#comment etiquette
Note
If you keep asking "when bla bla gonna come out?" They'll delay it further. NONE OF YOU LISTEN!!!!
ITS NOT VERY "listener" OF YOU!
.
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dev is tired.
y'all, i really am. i get that my writing isn't the best or the most exciting. i have a lot of grammar errors and angst is abundant in every one of my fics. but i put appropriate warnings, i'm kind to those who reach out in appropriate ways and ask questions, i always thank people for their interactions. but i just. i popped off this morning after a terrible night of tossing and turning because of this comment a guest left on my fic for the tlou fandom after not writing for years:
i was contemplating what to say for hours because it affected me that much. but ended up with the following:
i just, i really don't know how to feel right now. i know i was a little harsh and defensive and if people want to unfollow me because of my response, that's totally valid. but i am always kind, i am always so happy to respond to comments and replies, i am always so willing to interact with anyone about anything. this is was just a lot to handle and i needed to say my piece.
#dev talks#fic: return the favor#fandom discourse#comment etiquette#tw discourse#tlou#tlou fanfiction#the last of us#the last of us fanfiction#joel miller#joel miller x reader#joel miller x you
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My reply to the super shitty new trend of writing nothing but ‘chapter kudos’ or a string of emojis on fics. I think it’s a trend that needs to die. That’s what the kudos button is for.
It costs nothing to be silent. I have been getting anxiety every time I get a comment email because of this shit. It’s what the kudos button is for. It’s what the kudos button is for!!!
Also for the record I am losing my vision and the majority of my fics are read to me through an app so don’t say it’s unfriendly to people who listen to fics either, it costs nothing to be silent if you can’t give a sincere comment. And it also gives my fic zero boosts to add more comments to it. It counts every comment, not just threads so those are constantly skewed anyways. It boosts nothing it’s just an email that gives me anxiety.
Until I started asking people not to comment that. I asked that and they almost immediately stopped, and my love of getting comment emails went up again. Cause those comments stopped. I stopped getting anxiety about posting altogether and it was. Amazing.
But this. This is just mean.
I don’t care if you comment or not. Because the people that do are kind and nice and amazing. But it costs nothing to be silent when you have nothing to say.
I personally hate it. And so I asked it to stop. On my fics. You can do that on someone else’s who loves that. Whatever. I even prize the ‘this is awesome’ comments more than this. That’s also a thing you can copy paste btw. You can have a rotation of random things with like three words max that you rotate through and those still make me grin.
But that’s why I put it in the notes for every chapter I post now. Because I understand that a lot of people won’t remember. So I say it there, and continue to get very few of those comments.
Anyways. Have a great holiday, I’m so glad that my Christmas chapter I wrote and posted in one single day was well received.
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on the etiquette of fandom respect
I'm not sure why I'm doing this, really. We've all seen those other posts that circulate around (or the vast majority of us have, at least from my notice) discussing things like negativity towards creators and proper etiquette when it comes to commenting and bookmarking and sharing another person's work. It always seems to fly in one ear and out the other, yet here I am, preparing to write an essay, mainly because I don't think we should ever stop saying it in the hopes of improvement.
Let's start this with bookmarks on AO3, because it seems like people either forget, they don't know, or possibly they simply do not care. Bookmarks can be seen by creators. Meaning they can see your tags, your bookmark collections, and your bookmark comments. There are numerous creators who enjoy going through the bookmarks on their works to see these things, because it's extra insight into why someone liked or even loved that creation, most times. There are also, in my experience, a lot of people who bookmark works and do not comment, so again, it gives the creator that extra special boost to keep doing what they're doing, to create more.
Leaving personal rating scores for a work, downgrading comments, or, in all honesty, opinions on what you did not like in the work is unkind. No one is coming to attack how you choose to keep track of your bookmarks, but please remember these are PUBLIC unless otherwise chosen by you. You can, however, make private bookmarks that only you can view. Even the creators cannot see these beyond a number of how many bookmarks a work collectively has. If you have a rating system or opinions on a work that could even remotely be construed as unkind, please make your bookmarks private. It's incredibly simple. There is a checkbox to select.
Now onto comments and the etiquette behind it. No one is forcing you to comment. While it is appreciated by all creators, it isn't a requirement. Creators love hearing from everyone who views their work. Comments bolster creators, encourage them to continue creating if they love doing it, which most creators do. But if the only thing you can think to say is something demeaning, criticizing, or has no bearing on the work you just viewed, it's probably better not to say anything at all. If you have questions, ask them. Creators love talking about their works, typically. Most will jump at the chance for a discussion. But this does not give anyone the right to ask accusatory questions that degrade a person's work. Also, leaving a comment about any work that blatantly goes against the very obviously stated tags/warnings, or leaving a comment that is short and brief and really doesn't make any sort of reference to the work itself is rude, plain and simple. Do not do that.
You are not being asked to leave a novel behind in your comment (though that's almost always appreciated to a massive extent). Leave a few kind words about liking or loving the work, because just something as simple as "loved this!" goes a long way as encouragement. If you have the time or something specific, tell the creator about a part you liked. They'll adore you for it. But again, none of it is a requirement. All creators ask for is a bit of common sense and respect from people in exchange for what they've created. Basic rule of thumb: ask yourself if you made something you were proud of and showed it to someone, would you be happy or hurt by the comment you're about to leave?
Lastly, let's discuss credit. It's seen a lot, and pretty much everywhere now. Someone finds artwork or a fic or maybe even a simple quote from a work they enjoy, and they repost it with no credit, not even a title (in regards to fics). No reference back to the creator at all. Stop gatekeeping works that do not belong to you. You do not own those works. They have been shared with you, nothing more. By transferring them or even a piece of them somewhere else without proper credit, you are not only removing someone else's ability to properly view this work without directly asking what it's from (if they ask at all, which most do not), you are taking that potential encouragement away from the creator and making them feel worthless.
These works, whatever they may be, were created for you. You may try to argue that they were shared in a public forum, and the creator should understand that by doing so, they're opening themselves up to potential criticism, theft, and even bullying. And you would be right, creators are fully aware of this. But here's the thing: these works, at least in a fandom setting, are being created for FREE. A person is taking time out of their life to make this wonderful thing, and they are offering it humbly solely for the pleasure of doing it, to bring you pleasure.
And you might even argue that creators are not making these things for you, but for the world. But aren't you part of the world? Did you find and are you reading/viewing/listening to these works? If so, then yes, they were created for you, with you in mind. All creators ask for in return, literally the only thing, is some basic human kindness and decency, because creators are not required to share anymore than you're required to comment or spread their works around.
Some creators have thicker skins than others, but keep going as we have been, and one day, the content you love so much might be gone. It's already beginning to disappear for lesser things. Don't be the reason it continues.
#food for thought#fandom etiquette#comment etiquette#free advise#take it or leave it#i'm sure it'll be left and overlooked or ignored#but at least i've tried and said my peace
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I’ll never understand comments on fics that are like “this was good but I really didn’t like this part so it sort of ruined it a bit for me” like ok?
It really is okay to just stop after the first bit or, if that’s too complicated, I honestly think not commenting is better tbh.
I dunno, maybe I’m just being a bit sensitive today? But, like, I’ve made the choices I’ve made because of reasons and I totally understand if not everyone agrees but I guess I’m just not sure why they feel the need to tell me.
This really isn’t as dramatic as it sounds, hah, just some early morning musings.
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hey everyone, quick psa: commenting on a fic is a privilege not a right. comments can be turned off in a heartbeat. authors can delete comments as they please.
over a year ago, someone left a semi rude comment on a story of mine. it upset me so i deleted it (and didnt think to screenshot it lol). this anonymous user then decided to start harassing me throughout my stories. i kinda want to talk about it.
It started like this
to more aggressive:
I turn on comment moderation. and then, i get a notif from a DIFFERENT story of mine.
first of all: dont ever trauma dump on a random stranger on the internet. to think how this could have affected someone else other than me. also having a bad experience doesnt excuse bad behavior. I also dont really care? this comment reeks of entitlemtn that you are trying to couch with your sudden backstory.
also this is a really bad attempt at an apology. that finally 'im sorry' is laughable. i dont even want an apology??? because i dont care. honestly. just let it go.
anyway, i delete it and then i get this
i dont think this person understands what the word insecure means
i tag all my fics appropriately and extensively
i delete that one (and its quite fun tbh, since it seems to upset them so god damn much).
Now, this anon has decided to drop a coment on A THIRD story of mine:
i tagged this story with the 'chose not to use archival warnings' which i dont think this person comprehends. but also its a moot point, because their real anger is being silenced. i dont have to have a reason to delete comments on my own story. let alone THESE COMMENTS ON A DIFFERENT STORY COMPLETELY AND THEREFORE ARE JUST HARASSMENT/SPAM at this point.
After this they decide to use a different tactic: pretending ot be other people who have heard this salacious rumor about this rusame writer out there mass deleting shit. (i dont, but whatever, not the point)
this comment ^^ is again on a completely different story of mine. can we note the date on this one. I left the user because its just guest (ive been protecting this persons identity because they did use a name previously, although it isnt tied to any account) so that I could show the time stamp. 2021.
its Oct 20, 2022, and I got YET AGAIN another comment from definitely not this person.
again this is so sad. like, its been months my guy. what are you doing. no one gives a shit. there is no YT vid about me. also the 'didnt realize they were a hetalia author' bit is what really sends me. ALL of the stories mentioned in this debocle are hetalia. so how could this video takedown of me not mention that?
anyway. ive had worse commenters before (who've sent me repeated death threats, for example, and ive had to get AO3 admin involved to stop it). this person is no where near that level. i just find their persistence laughable and also really really sad.
but regardless, i want to make this clear: It's the author's story. They're in charge of comment moderation. you are not entitled to the space. enjoy your free content and leave people alone
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there’s always comment tips floating around tumblr but today it’s MY TURN BABEY i’m not covering Every Possible Comment, just my personal tips and tricks
pick a few default phrases. write them down even if you want!! my go-tos are “i love this so much” and “thank you for writing/sharing!!” and “omg this is perfect.” sometimes all of them together! i’m an overachiever so i usually go more in-depth, but just these sorts of things is great too
straight up just describe what you’re doing. “it’s 2am and im going to be so tired tomorrow but it was worth it i love this so much” (look theres a default phrase!!) “i’m sitting here crying into my chicken nuggets oh my god” “i laughed so hard reading this i woke up my dog”
if its a multi-chapter, try to predict whats coming! in a nice way, not demanding or “if xyz does/n’t happen i’ll riot” (unless its something guaranteed to happen, like “if [tagged pairing] dont get over themselves and kiss soon i’ll scream.”). esp if the fic is ongoing!! i’ve changed directions of longfics slightly bc of what readers predicted!! fanfic is a communal activity!!
speaking of ongoing fics: feel free to express excitement for future chapters but dont demand them, and DEFINITELY don’t let that be the only thing you say. “update soon!” is different from “oh wow i loved this bc xyz, cant wait to see what happens next!” the former makes it feel like a thankless chore, they latter feels like encouragement.
if a fic is not usually up your alley but you liked it, say so! just be polite. “i dont usually read [ship] but i was curious and i liked this bc xyz” is cool!! “i usually hate [ship] bc its gross/weird/toxic/etc and Other People always write [insert common trope] but this one was good” is less cool. you dont need to trash on the thing the author clearly likes, but it IS nice to know i could open you up to a new idea or something!
pick a line, any line, that made you laugh or “aww” or cry or get angry or ANYTHING. paste it in the comment box. write “this made me [insert emotion/reaction]” or “YESS/NOOO [character name]” or “oh my god i love this” or whatever floats your boat
if you want to go above and beyond, if i’m reading a longer work that i can already tell is gonna be a favorite, i just open the notes on my phone and copy paste all my favorite lines with my reactions as i go, then bam, ready-made comment
can guarantee (source: me) it will make a writer’s WEEK bc its like, barely any extra effort but it shows what made the most impact, and sometimes it makes someone see their stuff in a new light bc maybe they didn’t expect the line to hit that way! but woah! its so cool how different people experience art!!
also, comment when you reread. comment on older fics. if authors ask for suggestions or take requests, ASK. you get a thing you want, authors get interaction and cool fun ideas, it’s a win-win! everyone else is just as awkward and anxious and starved for human communication as you i SWEAR
also leave nice things in bookmarks bc that EXTRA makes my day when i remember to check once every six months. plus it helps future me remember why i bookmarked it
#wren wrambles#ao3#comments#fanfiction#fandom#fandom etiquette#comment etiquette#i havent been getting bad comments or anything i only got one hate comment in my life#i just felt like putting this out there#and i kept thinking of stuff to add whoops
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Following your poll about readers who comment, I have a question for writers who receive comments. Writing out detailed comments takes me a bit of time and not something I can easily do on my iPad (where I usually read). If I know I won't have time to write detailed and thoughtful comments I will wait, which admittedly can take me a few weeks to get to. As a writer, would you rather have a shorter and less substantive "loved this!" comment right away or a more detailed comment a few weeks or even months from when you posted?
i mean...
lol but like, you could always say "loved this, will leave a more detailed comment later!" however i notice most people who say that don't actually leave a more detailed comment later, lol.
but here's a poll for writers! please fill it out, y'all!
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Do you prefer comments left only on AO3 to improve the stats and keep everything neat in one place, or are you good with comments still on tumblr?
That's a good question! Thank you for asking!
I think my opinion on this has changed over the years. When I used to post a fic on AO3, I only shared the link here on Tumblr to promote it. I wanted people to go to AO3 to read my stories because:
the number of hits, kudos and comments matters. Some people filter/sort fics by those stats, so the higher these numbers, the more likely it is people will find the fic and give it a chance
it's easier for people to find my other fics if they end up wanting to read more of my works
I love rereading old comments, especially when I don't feel motivated to write, and AO3 has it all neatly in one place, just like you said.
All these points still stand today but I eventually started posting my fics on Tumblr as well because I got the feeling that some people prefer to read them on here - which is fine by me because in the end, it doesn't really matter where people comment, only that they do.
The thing with Tumblr is, though, that a fic only reaches potential new readers if people also reblog it. If it isn't circled around, it'll get lost in the tags within the day and that's it. So the best readers on here can do to help an author is to reblog a fic and either add their comment below it or in the tags. And if they want to go a step further, they can then head over to AO3 and leave kudos and a comment there as well.
Now, I'm obviously not asking anyone to do that and I certainly don't expect anyone to comment twice. But I wish readers would just take a moment after reading a fic to think about how much time the author put into it, because we're talking hours, days, sometimes even weeks, months and years here. Most authors have regular day jobs and spend what little free time they have creating these stories only for people to read them in a matter of minutes and then click the like / kudos button and move on. It is, quite frankly, disappointing to only get likes and kudos on something you've poured your heart into, and also highly demotivating. Fandom is about interaction and gushing about your favourite characters together and getting inspired by each other. Kudos and likes don't offer that, and as long as readers prefer them over comments and reblogs, it shouldn't come as a surprise to anyone when writers (and artists too) lose the motivation to create or share their works and fandoms slowly grow quiet.
#also on a side note#I have disabled anon asks and closed prompts because it began to feel like people were taking advantage of it#both by not bothering to read what I enjoy writing and not having the decency to leave a comment on a fic written for them specifically#not everyone is like that of course#there are so many wonderful people in the Six Idiots fandom that always comment when I write them something#but they're sadly in the minority#and I'm not sorry to say that I'm tired of writing for anons who only take without giving at least a little back#fanfiction#writing#comment etiquette#support fanfic writers
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yall on ao3 i adore comments on my fics of all kinds and i want yall to know it but im not sure how to respond to comments like ‘i really liked this’ other than just ‘thank you im glad!’ and is that annoying or does it feel insincere to see it multiple times in a comment section bc i really do feel it but like Is It Socially Weird or not?
#ao3#comment etiquette#genuine question for the record and one ive had before but have only now decided to scream into the void and hope something comes back out
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Idk man giving your negative opinion on someone’s writing without their soliciting it is a party foul. I don’t blame them for blocking you tbh. Like they’re just tryna have fun and write, fuck if they know how breathing works. Maybe chill out and just stop reading it if it bothers you so much.
You know, if it had just been a negative opinion, I would agree with you. Given that it WASNT, and the rest was a compliment on how they wrote the characters, and even the negative bit was couched as 'despite *this negative bit*, I really enjoyed the story after putting that behind suspension of disbelief,' I don't think it's as clear-cut as "lunar, keep your negative opinions to yourself". I do get what you mean, though. Either way, I deleted the comment.
And I happen to love the "Dream gets rescued from the fishbowl" trope, and will happily read it over and over. It's just this specific incorrect thing that bugs me.
#comment etiquette#im a little salty at being blocked when i had a half dozen other comments on other fics by this author that were purely compliments#i debated answering this at all#given the tone#but considering my own tone i thought that was hypocritical#im also having a moment of 'wait is this not common knowledge? i thought this was common knowledge'#srsly i thought this was something that everyone should and would know#which is why the incorrectness bothers me so much
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Hey so I just realized a thing that might explain why I hate comments that aren’t. Like. Real comments. (Just emojis, asking for more, or saying chapter kudos, those aren’t real comments when that’s literally the entirety of the comment.)
Thing is. I am disabled. For nearly 20 years now, my biggest interaction with the world has been through fandom. I don’t leave my house much because I’m literally THAT disabled and I leave for like. Two hours MAX. Usually less than one. I don’t get to talk to many irl people. The most irl interaction I’ve had this year is with my neighbor who’s got a 7 month old and I made her a blanket and I made her 6 year old a scarf. It’s what I do, and it’s not much but that’s the most interaction I’ve had irl all year with someone that isn’t my father.
I have been interacting with the internet through fandom, tumblr, funny posts and instagram which I use 99% for my yarncraft (that’s my personal craft outside of video games and fandom, I make yarn and I crochet and sometimes knit, I sometimes weave, I do just about anything I can with yarn because it’s my only True Special Interest other than fandom) and that’s really. It.
That’s all I got. And I call these specific comments ‘the echo chamber’ because all they do is say the same thing over and over with no meaning. I want people to give me sincere comments on my fics, not because I DESERVE it, but because that’s REALLY one of the only interactions I have with the world. I’m sorry if the echo chamber comments are all you got, you don’t have to say shit tbh, but getting the echo chamber comments puts me in this fucked up mindset that nothing I say will ever be replied to. That nothing I do is worthy of interaction.
I’m still a human. I still want interaction with people. The echo chamber comments aren’t it, and they give me anxiety feeling like nothing I say is worthy of reaction, attention, existing. All I want is for people to realize that a sincere comment (even if it CONTAINS emojis or ‘chapter kudos’ as long as it’s not the whole damn comment) is so much more worthy to me, than it likely is to you, because that’s really all I got.
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Atypical Commenting Advice
The thing about Ao3 comments is everybody, every author, likes and needs different things. No template or article can teach you how to leave the perfect comment because some things are going to resonate better with some authors than others. Personally I like bolder, more creative approaches. For instance:
Tell me, in graphic detail, about a particularly unhinged behavior the fic inspired in you
Describe any fanart ideas based on the fic that you wish would exist
Guess what happens next (or what happened before the beginning)
Jokes and memes
If the fanfic was a mythical beast or creature, what would it be? Who would it devour?
Here are some things that bother other writers that don't really bother me that much:
when next update??? WHEN NEXT UPDATE?????
"I don't go here but this is actually cool"
Lengthy descriptions of your own fic or OC
one word comments or emojis (though I really wish you'd type something out. just pretend I'm your bestie and you're testing me about something rude a guy said to you on tinder. the words will fly by.)
"this fic reminds me of (other story)" … I guarantee I did not consume other story but you're not bothering me by letting me know
deeply personal and emotional comments about your own baggage. I'm glad if my fic made you want to tell those stories or explore those feelings
no comments at all. honestly I'm going to write the same fic whether or not people comment on it! no pressure! but if you're holding back because you're anxious that your comment violates some kind of norm or taboo, I wouldn't worry about it too much. The stakes are simply not that high. I do think it's smart to avoid unsolicited criticism but if you've got something you need to say, I can probably find someone to be nice to be while I recover from whatever your opinion might be. Hopefully.
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Dear Reader:
Often I see it questioned whether a fic posted months or years back can be given a kudo or comment. I’m here to say that yes, yes it can.
This morning, my older sister received a comment on a fic she posted fifteen years ago, on a separate site (before the dawning of AO3). The reader loved how she incorporated a game mechanic into the narrative and did so with accuracy.
The comment made my sister’s day, and will likely buoy her for days and weeks.
So, yes. You can leave a comment or kudo on old works.
You may just make my sister’s day and if you do? I’ll thank you for it. <3
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the first day of the current just leave a comment fest brought me back to the first fanfic I remember ever reading which was an mlp fic hosted on fimfiction.net and boy let me tell you it is sooo jarring when you stumble upon divergent evolution in fandom spaces.
Like I have been primarily using AO3 for like 8-9 years? now and I've been using tumblr since like 2013 or something. and currently the generalconsensus is that comments should be thankful that the author decided to share their work, encouraging and overall positive. and they definetely should not offer unsolicited concrit.
and then I go to reread that fic that I still think was generally very good and well written, leave a sweet comment on how much this fic influenced my life and how much I liked it then and like it now and decide to see what the other comments have to say.
dear fellow AO3 users let me tell you it was a culture shock. the worst for me was the person who had found this fic with more than 16 chapters, 60k+ words and had made the choice to hateread the entire thing, leaving a comment on each and every chapter with what they had hated about it. and this was not an old comment from 2012 when times were different, this person had read the fic in 2019!
and even if the other comments weren't as directly hateful as this person's, they were still incredibly rude by AO3 standards. for example most of the resent comments on the author's profile(you can comment directly on profile's on fimfiction) were whiny messages just saying 'hey why aren't you posting' and 'hey i think this fic is really funny, when are we getting another chapter?' and 'yeah you said you're life had gotten busy but why are you still busy'.
I felt honestly sorry for this poor author, but from looking around at other fics on the site this seems to just be the norm there. so maybe this is just me accidentaly wandering outside my social media bubble and the author is happy every time they get a comment hoping to see more writing from them soon?
#just leave a comment fest#fanfiction#comment etiquette#i just needed to share my bafflement#i imagine these being like two fandom spaces that don't have much overlap and have thus evolved to have completely different cultural norms#and it is strange and weird but it is also fascinating to see
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I know a ton of people have said this before but for the love everything PLEASE stop treating AO3 like instagram. It is NOT cringe to comment on an old story. It’s an archive old stories are still meant to be found and read. Please think about interacting with the fic you read: at least kudos if you read it, a comment would be ideal. The authors will be over the moon. I guarantee you not a single author is going to ask why someone is commenting on an older fic.
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