(no subject)

[pensnest]

I've been putting some of my stories up on AO3. Surprisingly painless procedure, though I can think of a couple of improvements. Never mind. Everything is under 'pensnest', including some of my years-old Trek fics. I reminded myself during the process that I have actually written *two* dildo-from-life stories, one being of course Merchandising and the other being Buzz, in which Ensign Sue* discovers the utility of a well-programmed android. Disgraceful stuff.

It's... startling to see how many hits and how few comments there are. Best showing so far is 65 hits and no comments for The Adam Lambert Experience. Hmm. Admittedly I don't comment on every story I read, and some of them I've quickly discovered I've already read elsewhere, but, dammit.



* I didn't actually call her Ensign Sue, but someone did in comments and it seemed to fit so well.

Comments

[laughingrat]

Ensign Sue. Hee hee hee. You need that on an icon.

[pensnest]

I'd probably have to do the icon as Lieutenant Sue, though...

[sperrywink]

I was disheartened by the read versus comment counts over at AO3 too. Mostly I ignore it now, but it wasn't easy to come by. I think I will still post stories first to LJ/Dw.

[pensnest]

I comfort myself (a little bit) with the notion that perhaps people had actually read the stories before and not realised until they clicked on the link. I've been reading a bit on AO3 of late, and that has happened to me, so...

But. I am averaging, perhaps, one comment per three fics. Or maybe better. I'm Old Skool.

I'll be posting stories here first, too, definitely.

[turloughishere.livejournal.com]

From what I remember from a metafandom discussion a few years ago 1 comment per 100 hits is quite normal, both on websites and LJ.

[pensnest]

I don't know whether to be horrified at reader entitlement or to preen at the idea that I have *hundreds* of readers! (heh)

[withdiamonds.livejournal.com]

I've been putting stuff up at AO3, too, and I'm not sure I like seeing how many hits compared to comments there are. So far they're mostly older Supernatural stories, so I don't expect anyone to read them, let alone comment on them, but it's still weird.

And I'm not sure what to do, anyway. I was only going to put my Supernatural stuff up there for now, but part of me is tempted to put everything there and drop the website. But then, that's where all my stuff has always been, and now Rhys's stuff is there, too, although now that foxmonkey is back and has renewed her site, Rhys's stuff is there, too. So do I just leave it alone? Do I keep adding new stories to Dirty Stories *and* put them up at AO3 *and* post them to livejournal? Do I go back and put all my stuff at livejournal, just to have it all there? Do I need to have everything in three different places?

I don't knoooooow.

[pensnest]

It's... odd, having more options. At the moment I'm just putting my 'best' stories up on the Archive, on the grounds that my website is *my* home and everything goes there—which I think will remain true for a while yet.

I suspect in my case it's sparked by inching into a new fandom that I don't quite want to be/feel part of. I'm not going to be writing THE pairing in AI8, but if I can glean a few more readers via the AO3, well, I'll have a go.

Gah.

[adelate]

I am addicted to the hit counter, I must admit. When I first posted there my stories were slowly getting up to 300-ish hits, but We'd Be Good, We'd Be Great shot way above that and honestly it was a bit overwhelming! It's now at somewhere over 2,000 hits and about twenty people have commented on the site. Five people commented on the Doctor Who fusion on the site, although it's had over 400 hits. (Oh my god, it sounds so much like bragging, I don't mean to, I'm sorry!) It is kind of a blessing and a curse. I love that people are finding the stories and reading them, but I would be lying my ass off if I said I didn't want feedback, you know? Of course I love it when people like the stories, but I wish they would also say if they didn't, and would tell me why so I could improve.

Blahhhhh me me me. Sorry :D

[pensnest]

It's distracting, isn't it, seeing the hit counts! And wondering *why* people didn't leave comments—have they seen the story already in another place, did they hate it, did they just not care enough, were they shy, are they entitled brats the kind of people who just never leave comments, what?

Ah, well. Sweet mysteries of life, eh.

[adelate]

I must admit for a long time I was one of those entitled brats, where I only left feedback for the stories I really loved, but then I started writing fic again and suddenly realized with a great feeling of guilt that, hey, it's a two-way street and have been leaving feedback for all the stuff I read since. (Yay, reformed!)

[pensnest]

I have a feeling that when I came into fandom there was a debate going on about how nobody left Letters of Comment any more (yes, this was the Olden Days, when fanfic was printed) and what a bad thing it was. I was well indoctrinated into leaving comments! (And rewarded for it, too—I sent a LoC to the writer of the very first fanfic I ever read, and she became a dear penfriend for many years, and worked on a zine with me.)

I don't *always* comment on stories, nowadays, but I know how much I like receiving feedback and it seems awful mean not to try and spread the joy.

[adelate]

When I first got to the fandom, it was via mailing lists, and I would read the fic I found on the net (or that got posted on the mailing lists), and feedback never really factored into that. Somehow it was terribly difficult to send a person an actual e-mail about their story! I don't know why, haha.

But on LJ, and AO3, commenting is made so easy it really does make me ashamed when I realize I could cheer up someone's day by leaving a quick comment. It takes less than a minute, and I was just entertained for much longer than that by reading their story. So I try to keep that in mind and leave feedback now. :)

[pensnest]

Ah, you youngsters, imagine having to write an actual letter! ;-)

[adelate]

I doubt I ever would've sent feedback to anyone! I would feel bizarre writing an actual letter to someone I had never met and commenting on their story, haha!

Although if one was to write really graphic sex and then receive a letter with, say, "The rimming was SO HOT", that would be bizarre and kind of awesome.

[pensnest]

Meep! Yes, it's kinda hard to imagine getting that kind of comment in a *letter*! Online communication is so much more plausibly casual.

[rikes]

The hit counters on AO3 are freaking *me* out, and I'm just a reader! As a writer, I don't think I would even want to know.

[pensnest]

I must admit I'm kinda surprised at the volume. Of course my poor little ST:TNG stories aren't getting any love, but that's not surprising.

I'm quite glad I never put a hit counter on my website, though.

[nopseud]

I don't know how AO3 manage their hit counters, but it's always been my impression that a lot of hits on the net are from index spiders following links, and have nothing to do with real people at all.

[pensnest]

That kinda makes sense.

It's probably a lot healthier not to look at hit counters at all. I did well not to put one on my website—I just *know* I'd be addicted to checking it, if I had.

[adelate]

Don't tell me that! Let me be happy in my delusion that hundreds of people are reading my fic! Hahah :D