Reflection and Analysis

General: Advertising on Other's Stories and Profiles is Rude

Calling someone out for advertising their stories on another person's profile or stories is not rude, nor is it in any way a form of bullying. In fact, those who post advertisements for their stories to another person's profile or stories are the one being rude. Mind you, sometimes the person doesn't know their actions are in fact rude.

Others, however, do but insist they have the right to post advertisements for their stories where they please because they should be allowed to do whatever they want, but those calling them out, in turn, are not allowed to call them out, making these people major hypocrites. They also make attempts to bully those calling them out into relenting by – for one thing calling them bullies when they aren't – but attacking the other person's right to call them out. Freedom of speech only goes one way for them, the way that allows them to do what they want without any kind of repercussion.

However, advertising your story on another person's profile or comments is against the rules. Specifically, the Code of Conduct says under the section DON'T Spam, "don't promote your stories as a comment on other people's stories." That section doesn't mention anything about not posting advertisements to other people's profiles, but there is actually a way to advertise your story on another person's profile without posting – by giving said person a shout out in a given chapter.

As the page says, "there's a fine line between promoting your stories and spamming". The fact you only did it once doesn't make what you did "not spam". According to Oxford dictionary, spam is "irrelevant or unsolicited messages sent over the internet, typically to a large number of users for the purposes of advertising, phishing, spreading malware, etc." or "unwanted or intrusive advertising on the internet".

But wait, there are guidelines regarding bullying, so...

Doesn't the guidelines also say "DO Respect Other's Views And Opinions"? Why is it that you are allowed to voice the fact you think it is okay to spam others with advertisements, but people aren't allowed to call you out? Worse, there's a difference between opinion and fact, and in this case spamming others with advertisements isn't allowed. It's right there in the Code of Conduct.

Sure, it does say that "if you feel that someone is expressing views or opinions that are offensive, defamatory, abusive or inappropriate, you can report them", but how is calling you out for inappropriate behavior any of the above?

Yes, you took offense at being called out for doing something you shouldn't have been doing. You took offense that someone's opinion differed from your own and that someone disagreed – though in this case, we have opinion versus fact, where advertisements aren't allowed, particularly on another person's story. The fact you took offense at something does not make it offensive. To claim something is offensive, you have to use more than just "I got my feelings hurt".

In fact, insisting you have the right to do whatever you want is offensive, as you're arguing that what you want trumps what other people want. In this case, people don't like getting random advertisements from strangers on their profiles and stories, but despite that fact you are arguing that it is okay for you to do so despite the fact said advertisements are not wanted.

Is it defamatory? It's not the person whose calling you out for your behavior that damages your reputation, but your own actions. However, calling someone a bully simply because they're not allowing you to get your way is defamatory.

Is it abusive? As I've already said, calling you out is not offensive, nor is it insulting. It is not violent, nor is it cruel. However, posting advertisements to another person's story and insisting the action is okay is abusive.

Is it inappropriate? Calling someone out for rude behavior is in no way inappropriate. Defending oneself from personal attacks, like the insistence that a certain person has too much time on their hands because of the number of stories they have and the fact they take the time to call people out is not inappropriate. Inappropriate is posting advertisements to other people's profiles and stories and then defending one's actions.

In other words calling me rude and a bully is an attempt to ignore the fact you yourself are in the wrong by trying to shift blame, and it won't work.

...

This said, a note on getting noticed.

Advertising on another person's profile and stories is as I said against the reviews and frowned upon. However...

- Does your story have something to do with the given story? Then it's not spam. This means posting Fanfic Friday contest links in the comments, a story that you were inspired to write because of another writer's story, or a story you're looking to get feedback from on an essay on fanfic writing. Asking for critique is very different from asking for more reads and favorites. Did the story remind you of something you wrote? Posting a story to the first chapter of a collection of essays etc. because the essays are fanfic related doesn't count.

- Dedicate your story. This puts the story on a person's profile, and it isn't against the rules.

- Put the work in. Getting reads, favorites and comments takes time and effort.

Speaking of the last one, one of the people I've called out did in fact attempt to tell me that all the effort and time I put into my story was a waste of time, yet they still felt it was okay for them to skip all the hard work and effort others go through by posting advertisements to other people's stories.

Doing it once or twice because you don't know better is one thing. Doing it after you know better says far more about you as a writer, and in effect will shape how people view you. Are you the writer who wants to take shortcuts to get reads, favorites, and comments to brush your ego despite the fact you didn't earn them or are you the writer who earns their reads, favorites, and comments.

While this may be a game for you, it isn't for others. Even if you don't want to put the effort in, at least respect the effort they put in by not advertising because advertising your stories paints you as a very self-centered individual who cares more about reads, favorites follow and comment because to you it is a number to wear as a bad. You don't care about your readers as an individual, as you're willing to do things you shouldn't to get them.

However, advertising isn't fair to other writers. As the Code of Conduct says, "earn votes by working hard and improving your writing. IF readers enjoy your works, they will vote. Vote trading is unfair to those who do not participate in such an activity." The same goes for advertising and asking for more reads and comments.

I don't advertise on other people's stories and profiles not because it is against the rules, but because I want to respect other writers, but also my readers.