I would like to make a space on this blog for commenting etiquette since so many people are unsure or anxious about what to comment, how long a comment should be, or how to respond to comments. You can find the list of responses here.
Please send me your take on commenting etiquette and I will start making a list. You can contact me any way you want, thru asks, submissions, messages, reblogs, tags or email.
Questions that might help: Do you mind long comments? Do you mind short comments? Do you mind key smashes? Do you mind comments that are just emoji? What do you expect from comments/replies? And, what seems to be a very dividing question, do you mind constructive criticism in comments? Also, please feel free to add anything else you consider to be commenting etiquette or important.
What a nice initiative! Thank you for taking the time, I’ll definitely check out the rest of your blog too ;)
Do you mind long comments? I love them! They tend to be more personal and it’s easier to strike up a conversation this way ^^
Do you mind short comments? They’re like a ray of sunshine. I know not everyone has the time to spare, and sometimes there isn’t much to say except “I liked this!”. They will always make me smile.
Do you mind key smashes? I don’t mind. I find them more gratifying when they come in with an actual sentence, so that the meaning is clear. You’re not key smashing out of frustration are you???
Do you mind comments that are just emoji? It’s like short comments, the intention is there and it’s all that matters. I appreciate them!
What do you expect from comments/replies? I state what “I would like” at the end of my fics, but strangely enough, I don’t expect much. I have no control over what the reader feels, so I’ll take whatever they give me.
*As a reader, I expect my comment to get a reply if I wrote a few lines. I think it’s a politeness thing, it’s aobut acknowledgement. Authors, don’t take comments for granted, some people don’t get any!
Do you mind constructive criticism in comments? I want concrit (and I explain what I mean by concrit in my notes). I wish I received more, especially when I’m not working with a beta beforehand. I made entire posts about concrit on my blog so I’m not gonna bore you here ^^
As a parting note, I would like to support something that I read earlier in the replies about comment etiquette: there seem to be an understanding of “don’t give concrit unless asked for” in the fandoms I dabble in.
I think this mindset is hurtful, especially with writers who state they want concrit and don’t handle it well when they receive it. There is nothing wrong with not wanting concrit, and I believe it would be more helpful to everyone involved if the norm was opting out of concrit rather than depriving everyone of concrit.
The key word is communication. Tell the reader what you want, you’ll either get that, or nothing at all. Sounds more comfortable than receiving things you don’t want, doesn’t it?
Trying to keep short with a nice formatting because long posts are a pain to read haha! Thanks again!
Looooove long comments. I really like striking up a conversation.
No comment is unwelcome at all, so short, keysmash, emoji I like them all. Long comments are great though, because I like to hear what in particular you liked etc, and I will reply to long comments in kind.
As a reader, I don’t expect a reply, but I do think it’s polite and friendly to aknowledge a reader’s interest in your fic. I reply to all comments.
I don’t want “concrit” in a comment. I have a beta reader for that. The reply above puzzles me. They say they think the default assumption that concrit is unwanted unless asked for could be hurtful if writers ask for and then react badly to such comments? And that writers should explicitly state they don’t want such comments?
Sorry, that is totally backwards. Unless a writer says they specifically want criticism from strangers on the internet, best keep those kinds of thoughts to yourself, reader. Volunteer to be a beta reader (not necessarily to that writer) if giving criticism is something you like doing, but don’t just chuck it at an unprepared writer.
Been talking to some lovely people lately on here and on FetLife, and I’ve been inspired to lay out all of my toys for a new picture. Added quite a few bits to the collection since the last time I took a picture. Now all I need is a willing participant ;)
I’m very jealous of your collection… Especially those shiny ballet boots. <3
Some other things that stick out to me: - The shock collar. You sadistic bastard. - Irish 8-cuffs. I’ve always liked their design, how the wrists are held so closely together. I’ve never seen an ankle version, now I kinda want to try out the combo… - Bondage mitts. Those are damn heavy duty… like, kept-in-a-cage-for-weeks-on-end kind of mitts. *looks at you suspiciously* - Gags! As a gag lover, I very much appreciate your variety of gags… especially those different inflatable styles. They look… fun to try. ;) - Plugged latex panties. Cos I just know I’d never take those bad boys off. The chastity belt, on the other hand… aside from the fact the positions of the inserts look rather uncomfortable, you wouldn’t find me volunteering for that one. - Duct tape. Just the fact that you include a roll of duct tape alongside your BDSM collection, I love it. Especially coupled with the sharpie pen. I’m not really one for body marking but tape marking on the body is fair game. :D - The Swedish steel cuffs/collars (not sure if they’re the same brand, but certainly a similarly sexy design). I’ll admit I’m curious about the larger ones on the left - they seem too large to be collars, and awfully optimistic for a corset cincher. Of course, that only makes me want to try it more. xD - The Lush vibe. They’re great. I have one, so I’m not jealous (for once), but just wanted to say, fine taste good sir. - The tablet mounted on the right that looks like it’s set up to provide some sort of room controls. That’s a class act right there. Carry on. ;)
I know that violence is not an appropriate response to nonviolent actions but I still want to crack every “biphobia is just misplaced [x]/biphobic statements are also [y] because intersectionality” asshole over the head
You know good and goddamn well that BIPHOBIA, the hatred of someone specifically for being BISEXUAL, is not “misplaced homophobia”. If they were saying “ew you sleep with [same sex]? Disgusting” then you would have an argument, but that’s not what we’re referring to and you fucking know it, we’re referring specifically to people (ESPECIALLY people within the LGBT community) whose problem with us is entirely the fact that we are sexually attracted to both, and who make shitty statements such as “actually you’re gay/straight/confused/slutty/greedy/disgusting” etc.
ALSO!Notevery issue effects more that one group! Sometimes hatred of a group…only effects that group! It doesn’t apply to people outside that group and no amount of “but Intersectionalism!” is going to make you right! Biphobia and biphobic comments affect bisexuals, not straights, not lesbians, not gays, not transgender people, just bisexual people.
Stop trying to make biphobia about other groups, either care about it because it affects bisexuals or don’t, but don’t pretend it affects other groups so you can pretend to care.
I’ve read all kinds of posts both from writers and readers lamenting about comments on fic. Authors are upset when they don’t get any, readers don’t know what kinds of comments to leave, etc. And it finally clicked in my brain why I think a lot of people don’t bother writing comments.
And this is what it boils down to:
Writers do not want praise. We just want to talk about our story.
I can’t speak for everyone obviously - but I think the majority of writers don’t care so much for the “omg you’re a brilliant writer!!” comments as much as we just want to hear your thoughts on the story. Even if it’s just your thoughts as you’re reading of “oooh x happened! I can’t believe y said this! What’s going to happen now that z has happened?!” We literally just want to talk about what we’ve written like you would with a friend about a tv show. We’re not out here demanding praise like some entitled narcissist.
While praising our writing skills or writing style is appreciated, it doesn’t need to be said on every fic and every chapter that you read. If you regularly comment on someone’s work that’s telling enough that you like our technique. Readers shouldn’t feel pressured to have to praise a writer’s abilities every time they want to comment.
In the grand scheme of things, talking about the fic/chapter is actually more helpful to us writers instead of spewing praise. It’s the same with artwork. As nice as it is that people tell me “wow your art is so pretty!” it’s a LOT more useful to me to get comments like “I love their expressions!” or “the lighting on this is gorgeous!” because then I know WHAT people are liking about it. If no one ever comments on my backgrounds, I now know what to improve. If most people comment on liking the expressions, I now know the strong points of my art and can use it to my advantage to make even better art in the future.
The same goes for fic. If multiple people tell me they liked a certain part of the story I now know that things similar to that are a hit. It’s feedback I can use to improve the story and give my readers more of what they want. Without that I have no idea what they like about the fic.
Talking with a writer about their story also gives them inspiration!! Nothing gets us more in the mood to work on a fic than to have people wanting to talk about it. A lot of times just talking about one of my fics with someone will give me that push to continue working on it. Getting a comment that just says “great chapter” or “you’re a great writer” doesn’t do much to motivate us to continue that particular fic. But if you talk about the story and the characters it gives us motivation to continue working on it, may even give us ideas for future chapters. I would hope that those of you with “comment anxiety” find this approach so much easier than trying to praise the writer every time you read.
So that fic the author hasn’t updated in forever that you’re dying to read? Talk to them about the fic and the elements of the story! It will make the writer want to talk to you about it and will get their mind thinking about it, hopefully inspiring them to continue where they left off. Fics that are left in silence are more likely to be abandoned or even deleted because nothing feels worse than putting your heart into a story to have no one say anything about it.
TLDR; Writers do not want praise, we just want to talk with our readers about the story itself, and these are the kinds of comments that inspire us to keep writing more.
AMENDMENT >>> Some people are misinterpreting my words so I just wanted to make something clear. I am not trying to police how people comment - I am merely reassuring readers that not every writer is an entitled asshole who expects you to comment about how talented they are and what a gift they are to the fandom. I’ve seen this attitude in writers occasionally and I want people to know that most of us writers are not like that. We love any and all comments but you do not ever need to feel pressured to say how amazing we are and lick our boots. There is nothing wrong with praising the writer, in fact a lot of us love it, but it is not something that should be required if you feel inclined to comment.
A good writer will love any positive comment whether there be praise or not. A good writer will never have expectations or demand something of their readers. A good writer will appreciate their readers and cherish the comments they receive.
Eliza Taylor’s mom, Lucy, left a super sweet comment on Eliza’s anniversary post! ✨
“To the bestest, beautifulist, daughter and son-in-law in da world, congratulations . I’m so glad you found each other. Your commitment to each other is amazing, through thick and thin. I love you both and Henry immensely. ❤️❤️❤️”
As a fic writer, i need every reader to know that:
I don’t care if your comment is coherent. I know what you mean and i love you
I don’t care if you ramble. I read every word and i love you
I don’t care if you leave a comment on a fic from four years ago or leave comments/kudos on like ten of my fics in one go. This isn’t IG, pls stalk my AO3. I love you
I don’t care if you mention the same thing in your comment that four other people have already mentioned. It’s actually really useful to know what resonated with people and I love everyone who takes the time to tell me they liked a particular turn of phrase
I don’t mind if your comment is super long or just a couple of sentences, i love them all
Found this funny? Go like my page, I dare you. https://www.facebook.com/ElizaMarriott Absolutely nothing terrible will happen if you don’t. Well, at least, not as a direct consequence, obviously, I can’t predict the future. Theoretically speaking, it’s entirely possible that you could have some calamitous accident after the fact. That’s correlation, folks! :D
for real, if you see a fic that seems abandoned but you really want to see if it might be completed
i would genuinely suggest not mentioning the fact its abandoned at all. instead, just leave the most effusive comment you can. tell the author specifically what you liked. if they are in a position they might continue it, you might remind them what they liked about the story, and thus maybe revive it.
that is probably your best bet to get a story finished, much more than asking “hey is this abandoned” or asking for it to be continued.
I am finally getting into The Magnus Archives thanks to @spiderkissand@kisforkarol which I know is very, very late compared to most people, but I am very much enjoying it.
Somehow I have managed to remain nearly spoiler-free, except for the ‘Fifteen Fears’ artwork by @pangur-and-grim for which I had no prior context. I can tell they are important, I can kind of link some associations, but I’m only very early in the series and have a long way to go.
I do allow myself one small, imminent spoiler by reading just the top YouTube comment for that episode immediately before listening. I find it’s enhancing the experience, like a little vibe check before the episode. I’ll show you what I mean.
From episode 1, The Anglerfish: why yes, I am watching for the first time, thank you for letting me know what I’m in for.
From episode 2: Do Not Open. Spoils nothing, but does give the vibe.
From episode 3: Across the Street. Explains nothing, intriguing, I understand the reference afterwards.
From episode 4: Pageturner. Ominous, simple and yeah seems plausible.
From episode 5: Thrown Away. Unexpected, mildly concerning, does not really give much away. However having listened to the episodes I now have more questions about the poster and why they are posting teeth? My concern about this comment is actually bigger after listening to the episode than before it. Possibly my favourite comment so far.
My fandom is tiny. I love it that way - but I noticed something strange about our fanfic.
We have been great at encouraging more people to write but the overall level of kudos and comments is very similar - sort of like more writers sharing the same interaction.
I can see from hits that lots of people are reading work but not interacting. Apparently this is ‘a thing’ - also most, but not all, people who reblog fanfic are other creators in some way.
So I know it is unlikely this post will change behaviour but - if you want content you have to interact with it. Not because we are egotistical but because we get sad and downhearted without it.
Fanfiction is communal. ‘♥️’ on tumblr is like picking up the beautiful hand knitted repro Zoso jumper on my stall and putting it back down, crumpled.
Send comments on tumblr or better still AO3 if a writer has an account; Kudos on AO3 sends us a nice ‘well done’ email but a comment, even just emoji is so much more lovely.
Send Asks if we accept them. You can be anon if you are shy. Tell us what our work made you feel.
But reblog - we need other people. Can you imagine going to a Zeppelin gig and there was only three people there and nobody applauded. Zep needed the Ocean (the fans, the interaction, the buzz off an audience) Writers are not Zeppelin but we are the nearest you have to a time machine. Maybe that jumper on my stall is the one from 1973?
All My Love - Led By Threads
I’m a reader (sometimes a doodler ) but not a writer - and I don’t leave these amazing people mentioned above a fraction of the comments they deserve for all the hard work and emotion that they put into their art … if you like it, tell them. If you love it, tell them. And if you have constructive criticism, you can probably tell them too (in the nicest possible way!).
Also adding @callmethehunter to the list above cos Hunter writes amazing fanfic now too!
And this comes from me having fallen into the “hits are people running away” spiral less than a year ago. I’m here because I was there, recently.
Kudos specifically gets me, though.
There’s this push for people to kudos every fic they finish reading because “It’s the least you can do” or “you owe the author if you read all the way through”, along with some “kudos aren’t good enough, you have to leave a comment”
and I think as @ao3commentoftheday said in the linked post, this is people devaluing kudos. A kudos is literally identical to a comment that reads “Kudos! ❤”
It’s supposed to be a signifier that someone liked your work. It kinda waters down the meaning to consider it an obligation, and the overwhelming majority of people do not use kudos as a way to mark that they finished a work.
But if you’re inundated with people making the argument that kudos should be used as a “made it through the fic” marker rather than a comment reading “kudos! ❤”, kudoses lose their impact. If you imagine them as an obligation, they cease to be a compliment.
And if that’s the slurry you’re in, of course you feel unappreciated and invisible. That’s a totally reasonable conclusion to come to, if you don’t know that very few people devalue kudos that way. Of course it hurts if you think a kudos simply means “I read this”!
And I get why people want readers to understand how authors feel. I really, really do. There’s always a nonzero number of people in fandom who simply haven’t thought about how much it would mean to the author to get a comment, and hearing “authors love comments!!” can be really helpful!
But I do wish that we as authors would put a little more effort into reciprocating that understanding.
