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AO3 Commenting Ettiquette, A Guide:

I've seen a steep rise in the phenomenon of AO3 readers leaving comments that, frankly, read as demanding and entitled and leave authors with no desire to write more fic, if that's the reception they're going to get.

To paraphrase Hanlon's Razor, I try never to attribute to malice that which can be adequately explained by incompetency, and therefore assume that these commenters are coming from a genuine place of enjoyment which they simply don't know how to communicate well.

Consequently, I intend to dissect an example of such a comment, and then provide an example formula of what to say instead.

[Image ID: A screenshot of an AO3 comment. The comment text reads: "Oh my God finally please post as soon as possible I can't wait to see Bruce reaction [four pink heart emoji] please please please update as soon as possible [four pleading face emoji] /end screenshot ID]

So what's wrong with this comment? The commenter said "please," after all... Three times, even! Surely that must be polite enough!

Let's dig in:

"Oh my God finally" - the use of the word "finally" carries the implication that the commenter has been waiting a long time for an update, and they feel entitled to this, and all subsequent updates. Even if a fic hasn't been updated for years, authors don't owe you updates. Period.

"please post as soon as possible... please please please update as soon as possible" - as previously established, the author doesn't owe you an update. This comment was posted 10 hours after the previous update - not even a single day had gone by! Authors are people, with jobs and lives and schedules of their own. Some authors have regularly scheduled updates, and keep readers apprised of such via author's notes or posts on their blogs, and some post updates when they can, as the inspiration strikes and schedules allow. In all cases, updating is a choice an author makes, not something they owe you by default, and certainly not a trick to be performed on command.

Everything in the comment is about the commenter - "I can't wait to see Bruce reaction" is the only mention of any of the chapter's contents. At no point in this comment did the commenter express gratitude to the author for posting the chapter, respect for their time, skill, energy, creativity, effort, etc., or even mention what they liked about it. Instead, the only thing the commenter talked about is what they want to see in future chapters, which yet again carries that same sense of entitlement of "this is the story I want to see, write it for me!"

So how do we do better?

Express gratitude to authors and artists for their work. Something as simple as "Thank you for this latest chapter!" goes a long way to making an author feel appreciated. Note that I use the word "chapter" and not "update" - using the word "chapter" shows that the reader understands that this is a labour of love, and the author is making a choice to share it voluntarily. Conversely, using the word "update" gives the sense that this is Content Creation™️, something the author is doing as A Task, a chore, or a job, something that they implicitly Owe Someone.

Mention what you liked, in detail if you can, or more generally if you can't. It can be as simple as "I really liked this chapter!" or as detailed as "I really liked when [character] did [thing], it felt so in-character, as if it was a deleted scene from the original [movie/book/etc.]." The important part is showing the author that their work is appreciated, that people are reading it and resonating with it. The body of the comment should be centered around the author, not the commenter.

Express your excitement for future chapters/artworks/etc. As mentioned previously, avoid words that make it sound like you feel the author owes readers more writing, and try to stick more to expressing your feelings of excitement. If you want to add speculation of what might come next, be careful not to come off as demanding that the author write it Exactly That Way - they are the author, not you, and if you want the fic to go in a specific direction, there's nothing stopping you from writing your own fic!

Avoid emoji-only comments. These make many authors feel like you're only commenting out of a sense of obligation, like "if there's enough comments we can get a new update." You can use emoji in comments, but try to also include some verbal expression of gratitude, and maybe even details of what you liked.

Here's a possible formula for how to write a non-demanding comment that doesn't come off as entitled, and some examples:

[Expression of gratitude to the author] + [Details of the story which you enjoyed] + [Expression of anticipation for where the story is going]

Your comment could be simple: "Thank you! I liked this chapter a lot. I'm excited to keep reading♡"

Or more detailed: "Thank you for sharing this newest chapter! I really liked the way you show Alice going through the stages of grief, it felt really genuine and real and heartbreaking. I can't wait to see what happens with Alice, Bob and Carol after this!"

The important part is that you aren’t making the author feel like you think they owe you something, because that's a surefire way to make them stop writing.

If you've read all the way here, thank you for your patience and willingness to listen, and I hope we can all help make AO3 comments a better experience for authors and readers alike!♡