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overmykneenow
2 days ago
Straight Male
0 miles · England
Forum
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The URL for redirects on log in is throwing up an error if you have it set up for opening up your profile page as your home page.
It looks for some reason as if it's trying to access https:/www.lushstories... instead of https://www.lushstories... (Chrome/Windows)
It logs in ok and if you navigate to other pages everything is fine but it just looks at first as if the site is down. Some users might be switching off thinking that there's a problem with their account or the site in general
It looks for some reason as if it's trying to access https:/www.lushstories... instead of https://www.lushstories... (Chrome/Windows)
It logs in ok and if you navigate to other pages everything is fine but it just looks at first as if the site is down. Some users might be switching off thinking that there's a problem with their account or the site in general
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Quote by Buz
Have we talked about how awesome the banner looks? It does look really great.
It looks nice and slick, the sort of thing that would encourage someone looking for a bit of classy erotica to sign up.
Sadly, these days, the average passing punter coming to a website is on a mobile phone. Those people are offered a slightly more upfront first impression of Lush...
I know the mobile version provides much needed revenue for the site but can't help feel that it's damaging the brand you seem to want to go for on the "normal" version of the site.
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Quote by kiera
Tom Cruise
Orlando Bloom
Sarah Jessica Parker
Ben Stiller
Adam Sandler
Glad I didn't make that list
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Quote by nicola
Thank you for the suggestions.
We don't use the forum software for our signup process, it's custom.
Gav has a long to-do list. It all helps to make the site more spam proof at the end of the day.
We'll probably do away with the trial bronze memberships. That will stop spammers in their tracks if they can't use any of the site features.
For each of us, receiving spam like this is at most a mild inconvenience. The most concerning thing about it is that it could potentially cripple the site.
I was watching these accounts on Tuesday: it seemed that at any time a dozen of them were marked as online. Given their behaviour I'd say that these aren't the work of bots but real people sat in a room in some part of the world where the pennies received from affiliate schemes can give some kind of meagre existence. Filters struggle against real people, so you're probably best going with your option of limiting new/non-paying users. Maybe remove the option of adding links to messages - as with new forum users.
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Quote by tellme001
Have talked to alot of people on lush and most are having problems with it. Why do they need it does a robot pay ? Really guys get rid of it.I can't send pics or messages to my friends.
You do realise you're not allowed to have two accounts - even if you pay for them. https://www.lushstories.com/laurawantsome
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Quote by laurawantsome
using vista , yhe box never is there on my laptop so I can't click on it. but do see it on my phone and tablet,
Vista is no longer supported by modern browsers. Give serious thought to updating your operating system to avoid any security issue.
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Might want to add a captcha to the sign up page.
By my reckoning you've had over 3000 new fake accounts set up today alone - if they all start spamming at once the server's going to grind to a halt
By my reckoning you've had over 3000 new fake accounts set up today alone - if they all start spamming at once the server's going to grind to a halt
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Quote by nicola
If you, and others who encounter these spammers, report them, we will snuff them out a lot quicker.
Unfortunately there are a lot of people who try and leech off popular sites like this, and there's little we can do about it, other than react as fast as we can.
EDIT: It would probably be a good idea if we add a "spam" or other appropriate symbol, on the online chat and black box interfaces, with a confirmation pop up (in case you press the button by accident).
In the meantime, is it best to use the "Report profile" button?
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For a brief moment I thought GIFs had finally been disabled. Unfortunately this doesn't seem to be the case.
Sad times.
Sad times.
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Quote by sweet_as_candy
A very naughty pooch.
I read that as gooch
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Quote by Burquette
My trick is thinking about work, personally.
Sounds sexy
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Quote by nicola
If we go this way, it would be a small selection of avatars offered at signup, otherwise it may add a hurdle we don't want. The easier it is to sign up on a site, with the fewest steps, the better.
Or we could go the default route, and pick 2 of the most attractive models, like these:
Any hurdle will see a drop off in new sign-ups. Choosing a username and password puts enough people off, then asking them to choose an avatar ("Will I be able to change it afterwards?") will have them hovering over the close window button.
Defaults should be simple and unobtrusive (think of the twitter "egg") you have to able to see that image on the same page a dozen or more times without it looking weird.
Social networks often use prompts to encourage users to improve their profiles - LinkedIn is probably the most pushy as far this is concerned. Friendly advice about the benefits of improving ones profile - especially to new authors - could appear whenever new users log in.
Whatever way you want to go, I think you still need a third non-selectable one for orphaned forum posts
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Quote by Liz
Thanks for your input, OMKN. In retrospect, I agree with most of what you are saying. Anyone who does any design work knows that it often takes several revisions of the same design to come up with something that works. Preliminary conceptions can vary from 'almost there' to 'what the fuck was I thinking?'. You very rarely hit it out of the park on the first try.
I think a more simplistic design would work best. I also love the idea of a neutral avatar to be used for the 'guest' account which posts of deleted members are assigned to. Good thinkin'.
What area of the male anatomy would you choose for design number four?
To be honest, I don't think I would.
I think i'd go for something like a pair of y-fronts and a pair of knickers. Clear and simple but also open for ambiguity (which we have in spades on here). I think it would also encourage new users to "get their kecks off" and replace it with a more interesting and personalised avatar
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Quote by Liz
This is quite a tricky concept to create original designs for which avoid the old clichés.
Here are a few sets I've been playing with but am not 100% settled on. I like the hearts.
Criticism welcome.
A good start and a decent indicator of what does and doesn't work
1. Don Draper and Charlie's Angel - bit dull (not necessarily a bad thing) but logo behind seems lost and unnecessary. Looks a bit like a re-brand for Islamic State
2. I don't like the watermark - the imagery is ok. I like the colour coding
3. Too busy, pointless branding, colour coding doesn't work any more.
4. Best of the lot. The female is better as it's representative of eroticism - the male is just a male though
We're going to see these a lot so simpler works better. Don't bother branding them - they're not going to be pinched and seeing the url 20 times on a page just looks weird.
On the broader scope - two avatars is certainly enough, unless of course you have plans to expand the options available for gender. Though I would suggest making a non-selectable gender neutral avatar used only for deleted accounts on the forum.
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Quote by noll
The article mentioned in that post is down.
Hardly surprising, in fact it's probably for the best.
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Just re-read what I posted on this thread four years ago. I've been here too long.
Best advice: the only people you should ever tell stuff to are people who don't want to know
Best advice: the only people you should ever tell stuff to are people who don't want to know
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Quote by LaylaJune
I think this is funny, but I am not quite sure I get it . . .
That pretty much encapsulates why I'm so amazing.
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Quote by Liz
Did you mean 'How about a couple's profile setting?'
Can you give an example of how a 'couple' profile would be different to a regular profile? What additional functionality would be required?
Couples accounts: for guys who would rather pretend they have a bisexual partner rather than pretend to be a bisexual bikini model
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Why say "mentally state" when you could say "think". That way, no one has to work out what you mean.
Personally, internal dialogue is lazy writing. Show readers what your characters are thinking, don't tell them. There are some great articles online that can give you some great examples of how to write in a more "show, don't tell" style.
Personally, internal dialogue is lazy writing. Show readers what your characters are thinking, don't tell them. There are some great articles online that can give you some great examples of how to write in a more "show, don't tell" style.
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Quote by DateKate
It usually feels like the guys who look the best don't know how to keep a conversation going
Yeah, but like… you know… that. Know what I mean?
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Quote by Buz
It's really quite simple, if you work and improve your writing ability and put together high-quality stories, you will start getting RRs. Whining, crying, and complaining in The Forum is just wasting time you could spend working toward making yourself a better writer.
All good advice but along with your previous post on this thread you've happily ignored the fact that people who are more socially active on this site get more views. Nothing you've said changes my opinion that the more moderators you can get to look at your stuff, the more likely you are to receive an RR.
You said yourself - the verifiers are pushed hard, so if they're reading something on Lush it's either something in the queue or something they already have an interest in reading. If they're reading something randomly on the home page they may as well be reading something in the queue. For the majority of quality authors, whose material will be passed without much problem, the only mod that will ever see a piece of work is the mod who verified it. Unless you can get the interest of other mods, your story will soon be lost amongst all the others.
I've not written in two years for this site, my last story got an RR months after it was published. If you're relying on the approving mod to recommend it, you're relying on the luck of the draw. The verifier for that last story actually scored it a 4 (which she was, of course, perfectly entitled to do).
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Quote by noll
May I ask where you got that number? I'm curious what the numbers are for the different sections of the site.
The figure is based on the information published on the site home page and on the forum homepage
Taking the figures right now from the forum it tells me that 3289 people are on the site, 149 of which are members, 3140 guests. That actually makes 95.5% non-interactive visitors.
The homepage tells me 51 people are in the chat room - so about a third of the members currently here. While totting up the number of people viewing forum posts adds up to 23 so about 1 in 6. Guests of course can view the forum so that number may include non-interactive users.
74 people in chat rooms and forums, 3215 doing something else.
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Quote by Fugly
I have been watching this and just had to add my
Whether you agree or disagree with the topic, EVERY member, especially a paying member, should have the right to post a topic of their choice. Posting off handed comments and pics just to get the thread closed because you do not agree is a pretty low act and shows more about you than the OP.
To the OP, the system will never change but thank you for the discussion. In my opinion, the only fair system would be that when someone submits their story, their name is not displayed to the mod.
BTW, I am surprised that you have not received any going by you average scoresAnd I am surprised that after 4 years of absence, that mods are still using the term 'butthurt' and calling out members on the forum. See, nothing ever changes lol
Well said. I think it's an excellent idea not to show the author's name when approving a story. The name of the author shouldn't have any bearing on whether a story gets approved or not (or Recommended, for that matter). The best writers surely wouldn't have a problem with that - their quality will shine through whatever, right? It would also help stop a lot of the unnecessary grumbling when it comes to competitions too.
Every member should have the right to question the system without being told by those who are meant to be here to help that it's...
Quote by sprite
frankly... insulting
Quote by Milik_the_Red
frankly insulting
Quote by principessa
offensive and an insult
Of course member suggestions can also be shrugged off and treated with derision...
Quote by Liz
lol.
Quote by sprite
is that really how you see the mods? some sort of power hungry entity that's out to make lush a poorer experience for members? btw, that's a very real question - i'd appreciate an honest answer.
I wouldn't mind answering this. I hope your appreciation of honesty extends to me too.
Do I see them as a power hungry entity? No, but I certainly understand why many people do. I can also understand why people are too frightened to admit to that. Mods become mods for their own reasons - some good some bad. Some people join this site and the only thing they want to be is a mod. There are those as well who would struggle to survive on here if they didn't have the security of being part of the mod team. It explains why some people would want to bother still being a mod, when all we ever hear is how arduous and thankless it is (I love that one by the way).
Usually the bad mods are got rid of without much fuss - if you know gossipy mods you can usually find out what happened in PM. When mods get consumed by power they don't usually do it in full public gaze - MrNudiePants going postal in the forum being a notable exception. Power trips aren't the problem though. What is the problem is the slow creep towards institutional thinking. "I deserve this because I make sacrifices for this website", "us mods are so unappreciated by THEM - let's have a group hug".
The RR system was added as a perk for mods. Whenever you add a perk for the mods, by definition you make things relatively worse for those who aren't mods. We all need to remember who the most important people are on this: the Authors. All of them, good or bad. 97% of the traffic on this site is not concerned with this forum or the chat rooms or private messages - it's here to read stories supplied by dozens of authors every single day
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Quote by principessa
To say that the system is corrupt and subject to cronyism is offensive and an insult to story moderators and the hours of work they do gratis. As Buz said, if you want an RR, submit quality writing, and to do that you have to work at it and learn. This is not like children's sports where you get a trophy for showing up.
Sorry, are you talking to me?
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Quote by Magical_felix
Yeah but like in a bookstore you aren't going to see Dan Brown go up to fucking Brad and be like "what the fuck Brad? You recommend Twilight but not The Lost Symbol? I'm sorry I'm not your butt buddy like Stephanie Meyer but I am so much better. This is some bullshit, Brad". Because that is what would happen on Lush.
That's why I say the system can never work properly here. If it's transparent, it causes drama. If it's opaque, people think it's corrupt. Milik's already admitted that Nicola's had to get involved in the past when the mod's have got a bit "comfortable" with their recommendations .
Good stuff should get recognition, I just don't think this is the best way to do it.
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Quote by Magical_felix
Yeah but when you walk into a book store and see that fucking Brad recommended Twilight: New Moon it might as well be anonymous because you don't know fucking Brad. And if you do know Brad then you probably don't need to go to the store to get his recommend.
When video rental places still existed, the one I went to had "staff picks". It didn't say fucking Brad recommends the Little Mermaid.
That's exactly the point though. If Brad has recommended Twilight I'm probably not going to bother picking up any other of his recommendations. It's like when you see 5 star ratings on movie posters. I'm more likely to believe the 5 stars from magazines and reviewers whose opinion I respect rather 5 star reviews from celebrity gossip websites.
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Quote by Magical_felix
Yeah but when you walk into a book store and see that fucking Brad recommended Twilight: New Moon it might as well be anonymous because you don't know fucking Brad. And if you do know Brad then you probably don't need to go to the store to get his recommend.
When video rental places still existed, the one I went to had "staff picks". It didn't say fucking Brad recommends the Little Mermaid.
That's exactly the point though. If Brad has recommended Twilight I'm probably not going to bother picking up any other of his recommendations. It's like when you see 5 star ratings on movie posters. I'm more likely to believe the 5 stars from magazines and reviewers whose opinion I respect rather 5 star reviews from celebrity gossip websites.
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Quote by Milik_the_Red
The administration and other story moderators can and do see which mod gives an RR. This information is also available to the writer in their timeline. I assure everyone that these are monitored and, rarely, Nicola herself has reminded the moderating staff to carefully consider how and when these are awarded. Rest assured that we don't hand these out in a vacuum.
To me; that is how it should be. I do not see any reason a third party should be made aware of what mod awarded an RR to a story that was not theirs. Why it would be so critical for a person other than the writer or other mods to have that information is beyond me, but I assure you that the drama it would cause would quickly put an end to anyone like me awarding one. We have enough scrutiny and necessity to explain ourselves in threads like this to invite that kind of personal second guessing.
But that's exactly what makes the recommendation process utterly meaningless. If you walked into a bookshop and saw "Recommended by anonymous" you would be well within your rights to question the validity of the recommendation.
I appreciate the drama and difficulty involved in having a transparent system but it means we're left with an opaque system which, as you've alluded to, has and will naturally gravitate towards cronyism. It will always be questioned. It was an ill-concerned idea, albeit with the best intentions.
If people want to be recommended, the process is simple: get as many friends as you can who are mods. And make sure you get them to read your stuff. The more who read it, the more likely one of them will recommend it. It's playing a percentage game. If you're only relying on the person who approved it to give it an RR you're just relying on luck.