Meta on AO3: Get it while you can.

[hells_half_acre]

I just got an email from AO3 - because my meta was reported by an unhappy Sherlock fan, the AO3 team had to review it, and they seem to have decided that they want to be a fanfiction-only site and that I have to remove it.

So, to anyone who hasn't downloaded my Study in Pink rewatch yet, and wants to. You have ~16 hours before I delete it. It is

Comments

[sgmajorshipper]

Aw! That really does suck. I hope they're changing their TOS to indicate their stances. Really, it's disappointing, not just about your meta, but for meta in general, because that's a fanwork. Fans put a lot of thought and effort into meta, and they deserve to have their own place to archive it. TBH I'm disappointed with the OTW. It's more than just your meta; it's for meta everywhere. Ugh. I might have to write a post to vent about this, 'cause I'm really disappointed in them.

If your problem is supporting MF, I have an account you could host it on. And I also can make PDFs. Just offering it up, if you're comfortable with it.

[hells_half_acre]

If your problem is supporting MF, I have an account you could host it on. And I also can make PDFs. Just offering it up, if you're comfortable with it.

That'd certainly be preferable to getting my own account. Thanks for the offer! Let me roll it around in my head for the day and I'll get back to you. :)

And yeah, part of me is disappointed because the way AO3 is set up would make it MUCH easier for me to post my SPN Timeline over there.

I guess we have to wait for some entrepreneurial fan to create an AO3-like site for meta. I hope someone does. Sadly, it is not going to be me.

[sgmajorshipper]

Sure thing!

Yeah, I'd love to see a site like that. I would read the ever-loving shit out of everything there, even the stuff for things I didn't watch/read lol. I'm starting to wonder, though, where they're going to draw the line, now that they've started? Fanfic and fanfic only? What about meta in fanfic form? What about mixed-media posts? What about fanart? I guess that's the problem whenever someone starts deciding what you can't do.

[hells_half_acre]

Yeah, it's hard thing to navigate when you start to decide what constitutes a "fanwork" and what doesn't

[fannishliss]

I'm annoyed for you. grrr.

Meta for me is a vital part of fanfic. Meta is engaging, creative work.

I don't respect their decision. D:

[hells_half_acre]

Yeah, I know, it is disappointing.

But, it makes me happy to know that there are people like you out there that love and support meta. :)

[dizmo]

Hey, popping by from seeing this post on tumblr.

A friend of mine also got pinged to take down her meta today, which really kinda bugged me, given that Fanlore's definition of fanwork actually includes meta as one of the categories. It's like... fanfiction's cool, fanart is cool, fanvids are cool, but fan-nonfiction is apparently a no-go, and that's not clear anywhere in the TOS.

Meta in the context of fandom is something that wouldn't exist without fannishness and fannish culture, so I honestly have no idea why it's not considered a 'fanwork'. Honestly, I just want to throw my hands up in the air and go whaaaaat sometimes.

[hells_half_acre]

Oh wow, I feel weird about people discussing this so much...not bad or anything, just weird.

I agree that they should put it clearly in their TOS. When I wrote and asked, they said that it was still under discussion, but I was fine as long as no one reported me - of course, I already knew someone had reported me, so it was only a matter of time. :P

[hells_half_acre]

Interesting and very good point! :)

I'm fine with keeping my "discussion" type meta on LJ, really. There's a "resource" type "meta" that I would love to post on AO3 though, because I think AO3 is much better set up to handle it...and it's also a resource that other people can use for fic, so it'd be nice to have it archived somewhere.

But yeah, it's a tricky thing to try to decide where to draw lines in the sand when you run a website. I certainly don't envy AO3 the task.