoking; the ones inside the bAAR are exchanging cringe-da faq?-looks to each other>
"The king is stnylan, though. Time irrelevant, forever."
Edit: Corrected unnecessary repetition, syntax mistakes.
Necro-edit: Not on the missing descriptions for the links;
- The first one is a royalty-free, rubbish techno-dance music, therefore no description was provided, but still, Almost Evil by Infraction, unknown date.
- Not providing a description for the second link was an actual mistake; Dangerous Corp from the soundtrack album VirtuaVerse.ost by Master Boot Record (2020)
I leave a -like- immediately after reading a post, to mark it down, to remind myself that the post has been read. Properly.But I am just a new weirdo, registered comparatively recent.
I do the same, especially when doing a long catch up, given the number of AARs I read (wishing it were more). And it doesn’t stop me commenting as well, though that’s usually when I’m in the state of nirvana of having caught up.
I think we've finally moved beyond ye olde constructs of the bAAR which would make Mr. C proud because I think that was their goal when this particular thread was originally started. An excellent place to just have general discussion about anything.
I note the interesting trend of most of these having HIGH author posting percentages too. The lower ones are due to how much audience interaction there is, including full on reader submitted content. But most have an author making up a good half or just under of all posts.
That was quite enlightening to me as well. I have often thought that I posted too much in my own threads but seeing these numbers, I feel a bit...better?
In my experience it’s just about sheer bloody persistence. The majority of Echoes chapters were 2,000-word affairs posted once every few days to a handful of active readers. When I was forced to start slowing down and post, say, a 5-10,000-word update quarterly I found that in between times people would just… talk. With a not-unhealthy amount of prodding from myself, plus good classic ingredients like the presence of both TBC and Pip in the same thread.
Once you find your mini group within the forum, you’re set really. I have no idea how many unique readers have read Echoes, but I do know (and am very fortunate in being able to know) that about half a dozen people will seriously engage with what I post. Which I’d call success, but others will differ.
Some AARs serve as natural talking grounds too. Butterfly Project is infamous for talking about absolutely anything tangentially related to the period, but @Le Jones pieces are generally hotbed for it too, and spawning grounds for AAR ideas.
Indeed. I believe that is why you see such a high reply to comment ratio in such works. These conversations are fascinating and I am fairly certain keep readers/commenters engaged. Would that any of the rest of us be able to bottle it!
My own anecdotal feeling is that comment levels have fallen even in the last 6-12 months, but that’s not scientific. I’m wondering whether it’s also related to the relative size of the pool of people still following some of the threads. So CK2 in its heyday a couple of years ago, rather than now with CK3 competition, HOI3 which now only has a couple of extant works still going, etc.
I think that is borne out in the data provided (crude as it is.) Not much and while I remain that views are not terribly predictive of true following, less views equal less comments. I did not really dig down to include that in these equations, but I don't think we can deny that views are down as much as comments (if not more.)
I think some works, yours included @coz1 , are extraordinary narrative works that are perhaps more likely to be read and greatly appreciated but not necessarily commented on from the “let’s chip in because it might affect what happens next” genre, more the story is preordained and delivered, let’s just read and appreciate. And for those times when you post very quickly and people are regularly having to catch up multiple episodes, or people ‘discover’ it later and have to do the same, (both of which I’ve encountered with your Wessex back catalogue and WOTR): well, even for those who believe commenting is divine () it’s going to lower the view/comment ratio a bit.
Ps: also (and I can recall discussing these questions years ago) I’ve never really been able to work out how the view number is determined, whether your own ones count, etc etc. it would be interesting to simply know how it is calculated.
And it gets brighter in its flames silently dancing through the dark of the night.
Yet the time is not available to your existence.
Yet the space is not accepting your presence.
...
Then you see one fierce spark among the screams of fire.
This again.
Your sitting position changes. The gasp swallows the air above you. The sound escapes the corner you occupy. The posture enlarges to a harrowing size. The keyboard is ready. The eyes are locked on the screen. The hands are positioned. The fingers are about to trigger.
One last move;
You take out one of your emergency flasks of vodka. You drink all of it.
"-People- have not replaced the words with any buttons available at any point of the time the forums have. Words have not been withheld for any amount of time to be posted for the day of the thread. It has not been a succeeding change, nor it has been an alteration of activity instead of any potential comments.
"Even the given statistical analysis, however it has a significant amount of assumptions, can still be used as an argument against the changing behaviour of the interaction within the threads. It is roughly the same.
"It has to be declared once again that yes, when the post is made, it is meant to be seen, read, acquired, understood, comprehended, acknowledged, and the list is endless in its beauty.
"Yet the response to a post can be in various forms one cannot reliably predict in any way.
"The quality of a post as a reply is a concept that has its own level of discussion, but that is not the case against the above argument.
"The button in the target, like, is ostensibly holding other meanings when the general effects on the life patterns of the homo sapiens is considered. Yet even that is not the case here at this point of delirium."
You take one another flask out of your backpack, drink it, while being fully aware of the menu of the bAAR.
"Getting less comments to any written work has to be defined in order to continue the counter-argument. Acquiring the feeling of not-be-seen-any-more is the concept that lies behind the notion. The a priori statement, which assumes that there is [the before] and [the after] times of [a concept], [a structure], [a form], is false as given from the beginning by that false assumption. Then comes the banality of [the nostalgia] with all its problems one can possibly create at the moment of [the concern]."
You pause, yet your eyes devour the light, creating the horizon of events on it, not allowing its escape from the limit it hurls on any possible existence.
"The actual basis is the longing for the fresh brain. The state of the organ when it was still amazed by every other act on it that it could react to. The youth. The mind when it was seeing the stars with every infinitesimal move of the universe it could perceive.
"Gone are the times of sparkling astonishment. Yes. As the brain grows in its thunderous power, and the mind gets mature beyond the adolescence, the perception follows with its complete inertia.
"x years ago comes a comment from the mind of a y-years-old to a post made by another z-years-old. x years fly by the stream of life, yet it is an insignificant amount compared to the time-flow of the universe. And yet again, x years after, the repeated stimulus of the outside will provoke less or fewer or maybe gentler or perhaps more subtle or probably more reserved - and the list is uncontrollable in its charm - reaction.
"That is the basis of the feeling. Now comes the coping mechanism. The accusation methodology requires [the enemy], which depends on the process of creating [the other]. In this case it is those using the words as the defence of [the core], and the attacker side is those defaulting into simple buttons to express feelings as [the other].
"The argument by itself is flawed. The argument would have better chances of fighting when the actual horror is defined, and it begins with the actual nihil. The infinite nothingness. The certain nought. The definite nil. No response.
"Not the reaction. It is not the quality of the comment that is argued; it is [the existence] against [the absolute zero].
"And do not fall into the trap of the banality; bringing out the quantity against the quality. That is an invalid dichotomy. They are not counter-concepts; quantity is by default a form of quality.
"In that regard;
"...there are only two (2) serial commentators in the entire AARland. This generalisation excludes those who focus on the individual works; only (2) serial commentators who actually comment over a higher number of works than any other, such that it is a valid assumption that those (2) are the actual serial commentators in the entire AARland, for the entire AARland, on the entire AARland. This has been (3) in certainty, and it has been even more in the past. Now that is a valid point of discussion."
The third flask of emergency-vodka is taken out. It seems the backpack has a ceratin corner for infinite-reserves. Quite the backpack. Burn on the throat. Joy is ever-growing. Time is running out. Along with the tolerable patience for the post. You hasten.
"And that brings out the former point: x amount of years have passed. [y + x] now equals to a quantity that physically prevents those comments to be made. Besides, [z + x] also equals to a quantity that physically provides less patience for waiting an amount of time after gaining the momentum of the flow. The flow of the words created by the lightnings within the dreams from the mind reaching into the infinity."
You stop finally.
"One always longs for the younger days. It was the opportunity to be the irresponsible of the moment. The young can be the daredevil when discovering the universe unleashed upon the moment and every moment. Run are those days away; responsibilities emerge; life has to be created by the individual to be lived by the individual. One can never go back. The entropy does not flow in that direction."
You put back the empty flasks back. You get up, walk for the coat, find out the cigarette pack, and get ready to go outside for a quick smoke.
"...and like it or not coz1, my friend, you will get your -like-s. They are useful tools. I leave a -like- immediately after reading a post, to mark it down, to remind myself that the post has been read. Properly.But I am just a new weirdo, registered comparatively recent."
You open the door, then without looking before the step: "...and I do not read every aar; I do not like every aar I read; and certainly I do not leave a -like- without a purpose.Others may -must- have other reasons; my prediction is the lack of time."
You are outside, lighting the cigarette, smoking it out.
<But the camera stays in the bAAR. Your never-ending words are heard through shouting to bypass the heavy door>
"...yeah, those two are HistoryDude and Midnite Duke. Currently. I wouldn't use the term -serial commentators- so lightly; that is reserved for them.Idhrendur and Nikolai are notable additions to the list for consideration."
<brief pause; probably smoking; the ones inside the bAAR are exhanging cringe-da faq?-looks to each other>
"The king is stnylan, though. Time irrelevant, forever."
I am quoting your entire post because it deserves to be fully read once, and then again. Maybe one more time after that. I have to say that I am uncertain whether you are saying you agree that the "like" function is over used or that you think it is needed and required. Either way, it matters and warrants discussion. More than anything, however, I love how you approach a post...any post. Would that others did the same (and maybe they do without the actual comment given after the fact.)
You will find no greater champion of @stnylan on these fora than I! I love him and always will. He is a good friend, an amazing person and when he decides to lean in on his activity there is no one better at really giving the entire idea of encouragement what that truly means. He (as I did) learned at the feet of MrT. He is much better at it than I am, to be certain! We (read:me) want him back whenever he decides to join our ranks again. A true champion and indeed, Long Live the King!
And it gets brighter in its flames silently dancing through the dark of the night.
Yet the time is not available to your existence.
Yet the space is not accepting your presence.
...
Then you see one fierce spark among the screams of fire.
This again.
Your sitting position changes. The gasp swallows the air above you. The sound escapes the corner you occupy. The posture enlarges to a harrowing size. The keyboard is ready. The eyes are locked on the screen. The hands are positioned. The fingers are about to trigger.
One last move;
You take out one of your emergency flasks of vodka. You drink all of it.
"-People- have not replaced the words with any buttons available at any point of the time the forums have. Words have not been withheld for any amount of time to be posted for the day of the thread. It has not been a succeeding change, nor it has been an alteration of activity instead of any potential comments.
"Even the given statistical analysis, however it has a significant amount of assumptions, can still be used as an argument against the changing behaviour of the interaction within the threads. It is roughly the same.
"It has to be declared once again that yes, when the post is made, it is meant to be seen, read, acquired, understood, comprehended, acknowledged, and the list is endless in its beauty.
"Yet the response to a post can be in various forms one cannot reliably predict in any way.
"The quality of a post as a reply is a concept that has its own level of discussion, but that is not the case against the above argument.
"The button in the target, like, is ostensibly holding other meanings when the general effects on the life patterns of the homo sapiens is considered. Yet even that is not the case here at this point of delirium."
You take one another flask out of your backpack, drink it, while being fully aware of the menu of the bAAR.
"Getting less comments to any written work has to be defined in order to continue the counter-argument. Acquiring the feeling of not-be-seen-any-more is the concept that lies behind the notion. The a priori statement, which assumes that there is [the before] and [the after] times of [a concept], [a structure], [a form], is false as given from the beginning by that false assumption. Then comes the banality of [the nostalgia] with all its problems one can possibly create at the moment of [the concern]."
You pause, yet your eyes devour the light, creating the horizon of events on it, not allowing its escape from the limit it hurls on any possible existence.
"The actual basis is the longing for the fresh brain. The state of the organ when it was still amazed by every other act on it that it could react to. The youth. The mind when it was seeing the stars with every infinitesimal move of the universe it could perceive.
"Gone are the times of sparkling astonishment. Yes. As the brain grows in its thunderous power, and the mind gets mature beyond the adolescence, the perception follows with its complete inertia.
"x years ago comes a comment from the mind of a y-years-old to a post made by another z-years-old. x years fly by the stream of life, yet it is an insignificant amount compared to the time-flow of the universe. And yet again, x years after, the repeated stimulus of the outside will provoke less or fewer or maybe gentler or perhaps more subtle or probably more reserved - and the list is uncontrollable in its charm - reaction.
"That is the basis of the feeling. Now comes the coping mechanism. The accusation methodology requires [the enemy], which depends on the process of creating [the other]. In this case it is those using the words as the defence of [the core], and the attacker side is those defaulting into simple buttons to express feelings as [the other].
"The argument by itself is flawed. The argument would have better chances of fighting when the actual horror is defined, and it begins with the actual nihil. The infinite nothingness. The certain nought. The definite nil. No response.
"Not the reaction. It is not the quality of the comment that is argued; it is [the existence] against [the absolute zero].
"And do not fall into the trap of the banality; bringing out the quantity against the quality. That is an invalid dichotomy. They are not counter-concepts; quantity is by default a form of quality.
"In that regard;
"...there are only two (2) serial commentators in the entire AARland. This generalisation excludes those who focus on the individual works; only (2) serial commentators who actually comment over a higher number of works than any other, such that it is a valid assumption that those (2) are the actual serial commentators in the entire AARland, for the entire AARland, on the entire AARland. This has been (3) in certainty, and it has been even more in the past. Now that is a valid point of discussion."
The third flask of emergency-vodka is taken out. It seems the backpack has a ceratin corner for infinite-reserves. Quite the backpack. Burn on the throat. Joy is ever-growing. Time is running out. Along with the tolerable patience for the post. You hasten.
"And that brings out the former point: x amount of years have passed. [y + x] now equals to a quantity that physically prevents those comments to be made. Besides, [z + x] also equals to a quantity that physically provides less patience for waiting an amount of time after gaining the momentum of the flow. The flow of the words created by the lightnings within the dreams from the mind reaching into the infinity."
You stop finally.
"One always longs for the younger days. It was the opportunity to be the irresponsible of the moment. The young can be the daredevil when discovering the universe unleashed upon the moment and every moment. Run are those days away; responsibilities emerge; life has to be created by the individual to be lived by the individual. One can never go back. The entropy does not flow in that direction."
You put back the empty flasks back. You get up, walk for the coat, find out the cigarette pack, and get ready to go outside for a quick smoke.
"...and like it or not coz1, my friend, you will get your -like-s. They are useful tools. I leave a -like- immediately after reading a post, to mark it down, to remind myself that the post has been read. Properly.But I am just a new weirdo, registered comparatively recent."
You open the door, then without looking before the step: "...and I do not read every aar; I do not like every aar I read; and certainly I do not leave a -like- without a purpose.Others may -must- have other reasons; my prediction is the lack of time."
You are outside, lighting the cigarette, smoking it out.
<But the camera stays in the bAAR. Your never-ending words are heard through shouting to bypass the heavy door>
"...yeah, those two are HistoryDude and Midnite Duke. Currently. I wouldn't use the term -serial commentators- so lightly; that is reserved for them.Idhrendur and Nikolai are notable additions to the list for consideration."
<brief pause; probably smoking; the ones inside the bAAR are exhanging cringe-da faq?-looks to each other>
"The king is stnylan, though. Time irrelevant, forever."
Also quoting the entire thing. This is a great point, and it also matches my experience. To be fair, I think my posts get more likes than comments, but that's a generalization. Also, it's possible that the likes that come from people who aren't leaving comments are from people who would have been mere lurkers otherwise.
I actually am very happy to get the reactions as a minimum, as it shows actual engagement as opposed to views and you can see who has reacted, where you’re not sure how much is just a glancing blow, rather than a palpable hit with the view stat (especially as it now only ticks over in the thousands after it gets to 1k). And I think anyone who was going to comment would do so anyway and would not be discouraged from doing so by ticking the box.
Yes, I think this is a key point. I am old enough (in forum terms) to remember the great panicked debates over whether likes would kill off comments – but I think more often than not whenever I leave a like on an AAR it’s in addition to commenting. Mostly, as others have said, as an initial mark of appreciation and a signal to the author (and myself) that I have read the chapter. I’ll still leave a comment afterwards, because that was just how I was brought up.
In regards the "like" function, I honestly don't come down one way or the other about its usefulness but really more look at the anecdotal (as suggested) consideration that because we have that, it may not yield as many comments as we might have seen before. I don't believe there is any practical way to prove or disprove that. I would tend to agree that many (as has been said here) will still do both and more agree with @HistoryDude that some at least use that when in the past they would have been content to lurk (which is certainly a net positive.)
For me, I don't tend to use that function often but that has more to do with behavioral practices picked up over my tenure here. Not having had anything like that for the better part of my time, I just never caught up once it was included. Old dogs and tricks, right?