Figment Writers Against SWAPS!

We, as writers, and contributors to Figment, demand that Figment ban "swaps" from its online community of writers.

We call on Figment to return to its early policies, which prevented increasingly aggressive, unsolicited forms of self-promotion and harassment.

We remind Figment that it was once a safe and welcome online community, where one could discover fresh, talented writers, working across all forms of fiction and verse to advance their work.

We ask Figment to recall an earlier time, when writers would read the works of others without demanding anything in return; and thus, Figment's writers consistently made thoughtful, incisive, constructive comments, because they read works that were of genuine interest to them, instead of works they felt obligated to read.

We beseech Figment to recognize that when our pages are filled with nothing but unsolicited "swap" requests from overtly aggressive members—who, despite all pleas and warning statements in our profiles begging others to respect our wishes and not to post "swap" requests on our pages—continue to post them, often mocking us in the process.

We beg Figment to comprehend that the "culture" of its community is rapidly deteriorating. As unwanted "swap" requests, swamp our walls, legitimate discourse is only crowded out. And, with no direct, private means of communication available to us, the frustrations on both sides are in "public;" on our "walls," in the "comments" and "review" sections of our "books," and the discussion boards of our groups. For many, this has led to a hostile environment. Too often, those who do not want to swap are forced to defend their positions, publicly, in the face of the "swappers," whose "feelings have been hurt," when their swap requests have been rejected. Tempers erupt publicly, when those who oppose swaps, are repeatedly pestered to "apologize" when for attempting to explain their positions--and for pleading with the swappers to leave them alone. This climate is destroying Figment as "a safe place" for young writers.

Finally, we insist that Figment: 1) Return to its original rules banning "self-promotion" in contests; 2) Create a means of private communication between writers; 3) Devise a setting that prohibits unsolicited swap requests; 4) Install a better mechanism to report harassment; and 5) Send a notice to a Figment members reminding them that: unsolicited communication can constitute harassment and grounds for deletion, if users place swap requests on the profiles of those who have posted notice that they do not welcome "swaps;" and that any unwelcome communication to/or about a user, who has informed another that they refuse to have any further discussion, constitutes harassment and is grounds for deletion.

Thank you,

The Undersigned