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Fandom Etiquette
Over the last several months, bad behavior has been on the rise. I’m going to mostly chalk it up to an influx of younger fans, or people that are new to fandom in general, but as a creator it can be incredibly frustrating when these types of behaviors persist. So as a general reminder:
Posting to Ao3
Ao3 is an archive. It was essentially created as an immense library of people’s fanworks. It is not a social media site. There is also no algorithm that curates which posts are shown to people. Any post created on Ao3 that is not a fanwork (or original work) that is posted is actually in direct violation of AO3’s terms of service. Your post will get reported and eventually your account may be suspended or terminated. These posts include:
Lists of prompts that you’d like to see written
A post asking for people to send you prompts or to tell you which prompt to write next
Posts asking for help looking for a specific fic or fic recommendations.
All of these posts belong on social media sites like tumblr or twitter. Both sites have strong fandom presences and you’re more likely to be helped. You can also try a dedicated discord.
Why does it matter? As mentioned, there’s no algorithm on Ao3. It’s equal opportunity in that the most recent posts appear at the top of the page. Inappropriate posts bury actual creator content and this frustrates writers. You may think it’s not a big deal because ‘it’s just one post’, but think about what would happen if everyone did it. There are more readers than there are writers on Ao3. If everyone made posts like this, the actual works that people devoted hours into creating would get lost, driving down engagement which also drives down motivation. Your flaunting the rules encourages others to do the same. And no, it doesn’t matter if you intend to ‘delete it later’.
Commenting on works
As creators, we all love receiving comments. For most people it’s the single biggest motivator to create more. But please think about the way your comments can come across before you post them.
The main type of comment that I’m talking about is the demand for more
Update please
This needs another chapter
I need an update
Etc.
You may think these comments come across as complimentary but unless you’ve added something else substantial (like an explanation of what you’ve enjoyed so far, or even just a real indication of your enjoyment), they don’t. Most people I know would much rather receive a single emoji (send me a heart! That’s great! I appreciate it!) than one of these comments.
What I think a lot of people tend to forget is that no one is getting paid to write these fics. A lot of your favorite creators are adults with careers and families that write as their hobby. These comments make everything feel transactional. They suck the joy out of creating. They make working on a fic feel like a chore. For a lot of people, receiving an ‘Update’ comment will actually have the opposite effect, causing them to avoid working on that fic for a period of time.
We are not your favorite TikToker or YouTuber. We do not owe you anything, Please act like it.
Getting called out on your behavior
Please. If someone calls you out, telling you that your behavior is inappropriate or upsetting, learn from it. Don’t get defensive. Don’t double down. You can absolutely curate your space— mute or block the person that you’re having a disagreement with. It won’t hurt anyone and honestly everyone will probably come out with a more comfortable experience for it.
But at the end of the day, fandom is an adult space. Younger people are still welcome, but a certain level of maturity is expected. When spaces become hostile, creators leave, and we’re all left poorer for it
I js did mine and um well haha guess I have adhd lol
It said my adhd symptoms were very high haha
So uh…I took ones of those ADHD spectrum tests. And…
This was the first time I took it.
I did it another time just in case.
I don’t want to self diagnose but…
Here’s the test if anyone wants to take it:
Feel free to share your thoughts and opinions. : )
Autistic and ‘Over-reacting’ to the Little Things
Neurodivergent_lou
Autistic and Repeating the Same Phrase Over and Over
Neurodivergent_lou