Comments | ely_baby: AO3 Stats Memes: no... comments?

ely_baby

AO3 Stats Memes: no... comments?

Sep 11, 2015 16:39

I've seen these AO3 stats memes popping up in my flist for a couple of days now, and I'm sorry if I haven't commented on each one of them. It doesn't mean that I don't like them or feel the urge to snob them, just that I've been rather busy with my betas, translations for the OTW October Drive, helping out crack_broom with tidying up their archive, and what ( Read more... )

fandom, questions

Comments 36

cryptaknight September 12 2015, 01:46:42 UTC

I love comments. I didn't include them in my post because fic these days tends to get so few that the numbers I have aren't worth noting. I think my Teddy/Victoire has the most comments and four of them are yours, lol! Believe me, as a writer I crave feedback, and I wish people that leave kudos would leave a brief comment, if not a detailed one, but the kudos let me know that at least they liked what they read. I don't know why comments have gone out of vogue on fic. I truthfully find it very frustrating. But I assume it's easier to click a button than type out words, which is why the kudos feature is more popular.

FWIW, my fics are pretty vanilla. Most are rated M, yeah. But there is nothing wild or kinky in them. They're romances more than anything else. *shrug*

ely_baby September 12 2015, 12:08:59 UTC

Oh man! That Teddy/Victoire.. I've got some people asking me to write Teddy/Victoire, and I always try to send them to that fic. That fic.. When I think about it, I just cannot do anything but shiver and smile. It is the perfect fic and the perfect present and I couldn't love it more than that. *randomly thanks you again after nine months*

I think Nightfalltwen does have a point, it must be the "Facebook" kind of culture where all you have to do is to "like" something to convey that you like what you read. But this is different, this is not a status, exchanging ideas, talking about plots and writing is just wonderful. I love when I leave a comment and the author replies. It's that kind of exchange that I crave - as well as the feedback. When people don't reply to comments or don't comment something they like... that makes me so sad. :-/

FWIW, my fics are pretty vanilla. Most are rated M, yeah. But there is nothing wild or kinky in them. They're romances more than anything else. *shrug*Of course, if you write only vanilla - and ( ... )

cryptaknight September 12 2015, 14:38:59 UTC

I really think in my case it's a) the pairings and b) the fests the fic is part of that account for the hits. Smutty Claus fics always get the most looks. Popular pairings like Draco/Hermione do better than obscure ones like Zach/Susan or Charlie/Penelope.

ely_baby September 12 2015, 14:43:18 UTC

Oh gosh! Draco/Hermione is everywhere. I do have one and it's really terrible and it Hit Count is ridiculous compared to much better written stories of mine.

And I'm sure that if I wrote Harry/Draco that would be at the top of all my top fives... Some pairings are just too loved. :)

leigh_adams September 13 2015, 18:23:00 UTC

(Sorry, just dropping in here. Feel free to tell me to go away -- just saw your post and had thoughts! :)

I know I personally didn't include comments because I saw lightofdaye's post, and he didn't include comments. In true sheep fashion, I just copied what he did. Additionally, the comment function at AO3 is deceiving because of two reasons:

1. Like nightfalltwen has pointed out, the ability to leave "kudos" has drastically cut down on the number of comments left at AO3. I personally prefer to read and leave comments on works at LJ, but I don't tend to use AO3 as more than an archive.

2. The comment count is deceiving. If you're trying to search for stories where the most number of other people left comments, then that can be difficult since -- like LJ -- AO3 counts all comments left, which includes my replies. Currently, The Third Sign has 12 comments, but 4 of them are me replying to comments ( ... )

ely_baby September 13 2015, 19:18:19 UTC

(Ah, oh my! Why would I send you away? I love to hear everybody's opinion, and usually on everything as well.. :D ( ... )

leigh_adams September 13 2015, 20:38:49 UTC

Eeeep, that's my bad! My meme is now unlocked -- usually, if it's "fandom only" and no real life content, I unlock things. You can see it now! (And yes, "Meet Me In the Red Room" is the story I was referring to. ;)

I just love comments, period. And I'll second what a lot of people here have said -- you leave fantastic ones. Those are the kind of comments a writer dreams about. I think kudos have a place, but I don't think anything can really replace comments. I don't think number of comments is a meaningless stat by any means, but it can be deceiving -- and it may not be a measure of which stories are truly the most popular since not as many people leave comments these days.

You raise an interesting point about fests run on AO3. interhouse_fest has an archive there, for folks to post after the fest is over. I've only participated in one AO3-centric fest (rarewomen), and that is the sole reason (in my opinion) my Patil-centric gen fic has such a high hit/kudos count -- it was written for that fest, and it was never posted in a community on LJ (aside from my ( ... )

ely_baby September 13 2015, 21:28:27 UTC

I do see it now. Oh gosh! Is Bill/Fleur really one of fandom's least favourite pairings? Why would that be? I just think they're adorable together. The pretty French girl and the rough Curse Breaker covered in scars... that's the beginning of a great romance, some fluffy story or a hot pwp. I mean you can basically do everything you want with them. <3 ( ... )

Thread 6

derangedstray September 13 2015, 20:15:49 UTC

I think comments have a special place pin the heart of writers, and often I filter through comments so it's really nice seeing them in stats. Explicit works do generally get more anonymous kudos and views and like you said tags can affect who reads your work. I have mixed feelings about kudos often I unconsciously find myself clicking kudos on every chapter, really like and relate to this entry

ely_baby September 13 2015, 20:53:12 UTC

I cannot do much but agree with everything you say here, and I'm glad you liked my entry. :D Comments are very dear to me, both receiving them and giving them - as well as replying to them. I love to exchange ideas with other writers or people in general. That's half the fun of fan-fiction in my opinion.

Thank you again for your kind comment! You just made me very happy! :D x

nearlyconscious October 12 2015, 14:03:49 UTC

LMAO, I love this post. What you're saying makes a lot of sense.
And I do care a lot about comments, but I get them mostly on LJ and mostly on art :)
I think I don't browse that often Ao3 when I just need to get off, for that purpose I have a few go-to fics that I re-read, because otherwise I might get disappointed by a new read, if that makes sense. Also I rarely actually need fic to get off, I usually read a fic because I really liked the fic THAT much and feel like re-reading it, you know? /tmi

ely_baby October 12 2015, 17:17:09 UTC

No, no, no. Not too much information at all. LMAO. At some point I had people that I didn't know replying to this post and I was like, Have I just told the whole world what I do to get off? No, no. Thank you. Your comment makes me feel much better. :D

I understand perfectly well what you're saying about getting more comments on LJ, that seems to be the trend, from what I gathered. I can't do that comparison because I don't usually post on LJ and have participated to very few fests, but all I know is that I love to read on AO3. :)

I understand what you're saying about being disappointed with some fics when in need of release. It happens to me too, I sometimes open a fic and then have to close it straight-away, cringing as I do. LOL. Probably I should stick to the tested and tried. Ah, I read all sort of fics for the pure pleasure of reading them, but I'm extremely picky. Good writing is the most important thing for me. :)

Thank you for your comment! :D <333