This site goes against everything I believe in when it come to fanfiction. And I say that for three lines of reasoning they use.
1. "It's different from other sites because we're reviewing fic for the readers..."
This line of reasoning makes no sense. Simply put, nobody can review anything for somebody else. All this will do is turn extremely weak minded people who can't make their own decisions to listen to soemone elses.
2. "So screw the writers"
...hypothetically, let me ask this. What would happen if all writers, be they good, mediocre, or bad, just stopped?
Nothing to read? Yes, I thought that was the answer.
2. "And you know what we think? Fanfic writers are often attention-seeking crybabies who can't write, and they need a slap to the fuckin' head."
Before I even start with this, yes, I know they may/or may not mean everyone, but it's a generalization that, frankly, sucks dead goats nuts.
Now then, to actually go into this, which I rather not because looking at it just makes me ill, many people write for different reasons. So first we have to look at the motivation for a story.
If the motivation is a simple self-insertion fic, then it's got a strike against it and we'll have to look into the other aspects behind the fic itself.
If it's a case of helping the writer get past some personal incident in their own life, and is not a self-insertion, then comes the quesiton of how well can teh aurhot relate the characters to the situation and turn it into a catharsis.
If perhaps it's a case of writing to fulfil a request, then it can go either way...
I can go on and on with this, but I'm not going to. I have never and will never understand the need to complain about things that you are not forced to do. So what if a bad fic is popular? So what if a good fic isn't? If you like or dislike something, you either read it or you don't. Simple.
Things like this make me wish all writers would stop writing, so we can see where all the readers do with the sudden amount of spare time they'd find themselves with since there'd be nothing to complain about or enjoy.
(edit)
And before anyone asks, I'm not saying this just for the sake of my own fics. I'm saying this because I've felt the frustration of seeing someone who really tried and did the best they could, and were in fact willing to improve, get shredded and vow never to write or finsh a fic again. I feel like something I could have enjoyed has been stolen when that happens.
On the other end of the spectrum, no, I don't believe a writer or their friends should flame someone for constructive criticism on one condition alone, it was requested. I don't believe in free criticism, because too many people out there think themselves some kind of self-labeled editor and can take that to say whatever they feel like. However, if it's requested, then that's a completely different story, and a writer should know that they are opening themselves up not only to constructive comments, but attacks as well, whether with good intentions or no.
And let's all try and remember one thing, none of this is getting anyone any monetary gain, and none of it is serious. It is a hobby. A pasttime. It used to be fun, but it's pretty obvious people have forgotten what that means and what it used to be like.
To those who would pipe up, "I can say what I want." Perhaps. I certainly can't and won't stop that. But there's a difference in having and using a privilege (because in countries where you can say what you want, that's exactly what free speech is) and abusing it.
A lot of problems would be solved if people who are sensitive enough to others would stop and think how they'd feel to be on the receiving end of their own words. Unfortunately, a lot of people wouldn't care even if they were, so it makes no difference.
As I told my friend, I am slowly learning not to care. I'm just waiting for my expiration date at this point.
