(no subject)

[cleolinda]

You guys, we need to have a talk.

"Your Lost discussion entry for this evening."

[zilch from you]

You're getting lazy and presumptuous, Cleolinda! How will you ever sell your books like that? Seriously. The masses will drift away if you stop entertaining them.

Don't mention it!

I did not find this comment, by itself, to be trollish. I thought that "Your Lost discussion entry for this evening" was a little curt myself, but I was in a hurry to get dinner started because Em was coming over to watch. I'm not sure how it was presumptuous, though, because whenever I don't post a discussion entry, people flip out asking where it is. I don't know why people want to talk here instead of an established Lost message board/forum, particularly since I don't participate or read the comments myself, but I figured, hey, it's a group of people who know each other from chatting on other entries; maybe they like the crowd.

I haven't posted a recap since the first episode, and I still have a few recaps missing from the end of last season. I've been in class, I've been sick, I've been burnt out. If the lack of recaps is such a serious problem that it requires anonymous tips, y'all need to let me know here and now, signed in under your LJ username.

And then there are the rest of the anonymous comments, which are, in fact, trollish. I know that some people came to my journal from following off-LJ links, and not everyone has a Livejournal. But I have blocked anon comments before and I will do it again, because I don't have time for this shit. I'm going to be charitable and assume that that was a one-time lapse of attention-whoring and that whoever it was got bored and left. All it's going to take is one more comment in that direction, and I will shut anon comments off until I feel good and ready to turn them back on, which might be sometime next spring.

If there is anything else you would like to discuss, now is the time. And I will shut it down if it gets rowdy.

Comments

[acroamatica.livejournal.com]

Wow. Um. Dude. SO NOT ON.

... Yeah, I got nothing. Except a moderately counterproductive HOW DARE THEY.

Oh, and a gentle reminder that most of us who kick around here actually could not care less (well, not entirely true, but we'll live) if you don't post a Lost discussion entry, or even a recap. You do what you do. It's all gravy.

I don't suppose you had IP logging on, did you?

[cleolinda.livejournal.com]

Actually, I did: 82.96.100.100, whatever that is.

[word-herder.livejournal.com]

People are SO LAME. Anyone who has read your journal would know that you have perfectly legitimate reasons for not posting recaps and such. Beside that fact, since you started doing them, you can stop doing them any time you please. We would, of course, be sad, but we understand.

Stupid trolls.

linkspam

[fxchip.livejournal.com]

Unrelated, but...

California Suing Sony Over Rootkit DRM (Slashdot) (http://yro.slashdot.org/yro/05/11/10/0024259.shtml?tid=233&tid=17) (Washington Post) (http://blogs.washingtonpost.com/securityfix/)

A list of CDs with Sony's DRM (EFF) (http://www.eff.org/deeplinks/archives/004144.php) and Slashdot user xtracto's list (http://slashdot.org/~xtracto/journal/121088).

[lots42.livejournal.com]

Dear world: If it it's free, you aren't allowed to complain if it vanishes.

[ceinwyn-1.livejournal.com]

geez Cleo, what's with living your RL instead of entertaining us for free? Guess you must have hit the big time if you have trollers.
hang in there,
love, ass licking minion #432

[vixyish.livejournal.com]

Yowza. What a git. Maybe you *should* turn off anonymous commenting. I wonder which publisher or marketing company this commenter works for, since they seem to know so much better than you or your publisher or your agent about what gets a book sold.

Don't let this one idiot get you down. Another of my writer acquaintances gets similarly stupid people in her inbox, from time to time.

I've been recommending your writing to friends, and will be buying the book as soon as I have the spare funds. Two, actually, one for me and one as a gift for a friend. I enjoy your writing immensely and I just thought I'd say thank you.

[historyblitz.livejournal.com]

*kills the asshole*

dumbasses

[inuit3877.livejournal.com]

The whole thing is really pretty laughable. Let's recap your accomplishments:
-Working on your graduate degree (masters or doctorate? I'm a little embarrassed that I don't know which)
-Publishing your first book
-Doing both while being ill
-You had a fairly extensive fan base without having ever published anything
-Set up a charitable storefront online to help people affected by Katrina
-Entertain us all with m15m and recaps
-The Black Ribbon
-I could go on and on

This guy, what, gets up in the morning and might manage to toast a bagel?
Chalk it up to jealousy for the fact that you do more with your day than most people do in a week. Myself included. I am not worthy. *grin*

If ignorance can be corrected through hardword, but stupidity only through death, then may the anonymous asshat be killed in the freak explosion of a sanitation truck!

Re: dumbasses

[cleolinda.livejournal.com]

Masters--MFA. If I haven't managed to make writing profitable enough by the time I finish that (which will be... uh, next year. Uh-oh) I'll... uh, be screwed. I could go on to a PhD, which would probably involve teaching for a stipend, but the truth is that I'm already burnt out on school work and I want to stay in Birmingham, and I don't know that I can even get a PhD in lit or creative writing here. There was a point when I realized I was piling on the degrees rather than actually join the real-world workforce, so... cross your fingers for my writing career, man.

[bookwoman84.livejournal.com]

I actually started watching LOST because of your recaps.

Do I wish you had the time to do recaps? Yeah, I do. Does that mean I'm going to throw a hissy fit because you didn't post one OMGNOW? Of course not. I actually find your general, lifey-type entries and linkspam the most entertaining.

Don't let the anonymous cowards get you down.

[pinstripe-bindi.livejournal.com]

Cluephone, line 1: The people who keep LJs are actual people with actual lives. Sometimes other things like family or employment take priority over keeping a bunch of strangers entertained.

What a chump.

[law-witch.livejournal.com]

ditto all that has been said - it's YOUR lj.
Your NOT running a community here.
*hugs*

[pixiechan.livejournal.com]

Um. The minute Mr Entitlement Complex starts paying you for the recaps, he can start whining about the lack of them. Until then...well, 99% of us are decent human beings. Go Cleo!

[kittenkatt.livejournal.com]

I'm a rather busy person. I'm not very web savvy. I am not a member of forums or other blogging sites (except journalfen for fandomwank) and wouldn't have the ability to e-discuss the show if it wasn't for you leaving this space. You don't have to. God knows you don't need an inbox crowded up with 10 pages of comments. You're just a kind person who accepts that you have somehow ended up using your humor to gain fans, and you accomodate that.

Last night I watched the show with meredithsg. I moved away from her area a couple months ago and miss her like crazy, but we were both commenting here and I knew that we were both watching and what we were thinking. You made that possible for this homesick person. Thank you.

Don't let a handful of jerks upset you. You can't change people; all you can change is your reaction to them. Ignore them and they'll go away. No one that wants to be here is here to be a judgemental asshole.

[cleolinda.livejournal.com]

Awww!

(Actually, I finally wised up a couple of weeks ago and disabled comment notifications, so I wasn't returning to 600 new emails in the inbox. I actually would have never noticed the troll at all if someone else hadn't told me.)

[sigma7.livejournal.com]

Unrelated to Mr. OMGEntertainMe11eleventy34! but still interesting: New Trojan uses Sony rootkit (http://it.slashdot.org/it/05/11/10/1615239.shtml?tid=172&tid=233). If only you had a recurring feature like "Today in online asshattery" or some such.... But AnnCoulter.com makes that kinda redundant, I guess.

[(Anonymous)]

Damn, I was just about to post that, too.

[lotusbiosm.livejournal.com]

Was the first anon the same as the rest?
People need to learn not to feed the trolls.

[cleolinda.livejournal.com]

Consistent IP, yeah.

I'd disabled email notification on that entry (for obvious reasons), so I wouldn't have ever known about it if someone hadn't been furious enough to tell me. In fact, my first response was from a direct link to that comment, and I was posting without having seen any of the other exchanges.

[koritsimou.livejournal.com]

What everyone else said, sweetheart. You don't owe us nothin'. We're just honored by your presence.

[sillyworx.livejournal.com]

honored by your presence...

Like, you DO know Cleo's just a human being right?

but, sure enough You don't owe anything Cleo!

[songstressicons.livejournal.com]

I was going to post on the other thread when I got a second, the one where you mentioned Polycystic Ovary Syndrome and be moral support for you. I finally got diagnosed with PCOS this year after nearly 6 years of being sick, missing school and, at 19, still have 7 credits to master before graduating highschool. So, girl, I know how you feel. PCOS kicks the crap out of you until you're so tired you can't even think. Yes, I miss your recaps, but I understand you are dealing with a lot. I think you are a wonderful and talented person. I will think that whether you recap, or never write again.

I hope you feel better soon. I know I'm on my way to recovery, so there's hope. As for trolls, well, what can you do? People are jerks.

[yarha.livejournal.com]

Shut off anon comments. There's only one reason to tolerate anonymous troll-stuff, and that's to allow regulars to have fun pelting them with crap. There's no need to make an important issue of it, as it generates unnecessary drama.

Livejournal accounts are still free.

Yarha, Troll Happens

[soleta-nf.livejournal.com]

I just wanted to chime in and say that I expect nothing less of you than to live your life the way you want to and need to. If that includes writing a Lost recap now and again, fabulous. If not, that's great too. I have you on my flist because I like *you* and *all* your posts. :) Ignore the silly, immature person and let us encompass you in a *GROUP HUG*!

[bigfatgreek.livejournal.com]

OMG they are liek so0000oooo0000o rite...j00 r only on zee friendZ list to enterains me, yo!

/sarcasm

P.S Book arrived, awaiting for you to apply for sainthood from Vatican.

[elvensapphire.livejournal.com]

The hell? I don't understand people, but no one has any right to do this to you or to anyone else, for that matter. You don't have to open the discussions, you do it to help out, and I didn't find anything snarky about "Here's your Lost discussion." Because, um - it WAS the Lost discussion. Who cares if you were in a rush? You have a life, just like any of the rest of us, and those of us who get the pleasure of reading your entries should at the very least be respectful. What enjoyment do these people derive from being complete trolls? Ugh. I know it's easier said than done, but try and ignore the goblins sneaking around anonymously out there and know the majority of us don't feel that way, sweetie.

[astael.livejournal.com]

I saw that comment and it really pissed me off, but I didn't respond so as not to give the troll the attention it so desperately wanted. Posting anon and offering you high-and-mighty "advice" on how to run your journal? This person obviously just wanted to stir up some shit for his/her own entertainment, or to validate his/her pathetic existance by insulting a high-profile LJer. Don't listen to a word of it.

[sheilazc.livejournal.com]

Damn. People are insane. We love whatever you write, Cleo (especially your awesome HARDBACK book which arrived for me a few days ago and which I adore) and since, like most people other than people who leave anonymous comments, you have a LIFE other than this journal, most of us totally understand when you put up a Lost Discussion Entry and don't say more. I find it quite generous that you even put THAT up, allowing those of us who have to TiVo Veronica Mars to download the episode from iTunes and watch it before we read any spoilers that people like to leave in comments. That was kind of a run-on sentence. But anyway, your journal is awesome... I hope you don't let mean anonymous comments ruin it for you.

[wendyzski.livejournal.com]

Well, I started coming here for the recaps, and found all the LOST discussions to be full of funny and amusing comments from like-minded peoples, or at least really smart and observant people who catch things i miss, so I look forward to "hanging out" wif you all.

And I think it's awfully nice of Miss Cleo to "leave the door open" so we can come in and hang out while she's busy.

[drpeprfan.livejournal.com]

*gives you a hug* Just think, so many more people think you're the best thing since sliced bread than those few troll anons who don't know what they're talking about. Don't let them get you down.

in addition

[drpeprfan.livejournal.com]

...and since when did you become the LJ equivalent of television? This just proves how lazy we've become, expecting people to entertain us. You should start charging people if you've become an entertaining service. *laughs*