Out of the 30 posts chosen for this QOTW
18 fucking answers have been jokes/puns/rick rolls or pure fiction.

Luckily I've learnt to spot when a story is heading this way, but it's frustrating looking forward to reading interesting stories for the QOTW and find it dominated by shite puns (voted for by the cliques), reused jokes or just pure bs!

We all appreciate good puns (and bad!), jokes and the like, but do we have to click them every week? Can you not just put "Hah, well done you got me again" in the replies section, please, so the rest of us can enjoy some decent on topic answers for the QOTW, rather than the bored pish you lot post because you haven't got other forums to post on.

/rant.
(Lannes, Fri 11 Jul 2008, 4:08, 28 replies, latest was 16 years ago)

I agree
It was the tiresome patch of people declaring they had "rescued" the question by posting whatever they wanted to.

If you don't have an answer to the question don't fucking post, you don't have to reply every week.

Do you?
(Barry Chuckle has gone out in the thong to feed the pigeons, Fri 11 Jul 2008, 7:57, Reply)

OooooooOOOooooOOH!

Someone fetch me handbag.
( Bert Monkeysex is waiting for the mods to delete him, Fri 11 Jul 2008, 8:55, Reply)

Christ
who died and made you the internet police?

Oh...they did. Sorry.
( fuck shit up the best you never had, Fri 11 Jul 2008, 9:08, Reply)

Mornings Becks!
How are you?

I want to be the internet police, I want a shiny badge, a big, hefty truncheon, and one of those big booby helmets.
( Bert Monkeysex is waiting for the mods to delete him, Fri 11 Jul 2008, 9:13, Reply)

You're asking for far too much there Bertie
For one thing I'm way too lazy to make you a badge.

Edit: Good thanks how are you doing?
( fuck shit up the best you never had, Fri 11 Jul 2008, 9:17, Reply)

Fnerrr fnerrrr
*clicks*



...or not.
(Che Grimsdale Best before:, Fri 11 Jul 2008, 9:18, Reply)

@al
To be fair though, I have been worried lately that we've developed our own clique, and we're furthering each other's posts because we like each other. But then you look at the best page, sure, some of our posts are there, but there are lots of new people and lurkers on there too. :)

@becky very well thank you, it's the weekend!
EDIT and make me a badge, woman!
( Bert Monkeysex is waiting for the mods to delete him, Fri 11 Jul 2008, 9:21, Reply)

Exactly.
Some people just take things a little too seriously, and really need to remove the stick from 6" up their arse.

Or get themselves a girlfriend. Or just a friend, really.
( Bert Monkeysex is waiting for the mods to delete him, Fri 11 Jul 2008, 9:33, Reply)

.

( fuck shit up the best you never had, Fri 11 Jul 2008, 9:36, Reply)

Brilliant becks!
Thank you very much, I shall wear it with pride.
( Bert Monkeysex is waiting for the mods to delete him, Fri 11 Jul 2008, 9:39, Reply)

It would have been better
only I'm shit with photoshop, so indeed wear with pride :)
( fuck shit up the best you never had, Fri 11 Jul 2008, 9:42, Reply)

I thought that too, al
I'm going to use that profile more, I need to have had a Best page story for each of my profiles!

EDIT how odd, it won't let me sign in as him now, just going to try the evil twin.

Double EDIT, that'll be why, he's still called Madame Marlborough from yesterday, d'oh!
( Bert Monkeysex is waiting for the mods to delete him, Fri 11 Jul 2008, 9:45, Reply)

Well
Personally I couldn't give a (sex) monkey's toss if something's a joke, completely made up, a pun... As long as it's well written, and engaging, I'll read it. Some QOTW suggestions quickly run out of steam, so people start getting a bit 'creative', shall we say.

Personally I'll only click for a non-true tale if it really makes me laugh (no matter who's written them). I have a number of people on my friends list, but I don't feel obliged to click every post they write.
( Davros' Granddad a voice of calm reason in a world of spastics., Fri 11 Jul 2008, 11:00, Reply)

^What D'sG said^^^
So, YEAH.

How do, Mr?
( Bert Monkeysex is waiting for the mods to delete him, Fri 11 Jul 2008, 11:04, Reply)

More insights can be found
in this thread.

Basically, a lot of people here are atheists, and instead of replying to a post along the lines of "that's bullshit - science says that's impossible" ("Tales of the Unexplained" does bring these types of story out), they're just letting off steam by posting puns and other non-entries etc.

As for made up stories, it has been suggested that fiction relating to this week's topic be posted in the off-topic QOTW.
( mistaspakkaman and the inedible shifting caterpillars, Fri 11 Jul 2008, 11:14, Reply)

I would back away from the QOTW in a minute then...

I'm writing a doozy of a shite, long winded, not-at-all-funny, crap joke, cliterati-inspired, pun-related, hardly-relevant-to-the-QOTW totally made up post.

Sorry in advance. please feel free to click 'Ignore'. It's for twats like me that the 'ignore' button was invented for!

As for everyone else...enjoy!

*polishes his '3 Posts on the best page' award*

Edit: and I'm not in any clique *whines*. Where can I join one please?
( Pooflake braces for an onslaught..., Fri 11 Jul 2008, 11:21, Reply)

Posts - Good vs Bad
I have to agree with the sentiment that as long as the story is well written then it gets a click, I don't generally care if it's true or not.

Far, far too many promising stories are ruined because the poster can't write properly. It's the difference between a comedian who builds a backstory to their gag and the annoying kid you used to go to school with who rattles off jokes verbatim. It really is "The way I tell 'em".

Now, we have some gifted writers here - far too many for me to name individually (yes, Pooflake I'm including you too) who have a gift for helping the reader visualize the subject matter in hand.

That's great writing in my book (sic), I'm no literary critic but I know what I like.
(Bicycle Repairman "you're also a bit of a wanker", Fri 11 Jul 2008, 11:45, Reply)

while
I quite understand your viewpoints (I appreciate well written stories too, many of legless' have been clicked), sometimes it seems people are happier to write a reply and try to be funny/show off their ability to write than adhere to the QOTW.

I don't mind normally, but it has been growing in the QOTW, time was most of the replies would be on topic AND interesting or funny, they didn't have to be off topic to fall in those brackets.

It has become more like a forum on here recently rather than somewhere you went to post stories along with strangers and laugh because they were likely true because everyone was anonymous. Now it seems every knows everyone, and is out to impress them.

Anyway, it was a point made strongly due to a particularly bad evening for my back*, sorry for taking it out on here, shouldn't have.

*it must be all that 6" action.
(Lannes, Fri 11 Jul 2008, 12:19, Reply)

I understand entirely about the cliques...
It's something that bothered me a little - were people clicking on my story simply because it was me?

So I've posted occasionally under a different name.


Made the best page.


And no, I'm not telling you which QOTW.

But it did reassure me that it was the story and not me that was getting the click.
( chickenlady b3ta's very own Elizabeth Taylor, Fri 11 Jul 2008, 13:08, Reply)

NEVER ARGUE WITH THE CLIQUES
For it will only frustrate you, as even though you have a point, they tease you and you can do zero things about it, porque it is internet. One time, I upset someone, then later on I did a pun, then they were mean and replied loads of times so I stabbed myself in the cock.
(Purple Jessop Jessoping Purple all over your father, Fri 11 Jul 2008, 13:32, Reply)

I know people don't click on mine simply because it was written by me.
Otherwise I'd be hitting the Best Of page a lot more than I do.

In all honesty, I don't write in here for the sake of getting to the Best Of page, although I do like the flattery. I write for the sake of writing, of telling stories that people might like, and to keep my writing skills going. Plus if I don't write something every now and then, I get cranky...
( The Resident Loon Not a demographic. Do not measure., Fri 11 Jul 2008, 13:32, Reply)

@al
I think they do all have valid points, but there really is bugger all they can do about it. They can ignore people, you don't have to read EVERY post, and bitching about it is futile.

@PJ Heehee! Sorry about that, glad we've buried the hatchet now though. (the only reason I haven't gone mental at Lannes is that he made his point better than you did!)

@Loon I'd agree there, I write for the sake of writing, and if I wasn't here I would continue to do so at home, but I like chatting with my b3ta mates too, there are some really cool characters here.
( Bert Monkeysex is waiting for the mods to delete him, Fri 11 Jul 2008, 13:42, Reply)

@al
I'm a fuckwit, how did I not see that?
( Bert Monkeysex is waiting for the mods to delete him, Fri 11 Jul 2008, 13:50, Reply)

I'm a fuckwit, how did I not see that?
Ad infinitum.
( Bert Monkeysex is waiting for the mods to delete him, Fri 11 Jul 2008, 13:58, Reply)

I spent
a very happy hour & half down the pub at lunchtime reading the collection of spookiness, jokes, puns and other stuff.

What's your problem man?

Live and let live.
(Che Grimsdale Best before:, Fri 11 Jul 2008, 14:57, Reply)

Are we a clique?
God I hope not. I hope people think they can post on here without fear of being told to fuck off or be ignored. I always hated the exclusive cliques at school, so would like to think that we're an all inclusive community on here where people can post as much shit as they like.
( fuck shit up the best you never had, Fri 11 Jul 2008, 16:34, Reply)

.
Sometimes, especially during those weeks when the answers are coming in thick and fast, instead of reading the QOTW, I read through my "friends' activity" page to see which stories are clickworthy. This does bias my clicks towards people on my friends-list and the stories they liked, but it's useful for people with not enough time to read all the entries. To counter the bias, I still skim over the main QOTW to find those hidden gems.

But generally, anyone is welcome to receive clicks or join us, but we frown upon people who do nothing but slag people off, or write posts in the QOTW that contain no content but whingeing about the QOTW, or trolls in general.

@Lannes:
"It has become more like a forum on here recently rather than somewhere you went to post stories along with strangers and laugh because they were likely true because everyone was anonymous. Now it seems every knows everyone, and is out to impress them."

I still write whatever story is on my mind in whatever style I have in mind if it's relevant to the QOTW without worrying what others will think of it. One thing about QOTW I like is that it's sort of like a new social paradigm. Instead of showing yourself off at your best, you show yourself off at your worst. In other words, it's the opposite of trying to impress someone. You can truly be yourself! A lot of people on QOTW are 'survivors' - that is, they've been through a lot. Some have overcome it, and some are still coming through. Being able to tell stories about ourselves when we're at our worst helps bring ourselves 'out there' and lets other likeminded people find us.

@PJ
"NEVER ARGUE WITH THE CLIQUES
For it will only frustrate you, as even though you have a point, they tease you and you can do zero things about it, porque it is internet. One time, I upset someone, then later on I did a pun, then they were mean and replied loads of times so I stabbed myself in the cock."

Don't throw personal attacks round. Think of something that makes a good contribution to the QOTW and write about it instead.
( mistaspakkaman and the inedible shifting caterpillars, Fri 11 Jul 2008, 20:49, Reply)

...
@che - You being a good writer probably appreciate more than me the aspects of writing a good piece, me I prefer reading a post thats on topic and true (ish). Anyway, each to their own.

@chickenlady - you do yourself an injustice, your stories are always worth a read.

@spacker "anyone is welcome to join us" - this is the crux of the so called problem I think. During the early days there was not such a large amount of "us" that hung around together, now there is. But tbh there's fuck all anyone can do about it, just the natural progression of a popular website, so I had a rant.
(Lannes, Fri 11 Jul 2008, 20:54, Reply)