Where on the internet does fandom live these days?
I'm trying to get back into writing fanfic (don't get too excited; it's pretty slow going), and I've been thinking about the best platforms on which to offer my stories. I know how fast the internet moves, and I want to keep up.
- LiveJournal: I've been posting here since I started writing fanfic in 2004. There are still some great and very active communities and fic fests, but I get the sense that this is a dying platform, and that the fandom has begun moving on to greener pastures.
- FF.net: I've been archiving my stories there for several years, but it's sort of basic. It's also full of shitty stories and trolls, with no way to search for better quality stories (which I hope mine are).
- My own webpage: I've had one almost as long as I've been posting fic to LJ, and I love the control it gives me over the format of my archive. On the other hand, doing all my own coding can be boring and time-consuming, and I know I'm not the world's greatest web designer.
- Ebooks: I've made PDFs of all my stories to date, which are fine for ereaders, but aren't great for smaller screens. I think I can do better if I teach myself how to make ePub and mobi files.
- AO3: I've never used this, but it looks like it might be a prettier and generally better archiving option than FF.net. How do people feel who have used it to read or post fic?
Are there other options I should be looking into for fic posting and promotion? Where do y'all go to find and/or post fic? How do you prefer to read stories once you've found them? What platforms or features of platforms do you hate, and why? Anything else I should consider? Aside from "post more fic!", that is?
ETA: Ooh, look how pretty! AO3 is looking more and more like the most promising option.
- LiveJournal: I've been posting here since I started writing fanfic in 2004. There are still some great and very active communities and fic fests, but I get the sense that this is a dying platform, and that the fandom has begun moving on to greener pastures.
- FF.net: I've been archiving my stories there for several years, but it's sort of basic. It's also full of shitty stories and trolls, with no way to search for better quality stories (which I hope mine are).
- My own webpage: I've had one almost as long as I've been posting fic to LJ, and I love the control it gives me over the format of my archive. On the other hand, doing all my own coding can be boring and time-consuming, and I know I'm not the world's greatest web designer.
- Ebooks: I've made PDFs of all my stories to date, which are fine for ereaders, but aren't great for smaller screens. I think I can do better if I teach myself how to make ePub and mobi files.
- AO3: I've never used this, but it looks like it might be a prettier and generally better archiving option than FF.net. How do people feel who have used it to read or post fic?
Are there other options I should be looking into for fic posting and promotion? Where do y'all go to find and/or post fic? How do you prefer to read stories once you've found them? What platforms or features of platforms do you hate, and why? Anything else I should consider? Aside from "post more fic!", that is?
ETA: Ooh, look how pretty! AO3 is looking more and more like the most promising option.