#bookmarking

NB. This is distinct from bookmark TAGS used to categorize and sort, and also distinct from private bkmks (go wild). I’m talking about the detailed positive and/or negative reviews people leave in public bookmark notes. Sometimes they have numerical ratings of the fic (sure, go off, whatever). Sometimes they copy all the best parts of the fic completely out of context, thus spoiling the good bits and fucking up the pacing if someone else finds the bookmark before the fic itself (which, to my understanding, is often what they’re hoping will happen?). But whatever. Neither of those, grating as they may be, are my problem with public bookmark notes. My problem’s this:

I’m getting cut out of the conversation about my work

And I am supposed to pretend that I don’t notice!

—

Imagine, if you will, baking a loaf of banana bread and bringing it in to work (school, potluck, whatever). Everyone knows it’s your banana bread. Yet, despite you standing in the next room over, despite everyone knowing that you made it and brought it in, your coworkers are just making declaratory statements about the banana bread, in your earshot, as though it spontaneously materialized on the counter!

Maybe they’re saying it’s great. Maybe they’re saying it sucks. But either way, they’re not talking TO you. There’s no recognition that a person made it, a person who is standing right there and would LOVE to talk baking with you

It’s part of the broader commoditization of fandom, I think, having these detailed thoughts about a creation and recording them in public but in a public place that no one else can be a part of. Like: I’m right hereeeeee! I will chat if you use a slightly different button!! Please acknowledge our shared humanity and talk to me, not ACROSS me!

Thoughts brought to you courtesy of the reader who left a multi-paragraph detailed review of their thoughts and opinions on a multi-chapter longfic Tuesday, and yet wouldn’t say any of it to my face.

Visa Inc. https://investor.visa.com/corporate-governance/contact-the-board/default.aspx#emailForm Phone: 1-800-847-2911 OR +1-303-967-1096 (international) Mail: c/o the Chairman, CEO, General Counsel or Corporate Secretary, P.O. Box 8999, San Francisco, CA 94128 [email protected] [email protected]

Mastercard Inc. https://b2b.mastercard.com/contact-us/ Corporate Office: 914-249-2000 Operations Center in Missouri: 636-722-6100 [email protected]

There is also a page of Mastercard emails here that include direct contacts.

PayPal Holdings, Inc. AskPayPal on X Phone: 1-888-221-1161 Mail: PayPal Headquarters, 2211 North First Street, San Jose, California 95131 [email protected]  [email protected]

I'm simultaneously a good person to ask this question, because I have a wide readership who can offer their input, and a bad person to ask this question, because I never look at my stats. So, readership, feel free to chime in! Remember to reblog or comment as I don't post asks sent in response to other asks.

And now, my own two cents...

I'm in a particular position in fandom where I get a significantly larger amount of attention per fic than the majority of writers, which translates to increased hits, kudos, comments, and bookmarks. If you only have a couple of fics, and only have three bookmarks on a fic and one of them drops off, I would imagine you do tend to notice. If you have 500+ fics and one drops from 329 to 328 bookmarks, it does not register. In my case, even if I didn't have a ton of stats per fic, I have so many fics that to even track any kind of stat I'd need a spreadsheet.

And honestly I'm just not someone who looks at that stuff, like how I don't read comments on public news articles. It doesn't occur to me, it's mainly visual noise.

I do look at bookmarks occasionally, but I'm not seeing numbers, instead looking at what people have put in the notes. It's kind of nice to read peoples' remarks, especially since I don't get notifications for them like I do with comments. Which isn't really relevant regardless since you do private bookmarking, I guess.

Huh, you know, I don't even know if private bookmarks show up in the stat count, actually. That might be something you want to check.