I am curious (purple)

[gwyn]

One of the things that the past couple weeks or so brought home to me is that I'm completely bewildered by why anyone reads this LJ. I know most of my flist comes from the Jossverse -- especially Buffy fans. Judging by the response to last week's new chapter of my F&F WIP, it's not for the F&F fic updates. Many of you are folks I know through fandom, especially vidding. And then there's the inevitable confusion over why I get both massively defriended after a usage post, but also friended by a lot of new people, and many of them haven't been shy about telling me it's boring if I don't do more usage posts. At this point I almost have no idea what to use it for anymore. I would actually be grateful if you'd do the ticky box thing, and let me know, so I can figure out what to focus on. As it is, with fic, I'm trying to put the focus back in the Buffy since I think there's clearly more interest there, but is there something else I should be wasting words on?

[Poll #372466]

Comments

[batdina.livejournal.com]

How about I know you personally and I like keeping up with whatever you're doing because you're doing it?

[umbo.livejournal.com]

Basically I have you friended because I find you a cool and interesting person with cool and interesting things to say. Even though I'm not as interested in vidding as your Buffy fic, I still usually read your vidding posts and find something to enjoy about them, so it's not like I'd want you to stop posting about *any* of these things. I want you to post what *you* want to post, basically. I just plain like you!

[klia.livejournal.com]

You forgot the ticky box saying, "You're my friend, and I'm interested in what's happening with you."

Also with the interesting.

[maygra.livejournal.com]

I find *you* interesting; your opinions, your commentaries, your approach to fanish things -- I don't always agree with your conclusions, but I agree that they are valid and you present them interestingly and they make me think -- maybe even more importantly, I trust your opinion. I think if we didn't live on opposite coasts we might actually spend time together (or not..I know I enjoy the face to face time we do get.)

Granted, I'm also here for the TFaTF fic announcements or Mag7 since I'm not interested in the Jossverse at all (but understand why so many people are). I know that's where your heart is at the moment..but I'm pretty patient. I'm going to wait you out on Ciudad::grin::

I love your vids, I love your fic...I think that makes me a Gwyneht Fan more than anything.

[stateless82.livejournal.com]

I like how you write about the things you write about.

And obviously, I'm in desperate need of the usage posts.

[thefourthvine.livejournal.com]

This is a massive cop-out, especially as I am going to be doing a more in-depth version of this same poll later in the week (the discovery that a few people who read my LJ don't like slash at all has me sort of stunned), but I honestly think you should write what you want to write here. We're your audience, yes, but this is your journal.

Personal narrative, though, in case it is of interest to you. Someone linked to a usage post of yours in the comments section of a rant of my own. I liked the essay, so I friended you and browsed through your memories. (Ew. That sounds bad. I trust you know I'm not, like, trawling your brain or anything.) Then, some time later, I wandered through your website and found your vids, and that was another thing I liked. Later I read your fic and liked that. And now I consider you to be in the general category of "likely to come up with something interesting." In other words, I don't read your journal for any one particular thing, more just for you in general.

[gem225.livejournal.com]

You're a cool person, I care about you, and I enjoy reading your posts, whatever the topic.

echoing thefourthvine

[emmarytz.livejournal.com]

(Even while wondering about my spelling of "echoing.") Maybe I'm more generally voyeuristic than most, but what I like about LJ is the opportunity it gives to peek into the lives of those who are, some of the time, complete strangers. I read some of your posts more closely than others but, in general, I just like seeing what you've got to say about whatever. Sometimes I pick up grammar hints; sometimes I find out about some show on television; sometimes I learn that people can give their frequent flier miles away. When I post to my own LJ, it's for my own amusement, as a rule. I don't see that you should feel obligated to write usage posts when you don't feel like it, or that you should stop posting about Fast & Furious vids if the poll numbers indicate those posts are less popular. So what? -em ps. Have you heard that Fox (or was it WB?) is begging Joss to come back and do something for them? It seems their various replacement shows don't hold the viewers the way Angel did. -em

[thisisbone.livejournal.com]

I didn't know any of those things about you -- the usage posts, the Jossverse. I knew your vids from old MC tapes, and it just seemed like we should be friends, since we have a lot of overlap among our friends.

And then the Fast & Furious thing... and the "Stripped" vid...

And now I stay. I like your diverse interests.

(And I'm going to read the latest part of Ciudad as soon as I can be sure it's not going to permeate my brain while I'm still working on my own WIP!)

[leela-cat.livejournal.com]

I like you. You're my friend. I have you on my friends list because I want to keep up with your life. I'm interested in many things, including your usage posts and your fiction.

I haven't read your F&F fiction only because I haven't seen F&F. Once I've figured out who the characters are, I'll drop back by and read.

[killabeez.livejournal.com]

I said 'none of the above,' because... to some degree, all of those, but mostly because I want to know what's going on with you and because I always enjoy reading your thoughts about your fandoms, even those we don't share. I value true fandom love, and you are a person who really has that for all her fandoms, and it shows. I like your insights about vidding and writing, both the critical and the more off the cuff process-oriented stuff. I like your writing a lot, and even if I don't always read everything you write, I like to know what you're working on. But mostly, because I'm never bored by what you write about. It's all of interest to me to one degree or another. You're one of the few people I never skip past, honestly.

[cathexys.livejournal.com]

as many said before and better: i like *you*, like hearing about whatever *you* feel like writing and talking about. so, i'll read about your sister more closely than about F&F, may respond to your usage post more readily than vidding discussions, but i *like* the variety and diversity lj affords us...

keep on writing for yourself, not us (esp. since you know, the *us* can never be pleased in its entirety :-)

[rainkatt.livejournal.com]

I read most of your posts, but I don't read the F&F fanfic. I stick around, anyway, because I like what you say about just about anything. You're interesting and I learn stuff here I wouldn't find out anywhere else, and I like you.

OK?

[sweet-ali.livejournal.com]

Okay, "obligated" is definitely not the right verb in this sentence. I know you and want to have on my FList, to keep up with your life and all the goings on. So there :P

[http://users.livejournal.com/_nepthys_/]

I checked some of the boxes above, but those aren't the only reasons I'm here.... I think you're an interesting person, level-headed and very articulate. I enjoy reading your posts, whether they're about fannish subjects or real life. Write what you feel like writing about, and don't worry about what other people might think. :)

[gwyn-r.livejournal.com]

Well, you guys I already know about. ;-) You're above the polls.

Your kitty picture reminds me of my brat, even though she looks a lot different than your b&w. She's been such a good sport this weekend -- I'm changing her food and her litter, and she's still being a good kid.

[gwyn-r.livejournal.com]

I like reading about my friends' lives a lot, but sometimes, especially with how things have gone lately, I realize that the same might not be true here, especially for the peeps who came in because of the essays or the usage stuff. It's hard to get a handle on. Originally I never even talked about personal stuff, but boy, you sure do slide once you get used to this place, don't you?

[gwyn-r.livejournal.com]

Well, that's different. You're special! ;-)

Re: Also with the interesting.

[gwyn-r.livejournal.com]

Not that, of course, I've been even remotely good about Mag 7 stuff of late, either. I'm still desperately hunting for story ideas. If I can just get a good kernel of an idea, I could come up with a story... but otherwise I think I blew the brain pan on that one. My little fandom that could. ;-)

[gwyn-r.livejournal.com]

Heee! No, you're not!

[gwyn-r.livejournal.com]

Isn't that weird when you realize that one or more of your interests is so not a part of your flist's interests? I am always wondering why...

But that's actually helpful about how you arrived here -- in a way it says that my thinly disguised ADD poster child behavior might not actually be a bad thing, which I was starting to wonder if it was. I know it's a bummer when you want one thing from someone and they go haring off on another (the Spuffy fans probably wanting more Spuffy and grinding their teeth if I'm off writing F&F slash), but it sounds like a lot of people are more like you, where there are different interests to follow, so a wider variety of people you read. Which is a good bit of food for thought.

[gwyn-r.livejournal.com]

I will try to remind myself of that next time I get hammered on -- Gem *said* I was cool. So there.

BTW, I adore your icon. Just adore. It reminds me so much of my beloved black cat from so long ago.

[gwyn-r.livejournal.com]

I think one of the cool things about having something like the usage posts or reviews linked to is that you bring new people to the party, but the bad part is that they often expect that this is your journal in its entirety. So that's been difficult because anyone who's read more than a few entries knows I'm like a five year old and bounce from thing to thing, with no tie in. I do sometimes wonder if I must seem like I have multiple personality disorder! While I don't like them telling me to only do X and such, I do kind of get it sometimes. They thought it was this, only it's that. Probably no way to make them happy, though.

[hobbituk.livejournal.com]

Honestly? I have no idea why I friended you originally... I suspect I landed on your LJ via a friends flist, or a fic rec, or some such thing. Then, what I usually do is if I like what I read, I friend the LJ so I can read more. You are still friended, so I must like it!! *smiles and waves*

One thing, though. I feel completely ignorant and out of the loop and it is driving me mad. Just what is a usage post??? Should I be doing them? *has a thought* DO I do them already???

Re: echoing thefourthvine

[gwyn-r.livejournal.com]

sometimes I learn that people can give their frequent flier miles away.

LOL! See, that is a good thing -- I have imparted important information to someone! That's kind of what I like about LJ too -- the details, a sense of community. A place to whine... I don't know if you know about ginmar and her LJ, where she writes about being in Iraq (she's stationed there as a reservist). I've seen something happen with her, too, where people want to read about one aspect, and forget that the other things -- her Buffy fandom, etc. -- are a huge part of her life. It never occurred to me that people would have issues with what they think they "signed up for" by friending, but the last few weeks have opened my eyes.