...having been breathed out

Commenting and gift economies

turifer:

I’ve been thinking a lot about comments and commenting lately.  Apparently I’m not the only one, go look at havingbeenbreathedout’s tumblr for interesting thoughts on it.  That post inspired this, but as is glaringly obvious, I’m *very* slowly figuring out tumblr, so we’re just going to go with a link and my thoughts in this post.* 

I am fairly new to the world of fanfiction.  For a while, I would read the occasional fic and that was it.  At some point I realized that I was reading rather a lot of fanfic and it was… a hobby.  (Sounds so much better than obsession, doesn’t it?)  I derived enjoyment and entertainment from these stories that I was reading for free. 

This started me thinking about the fanfiction economy.  Clearly no money can change hands, due to the nature of the product, so it’s more along the lines of a gift economy.  Creative types can contribute to the economy by writing fic or producing art.  What about us non-writers/non-artists?  I don’t like feeling like a freeloader.  To me, here’s where comments come in.  I can take the time to let someone know that I liked their story and that I appreciate their effort.  I can indicate there is a demand for their supply. 

I’m still feeling my way around commenting—what feels appropriate and what doesn’t.  For example, I don’t post negative comments.  Why would I? Someone has gone to the trouble of creating something and posting it out there for the world to see.  That takes guts! Even if I don’t like it, kudos to them for creating something.  No one’s forcing me to read it.  I also don’t really post concrit, because I’m a little unsure of myself there.  I’m not a writer, so it feels… presumptive of me to comment on that aspect of their writing.  If someone asked me personally to provide feedback on their writing that would be a different matter, but it feels a little inappropriate or rude to post a comment about grammar mistakes or homophone abuse even if the rest of the comment is about liking the fic.**  I’m not really sure where I’ll end up on that. I’d love to hear thoughts on it. 

Most of the time I feel like I post utterly inane comments that boil down to “I like your story! A lot!” I feel a little embarrassed about this, but I figure it all goes under the golden rule.  I personally am thrilled (completely and utterly thrilled!) when someone so much as mentions in passing that they’ve read a word I’ve written, reblogs a link I’ve posted, &c. I figure other people must derive some pleasure from seeing that someone’s enjoyed their work, and my embarrassment about the quality of my comments seems a small price to pay as thanks.  And yes, of course what I really want to do is write witty and pithy comments worthy of Dorothy Parker.***  Well, that sure as hell isn’t going to happen, so I comment as I can.****

[snip]

***I wonder if there’s Dorothy Parker fanfic? Or is that just every short story in The New Yorker since? Of course, Dorothy Parker’s comments would probably have ended in tears, so maybe it’s all for the best. 

****Hah—I’ll be the John Watson to the authorial Sherlocks! Brilliant! Amazing!

I wonder if there’s Dorothy Parker fanfic? Or is that just every short story in The New Yorker since?

YES, TOO PERFECT. 

But seriously, turifer, I think we may secretly be the same person? One of my BFFs made a documentary film about gift economies, so I could immediately relate to your analogy here. And it sounds like we are similarly new to the fanfic world, and figuring out our relationships to it, and maybe even have similar journeys to have arrived here. So, high-five!

And yes, I agree with what you say here that it’s easy to feel embarrassed when your comments aren’t “up to snuff” somehow, but like you say, giving good commentary is an art like anything else, another way to contribute. So it makes sense that it would take regular practice before we’re consistently good at it, I think.