Because the web should revolve around you
2324 fans
 Join this Spot
Search Fanpop:
 Invite friend 
fanpop > technology & science > fanpop > articles > opinion

The Fanpop Fanpeeves

save
Opinion by benji posted 1 year ago
4.6
 by 62 fans
You rated:
I've spent the last fortnight or so getting a little peeved with certain things on Fanpop, they're mostly the tiny things, but if I don't mentioned them, I'm going to outburst on some poor person who doesn't deserve it, so instead, I'm giving a bit of global Fanpop advice, you ready? Here we go...


Get off your soapbox!
Lately I’ve been noticing the most frustrating thing from a lot of rather popular and regular Fanpoppers. Writing articles that don’t have any heart, they barely have content and they’ve clearly just been added to voice a passing opinion that could have been done in pick form or forum post, or to get ratings in a spot so they can get a medal. Let me explain about the content thing, if your post is under a page in a word processor, WITHOUT pictures, then don’t post it as an article, put it in a forum post. Articles are for lengthy commentary on something, forum posts are for those passing opinions you want people to know about. Oh, and always remember to keep those soap boxes original, if you copy from someone/thing else, you’d be better off posting a link instead unless it’s something that cannot directly be linked to.


Do you like my icon?
I like my icon, yes, I do, at time of writing it is Zidane Tribal from Final Fantasy IX, at this point I’ve had it for two months with no intent to change it, it’s a nice piece of artwork from it, and the important thing is that I like it. Not anybody else, other people may like it, but that’s their opinion, so please stop asking “what should I change my icon to?” or any variant because you should be making a decision on an icon that identifies you.

Oh, and an icon doesn’t identify you if you change it too often, try and at least stick a month for the sake of getting to be a well known member!


Do I hear an echo?
Okay, repeat picks, understandable sometimes, I can see why you might not remember a pick, but before you post a pick, try to use the option in the list of picks to view to all unanswered questions before you post a new pick, just in case you missed it out. It’s an easy thing to do, and it means you’re more active as well so it’s win-win! Sometimes a pick may still be repeated, but if you did your best to check, it’s fine and dandy. Keep in mind, that romance picks have almost definitely been asked before, so unless you’re 100% sure they haven’t been asked, don’t even think about posting it please.


Lookin’ good!
When we step out into the world, we all like to go somewhere that looks good, that feels stylish, it’s the same when you step into the internet. Spots get far more members if they have a good looking banner and icon, they help identify the spot for others on their ‘Fan of’ menu, and it makes everything look much better. Not only that, but for picks, it isn’t hard to find a picture and post it with an option on the pick, once again, it looks good and more people will vote. Try and remember :)


I’m kerrrraaaayzeh and random!
The spots that are designed to have everything, any question you feel doesn’t belong to somewhere else, newsflash, if there isn’t a spot dedicated to it, make a spot about it! If you can be bothered to make a ‘random’ spot, be bothered to put the picks in a spot they belong in, because I assure you, there is or should be one for everything! Let me just list these off and explain myself…

The Users Icons Spot: Was pointless, all the icons belong in the Fanpop Users spot.
The Picks Spot: All those picks? They should go in a spot dedicated to something else. Of all the random spots, this is really the only one that I can completely understand, even if I have issues.
The Random Spot: Outright pointless.
The Emilee24 and Tubby2002 Spot: No offence to tubby or emilee intended, I like them both, but spots dedicated to certain users are not right, that’s what the Fanpop Users spot is for, not self-promotion, which is ironically one of the points I’ll talk about later.
The Anything Spot: Look right back at The Random Spot.
The Other Spot: And one more repeat of “Anything” and “Random” that could just have been done in the Fanpop Users spot.

Now I’ll admit, I’ve joined some of these spots, I’ve even actively participated, but at this point it’s just getting silly. Do as I said above, make the picks in a spot dedicated to it, or in the Fanpop Users spot, where opinions of users are the key to the spot!


Trolls stay under the bridge, please?
Rare, but it does happen, the internet term is a ‘troll’, someone go who goes somewhere (on Fanpop it’d be into spots), just to say they dislike something that other people are talking about. For Fanpop this would be a spot/person/pick etcetera, people being so negative breeds arguments and bad feelings, which is not what Fanpop is about. As has been quoted many times since I made the Fanpop Community article, the key word in community is unity.


Don’t cheat the ballots!
Simply, unless it’s not a popularity/activity vote (like Fan of the Fortnight), don’t vote for yourself. If you think you’d be best as a character from LOST, choose yourself in a pick, but otherwise, leave yourself out and earn the number one position by doing good work and being a nice member!


I swear, by the moon and the star of Fanpop!
Sorry about the All-4-One reference, but again, something simple, swearing and bad language. Children use Fanpop, so please censor your swears with ** or some variant or just plain don’t swear, it is a parents responsibility to watch what kids are doing, but we can help out. I know that adult comments are likely to come up, but you should try to always be aware of who uses the site.


I am so great! I am so great! Everybody loves me I am so great!
Self-promotion, not all self promotion, just making picks that are made to make you look good, picks that are dedicated to you or comments on how good you are. Nothing makes people dislike another more than being self-obsessive, it’s destructive to friendships and makes you come across as vain in a very bad way.


Am you grammar letting we down?
I felt the single most common peeve was meant to go last for a reason, it is the least annoying, I get it, sometimes you’re in a rush. That’s not me giving an excuse, it can still be frustrating trying to read what people have written, texts are where this kind of speech belongs. Comments are fair game, I can understand, but when titling a pick, an image, a video, a link, a soapbox, a spot or anything involving an actual item on the site, please try to spell correctly and use good solid grammar.


Last words...
That's all really for now, keep in mind, I'm not singling people out, everything on this list more than one person has done, and I felt it needed to be said to keep up a good atmosphere and top class website. So come on people, smiles on, logical caps on and let's get to some more Poppin'! :)
36 comments
user photo megloveskyle said:
Thank You for this article. On some subjects you took the words right out of my mouth. Thanks for speaking up about the soapboxes. It's about time someone did. And I also agree with the self promotion. It really bothers me when people do it in the fornight picks or any other besides that. There is nothing more annoying than an eager beavers!
posted 1 year ago.
last edited 1 year ago
 
user photo TweenaCat said:
Wow, I agree with all of this...
I would add, people boasting about the fact that they have no life outside fanpop and are logged in 24 hours a day. Surely the point of fanpop is people talk about things they are interested in in the real world? So how can that be true?
Happy poppin'!Yay!
Smiles on :D
posted 1 year ago.
 
user photo Temptasia said:
This is a great article! I agree with alot of what you said especially with the cussing and put downs and such. You have made some really excellent points! However, I LOVE the user icons spot. I think it is a great place for those questions where people are wondering what icon to use. I think there should be a spot for anything and everthing people are interested in! If the spot is not someting you agree with or are into, you don't have to join it! That is the beauty of it. You guys are all wonderful and special people. Keep up the awesome work!
posted 1 year ago.
last edited 1 year ago
 
user photo benji said:
But all that could go in the Fanpop Users spot, because it's about the Fanpop Users :)
posted 1 year ago.
 
user photo Temptasia said:
I guess, but someone wanted a spot for something a little more specific! I don't see anything worng with that :)
posted 1 year ago.
 
user photo megloveskyle said:
I'm glad that their is a user icon spot b/c I can't stand seeing in my updates which icon..? AHH it's annoying If people were doing that all day long in the fanpop users spot I would unsubscribe in a heart beat.
posted 1 year ago.
 
user photo benji said:
Different strokes for different folks, I'm not right in everything in everyones opinion :) (unfortunately :P)
posted 1 year ago.
 
user photo megloveskyle said:
Whoever is rating this low is petty and doing it out of spite. Come on people this is the internet don't take things so personally.
posted 1 year ago.
 
user photo benji said:
I find it quite funny actually, if people feel like they've personally shot at I suppose that's up to them, it wasn't meant as a shot, but I'm getting a chuckle from it :) Besides, clearly if they're rating it low out of spite, there has to be some truth to it eh? :D
posted 1 year ago.
 
user photo kathiria82 said:
I admire people who are not afraid to voice their opinions. The thing about the soapbox, well I wrote one about people being competitive on here so I don't know if that was pointless to you but I put it soapbox form so everyone could notice it. I pretty much agree with you on everything else because it seems like people are using Fanpop to promote themselves in some way. I'm tired of reading articles that don't inspire and can clearly just go in a forum like you said. :D
posted 1 year ago.
 
user photo knifewrench said:
Benji, I have to confess, a lot of things you mentioned I am guilty of.

I post soapboxes even if they're really short. Most of these are exciting news about the spot subject so I like it to go in the update box, which forum posts do not.... but still I'm an idiot for doing so.

I have made a pick asking if should I change my icon; I now hang my head in shame (which makes it easier because I'm now looking at the keyboard)

I create spots without adding icons or banners, I get so eager to create the spot I wait until after I have created it to add an icon and banner.

Haven't created any useless spots but I have thought of some very rubbish ones.

I did create the AntiChavism spot which is more about disliking than liking; so that's another stupid thing I've done.

I have made some references to things that are not child-friendly but to be fair some of the spots are about things that are not child-friendly, e.g. The Shaun Of The Dead Spot (15). I have also used a word that rhymes with trap and a word that rhymes with....sparse.

I have self-promoted myself in picks. I asked "can you do a good zombie impression?" in The Shaun Of The Dead Spot just to say that I'm good at that.

I have wanted to do something that is both self-promoting and a waste of a spot: The Amy, Benji & Knifey Spot

:( I'm a bad person
posted 1 year ago.
last edited 1 year ago
 
user photo harold said:
I agree with so much of this, benji, thank you. I think that spots whose content could fit in pre-existing spots are unnecessary... except when the amount of that specific content would overwhelm the other content for that spot. Thus, though I felt they were unnecessary or self-aggrandizing at first, some of the spots you call out have grown on me (and seem reasonable now) because of the sheer amount of content for those very focussed spots...
posted 1 year ago.
 
user photo DrDevience said:
Most I agree with...

But on the 'cussing' thang, first of all does putting in asteriks make it so a 13 year old does not recognize the word? I've always found that habit annoying. I'll save ya the whle history lesson on why people dislike certain words... but know that this is mainly a US phenomena these days. They're useful letter groupings, period. (OK I'll save it for now)

Secondly, I believe the goal is PG13... which means ass, crap, hell, and several others are very allowable... even the occasional 'F' bomb is allowable at PG 13. So let's not confuse it with total G like some folks on other sites are trying to push. Oj.

Lastly, seeing or hearing the occasional 'cuss' word does not scar children. Never has, never will.

And now, I'ma give you a prop for this posting ;)

posted 1 year ago.
 
user photo DrDevience said:
And oh yeah... here might be a good place to beg the Daves for the ability to set comment alerts on articles we didn't write ;)

Ok. Off to watch a movie.
posted 1 year ago.
 
user photo benji said:
Oh I know that, I'm talking about the c word and variants, it might not scar kids, but parents may not enjoy finding their child saying such words, of all the things I mentioned, that wasn't even a peeve, just a nice friendly note :)
posted 1 year ago.
 
user photo Gstine said:
I agree, pretty much across the board. Although, I must admit that I am guilty of using the occasional obscenity. I think the key to keep it in moderation. I've been using the internet since I was a kid and I didn't get upset when people swore. And yes, even with asteriks, I could tell what they meant. I think people need to keep themselves in check, though. There's no need to be vulgar, just for the sake of being vulgar.

That being said, I've got a particular peeve of my own. I really hate when the comment sections get conversational. Its fine to reply to someone else's comment. But some of these conversations veer off-topic from the material that it's supposed to be in response to. It gets pretty frustrating having to sift through people's discussions to get to the comments that are actually relevant. Let's keep the personal discussions in our inboxes, please.
posted 1 year ago.
last edited 1 year ago
 
user photo caintil31 said:
I absolutely love this article. So many good points.
posted 1 year ago.
 
user photo waterlilybarb said:
Great article with many valid points. Thanks for voicing your opinion, because many of us share it.
posted 1 year ago.
 
user photo TheLostBrotha said:
Cheers for Benji!
posted 1 year ago.
 
user photo Snerkie said:
i agree with heaps of that. I sometimes don't realise if i swear in a comment or not because i do it a lot on other forums that arn't young people. Although i don't mind the picks spot because it's just a lot of random things (some dumb rando though). I think there should be a button or something where you can submit banners and stuff for spots because i'll make banners for anything, i just like seeing the spots look pretty :)
posted 1 year ago.
 
user photo neeki said:
This is a fantastic article, i agree with the majority of it. :)
posted 1 year ago.
 
user photo AmyFitz said:
I agree with most of what you say here, if not all of it. This article is so detailed and informative, you must have spent a lot of time and put in a lot of effort to write it! I always want to voice many of these opinions, but you know, It wouldn't seem right coming from me!

Well done again. It was funny as well as useful, and not too rant-y.

xxx
posted 1 year ago.
 
user photo Ogins said:
I did not know alot of things about fanpop, but thanks to this article, I'm willing to voice my opinions with care. Tuche` !
posted 1 year ago.
 
user photo maybeastarbucks said:
Great article... I'm guilty of at least one of these things... :#(
posted 1 year ago.
 
user photo yeahisawsparks said:
I agree with everything you've said! Although I do occasionally swear, it's not anything worse than kids may have heard in an Eminem song or something of the like. I keep it to a minimum. :)
OH, by the way, bad grammer & speling sux :) :) SO annoying!!
posted 1 year ago.
 
user photo PkmnTrainerJ said:
Even after this there's another random spot, which is just a fan art spot for which each spot has a category anyways. http://www.fanpop.com/spots/fandom-icons/
posted 1 year ago.
 
user photo SKQ62 said:
I agree with most of this stuff. Another pet peeve of mine is some of the ludicrously silly picks people have put on. For example "do you like [insert spot subject here]?" Are you ASKING this question? And the ones like the murder mysteries that have started circulating the Office spot. Whether to try and gain better status or just for fun, it irritates me all the same.
posted 1 year ago.
 
user photo Cinders said:
I... think I love you...

I get so frustrated with people sometimes for the silly things they do. But I figure, it's a free country, they're allowed to be stupid... and I'm allowed to be annoyed... ;o)

Still, I'm generally polite. That's why I like this article so much. It's so nice.
posted 1 year ago.
last edited 1 year ago
 
user photo DrDevience said:
Oh J... that spot irks me no end. Each spot has a place for icons, and that is where these should all go. Spots like this one are totally diluting the value and idea of Fanpop.
posted 1 year ago.
 
user photo hekissedmyhand said:
or the same pick with different characters of a show...like for example...these "ingeneral" questions over in the office really really get on my neves...http://www.fanpop.com/spots/the-office-%2528us%2529/pi...058
http://www.fanpop.com/spots/the-office-%2528us%2529/pi...054
http://www.fanpop.com/spots/the-office-%2528us%2529/pi...055
http://www.fanpop.com/spots/the-office-%2528us%2529/pi...053
http://www.fanpop.com/spots/the-office-%2528us%2529/pi...051
http://www.fanpop.com/spots/the-office-%2528us%2529/pi...049

all it does is show a lack of creativity...and take up space - thos some of them a clever, if was over done by going through just about every office character.
posted 1 year ago.
 
user photo Snerkie said:
aleciane...no offence but why should someone do something about it if someone has an opinion? Not trying to be mean or rude but when you post your photo you give the option to everyone to say something even if it's not nice.
posted 1 year ago.
 
user photo benji said:
Well, why does that person feel the need to say it? It's mean and cruel. The phrase most good Fanpop members go by is "if you haven't got anything nice to say, don't say anything", name calling is petty and in actual fact just makes the insulter look bad in the eyes of everyone else.

Just because people want to use their own image as their icon gives people the right to be a dick? No offence but the only reason to act like that is if the other person does it first.
posted 1 year ago.
 
user photo Snerkie said:
yeah i know it's not nice to name call and it's down right mean and stupid of whoever does it. This place doesn't need bullies (i havn't actually seen anyone bully someone) but i don't see why someone should "do something" when everyone know that not everyone out their is nice.
posted 1 year ago.
 
user photo benji said:
So people shouldn't post because they should be worried about people having a go at them? Not everyone out there is nice, of course not, but people shouldn't have to endure those bullies, and you shouldn't try and defend them by basically saying "well it's your fault for putting yourself in the public domain", it's the same as you walking down the street and a random person walking up to you and calling you ugly, it's vile behaviour and downright pathetic.
posted 1 year ago.
 
user photo DrDevience said:
Point me to them. I love smacking idiots around ;)
posted 12 months ago.
 
user photo DarkSarcasm said:
Great article!
posted 10 months ago.
 
related links