been seeing two sides of ao3 engagement discourse pop up again (interaction is integral to building community vs. people aren't required to interact with/comment on a creator's piece) and i think this tumblr post sums up my thoughts on it: letteredlettered.tumblr.com/post/7681413... - ThreadSky

cyanspade.bsky.social • 1 day ago

been seeing two sides of ao3 engagement discourse pop up again (interaction is integral to building community vs. people aren't required to interact with/comment on a creator's piece) and i think this tumblr post sums up my thoughts on it:

https://letteredlettered.tumblr.com/post/768141376392200192/feedback-and-fic-in-fandom-3-fs-of-our-own

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emeraldlatias.bsky.social•1 day ago

I think it nails it with the section on participation. Like, if I wrote about cool hats to participate in the cool hat fandom and got crickets and found out later I was being excluded from hidden ecosystems talking about my own fic, I'd be very upset. Might as well keep my cool hat story offline.

emeraldlatias.bsky.social•1 day ago

I'd give myself far less anxiety than wondering if my cool hat fic somehow offended the cool hat community or if I just sucked at writing, based off trying to diagnose the root cause from zero information. XD

cyanspade.bsky.social•1 day ago

if i had to summarize my thoughts:

interaction is integral to community-building in fandom, but no one is required to participate in a specific way (or at all). i'm personally not a fan of framing the creator/consumer (hate this word) relationship as inherently and purely transactional

cyanspade.bsky.social•1 day ago

it's weird because i do consider myself a creator and an active community member in dmlth spaces, while i silently lurk and passively read/look at fanworks in other fandom spaces LOL

cyanspade.bsky.social•1 day ago

not a fan of ranking creators above consumers (hate this word) or lurkers in fandom bc sometimes it means inadvertently framing creators as ppl who can do no wrong bc they contributed "more" (as if fandom needs payment to be a member)

imo that's how we get to BNF or aspiring-to-be-BNF territory

cyanspade.bsky.social•1 day ago

BUT if i had to rank anyone, fandom shit-stirrers will always be at the bottom of the barrel lmao

cyanspade.bsky.social•22 hours ago

i do wanna clarify: wanting to share your work with others/wanting people to interact with your work is normal—natural, even—and imo it doesn’t make you a clout chaser or an attention seeker

i just get 😬 when the conversation becomes “authors are owed engagement bc they gave this to us for free”

tulipathy.bsky.social•1 day ago

YEAH THIS REAL LOUD!!!!!!!!

tulipathy.bsky.social•1 day ago

I think being real with ourselves about our own participation is pretty crucial to these conversations. I try to comment in specific directions or when something knocks my socks off, but I am not always up for sharing my reaction and I can’t rise to that standard/won’t expect it of others.

tulipathy.bsky.social•1 day ago

Atttttttt the same time, I am immediately curious about thw “comment behavior” of someone who demands or whines for comments, and expect it doesn’t often match up well. So there’s an entitlement on both ends, to story and to reaction, and that’s so much pressure! Gross!

tulipathy.bsky.social•1 day ago

Feels antithetical to the whole thing. I think ideally people feel better (? what is pervasive hangup about this? feels cowardly) about sharing their impressions and reactions and feel their own sense of responsibility to do so, not out of guilt but willingness and appropriateness.

tulipathy.bsky.social•1 day ago

“society when” meme here but I think a happier, healthier flow back and forth is possible. Sometimes that’s going to be all in one direction. Everyone should contribute as they’re able and interested.

dpsisquared.bsky.social•23 hours ago

Very good read! The only thing I think differently about is short/emoji type comments. I leave them a lot as kind of a kudos+ lol. Like "hey I see you! I'm reading and enjoying!" Because I often don't have a lot to say after reading. They don't spark conversation but hopefully encourage the author

bay115.bsky.social•22 hours ago

Yeah I also don't mind emoji comments because sometimes that's the only type of response you have energy for/etc, and I believe the majority of authors love those just as much as a detailed comment!

dpsisquared.bsky.social•22 hours ago

I actually really like them bc it's no pressure to respond... When someone writes an AP Lit level analysis of my fic I'm like 😳 what could I possibly add lol

cyanspade.bsky.social•22 hours ago

yeah, that was the one part i was a little iffy about (and tbh it may have almost undermined their point about how participation in a community shouldn’t be evaluated based on the # of contributions a member makes)

i love keysmash and emojis….my beloveds…..

strangelyliteral.bsky.social•22 hours ago

eh, they’re not wrong that those comments are dead ends for further conversation. but you also gotta start small and simple because you’re building the muscle, y’know?

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