Deciding wither or not to Share my Ideas...

[Robin51z]

I know this may be a silly question, but how does someone decide to share their ideas or stories on something as grand as the internet?

Once something is on the web it is accessible to anyone with a keyboard and a connection. One of the things that scare me the most will be someone with malicious intent, stealing what I'm currently working on when I ask for feedback on a forum like this.

I know getting an outward perspective is critical for any work, and I try to get feedback from friends and family. However, sometimes it's best to take their comments with a grain of salt. Sometimes, family and friends will just tell you what you want to hear.

So I come back to my original question. How do you decide to share your ideas? Is it a leap of faith? trusting the fellow intellectuals on this forum to critique and not take. Some would say it's best not to take the chance at all, but I see the vast amounts of learned minds that could help me create something unique and lasting.

I look forward to your responses....

[Jozanny]

Robin,

Like the titles of manuscripts, ideas cannot be copyrighted, so regardless of how cautious one is or isn't, if you suggest something that someone else completes first, that's life :rolleyes5:.

Now, since I basically get paid for a percentage of my work, I keep my cyber mouth shut most of the time, but that does not mean student or trade editors can't steal my pitches. They can, so we have to trust each other some of the time, and it really depends if you enjoy posting and getting feedback, or prefer, as I do, to trust yourself and occasional associates.

That said, I have never had the slightest desire to adapt my work from amateurs in Usenet, the LNF, or any other community I've used, but I'm principled. If you're building your confidence, and desire feed back, I would not worry too much. You can save your posts, too, as a precaution.

[Snowman37]

I would say to find a writing partner. My best friend and I are total opposites, we both want to be writers. For me, it's a career path. For him, it's a hobby; but we have a joint project that he is greatly interested in. Anyway, if you can find a writing partner, that will solve a lot of your problems in terms of generating good ideas. As for sharing ideas here... Just do what I do... be vague.

For example, one story I am writing features a cyborg. Rather than give everything away, I just ask questions about this or that in regards to cyborgs and see what people have to say. My story is still under wraps, but I've got my feedback. See? Easy!

[Robin51z]

Thank you both for your help, and I'll take all the information you've giving me into consideration. I feel a little bit better about online forums, and I'm still know there's alot to learn.
But sounds like the pro's can outweigh the cons when used responsibly and very, very carefully :-)