Critics United
Critics United: a place for reviewers to gather and talk, exchange tales and support each other as we all try and help the authors of the site.
New Follow Forum Follow Topic
ChaCha1st

Critics United Mission Statement

Critics United is a collaborative group of independent reviewers whose purpose is to assist fellow site members by advising of any site rule violations, assisting in correcting those violations if possible and raising awareness of the site rules. This in turn also assists the administrators of http://www.fanfiction.net with enforcing the site rules and improving the quality of the work posted.

We are not a bully or vigilante group. We do not target specific writers.

We are not a flame group intent on starting flame wars, inciting arguments or engage in trolling.

We are not in the business of hunting trolls. We will report on identified trollfics at our discretion.

We do not have the power to delete stories. That is the discretion of the site admins.

We offer honest, blunt criticism and reviews regarding stories and their adherence to the rules.

We warn a writer of a violation before reporting.

We work with the intention of willingly assisting writers if requested and at our individual discretion.

We do all this in our spare time, at our individual leisure, out of respect for this site and what it provides us for free.

We will not accept excuses. The rules and guidelines are readily available, easy to read and must be agreed to before any new work can be posted. It is up to every site member to take the time to read before clicking, "Yes, I have read and agree to the content guidelines."

Everyone joining this site does so for the privilege of posting. It is not a right. Our purpose is not to see fanfics deleted, but to see the quality improve, which in turn increases the enjoyment of all members of fanfiction.net.

6/9/2019 #1
ChaCha1st

CRITICS UNITED MEMBER RULES:

1. All new members must post an intro in the 'Our Members' thread.

2. All new members must post a note in their profiles they are members of CU. It is recommended they also attach a link to the forum in their profiles.

3. All members must leave signed reviews on violating stories. No anon reviews.

4. Violations will be handled as follows:

  • A member finds a story with a violation and leaves a review advising the writer about the problem. No reports should be submitted yet.
  • If the writer receiving the warning review ignores and continues posting or updating stories, outright refuses to make any possible changes, or unreasonably claps back, the member who submitted the initial review should post the story in the SiV thread.
  • Any members wishing to submit a follow-up review to warn the writer may do so if there are less than three reviews by our members already on the story. There is a three-review limit to a given story. That means three different members can review advising of the same violation, but no more after that or it'll come across as harassment/bullying.
  • If a writer posted multiple stories with violations only one of their stories will be dealt with at a time. They certainly can be advised of the other violations in the same review. Usually one story is enough to make them aware of their mistakes but reporting multiple stories can again come off as harassment/bullying/targeting.
  • Trollfics are the exception to this process. Members are encouraged to skip reviewing a trollfic and bring them straight to the SiV to be reported by all members.

5. Every member is an individual and their respective reviewing styles should be respected accordingly. If there's a serious concern or issue, it should be addressed between members privately via pm or ask a mod to mediate.

6. All members must report stories posted in the 'Stories in Violation' (SiV) and 'Clean Sweep' (CS) threads.

7. Members aren't required to participate in any of the forum threads, but a periodic post is welcome to let us know they're still active and doing okay. If not, then a quick pm to any mod every so often giving a heads up that they're still breathing and active would suffice.

8. If a member needs to step away from CU for any reason, such as life events taking a priority, notify a mod of the duration. They'll be marked as on hiatus until they notify a mod of their return. Any absences longer than a week without notification will be assumed as a permanent exit from the group and the member will be removed from the roster.

9. Members active in the forum are asked to help maintain the peace. If visitors (or existing fellow members) are behaving badly, please do not compound the problem or turn a blind eye. Fun is encouraged, but everyone is asked to post thoughtfully and with consideration. We all have enough maturity, regardless of age, to sort things out. Members are trusted step in and act accordingly if a moderator isn't around or available to handle a situation getting out of hand. If you still can't resolve the situation alone, PM a mod. One of us will handle the situation as soon as we can.

10. Members are free to participate in other forums and groups as they wish. However, if a member is acting on behalf of CU, they will be held accountable if they bring unnecessary drama to the group, so please behave thoughtfully when acting in this capacity. Members can try to diffuse or clear up any misconceptions in any anti-forums that may crop up if they do so responsibly. Usually it's impossible to reason with these antis, but if a valiant attempt goes south, please notify a mod so we're prepared to deal with any fallout.

11. If a member encounters a situation at another forum such as badmouthing of CU, for example, they are asked to bring it to the attention of a moderator. Again, if they feel they can resolve the issue without inflaming it they are welcome to do so, but still make a mod aware.

12. No badmouthing of other forums or groups on the site will be tolerated, nor will there be any talk about individual trolls, specific or vague, is allowed in the forum. No matter how carefully worded, these actions inevitably stir up unnecessary drama.

13. Our current policy regarding trolls, especially when they wander into our forum, is what we call the three I's: Identify, Isolate and Ignore.

14. No targeting. We don't target writers, regardless of how stupid and annoying they are.

15. We don't indulge in flame wars or the drama. Members are encouraged to try their best and take the high road when dealing with an angry writer or site. Sometimes drama can't be avoided despite our best efforts. However, no one should be looking to pick a fight. Besides, it annoys the other side further if you're being calm and they're turning into an incoherent, blathering ranter. It also keeps you from potentially getting in trouble with the site admins.

16. At any given time there are at least two mods active. It's not necessary to just go to one all the time. It's also not appropriate to go to a different mod if you didn't like the answer from the first one you asked, or they didn't reply back fast enough. However, if a member has a genuine concern or issue with a mod, they may contact another for assistance.

Also, mods will deal with infractions at their discretion. It's also their discretion to give a warning or slap an outright ban on someone. They do communicate with each other to keep on the same page, but all the mods, like our members, are trusted individually to use their best judgement.

We discourage our members to not go after old fics. If it's more than a year old, don't bother with it, especially if the user profile hasn't been updated in at least that long. Likely this means abandoned stories and/or account. There are plenty of newer stories in violation and it's important to show writers what they're doing wrong so they can fix things to be compliant within the site rules.

6/9/2019 . Edited 6/9/2019 #2
ChaCha1st

VISITOR RULES:

1. Visitors are welcome at CU. They are encouraged, but not obligated to introduce themselves in the 'Welcome' thread. They can post anywhere except in the 'Stories in Violation' and 'Clean Sweep' threads. Threads are clearly labeled, but if in doubt, click the name of the thread for more information. It'll take you to the first post and detail the rules of that particular thread.

2. Even if we're not all adults, a certain level of maturity is expected. If you wish to have your say, then don't be a jerk about it and keep in mind the following:

  • Due to site rules pertaining specifically to forums, swearing generally isn't allowed, but if a poster feels it's necessary then please edit along the lines of 'sh*t' or 'f*ck', for example. Otherwise your posts will be edited by mods.
  • Insulting or abusive behavior will not be tolerated. Writers complaining about reviews on their fics by CU members are allowed to express their anger accordingly. However, their posts will only be edited to conform to the forum rules.
  • Treat people like you want to be treated. Act like a drip then you'll be treated like one and likely get perma banned.
  • Make sure to post in the correct thread. The Complain/Give Thanks thread was created to give an angry site user their chance to have their say. Deliberately posting in the wrong thread can land you a temp ban, possibly a perma ban if you persist, and you will lose your opportunity. We are willing to hear you out if you do at least this much.

3. Do not come attempting to be part of our movement without joining or otherwise represent yourself elsewhere as being a CU member. Such behavior typically results in you never being offered the chance to join.

4. If you are interested in joining then message a mod. While waiting for a reply, check out the 'Want to Join CU' thread.

5. Visitors are welcomed to socialize, but if the purpose is shallow such as attempting to glean some sort of perceived status then keep on walking. We don't need dead weight.

6. For visitors requesting assistance on a story they've found in violation of the site rules:

  • They must have already reviewed the story, making the writer aware of the violation.
  • They must give the writer a chance to reply back before bringing it in. Some writers are only online once a week and may not respond right away.
  • Even if a writer has multiple violations, a visitor can only submit one story.
  • If all of the above criteria has been met, then the story can be posted in the 'Tip Line' along with any notes the poster may want to in relation to the violation. For more specifics, click this link: Tip Line.
  • Do not review if a story is a suspected trollfic. Reviewing feeds the trolls. If in doubt, ask about it in the 'Stories You're Not Sure What To Do About'.

7. Do not discuss trolls. They have to be mentioned or referenced when submitting posts to the 'Tip Line' or the 'Stories You're Not Sure What To Do About' threads but can't be discussed anywhere else. Trolls lurk our forum and we do not feed them the attention they crave.

8. Please don't stir up drama elsewhere, such as other forums, then bring that to CU.

9. Debates are encouraged, but all out wars are not. If it's getting heated between you and another member/visitor, take it to the pms. When in doubt, don't worry, a mod will tell you.

10. Forums are not the same as instant messenger. Please post thoughtfully. Simply saying, "Hi." doesn't cut it. Feel free to join an existing conversation or include with your greeting a question or some thought-provoking comment. We do ask visitors to not act like a silly goofball or initiate controversial conversations. Some of us use the chats to unplug from the real world and are not interested in engaging in debates over gun control.

11. No double posting. If you need to say more right away and no one else has replied yet you can do the following. Return your last post and you will see a little gear icon in the lower right corner next to the reply link. Click on it to edit and add anything. Doing this makes it easier to respond accordingly to your post.

12. If a CU member asks you to stop doing something, do it. They aren't obligated to explain why to anyone except a mod.

13. Mods are pretty easy going most of the time but will enforce the rules accordingly. If a visitor gets banned, it was for a reason. Often the bans will be temporary. Perma bans are very unlikely to ever be reversed.

6/9/2019 #3
ChaCha1st

Since we get a lot of folks questioning we aren't just harassing them or making up the site rules, I decided to stick the site Guidelines here for the lazy ones who can't be bothered to look them up, much less read them. It's also a quick reference for our members and fellow reviewers.

Community Etiquette:

FanFiction.Net does not filter content and is an open system that trusts the writer's judgement. However, there is an inherent responsibility that falls to writers as a result. Here is a list of conducts that should always be observed:

1. Spell check all story and poetry. There is no excuse for not performing this duty. If you do not have a word processor that has the spell checking feature, use a search engine such as Google.com to find one.

2. Proofread all entries for grammar and other aspects of writing before submission. 'Hot off the press' content is often riddled with errors. No one is perfect but it is the duty of the writer to perform to the best of his/her ability.

3. Respect the reviewers. Not all reviews will strictly praise the work. If someone rightfully criticizes a portion of the writing, take it as a compliment that the reviewer has opted to spend his/her valuable time to help improve your writing.

4. Everyone here is an aspiring writer. Respect your fellow members and lend a helping a hand when they need it. Like many things, the path to becoming a better writer is often a two way street.

5. Use proper textual formatting. For example: using only capital letters in the story title, summary, or content is not only incorrect but also a disregard for the language itself.

FanFiction.Net Content Guidelines:

Version: 11-20-2008 The chapter system is not to be used as placeholder for non-story content such as author notes. You can add short author notes to the beginning or at the end of stories but never as individual chapters. FanFiction.Net is not an archive for non-fanfiction literary works. Please visit FictionPress.com to publish your non-fanfiction literary works. Do not upload chapters, series, or segments of a story as separate entries. In order to submit a 5 chapter story, for example, use the 'Create Story' page to submit chapter 1, and then use the 'Edit/Upload chapter' feature in the left menu, after login, to submit chapters 2 through 5.

Entries not allowed:

1. Non-stories: lists, bloopers, polls, previews, challenges, author notes, and etc.

2. One or two liners.

3. MST: comments inserted in between the flow of a copied story.

4. Stories with non-historical and non-fictional characters: actors, musicians, and etc.

5. Any form of interactive entry: choose your adventure, second person/you based, Q&As, and etc.

5. Chat/script format and keyboard dialogue based entries.

Actions not allowed:

1. Multiple entries of the same material. There can only be one copy of any unique story on the entire site. No exceptions.

2. Rewriting names of characters/locations of one story in order to upload to multiple categories.

3. Copying from a previously published work (including musical lyrics) not in the public domain.

General rules:

1. Entry title and summary must be rated K for all audience. No exceptions.

2. Entry must be given the proper rating. No exceptions.

3. Entry must be placed in proper category. No exceptions.

4. Chapters of the same story are not allowed to be submitted as separate entries. All chapters/segments must be grouped together using the 'edit/upload chapter' feature in the left menu.

FanFiction.Net respects the expressed wishes of the following authors/publishers and will not archive entries based on their work:

Anne Rice, Archie comics, Dennis L. McKiernan, Irene Radford, J.R. Ward, Laurell K. Hamilton, Nora Roberts/J.D. Robb, P.N. Elrod, Raymond Feist, Robin Hobb, Robin McKinley, Terry Goodkind

Failure to comply with site rules will result in the removal of stories and/or suspension of account.

I will not post the Terms of Service (TOS) because they are simply too long, but it's highly recommended that you read them as they legally support these guidelines. Here's the link to the TOS.

If you do not agree with these rules and want to change them, get a new category started or to report abuse, go to this link for site Help.

6/9/2019 . Edited 6/9/2019 #4
Forum Moderators: CU Administration ChaCha1st, ZadArchie, WargishBoromirFan, MrGoodyTwoShoes
Rules:
  • Forums are not to be used to post stories.
  • All forum posts must be suitable for teens.
  • The owner and moderators of this forum are solely responsible for the content posted within this area.
  • All forum abuse must be reported to the moderators.
Membership Length: 2+ years 1 year 6+ months 1 month 2+ weeks new member
https://www.fanfiction.net/topic/78623/177150406/Forum-Rules-CU-Mission-Statement-Important-Info-Visitors-Members
www.fanfiction.net
CC-MAIN-2024-26
44930
application/http; msgtype=response
sha1:K37HVI4PHEVCIKZ6TIOXTJHJDJBYOVQA
<urn:uuid:451cee25-4e6d-4d72-9e2e-f167396b9088>
2024-06-13T20:08:14Z
104.18.18.242
text/html
sha1:3X2SR7ORU4XJ4BFVW4LPQXIJAQ7K6NY2
<urn:uuid:be4927bb-b001-4234-835a-1299b2041611>
https://www.fanfiction.net/topic/78623/177150406/Forum-Rules-CU-Mission-Statement-Important-Info-Visitors-Members
response
<urn:uuid:a29a8cac-7190-4b27-8a89-5d5b34f10265>
isPartOf: CC-MAIN-2024-26
publisher: Common Crawl
description: Wide crawl of the web for June 2024
operator: Common Crawl Admin (info@commoncrawl.org)
hostname: ip-10-67-67-207
software: Apache Nutch 1.20 (modified, https://github.com/commoncrawl/nutch/)
robots: checked via crawler-commons 1.5-SNAPSHOT (https://github.com/crawler-commons/crawler-commons)
format: WARC File Format 1.1
conformsTo: https://iipc.github.io/warc-specifications/specifications/warc-format/warc-1.1/