Are we SURE this is by Tumblr? Because they seem to have no idea how replies worked initially, which admittedly, doesn’t rule out this being from @staff
As soon as I reblogged it, I had a “Wait, is this legit?” response myself. I JUST GOT SO EXCITED FOR A SECOND.
I looked at the blog itself, and in truth, I still can’t quite tell. There’s nothing there really saying what the blog is, or what it’s for, or who’s in charge of it. AGAIN THOUGH THAT’S NOT NECESSARILY PROOF AGAINST
Here’s their archive though. The blog looks to have been around since May 2013, and while they don’t have many posts, those they do have do seem to all be in this same vein.
So maybe? I’m tentatively filling out the survey right now, and so far I haven’t seen any questions that have set off any flags. But I’m not done yet either.
Yeah I think I’m personally going to hold off on answering this until I know a bit better who’s collecting the info. I just got to this question:
Which reads “14. Previously, how did Tumblr replies work? For example, were replies available on all posts or on only certain ones?”
And okay HOW DO YOU NOT ALREADY KNOW THIS. And why would you need this information from your users, for fuck’s sake.
Everybody do what’s most comfortable to them, of course! I really hope it’s legit and it’s a sign that Tumblr is looking to actually, you know, DO SOMETHING. For me though, the unknown source and the weird question, it’s just giving me an off vibe. I plan to hold off.
I apologize for reblogging something without checking it out myself first. AGAIN JUST SO EXCITED. Dammit, Tumblr.
To be honest this seems dodgy as all hell. The survey is hosted on Research.net without any Tumblr branding.
They ask a bunch of personal info about you, your social media habits etc and then ask for an email address so you can be identified.
Only 4 questions are about your experience with replies and they’re not questions a company serious about developing a feature would ask.
One asks you to justify/link an interaction. Which given how Tumblr’s search works (badly), could possibly take you a helluva lot more time than 5 minutes.The next question asks you to link it.
The last one asks you how Replies work and how important is it to you in the future.
Four shallow, lousy questions in a survey with over 30 questions. Most of the rest asking about your app and social media usage habits.
Tbh even if this survey is legit, I doubt it’s a serious attempt to get opinions on replies. It looks more like someone is trying to capitalise on a popular demand to gather data on user habits (and the data this research is asking for can be extremely useful for companies), on top of asking for your email so they can not just identify you, but spam you with more surveys in the future.
I’d actually recommend flagging the original post. Even if it did come from Tumblr, it sends the signal to staff that users are finding this survey extremely dodgy. However, the ability to flag posts seems to have been removed on that blog, not sure why. If anyone can figure it out, do let us know.
Update: I flagged the post and wrote to the Tumblr staff with a link to the survey, and this is what they replied:
(Apparently the Marketing department wasn’t really aware how the replies worked.)
So I’m taking this survey. We need the replies back
I’m honestly not surprised about this whole debacle like leave it to tumblr to make a sketchy fucking survey about replies and tell absolutely no one lol
First paragraph of the actual fic: I judge the whole fic by the first words and I assume you do too so here it is
“Just a series or drabbles/headcanons/prompts”: Someday I want to write an incredible 200k fic but for now have fun going through all the chapters trying to figure out which one is the one you actually want to read
“Will X be able to find love before Y happens?” And other questions: I read entirely too many YA novels
Quote from the actual fic: I watch entirely too many movie trailers
“Basically just an X fic with Y characters”: I can probably write a good summary if I cared a little more
Song lyrics: I have no idea how summaries work and I’m trying to be like the people with poem quotes
Poem quotes: either the best thing you’ve ever read or 13-year old English literature purple prose there is no in-between
Lol I can’t do summaries: I’m not entirely sure if I want you to read my fic
“Wtf is this” or other author questioning themselves: it’s either porn or crack
Explicit rated fics: listen my man I know you’re not gonna really read the summary just read the tags and decide if my sin is the sin for you
Paragraph of tags and one line summary: ok listen I can’t do summaries but I’ve got this ok IVE GOT THIS
dictionary definition: fluff or angst here you go
Either a meme or a tumblr imagine your otp: I was bored and I had emotions about my ship you can have emotions about them too
Paragraph from the source the fic is from: I’ve basically written my headcanon and made it prettier
“I’m so sorry” or “I cried while writing this” : I was in a sad mood and I needed a healthy way to release these emotions so now y’all get to suffer
No summary: it’s either porn or a small drabble and it all depends on the word count
Actual fic summary: *rocks back on old wheelchair* listen kid *smokes cigarette* I’ve seen and read a lot of things *blows smoke* and I know it’s hard but there’s still hope in this world ok? *looks into the distance* also you might wanna read the tags because the chances of gore and/or character death being in my fic have gone from 0 to 75
I really, really hate fandom policing. I hated it when I was twelve and was so afraid to read slash because OMG DICKS TOUCHING WHAT and I hated it when I was fifteen and was smuggling the yaois under my mattress so I would always have a supply of top notch garbage to read, and I am 24 and I hate it now.
Here is the thing: YOU CONTROL what you take in. I am not responsible for your consumption of Hydra Trash party noncon, I am not responsible for your consumption of pegging smut, and I am not responsible for your consumption of fluffy sickfic. I am not responsible for you consuming anything.
I might be responsible for writing that noncon or pegging or sickfic, but I did not make you read it. I did not hand it to you, I did not give it to you. I created it, and made it available for those who want to enjoy.
If you don’t like it, if you don’t want it, then you don’t have to read it.
That choice made, the choice not to consume a type of fic or art, also means you don’t get to drag the person who wrote it.
That is a damn slippery slope.
Fandom is a “safe space” but not in the way that it protects you from things that you don’t want to see or don’t like or are offended by. Fandom is, and has traditionally been, a space for people to create and explore with out being told “no” by outside media. Fandom is where you can find out if you don’t fit in the boxes society tells you to, or it you just really, really like reading about Bucky getting repeatedly rammed in the ass by Hydra agents sans lube.
And no matter how well-meaning you are, you don’t get to tell other fans what they can and cannot write, or draw, or enjoy.
When you start telling people what they can create or enjoy, you invalidate the purpose of fandom, and create a situation where instead of free exploration, we have something similar to mainstream media in which certain tropes or topics are not allowed. This limits the free expression, exploration and innovation so highly prized in fandom.
Maybe what they draw is illegal in five states, and highly restricted in several countries. Maybe it’s offensive, maybe it’s inaccurate, or just plain bad.
It doesn’t matter.
You don’t get to tell fans how to enjoy fandom. You mind your own path, your write your own fic, you write meta on why x trope is offensive/problematic/bad but you do not tell other fans how to enjoy fandom.
“Fandom is a “safe space” but not in the way that it protects you from things that you don’t want to see or don’t like or are offended by. Fandom is, and has traditionally been, a space for people to create and explore with out being told “no” by outside media.”
THIS!!! THIS is the TRUE definition of fandom as a ‘safe space’. It is a ‘safe space’ for creators.
“You do not tell other fans how to enjoy fandom.”
This needs 99,999,999 notes.
There comes a point where you, not your teachers and not your parents or guardians, are responsible for what media you consume. It’s not for others to censor themselves to protect you from what you don’t want.Heed warnings. If something doesn’t have warnings, either don’t read/watch/listen to it or search out reviews that will tell you if it’s something you would be OK reading/watching/listening to. Descending on a creator or creators and demanding they not create something or shaming them for doing so because you don’t approve is censorship and furthermore, it’s hubris of the highest order.
Consider that not long ago homosexual portrayals of any kind were fandom policed to the same extent that people police certain kinks today. Just because you find it offensive, doesn’t mean you’re right, or more importantly that it’s any of your business.
Adding to this: You need to take responsibility for creating your own safe space. If you follow a blog that repeatedly puts content you don’t like on your dash, either ask them for a tag to blacklist if they’re not tagging it, or unfollow. You need to take steps to protect yourself and enable you to function happily in a communal space.
The fact that colonialism is so central to science-fiction, and that science-fiction is so central to our own pop culture, suggests that the colonial experience remains more tightly bound up with our political life and public culture than we sometimes like to think.
The Atlanticdiscusses the link between science fiction and colonialism. (via ceeturnalia)
sorry to break it to you all but being a fan of someone is not a competition, in competitions there are losers and winners, but in a fandom there are only losers and it’s all of us
kototyph 