I am not a spambot

[Piratepete]

Ok so I posted up a bitly link to my horror writing because it had some relevance to the thread in question (about games writing) in this post

http://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2011/09/19/uk-writers-guild-noms-go-go-gillen-stern/#comments

I then had someone called Thants say


Your comment would look less like spam if you didn’t use that weird URL-shortener.

bitly isn't a'weird URL shortnener' its also a way of tracking links.

So I tried to edit the comment and put the full URL. It then threw up a message saying if it isn't spam drop us a line, but the link didn't work to that. Therefore I couldn't drop a line to RPS (and I've been posting on RPS a long time)

First off there are several distinct clues I am not a spambot.

1. I used English
2. I was not trying to sell penis enlargements or viagra

So now I can't comment at all on the post or edit it or reply, however it still shows the bitly link (which I thought would be the whole point of marking me unfairly as a spambot was to remove that link)

Or is it the fact I am a writer and I am on your 'turf'? :)

Any chance you can remove me from being marked as a spambot so I can post again? The full link for the one Iput up is here. You are more than welcome to have a look at my work (which was the whole fucking point tbh)

http://www.talesofworldwarz.com/stories/tag/pete-bevan/

[imirk]

I think that you just had an argument with a computer program :D

Edit: Right, shameless self promotion isn't really that cool if it is the first think you do, kind of like say going to a party and saying "Oi! Hi, Great Party Here, Here is my business card, call me if you need you pipes cleaned." I can assure you that it has nothing to do with what you are promoting.

IF you really do want to break into writing for video games head over to a game development site say
http://forum.unity3d.com/forums/17-Collaboration?
And join a team, sure you might not get paid working for indie stuff, but really a PC news and Reviews Blog site isn't really going to help you as we're mostly consumers.

[Piratepete]

Is Thants a mod? I dunno how it works, but the link to report it is broken (program or not) so I've posted it here instead.

[imirk]

Not that I know of. Looks just like community policing itself, we're pretty good at that here. If you want to join the community, discuss video games, join a group that plays them then stick around, If you just want more exposure for your writing ... well you can do that here by discussing video games or joining a group that plays them :P But if you just intend the shout "Look at me!" expect to be ignored at best..

[Piratepete]

Edit: Right, shameless self promotion isn't really that cool if it is the first think you do, kind of like say going to a party and saying "Oi! Hi, Great Party Here, Here is my business card, call me if you need you pipes cleaned." I can assure you that it has nothing to do with what you are promoting.

Well just posted it on the off chance. I didn't really think it would turn into a massive issue to be honest. Anyway I was on the old RPS forum and I didn't know it had changed (I didn't post much but lurked a fair bit), hence the reason I had to sign up again. I've been following RPS since the first few weeks.

Yeah you pretty much got that completely wrong but I can see how it looked. However it wasn't shameless self promotion as I thought it had some relevance to the discussion. TBH I've lost the will to live over this whole thing and spent an hour fcuking about on something that should have taken 30secs.

Thanks for replying anyway :)

[Rossignol]

Not sure why you were spammed there. Fixed it, anyway.

[Piratepete]

Ahh thank you. Faith in RPS restored! and go on give yourself the willies with a nice Zombie story before bed (See...Now thats shameless self promotion!)

Cheers Jim

[imirk]

Good to hear pete, Really I think the best way to break into writing for games it to start writing for games

Either learn to make simple action games, even flash web ones or join a different indie team. Then you promote those! and we love the story and then some cool developer like *insert cool deveolper who everything they touch turns to gold* say wow, you've worked on games and write good stories, here is a mint so that you write us awesome stories. ideally that is.

[Tikey]

I'm not still sure you're not a spambot.
Quick! What's 6+5

[imirk]

0110
0101

1011 = 0xB

[Nullkigan]

This is a derail (or perhaps not, now the original issue has been resolved), but I'm slightly confused by the following:


bitly isn't a'weird URL shortnener' its also a way of tracking links.

Whilst this is useful for you, it's not useful for anyone else.

In fact, it's down right annoying for others as we have no way of knowing if your link is pointing towards a useful site or something infamous that involves a .cx domain extension. I generally refuse to click on any such link. Your web host should be able to provide a plethora of stats tracking stuff anyway.

Click throughs and redirects have always been considered in poor taste, yet bit.ly, adf.ly and similar sites are on the rise. Why is this?

[Piratepete]

fffzst click whirrr

BUY MY VIAGRA NOW!!!!

Imirk,

To be honest I've just finished a book of Zombie short stories. Some of which are on Tales of World War Z. As its taken 3 years I think I'm entitled to whoring myself round the internet for a bit.

http://www.talesofworldwarz.com/stories/tag/pete-bevan/

and I'm thinking about my next project, so that unity forum seems like a good idea. I've joined up and may just offer my services to the community. It seems like the sort of challenge that may pique my interest. As long as its not bloody Zombies, I'm sick of the bloody things.

Can't do any harm can it :)

tikey,

11

[Piratepete]

This is a derail (or perhaps not, now the original issue has been resolved), but I'm slightly confused by the following:



Whilst this is useful for you, it's not useful for anyone else.

In fact, it's down right annoying for others as we have no way of knowing if your link is pointing towards a useful site or something infamous that involves a .cx domain extension. I generally refuse to click on any such link. Your web host should be able to provide a plethora of stats tracking stuff anyway.

Click throughs and redirects have always been considered in poor taste, yet bit.ly, adf.ly and similar sites are on the rise. Why is this?

Well I've never heard they are bad form but I'm not an IT person. I just found it a useful way of tracking links as 'Tales of World War Z' isn't my site I wouldn't have any other way of doing it.

If I see a bitly link I look at the post around it. If the post seems genuine the link usually is and I've never been caught out yet.

[thegooseking]

In fact, it's down right annoying for others

Long URL Please (http://www.longurlplease.com/) can help with that.


Click throughs and redirects have always been considered in poor taste, yet bit.ly, adf.ly and similar sites are on the rise. Why is this?

Twitter, I guess.

[Vexing Vision]

In fact, it's down right annoying for others as we have no way of knowing if your link is pointing towards a useful site or something

I understand you. As someone who writes a lot on Twitter (shameless self promotion), I'm pretty much the same as you. I refuse to click shortened links from anyone I don't trust and from Teddy Leach.

Then again, my curiousity usually gets the better of me.

[Rii]

I am not a spambot

Sounds like something a spambot would say. >>

[Nalano]

Sounds like something a spambot would say. >>

Damnit, I was going to say that.

[QuantaCat]

I like twitter and short URLs. Does that make me a shazbot?

[Nalano]

I like twitter and short URLs. Does that make me a shazbot?

I don't understand the point of short URLs in fora like this. You can embed a link into text perfectly fine, and dollars to donuts if you're gonna post a link straight you'll copypasta it no matter its length.

Why are we talking about conventions that were clearly made for cell phones? Orite, Twitter. Can Twitter please die?

[QuantaCat]

I dont care for it or see the need for it on forums, actually a forum script that automatically turns bit.ly and t.co into a full url would be funny.

But I love twitter.

[Nullkigan]

And indeed, just about anywhere you can post comments will automatically contract an URL like so:

http://reallyreallyreallylonguniformresourcelocatorredire ction.com/

So you don't even have to learn how to use the [ url = http etc] tags [ / url ] at all.

[Nalano]

So you don't even have to learn how to use the [ url = http etc] tags [ / url ] at all.

So lemme get this straight: Millions around the world follow inane tweets and use arcane hashtags to broadcast their pseudo-pithy conversations*, yet can't remember the world's most common forum code?

*opinions may contain bitter hyperbole

[Nullkigan]

I will concede that it was a bit tangential, but my intended point was that you don't have to do anything to long URLs to avoid e.g. table breaking.

Twitter might be different, as I could see some trying to use a long URL as a workaround to the character limit (http://ThisIsAnExampleWhichHopefullyDoesNotResolveToAReal Domain.com).

[deano2099]

So lemme get this straight: Millions around the world follow inane tweets and use arcane hashtags to broadcast their pseudo-pithy conversations*, yet can't remember the world's most common forum code?

@nalano Yes #rpsforum

[Nalano]

@nalano Yes #rpsforum

*cry*

and there are other ways to work around the character limit

[Piratepete]

As I said I just use it to tracks the amount of clicks through to my stories and where they are from (hence I now write more Zombie stories set in the US and they darn well love those Zombies. Yeehaa)

[Piratepete]

By the way 14 people clicked through the bitly link yesterday so that obviously makes you all wrong and I right :)

(not really)

[imirk]

did you count me twice?

[Grizzly]

Do google bots count? There are several of those buggers. They are like spiders.

[Piratepete]

probably and probably :)

ahh but did you actually read any stories imirk?

[imirk]

um. no. sorry. I like spaceships better than zombies mostly. right I'll find my way back and read some though.

[Piratepete]

Imirk. I've been contacted by a Dev team who have shown some interest in me doing some initial stuff for them, its unpaid but its fine just to get a foot in the door as it were. I can't thank you enough for putting me onto that forum.

They seem serious as well as they have done enough to show a rolling video of the game in question.


A new challenge.....Ace :)

Can I recommend 'Cadish' if you like spaceships AND Zombies. Its one of my favourites.