Comment Swapping: Opening a New World

Comment Swapping is not a new concept to a lot of the users on Mibba, as there are threads in the forum specifically for that purpose; but that didn't stop Dujo and the wonderful Mibba team from coming up with something just as amazing for all the users, new and old. It doesn't matter if you read a lot of stories, or you spend all of your time writing your own stories, the new feature,Comment Swap, will spin your head around a few times. Of course I have my own experience with Comment Swap, the new types of stories I've encountered, and the soon-to-arrive updates the Mibba "Family" is working on. No matter who you are, there is something for those in the narrative community with Comment Swap.

When I spotted Comment Swap this morning, I was elated. I was being handed the opportunity to shamelessly promote my stories and all I had to do in return was hand out a couple comments? Well, imagine my shock when the first story I open is a sports story, about hockey. For those of you who don't know me, here's a little lesson: I hates sports. My least favorite is hockey. I grew up in a Northern Canadian hockey town, and I would rather get shot in the foot that watch a hockey game, much less read a romantic fan fiction about some hockey player and a girl he knew in high school. But, to my shock, I fell in love with the short chaptered story. And I was left begging for more. I left my comment, and went back to the Swap to find more.

Since Wednesday morning around 10:00 AM, I have read 20 new stories, which is more than I have read in at least six months, if not a disturbing amount longer. I promoted a story, and Mibba handed me an Avenged Sevenfold fan fiction, which is another group of stories I am not usually too fond of. And after that, I was given an original fiction on a teacher/student relationship. Next came a really cute slash story involving one of my favorite singers. As each story was thrown at me, I was appalled at the writing skills each writer possessed. I had spent years thinking I was the only brilliant writer on this site. And with each story, my respect for the writers who dared to write about what they loved grew. People who loved hockey had no shame in writing about hockey, even when they knew the stories about the cute boy band would get more readers. There is no doubt that some of the writers on this site write simply because they love to, and nothing else matters. And for that I am so proud to be on this website.

What started out as a chance to earn a few cheap comments and a couple more readers turned out to be an eye opener. Now I can experience fresh ideas, different writing styles and still enjoy a good story. I have never been more proud of the Mibba staff. And I will certainly be keeping an eye out for the updates to come for Comment Swap.