AO3 etiquette 101 (or how to not be an asshole on AO3)
I started putting this together as a joke but it has recently come to my attention that some people truly don't know these things, so today's lucky 10,000 get to learn some of the DOs and DON'Ts of interacting on AO3 from someone who's been here way too long.
First, a quick review of fandom 101
Don't Like Don't Read: if the work in question is not doing it for you, the back button is your friend! Just get out! Hit the bricks! And remember, this isn't an airport, no need to announce your departure.
Ship and Let Ship: not your ship? then it's not the fic for you. Let people ship whatever the fuck they want and use the Back button liberally. Again, no need to tell the author this ship is not for you.
Your Kink is Not My Kink (and That's Okay): what gets me going doesn't have to be what gets you going. And that's okay! Let people enjoy their sandbox while you play with your toys somewhere else.
You liked the story? Leave a kudos to let the author know.
Or even better: leave a comment! Believe me, even a quick "<3" or keysmash can change an author's day!
DO NOT treat your authors like content-making machines! Saying something like "please update" does not make the writer write faster. Loving comments about what you like about the story, however, might do the trick.
You super-loved the story? Bookmark it to find it again!
When you bookmark a work, you also have the option to "rec" it. This will add a little heart icon to your story in your bookmarks.
You can add notes and tags to your bookmarks! These are PUBLIC, meaning EVERYONE can read them (including the author) UNLESS you select "private bookmark", which will add to the bookmarks count for the author, but they will not be able to see what you wrote about it.
This is specially useful if you bookmark a story with notes you don't want the author to read. (PLEASE use this option if you want to keep your comments to yourself)
Muting a user
You can mute up to 3,000 users. Muting a user:
- completely hides their works, series, bookmarks, and comments from you; there will be no empty space, placeholder text, or other indication something has been removed
Muting a user will not:
- prevent you from receiving comment or subscription emails from this user
- hide their works, series, bookmarks, and comments from anyone else
To mute a user go to PREFERENCES > MUTED USERS
Blocking a user
You can block up to 3,000 users. Blocking a user prevents them from:
- commenting or leaving kudos on your works
- replying to your comments anywhere on the site
- giving you gift works outside of challenge assignments and claimed prompts
Blocking a user will not:
- hide their works or bookmarks from you
- delete or hide comments they previously left on your works; you can delete these individually
- hide their comments elsewhere on the site
To block a user go to PREFERENCES > BLOCKED USERS
Okay. So that's it for now. Let me know if there's anything else you think it's AO3 101 in the reblogs/replies and see you around the Devil's sacrament
prguitarman
romaincrisis
theartofmadeline
2087
vaporwave
