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Assimilating into the culture of other poetry forums


  • Cvillelisa
    Feb 19 1:11 PM
    Reply


    I have failed miserably at joining a number of other poem sites.

    I suspect the problem is me but I am wondering if anyone else has experienced this sort of thing? It felt like I was attempting to break into the Head Cheerleader and her Quarterback Football Player boyfriends party, obviously uninvited.


    I found the atmosphere mostly about tearing down other people and never addressing the "idea" of the poem. And that illness was catchy, as I started to behave the same way.I didn't like myself and was feeling less poetic by the day.

    I think there must be a respectful balance - criticism and appreciation with the end result being something learned by both critiquer and author.


    I wish SharePoetry was more active.. anyway, anyone find they couldn't find their way at other poem sites?


  • Dr. Cube
    February 19
    Reply
    I tried joining a site called Crayoon.com, which is a site like AP that shares poetry, stories, articles, etc. But I found that it wasn't very active in terms of people commenting...not to mention I uploaded at least 12 poems and was already the Top Poet on the site

  • Dienush
    February 19
    Reply
    Yeah, I find the interaction at other poetry sites to be by far weaker than that on AP. Also, while AP has helped me when my work was plagiarized, another site (from where the poetry was actually taken), did absolutely nothing. So... yes.

  • AmethystFire
    February 19
    Reply
    PostPoems.com is pretty respectable. As of yet, none of my work has been stolen [that I know about]. It's pretty active, and the people there are awesome & friendly....or so I think.

    *Disclaimer: Results may vary.

  • Just Rob
    February 19
    Reply

    Same Experience

    I'm still a beginner. Three years back, I was on a single poetry site. There was an "in crowd" of "flavor of the day" poets that perpetrated the same empty, cliquish sort of, "if you don't write like me, you suck" mentality that I find on the occasional foray into academic circles. I nearly quit before I considered the sources and REALLY read them.

    Then I started entering "real world" poetry contests. After winning the first two, over flavor of the day work about nothing, with a small joke, or not going fishing, I came here. Not perfect but better. I have learned a lot from better poets who aren't "too good" to take a moment to encourage me.

  • squeezy
    February 20
    Reply
    I joined a yahoo group 'sentinal'. It was pretty friendly but not user-friendly in terms of layout etc'.

    I have to admit even sharepoetry struck me as cliquey.

  • Terry-too
    February 20
    Reply
    "even sharepoetry struck me as cliquey" because the active membership is small. One-minute comments were fewer there, and over time the old-timers (there more than a year) provide solidly thoughtful critiques.

    • squeezy
      February 25
      Reply
      It wasn't so much that, as the way everyone knew each other 'socially' so there was a lot of pressure to be positive about everything so-and-so did, the forums seemed to have some kind of war between a minority who sneered at everyone else as 'mediocre' and a majority who stuck together etc'. Not directed AT me, but just in the atmosphere.

  • polly filla
    February 23
    Reply
    pssst---most peeps in all walks of life are wannabees, so when someone like you flashes the real thing, it shows themselves up

    if only people didn't compare themselves, art would be all about the idea; no more no less

  • Terry-too
    February 23
    Reply

    Hazards of Ego

    "someone like you"? I hope not. I still make changes in my poems when I agree a suggestion is better than what I had. Just last week. No one knows all there is to know. (More than beginners, maybe, until moss grows on me.)

    No ego needs to be involved in it.

    The negative effect of ego involvement shows as defensiveness. Defensiveness interferes with learning. And so unnecessary!

    Terry


  • ea
    July 12
    Reply
    Was Newman's first name Blayne, do you know?

  • Matt Holck
    July 19
    Reply
    some places have restrictive formatting
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