Writer's Blog: Creating a Safe Space for Anonymous Feedback Without Involving Johnbob Doesmith (Patreon)

I’m dealing with an inner ear infection that has thrown off my balance and left the world pleasantly spinny, so I’m going to keep this blog post short(ish) and then go and curl up with the newly-released game Bustafellows in bed. (One of the best things about writing IF is that I can technically claim that playing a romantic visual novel qualifies as, ahem, “field research for gaming development.”)

First off: Hope and John’s interview will be posted tomorrow, so you all have until 7am Chicago Time when I wake up to add any last-minute questions (the “meat” of the interview is completely written, but I could use some more lighthearted questions to help facilitate transitions). There’s been a learning curve to writing an interview with three people, as the flow from one topic to the next can’t rely as heavily on back-and-forth banter and jokes.

Second order of business: I’m announcing a new way for Patrons to provide anonymous feedback on Mind Blind’s demo via Mindblindbetatest@gmail.com(which is also the email I’ll be using once I get official beta testing rolling).

For now, though, this email is specifically designated so that people can anonymously provide higher-level feedback on sensitive topics. Bug/Typo reporting is best done either via discord or Tumblr.

The reasoning for this email address: I’ll be blunt and admit in that the prospect having conversations about any semi-serious issue on Tumblr terrifies me. I’m much less guarded here on Patreon, but Tumblr is The Wild West. Prior to posting Mind Blind, I didn’t have any social media accounts, and it all often still feels very overwhelming. Some anon messages that I’ve received on Tumblr have been hard to mentally bounce back from (no, random stranger whom delights in messaging me vitriolic hate mail twice weekly, the inclusion of Rosy’s romance does not make me a predator who should be fired from teaching kids).

Please don’t get me wrong! 99.9999% people who reach out are wonderful and delightful and incredibly kind and I love interacting with them, but the internet is still . . . well, it’s The Internet. Podium Users exist.

In recent months, I’ve considered blocking anonymous comments on Tumblr due to a few (unfortunately persistent) meanie-pants, but I also receive a lot of well-thought-out feedback from readers who didn’t want their usernames to be public (presumably for some of the same reasons I try to be careful about what gets posted). I really want to be able to read these criticisms, especially when they point out potential gaps in my knowledge. Sometimes, I have follow-up questions to anonymous feedback that unfortunately I can’t ask without publicizing the entire conversation. I want to learn and do better, or at least fully understand the issue to make an informed decision, even if my viewpoint ultimately diverges. But I’d rather the conversation be one-on-one.

Not because I plan on acting like a jerkity jerk behind closed doors and want to trap you in my evil lair while pretending that I’m perfect in public, but because it’s less stressful and more productive for me to ask questions in a conversation where I and the other person can give each other the benefit of the doubt without worrying about Johnbob Doesmith the Internet Troll deliberately misinterpreting our words and spewing hate into my inbox. Because I simply don’t have the capacity to deal with any more of that. Unfortunately, it only takes one person being relentlessly ugly to negatively impact my headspace—and “headspace” is super important when working on a creative project. Logically, I know that internet trolls shouldn’t be taken seriously, but emotionally some comments take their toll.

Unfortunately, whereas I can privately respond to messages with names, anonymous messages sent via Tumblr don’t allow me to ask you follow-up questions outside the public spotlight. All this means that if you send me anonymous feedback and it’s about a deeper-than-Deep-Dish topic, I likely won’t publicly respond. Not responding is a lose-lose situation, though, as you may believe that your helpful opinion is being ignored (it’s not), and I’m unable to request clarification . While my DMs are always open, I understand that not everyone will feel comfortable disclosing their online identity in order to provide feedback, especially when it comes to sensitive topics that risk revealing personal details.

Mindblindbetatest@gmail.com is my attempt to fix this issue, since it allows Patrons to reach out via a burner email address and share feedback that they’re not comfortable attaching their names too and allowing me to ask for any follow-up questions. My hope is that it provides a safe space for you guys to anonymously reach out, while also protecting me from having to deal with trolls like Johnbob Doesmith (which is what I’ve named my “I’m going to report you to Child Protective Services” anon).

. . . Well, this post didn’t end up being all that short. I also may have overshared, for which I’m blaming the ear infection.