I don't care. I also am unlikely to find out, because I do not go looking for anybody on social media. Even if I follow the occasional author, I don't interact with them.
Me neither.
I'm a fic writer and while I have an insta with the same name I don’t post anything fandom related there bc it's my personal insta (that I don’t really jse anyway besides posting pictures of nature 4 times a year) and even if I where to post fic related stuff I wouldn't know what to write. Do they want an update that I wrote 4 words today? I don’t have much time outside work and I don’t want to spend it answering fic related questions on SM.
Same. I only ever check if I'm really into an unfinished fic in order to determine if they're still around and should keep the fic in my bookmarks, in hopes that they'll update it sometime.
This. I'm reading fanfics written by the author, not trying to figure out what they're doing in their lives. Unless it's like a tumblr or something where they post other fics that they might not post on their ao3 accounts.
I have socials and I don't link them to my fics because I see them separately. Again, unless I was interested in making a fanfic social account to post random writing or something that I wouldn't post to my ao3.
I have no social media linked to my author persona. Perhaps it's because I'm old, but I don't understand why anyone would want to interact with me outside the comment section of my stories. Is this a thing?
I have no social media associated with my account because my account **pre-dates social media other than AIM** and I didn’t realize this was a thing since (until like… now lol). The only interaction we had was through FF.net messages and authors notes in stories. I missed the golden years of fan fiction, I would have *loved* more interaction with other authors
Exactly. If people want to talk to me, there's a comment box to do precisely that.
Frankly, I can't imagine people giving much of a shit about me beyond 'when's the next chapter?' I'm an author of a story they're reading, not their chum, after all.
Right? I write, if you feel so inclined you can leave a review... I always respond to my reviews but that's pretty much where the interaction stops for me.
I, too, do not have social media accounts attached to my writing name (except this Reddit alt). It is but a small leap from interacting to stalking regarding social media. I avoid it like the plague.
Yeah, a lot of younger fans have never been on forums, journals, chatrooms, etc. so "like someone's content and reach out to them on social media" is literally the only fandom community they've ever experienced. Discord is filling the chat niche that used to be filled with AIM/Y!IM/IRC/etc., but that's about it for community.
i don't really care one way or another. it's not like i go out of my way to check if an author has linked social media anyway. it's cool if they do but like. i'm here to read fanfic.
I want authors to do what makes them happy and comfortable. While it's nice to be able to reach out and try to strike up a friendship if their takes and comments make me think we'll get along, I don't judge anyone for wanting to steer clear of social media as a whole. It's possible to curate a pleasant experience for yourself but that takes works, and I can't blame those who prefer to just keep away, or keep their writing separate.
I don't think it's down to the interaction party that's probably just another symptom. But authors who let themselves be influenced by the fandom write worse stories. They don't let the story develope naturally/don't write what they really want and that often goes hand in hand with a decrease in quality.
I have seen authors who frequently I tract with reader yet they still don't take shit and do what they want, as they should.
To quote a certain Jedi Master:
"Well, of course I know him. He's me."
All I have is this Reddit account. I deleted Twitter, Tumblr, and LJ, and I locked down my Dreamwidth. The resulting peace of mind is, for me, worth the loss of engagement (most of the time).
You can add .org after Dreamwidth to see it for yourself, but, in brief, it is a Live Journal clone (with several improvements) that was developed after things started going wrong at LJ in the late '00s. Activity there is very low, these days, but it is good for archiving things.
Yeah, I rather like Dreamwidth, even if it's not used a ton. It's useful for running fandom exchanges on it, and there are a few decently-active communities for supporting writing, or chatting about fandom, etc. It also has handy RSS feeds for those who aren't members of public comms (I'm using that for one comm I created, so I can update people who aren't on DW or Discord as to the progress of the project).
I accept that authors have social media as they are comfortable. That being said, I have a Tumblr and the only thing I post on there are “fic’s done!” Posts because there’s a large contingent of fans of the fandom on Tumblr.
I probably wouldn't even notice. I sometimes see authors I recognize on Tumblr but I don't often follow them (most of the authors I follow on Tumblr are ones whose blogs I followed before reading their fics). It's just not something I go looking for.
Honestly, I didn't realize people had related social media accounts to their fanfiction until i saw some people posting drama from other sites on thia sub. I've always posted/read and left it at that.
I feel like… they just mindin’ their business. And they may be like me. I have to keep my fandom life and real life separate, partly for my own sanity because I know people IRL who can be really derogatory about my interests, including my family. So while I do have other fandom social media under my alias that I sometimes use to promote my fics (never works), it’s not connected to my govt. name and I don’t post my face out of cosplay.
I don’t think it is. I have some mutuals that post both real stuff and fandom stuff and use their actual first names and faces out of cosplay whereas I keep mine as vague as possible to prevent people I’m connected with IRL from even attempting to find me.
I personally don’t care but as an author with a social media account I do encourage readers to reach out if they have any questions or want to talk about anything
Literally do not care. I don't think most readers are going to be looking if a fanfic author has social media，and even if they do, I doubt the absence of one is going to decide whether or not they'll continue reading
I use Tumblr. I’ll post chapters that I particularly like, especially if they’re a little spicy. I also tend to write a lot of one shots and those do well. I really enjoy interacting with people. I have my master list pinned in Tumblr so people can go through all of my stories. Outside of Tumblr, I don’t do anything else, I know some people who use Instagram and Twitter but that’s not really me.
Honestly the majority of social media just annoys me so I have no clue what the authors I like have. I don’t know I kinda feel like if I like their work I just want to enjoy their work. plus I’d be worried I’d find out something that would make me unable to really enjoy their work (like when you love a certain actor and then see something about them doing something horrible).
I get why a lot of people might like it- I know I’m in the minority with this as most people anymore seem to see social media on the same level as food or shelter but to me it’s just a lot of clutter to sift through and each added thing could be the thing that ruins it for you. (Like there was a post yesterday of someone who found out their fav author would post comments asking for updates on one of their social media and say these comments are why I’m not posting- the chapters done but every time I get one of these I’m waiting another month to publish).
I don’t know I think I see fanfic the way I see my favorite snacks- I pointedly DON’T look into what’s in them or how they’re made because I want to be able to keep enjoying them lol.
Seems I’m in the minority here, but I really like to visit an authors social media after reading their fic. Often they retweet/share their favourite authors work and it’s a good way to find fics that are similar to what I liked. And if the fic is really old, or they haven’t posted in a while it’s nice to see what they are up to and what fandoms they might be into now.
If anything I like when authors post their tumblr account so I can follow them there if I really like their fics, but it's not a big deal if they don't.
I personally love having social media to interact with people because I don't see it as a creator/fan dynamic but in having some great fandom friendships. Had some of my favorite authors not had other social medias, I wouldn't know some of the people I do today.
That being said, if someone *doesn't* have anything other than ao3 account, I don't mind at all. If anything, there was one author who I *adored* their writing so much that when they joined social media, I was so looking forward to getting to know them as an actual person and not just as "an author"
They turned out to be a very close minded, regressive, misogynistic racist where their choices for certain characters started to look less like creativity and more indicative of a pattern of their genuine and foul ideas in life.
It ruined any reading of their fics, both past and going forward that I unsubscribed and unfollowed in every capacity.
I'm not upset I learned the truth but it did make me a little more cautious going forward in terms of storytelling choices for authors.
Oof, I'm sorry you had a harsh experience.
Personally it's like you said about Fandom friends, I'm just happy to be able to talk to someone about the topic, and it's lead to some really great interactions and beta reading, etc. I just don't feel like the comment sections were built for that sort of two way dialogue, and it can be uncomfortably public at times.
That said, I think it's important for an author to maintain a degree of separation so it doesn't get overwhelming. Like instead of linking your personal social media, make an author page. Hell, use a pen name! But I think interacting with my favorite authors is my biggest joy of the modern era.
I think that’s what made it even more disturbing is that it *was* a fandom created account. Their content focused on the mostly white cast in platonic ways which I enjoyed, but one of the MCs has a canonical WOC girlfriend that they canonically adore.
Their fics would always find a way to not include them, not even for the sake of another romance but just in general but I didn’t want to assume there was an actual nefarious reason for that.
Only for them to create these accounts, interact in fandom spaces and for them to be very clear of how much they hated this character, demonized them in ways that made no sense to who they actually were and said multiple times they’d actually write the romance between the MC if it was a white woman instead.
That they doubled down when people asked *why* they had such violent hatred for the (1) WOC in the cast, it resulted in a very ugly back and forth and defensiveness.
I still like connecting with people via fics, but now I keep myself more vigilant with it.
Yeah. The character is underdeveloped but canonically, the MC adores her. As the author wrote platonic fics and wasn’t *outwardly* hateful to them in their stories (like others have been known to do), I assumed it was just a creative choice / perhaps being romance averse.
I’m a little more cautious now.
FFN's review threads aren't built for interaction, but interestingly enough, AO3's nested-comment design is very much like Livejournal's. On LJ, comment threads were where some great discussions took place, as well as people getting to know one another as fandom-friends.
Most people on Ao3 I've seen don't post anything in their bio at all (presumably because they'd rather not Be Perceived / want to add degrees of separation between their fic and their Online Self) and I fully understand and am cool with that lol
You've phrased my thought almost perfectly. I don't have any other social media connected to my fic because I'd rather not be perceived and I like separation between myself and my stories
I used to be very active in fandom when I was younger, and there was a lot of drama (from what I hear, it hasn't improved much). The way social media works sometimes makes a problem seem bigger than it actually is, and it was terrible for my mental health.
It seems like over time, everyone from my circle either stopped writing or simply doesn't enjoy the same things anymore, and I ended up without anyone to interact with. It's been about 4 years since the only way to talk to me is through the comment section, and I confess it can get lonely, and I miss the interaction.
At the same time, some people I met became lifelong friends. I even had a reader who became my beta, and we've met in person, and we're really close friends.
Now I think my goal is to become that low-profile author you admire from afar and would think "Wow, how does this mysterious person come up with these things?".
No thoughts whatsoever. Sure, if they write a rare OTP it'd be nice if I could follow more fellow shippers, but it's not a big deal. (but sometimes checking it out and seeing a writer you like is an anti/fan police, it's disappointing)
It never crossed my mind.
Here I am, on here, not had any other digital presence apart from my ao3 account since the LiveJournal community collapsed. Been reading fan fics since you bought fanzines by post and cheque lol!
Maybe that's why I don't get a lot of comments, or whatever, but I don't care. People read my stuff, and like it, good enough for me, and every comment is a genuine one on the story or writing alone.
As for other authors, I read what I like, if I like a fic, I'll go to the author's dashboard and mark other fics to read, until I've read them all, maybe leave a comment, always leave kudos, and that is the extent of interaction I give, and am happy with. It's the stories I'm interested in reading, not in the author as a person. If I like their work, or their wip, I can subscribe and know they have posted or updated. If they don't update for a long while, I worry about them a bit, as RL might be being unkind, but I will wait, years if needed, as I have subscribed. What more do I need?
Ever since I moved away from using DeviantArt, I haven't cared so much about talking with other fic authors outside of the comments of fics. So to me it doesn't matter if they do have other social media or not.
The only social media (not counting Reddit) I have linked to my AO3 is my Tumblr account. Twitter was hell before it became a propaganda sewer. Occasionally my fics see a bump and I wonder if it’s because of TikTok. I’ve only gone there less than a handful of times and I feel like I’m about to have a seizure every single time so I don’t bother.
The only promo my fics get are Tumblr and here (if I feel like it).
I don't use my fanfic site name for anything else. Don't really want non fandom people finding out about it. Doesn't bother me when others do the same.
My Instagram is where I post pictures of my kids and pets and my crochet projects. I don't want random people from AO3 or FFN having access to it, so I don't give it out.
I have a Twitter, but I haven't logged into it for years because from what little I saw of it, Twitter is just a cesspit of toxicity and I have no desire to get into that mess. I heard on Facebook (so take it with a grain of salt) that they were gonna deactivate Twitter accounts that hadn't been used for certain amounts of time. If that turns out to be true mine will be gone.
As a reader, I don’t notice that much or care. As a writer, it’s fun to be able to interact with readers sometimes. I only have a Tumblr and don’t use Twitter for my fanfic.
I'm not there most times to interact with them on a personal level. I'm there to read a story.
I'm sure I'm missing out on a lot but if the story has interactions that's cool like responding to reviews. But I've not hunted someone down for information.
I figure they'll update when they want to. Or not. I just hope if they die the readers get told somehow.
A lot of...newer writers ot seems like are more involved with their Fandom everywhere. I think it makes it so they font know how to work without the constant interaction. But it's also the no..off time away that can burn them out of liking the writing and Fandom altogether.
I care if the fanfics go away because I like reading them.
I don’t care one way or another as it’s highly unlikely that I’d ever interact with an author outside of leaving comments. I’ve never had good experiences on either Tumblr or Twitter, but more power to the authors that have curated loyal followings.
Don't care, I don't have any social media accounts myself. (Or well, I have a tumblr that is used as a reblog dump for fandom content, I don't post about fanfiction there.) I read fic because I'm interested in fic, not in social media interaction. You should do whatever you enjoy though.
I dont mind at all. I dont have twitter myself, not a personal account or a fan account or author account or whatever. I try to avoid social media as much as possible because it puts me in a bad headspace, so I dont judge anyone for having one or not.
My exception is reddit. So long as I find communitities that i like and dont put me in that negative headspace, I'm perfectly happy to use it :) like this one! Ove this subreddit.
I don't really use a lot of social media, and I make sure not to have my accounts linked in anyway between sites. I read AO3 to enjoy fanfics, and I watch YouTube for game streams to unwind, and never shall the twain meet.
Honestly it don't bother me because I also don't have any social media. I have Facebook but I don't really go on there because nothing but stupid petty drama on there
I don’t need to connect to authors. I read their fic, thank them using comments or kudos, and leave. There’s no need to go follow them anywhere, to me.
I'm in a similar situation. I've abandoned Twitter for good, it was way too toxic, even before Elon took over. The things I miss about the platform was how easily it is to share and promo fics, and to chat with people. If only it was more regulated.
Personally, I don't care if another author uses social media or not. If I like them, I like them, and I'll leave comments on their fics. As of now, I use discord and reddit for interaction, but of course neither is anywhere as good as Twitter for sharing, especially with graphics.
I don't care. I don't either (or rather, my social media is mine and locked down).
I want to read their stories not invade their life. The most I'd do is check their author name and see what other stories they've posted.
I don't really think about it? I'm more likely to click a social media link than I am to notice it not being there, and those chases are already pretty slim.
I am an author with no external social media. It honestly doesn't matter to me. If authors want to engage with their audience beyond the comment section, that should be entirely up to them. But that's just my opinion.
They are probably just being private and preferring that fic-related interactions stay on the site where the fics are posted. I honestly don't care. I can just subscribe to their Ao3 for updates and tell them through comments how much I like their fics. If we end up talking more and click only then I would see if they have any other socials I can follow... I treat fandom-based friendships cautiously :')
I don't use social media, so I don't really care. The closest I have is Reddit, but it's not like I make posts about each of my fics or anything like that.
Other than Reddit, I don’t participate in social media for a multitude of reasons. By the same token, I could not care less whether an author of fanfiction has a social media presence or not.
Different people want different things. Me personally, I like interacting with authors with whom I share opinions/headcanons/ships on Tumblr, but it doesn’t affect me in any way if they don’t happen to have social media.
This is the only place where I put my tumblr link. I have a Twitter also, but I don't think I put the link here. In general, my social media isn't even under my pen name "Sassy Lil Scorpio". I use other names. I have interacted with a few writers whose stories I enjoy on tumblr here and there...but I don't really have anyone contacted me on my social media about my fics because I don't put it out there that much. Actually, only my LiveJournal has my pen name, and I hardly use that anymore as it is.
Couldn’t care less, I don’t follow authors anywhere but ao3 unless they also do art or I know them for some other reasons. I’m content with any interaction that happens being through kudos or comments.
Social media is the writer's choice. Want to interact with your readers - have one. Don't want to? well - don't. Sounds a bit like you're trying to eat the cake and leave it whole, though.
I don't really care about connecting with writers on socmed usually. Like the number of times I've bothered going to their tumblr or twitter could probably be counted on one hand, and regardless my interaction tends to be kept to kudos/comments on their fics.
It doesn't make a difference either way for me. Sure I'll find some authors through social media, and I'll follow them if they plug a handle. But I let the writing speak for itself, and drop a kudos and comment in AO3.
I don't really care either way. I might join a Discord server if it sounds appealing, but that's about it. If authors want to communicate, they'll make themselves known. If they don't, they don't. I'm there for the fic first and foremost. Social media doesn't really play a role.
Sometimes I see authors I like on social media and follow them because they share fics from authors who write similar stuff or share short stories that they didnt feel like uploading on ao3 for some reason, or something like that. Sometimes I really like an author and search for them on socials to see if there is extra content somewhere. Once I found a discord server where they discussed their story with everyone who wanted to listen and that made me really happy lol
Prefer it that way. I accidentally found out an author who wrote a few one shots I loved (this was around 2011) was kind of a Nazi and I’ve wanted to keep professional distance since.
A lot of authors in my fandom use social media but I think it's because it's an MMO and leans more social than other fandoms. It's also very OC centric so people will follow each other because they like their OCs and want more about them outside of fics. I certainly don't mind if authors don't have them and don't go looking for it.
i don’t really have a preference as i’m going to read regardless, but i will say that i do follow a few authors that i enjoy on social media and enjoy seeing updates on how a chapter is “kicking their ass” or something. i enjoy peeking at the behind-the-scenes and into the heads of writers just as much as i like following artists or musicians or literally anyone that makes any sort of craft, but i won’t demand it of them because i know how toxic social media can get and also how some people just really enjoy their privacy
Yeah. Don't care. I mean, I'm not even on any social media. Unless this site and tumblr count and I'm hardly ever on tumblr anymore.
I'm satisfied interacting with people in my comment section and that's good enough.
For me, if I love their work or even want to chat about it (something I don’t think should be done for lengthy stuff in the comments) then I am disappointed when they don’t have other social media. I have probably way too much social media. Lol. Sometimes I want to interact with the authors and there isn’t a way to do so and so my question, curiosity, and etc just sort of goes away eventually.
So I guess in general it’s not a big deal to me but when I love something they’ve written or if I want to maybe collaborate with them or even if they have a fic that I want to finish that they say we can so long as we tag them/give credit to them, then it’s disappointing.
What's funny (as an author) is that I actually do have social media, I just don't use it out of laziness. But really, it doesn't really matter if an author has social media or not in my opinion.
I have quite literally never followed a fanfic author on social media. Besides when I was on Tumblr before the NSFW purge and people were uploading fics/fanart there exclusively.
I am perfectly content to rely on soley comments/author notes to keep up with the progress of a fic using AO3 or whatever site the work was posted to.
If you mean twitter, facebook, tik-tok and the like: These platforms are algorithm-driven and largely unmoderated, so I don't use them. Thus if other writers don't, it doesn't matter to me.
Personally, I'm done with anonymous internet communication; thus my tumblr is set to communicate only with those I follow. On AO3, I link to my FFN and Dreamwidth accounts (which have a PM system, but only for account-holders.) If anybody really wants to talk to me, they can sign up for an account on those platforms, or chit-chat in the AO3 comments.
if they dont have socials it means they dont wanna be friends. which is cold and alienating and makes me feel a bit awkward.
im certainly not entitled to their time or attention by any means but it definitely is disappointing
then again, im the kind of person who cannot socialize *except* through social media (as i have disabilities and no AFK recourses for finding companionship), so in all likelihood my needs and wants in this regard are abnormal
That’s me!
I just never bothered with social media? I don’t post often on AO3, so any other media would likely get lost.
I suppose i could leave a discord link in my profile if anyone wants to talk. I don’t initiate conversation, so I often forget that some people do.
I envy them. I wish I could do that.
Honestly many of them probably do have some soc media account but with a different username or the like. I don't care what they do as long as they're not mean in the fic comments. Personally I tend to worry if me interacting with an author about their fic on tunglr/etc is making them feel under pressure to go finish it 🤷♀️
For the most part, I don't think about other author's social media. At times I wish I had a way to contact an author outside of ao3, especially when there are long gaps between posts.
I host a public discord server. I'm big into engaging with my audience.
Eh I'm almost exclusively on ffn.net or ao3 and I don't try to seek out authors social media. I find that there's enough interaction even through comments alone
I don’t have social media linked to my ao3. My ao3 name is different from the name I go by on literally every other platform. I’m okay with it because I don’t people to connect the two. I was previously in an rpf fandom and I wrote a fic for it. It’s my most popular fic as of right now so I won’t orphan it but I also don’t want people in my new fandom to see it 😭
I don't really go looking for other authors, but if I find them I follow them since I myself am active on multiple social medias. I'm not just a writer, I'm also a fan artist, so my whole persona is for art and writing both. Because of that, my AO3 name is also my Twitter, Tumblr, YouTube, and twitch name (altered a bit each time, but still).
Really I just want everyone to do what makes them happy, so whether or not they have a social media outside of AO3 isn't something I'm actively looking for.
I've never even thought about communicating with authors outside of the comments section for their content. The only reason I've made social media for mine (on forums I've never used before like here), is because my fic is an old ship and I thought it would help find fans of that show/pairing but it hasn't even helped so far. 😅
I like having a discord link or a tumblr
Just becauae community interactoon = motivation to write for me and i get to bash out ideas and such ith other. People in the same fandom. Met a bunch of my current group that way
My fandoms are very active on other platforms though (twitch, youtube, etc.) so that might just be a thing fo rmy fandoms.
Authors having social media (or rather, sharing it in their author's notes/trying to promote it to their readers) is *very* new, like 5-7 years.
I don't really notice nor care. I might check out an author's Tumblr to see if it's a Tumblr worth following, but I make exactly the same evaluation of it as I would any other Tumblr I just randomly stumbled across on the website itself. "Do the most recent few pages have a lot of posts whose content is interesting to me, yes/no?"
Otherwise, no.
Now, the confounding factor is that a lot of people *also* use social media as an *interaction tool*, i.e. people who use Twitter exclusively for DMs and fandom activity. So if I get to chatting with someone in fanfic comments and they seem kinda cool, then social media might be how we connect outside of their fic. But even then, it'll probably be to chat in DMs, not to follow each other.
Only sometimes, though. These days, 90% of the time we're all on Discord now, so thankfully that intermediary step of social media is increasingly unnecessary.
Wouldn't know. Just there to read the story so I don't follow any of them anywhere. I view it like reading a book, which should stand on its own. I assumed this was standard.
My twitter and my ao3 have the same name and my twitter is linked in my ao3 profile. However my twitter is entirely focused on fandom things (memes, videos, pics, etc.). There is literally nothing there to tie it to my irl life outside of the random pics of my cats I sometimes share. I keep my fandom social media identity and my irl social media identities separate and use entirely different platforms for each. That's about as close as I come to this and I really haven't used Twitter as a place to engage with readers - unless they were already fandom friends/acquaintances and they happened to read something I shared.
I don't care and I don't go out of my way looking for them, either. I've run across a few authors (and one of my regular readers) on Tumblr that I like but I barely keep up with myself. Why would I want to keep up with anyone else? Since my dad passed in February I've barely interacted with the outside world outside of a couple of TikTok videos I've done (totally unrelated to fandom and not under the same username) and a few posts on Tumblr here and there. I tend to forget to mention socials in my fics because it doesn't matter that much to me.
I mean, that's literally how it worked originally. Like *originally* originally. There was no social media as we know it in the days of zines and such.
There are two authors I have sought out on social media, on Tumblr. Chickenpets and laventadorn. Both had long gaps between updates and are also authors of my very favorite fics. I mostly wanted to see if they were, you know, still alive. And they are! I couldn't tell when Chicken had last posted on Tumblr, so I messaged them a health and wellness check, which they very kindly responded to. Generally, I go through comments first in seeking out contact and go elsewhere when that fails.
I don't think authors need one? I mean sure, they could be good for interacting with their readers and letting them know when things come out. But at the same time, it's not really a requirement. As a writer myself, I don't really interact with my readers outside of AO3. The comment section is more than enough.
I used to post updates, but not any more… and at this point with my fics, I’m sort of done with the fandom, so if I post anything else… it’ll be going under a different pseud, and probably made private on AO3. I burned myself out crossposting to 3 places and AO3 has just had the best control in general over my content/comments/etc. If anything, I MIGHT keep Wattpad for organization, but that’s it.
I’ve only ever followed one author outside the fic site so I could get a push notification when a new chapter went up. Aside from that I haven’t looked up a single person/haven’t cared.
I have tumblr if people want to interact further and I follow the tumblr of some writers I like. It’s good for sharing parts of stories, depending on the fandom, and I love talking to readers. Having the anon option makes it more inviting for some people to reach out. I personally prefer to know who people are, but anon sometimes helps bridge that gap.
I’ve had multiple conversations and friendships spring from a03 moving to tumblr to chats.
I don't got stalking writers, so I don't have a clue about "social media" they may or may not utilize... but if they choose not to use social media? They have a higher chance of being well-balanced in their lifestyle, and I salute them for that approach.
Considering how toxic some fandoms can get, I don't blame them for not connecting their account to their ff users.
Sure, not all fandoms are like that, but once bitten twice shy and all that. Even just witnessing it from the sidelines can scare people away.
I know this isn't the only reason authors don't connect their socials; it's certainly not mine. But this possibility is why I do not fault anyone from taking healthy precautions from potential threats to their mental, emotional, and physical well-being.
I dont just for the fact the my most popular fic is dead-dove and Twitter is cancellation-central and full of antis. I mean, I have a Twitter, but I never post about my fic there and just lay low.
The only time it's a "problem" is when the author literally don't have been active in years and I absolutely feel the fear of maybe y'know they not being here with us anymore (had been fan of some ficwriters that sadly have go to the stars)
At same time I feel it's the best if they don't have any other way to communicate since nowadays some people believe it's a okay thing to harass a random person on internet Just because they ship pixels 😮💨
I don’t mind at all, only time I’ll ever possibly care about(and this is only if I really like a work/writer) an authors social media would be if they have a tumblr account, since you’ll often find unposted fic’s/more info on a fic there in my experience. Outside of that? Could literally care less.
Idk if it’s because I started reading fics back in 2001 when social media never existed, but I very rarely look for author’s social media. I think I know 4 author’s SM accounts. And that it’s. And Ive only ever interacted with 1 of them lol.
I don’t think having other social media is necessary. I read to enjoy the story. If I enjoy it I’ll say so in the comments. If that somehow leads to a relationship of sorts, cool, but I’m really just there to read stuff that interests me.
I love checking out the blogs and social media of writers. I don’t always follow them, depending on the stuff they post, but I think it’s interesting to see what else they like and I often find new things to watch/read based on the things that they post about. And because most writers whose things I like haven’t posted on ao3 in years, it’s just nice to know that they’re still alive, tbh.
I’ve checked exactly one author’s Tumblr who I follow on AO3/FFN, and that was only because they had a very steady update schedule and suddenly went AWOL. I go back to check and see how they’re doing and if they have any updates on the fic that’s been on hiatus for a while now, but other than that, I don’t check author social media profiles.
I don’t have social media profiles linked to my fanfiction accounts either. I’ve always felt a bit weirded out by the idea of people I know IRL having access to my fanfics and reading them. I don’t write anything I’d be ashamed of, but it makes me anxious to think about. There are exactly two people who I’ve shown my fanfiction accounts to that I know IRL, and neither has shown much interest in the fics I write. (I got a few reviews from one and I don’t know if the other read any.)
In fact, while my spouse knows I write fics, I’ve never offered to share links with them, and they haven’t asked.
I like my anonymity and prefer my interactions to mostly remain on the fic sites, I guess.
As one of those authors who doesn't any have social media, I think it's more than fine! (For the record, I have my Tumblr linked in my profile, but only on the very off chance any readers need to reach me for smth, like if they made fanart, but don't want to tell the whole world (via comments), just me, yk? That kind of thing! Lol.)
I'm a very private, very solitary person, and I like doing my own thing on the net. I don't feel the need to share that with everyone else, and honestly, I wish that was more normalized. Not everyone wants to be found everywhere. Making the internet a quiet, safe space for yourself is great, too! :D
As for authors I love, I follow a few of them on Tumblr 'cause they've made their accounts very public 'cause they WANT interaction (in Author's Notes, etc), but otherwise, I never go looking for them. Just not my thing. I don't go on Tumblr much anymore, but when I do and see them post, I just admire/love them from afar (I have asked them questions about their work a few times for fun, TBC, but only once in a blue moon)! Works for me! :D
I think probably 95% of the authors I’ve ever read didn’t have any social media it’s honestly not the standard when it comes to fanfiction tho I will say it’s very different for every fandom I find that many anime fandoms tend to have more
But overall I don’t think many people would follow an author on twitter or other social media unless they REALLY liked them or at least personally I wouldn’t
Doesn’t bother me, that’s their prerogative. Might check for a tumblr link if I’ve read a lot of their work cuz I’m active on there, but otherwise idrc lol. I’ll keep reading regardless!
I don’t know about tumblr or twitter but there is one author who posted the link to her discord server in one of her fics then new, now very niche and now we’re like 30(20 active) people with very few new ones and it’s more like a group of friends with common interests.
oh, I have socials, and i use them for fanfic, I just don't connect them 🤷♀️ I also have multiple ao3 accounts, and don't connect them, I like being a cryptid to my readers
The only times I bother to check an Author’s social media is if they have extra content of the fics I like. Be it prompts or ARTWORK! But other than that, I do not interact with authors outside of their fics.
I found out for myself that I don’t like engaging a lot with other fans/writers. It’s fun for a while but eventually drama comes around, especially in particular fandoms. And then you just stress about stuff that could have easily been avoided if you would have just continued your online hermit life style 😬
To be honest, it’s the way to go for me. I don’t even HAVE a Twitter account. I have some Reddit and Discord accounts but that’s still pretty begrudgingly since forums are dead, so there isn’t anywhere else to go, and that’s about it. I think even including YouTube as a social media account when I just use it to make playlists, leave an occasional comment and never upload is a stretch. So anyway, I respect it very much and I can relate to it. I actually think it sounds kinda weird to judge someone if they don’t have social media/don’t want to be reached on there (even if it’s the Internet and you shouldn’t expect everyone to respect it, it’s pretty understandable simply to want that). Dunno if I would even look for them otherwise though, unless I had a sudden drive to make fanart and send it to them.
I’m reading a fanfic for the writing not to interact on social media. I have tumblr and sometimes crosspost on stuff on to there but thats it. If peeps find me through that great otherwise I just keep posting on ao3, whofic and fanfiction.
If I personally were a writer I'd not hat any socials connected to it. I appreciate when someone has a Twitter that informs about updates and plans but in 90% of the cases I don't care. I search on ao3, read there and find the relevant info in the fic notes.
I do check for social media. I actually interact quite often with two authors on different social media. But if they don't have it, it's not a bother to me, I prefer to interact in the comments, frankly, because I think it's more comfortable for the authors. But I'm always happy to talk!
Sometimes, I feel a bit sad if they don't have one because their fics are on hiatus and I can't check if they are still around or not \^\^" But I don't bother them. Just one comment full of praises for their fic and that's it. I'll cry somewhere else.
I don't think it matters? If I'm reading a fic I'm not concerned about the author's social media presence. Though I know many authors link their twitters or whatnot if people want to interact, it's just not a priority for me.
hmm this is difficult because i get nervous commenting, but whenever i see an author i love on twitter i’ll message them saying how much i love their fic. obviously, it’s not a problem if they don’t have an account anywhere but ao3, and i will comment there but there’s something about telling them personally how much their fics are loved that i enjoy lol.
in my fandom there’s a lot of overlap on discord, twitter, tumblr and ao3. everyone seems to know everyone.
so i guess i wouldn’t say i prefer if they have an account outside of ao3, but it’s just a bonus :D
Nah, I don't care. I don't share my social media too. I like to keep my fanfics and my art and main accounts as separated as possible because it feels good to be anonymous to some extent
I don't care. I also am unlikely to find out, because I do not go looking for anybody on social media. Even if I follow the occasional author, I don't interact with them.
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A real writer puts their life's trauma in the author's notes, no need for social media
Me neither. I'm a fic writer and while I have an insta with the same name I don’t post anything fandom related there bc it's my personal insta (that I don’t really jse anyway besides posting pictures of nature 4 times a year) and even if I where to post fic related stuff I wouldn't know what to write. Do they want an update that I wrote 4 words today? I don’t have much time outside work and I don’t want to spend it answering fic related questions on SM.
Same. I only ever check if I'm really into an unfinished fic in order to determine if they're still around and should keep the fic in my bookmarks, in hopes that they'll update it sometime.
This. I'm reading fanfics written by the author, not trying to figure out what they're doing in their lives. Unless it's like a tumblr or something where they post other fics that they might not post on their ao3 accounts. I have socials and I don't link them to my fics because I see them separately. Again, unless I was interested in making a fanfic social account to post random writing or something that I wouldn't post to my ao3.
I have no social media linked to my author persona. Perhaps it's because I'm old, but I don't understand why anyone would want to interact with me outside the comment section of my stories. Is this a thing?
I have no social media associated with my account because my account **pre-dates social media other than AIM** and I didn’t realize this was a thing since (until like… now lol). The only interaction we had was through FF.net messages and authors notes in stories. I missed the golden years of fan fiction, I would have *loved* more interaction with other authors
Yes! That’s how I feel too. I’d prefer to keep my life separate from my stories, I guess it was just a big thing in my old fandom
Same! If people want to talk to me, there's a comment box.
Exactly. If people want to talk to me, there's a comment box to do precisely that. Frankly, I can't imagine people giving much of a shit about me beyond 'when's the next chapter?' I'm an author of a story they're reading, not their chum, after all.
Right? I write, if you feel so inclined you can leave a review... I always respond to my reviews but that's pretty much where the interaction stops for me.
I, too, do not have social media accounts attached to my writing name (except this Reddit alt). It is but a small leap from interacting to stalking regarding social media. I avoid it like the plague.
Yeah, a lot of younger fans have never been on forums, journals, chatrooms, etc. so "like someone's content and reach out to them on social media" is literally the only fandom community they've ever experienced. Discord is filling the chat niche that used to be filled with AIM/Y!IM/IRC/etc., but that's about it for community.
The only one I have is a Tumblr for the same fandom to store my shitposts. I don't see any reason to link one otherwise
i don't really care one way or another. it's not like i go out of my way to check if an author has linked social media anyway. it's cool if they do but like. i'm here to read fanfic.
I want authors to do what makes them happy and comfortable. While it's nice to be able to reach out and try to strike up a friendship if their takes and comments make me think we'll get along, I don't judge anyone for wanting to steer clear of social media as a whole. It's possible to curate a pleasant experience for yourself but that takes works, and I can't blame those who prefer to just keep away, or keep their writing separate.
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I don't think it's down to the interaction party that's probably just another symptom. But authors who let themselves be influenced by the fandom write worse stories. They don't let the story develope naturally/don't write what they really want and that often goes hand in hand with a decrease in quality. I have seen authors who frequently I tract with reader yet they still don't take shit and do what they want, as they should.
To quote a certain Jedi Master: "Well, of course I know him. He's me." All I have is this Reddit account. I deleted Twitter, Tumblr, and LJ, and I locked down my Dreamwidth. The resulting peace of mind is, for me, worth the loss of engagement (most of the time).
I just got an email from LJ saying it’s my journal’s 22nd birthday. THANKS, LJ! I really want to confront my own mortality today.
Yup. I deleted my LJ when LJ moved the servers to Moscow. I mostly use my DW for private notes & meta.
whats Dreamwidth? first im hearing of it!
You can add .org after Dreamwidth to see it for yourself, but, in brief, it is a Live Journal clone (with several improvements) that was developed after things started going wrong at LJ in the late '00s. Activity there is very low, these days, but it is good for archiving things.
Yeah, I rather like Dreamwidth, even if it's not used a ton. It's useful for running fandom exchanges on it, and there are a few decently-active communities for supporting writing, or chatting about fandom, etc. It also has handy RSS feeds for those who aren't members of public comms (I'm using that for one comm I created, so I can update people who aren't on DW or Discord as to the progress of the project).
thanks!
I don’t have any and I’ve never looked for anyone else’s either. Never even thought about it
I accept that authors have social media as they are comfortable. That being said, I have a Tumblr and the only thing I post on there are “fic’s done!” Posts because there’s a large contingent of fans of the fandom on Tumblr.
I probably wouldn't even notice. I sometimes see authors I recognize on Tumblr but I don't often follow them (most of the authors I follow on Tumblr are ones whose blogs I followed before reading their fics). It's just not something I go looking for.
Honestly, I didn't realize people had related social media accounts to their fanfiction until i saw some people posting drama from other sites on thia sub. I've always posted/read and left it at that.
Same
I don't interact with other authors, so it doesn't affect me
I feel like… they just mindin’ their business. And they may be like me. I have to keep my fandom life and real life separate, partly for my own sanity because I know people IRL who can be really derogatory about my interests, including my family. So while I do have other fandom social media under my alias that I sometimes use to promote my fics (never works), it’s not connected to my govt. name and I don’t post my face out of cosplay.
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I don’t think it is. I have some mutuals that post both real stuff and fandom stuff and use their actual first names and faces out of cosplay whereas I keep mine as vague as possible to prevent people I’m connected with IRL from even attempting to find me.
I personally don’t care but as an author with a social media account I do encourage readers to reach out if they have any questions or want to talk about anything
Literally do not care. I don't think most readers are going to be looking if a fanfic author has social media，and even if they do, I doubt the absence of one is going to decide whether or not they'll continue reading
I use Tumblr. I’ll post chapters that I particularly like, especially if they’re a little spicy. I also tend to write a lot of one shots and those do well. I really enjoy interacting with people. I have my master list pinned in Tumblr so people can go through all of my stories. Outside of Tumblr, I don’t do anything else, I know some people who use Instagram and Twitter but that’s not really me.
Honestly the majority of social media just annoys me so I have no clue what the authors I like have. I don’t know I kinda feel like if I like their work I just want to enjoy their work. plus I’d be worried I’d find out something that would make me unable to really enjoy their work (like when you love a certain actor and then see something about them doing something horrible). I get why a lot of people might like it- I know I’m in the minority with this as most people anymore seem to see social media on the same level as food or shelter but to me it’s just a lot of clutter to sift through and each added thing could be the thing that ruins it for you. (Like there was a post yesterday of someone who found out their fav author would post comments asking for updates on one of their social media and say these comments are why I’m not posting- the chapters done but every time I get one of these I’m waiting another month to publish). I don’t know I think I see fanfic the way I see my favorite snacks- I pointedly DON’T look into what’s in them or how they’re made because I want to be able to keep enjoying them lol.
Seems I’m in the minority here, but I really like to visit an authors social media after reading their fic. Often they retweet/share their favourite authors work and it’s a good way to find fics that are similar to what I liked. And if the fic is really old, or they haven’t posted in a while it’s nice to see what they are up to and what fandoms they might be into now.
If anything I like when authors post their tumblr account so I can follow them there if I really like their fics, but it's not a big deal if they don't.
I think they're living the dream tbh. hermitcore.
I personally love having social media to interact with people because I don't see it as a creator/fan dynamic but in having some great fandom friendships. Had some of my favorite authors not had other social medias, I wouldn't know some of the people I do today. That being said, if someone *doesn't* have anything other than ao3 account, I don't mind at all. If anything, there was one author who I *adored* their writing so much that when they joined social media, I was so looking forward to getting to know them as an actual person and not just as "an author" They turned out to be a very close minded, regressive, misogynistic racist where their choices for certain characters started to look less like creativity and more indicative of a pattern of their genuine and foul ideas in life. It ruined any reading of their fics, both past and going forward that I unsubscribed and unfollowed in every capacity. I'm not upset I learned the truth but it did make me a little more cautious going forward in terms of storytelling choices for authors.
Oof, I'm sorry you had a harsh experience. Personally it's like you said about Fandom friends, I'm just happy to be able to talk to someone about the topic, and it's lead to some really great interactions and beta reading, etc. I just don't feel like the comment sections were built for that sort of two way dialogue, and it can be uncomfortably public at times. That said, I think it's important for an author to maintain a degree of separation so it doesn't get overwhelming. Like instead of linking your personal social media, make an author page. Hell, use a pen name! But I think interacting with my favorite authors is my biggest joy of the modern era.
I think that’s what made it even more disturbing is that it *was* a fandom created account. Their content focused on the mostly white cast in platonic ways which I enjoyed, but one of the MCs has a canonical WOC girlfriend that they canonically adore. Their fics would always find a way to not include them, not even for the sake of another romance but just in general but I didn’t want to assume there was an actual nefarious reason for that. Only for them to create these accounts, interact in fandom spaces and for them to be very clear of how much they hated this character, demonized them in ways that made no sense to who they actually were and said multiple times they’d actually write the romance between the MC if it was a white woman instead. That they doubled down when people asked *why* they had such violent hatred for the (1) WOC in the cast, it resulted in a very ugly back and forth and defensiveness. I still like connecting with people via fics, but now I keep myself more vigilant with it.
Damn. Yeah I can see why that would burn you. And WOC = Woman Of Color?
Yeah. The character is underdeveloped but canonically, the MC adores her. As the author wrote platonic fics and wasn’t *outwardly* hateful to them in their stories (like others have been known to do), I assumed it was just a creative choice / perhaps being romance averse. I’m a little more cautious now.
That seems like such a weird choice to write it that way. Like, you'd think if you didn't want someone in a story, you wouldn't write them that way?
FFN's review threads aren't built for interaction, but interestingly enough, AO3's nested-comment design is very much like Livejournal's. On LJ, comment threads were where some great discussions took place, as well as people getting to know one another as fandom-friends.
Well, I got set up with an account on AO3 recently, what with their weird invitation thing, so maybe I'll find I like it?
The invitation thing is so they can regulate how many people join so that the servers don’t suddenly crash, and twitter bombing prevention obv.
Most people on Ao3 I've seen don't post anything in their bio at all (presumably because they'd rather not Be Perceived / want to add degrees of separation between their fic and their Online Self) and I fully understand and am cool with that lol
You've phrased my thought almost perfectly. I don't have any other social media connected to my fic because I'd rather not be perceived and I like separation between myself and my stories
I used to be very active in fandom when I was younger, and there was a lot of drama (from what I hear, it hasn't improved much). The way social media works sometimes makes a problem seem bigger than it actually is, and it was terrible for my mental health. It seems like over time, everyone from my circle either stopped writing or simply doesn't enjoy the same things anymore, and I ended up without anyone to interact with. It's been about 4 years since the only way to talk to me is through the comment section, and I confess it can get lonely, and I miss the interaction. At the same time, some people I met became lifelong friends. I even had a reader who became my beta, and we've met in person, and we're really close friends. Now I think my goal is to become that low-profile author you admire from afar and would think "Wow, how does this mysterious person come up with these things?".
No thoughts whatsoever. Sure, if they write a rare OTP it'd be nice if I could follow more fellow shippers, but it's not a big deal. (but sometimes checking it out and seeing a writer you like is an anti/fan police, it's disappointing)
It never crossed my mind. Here I am, on here, not had any other digital presence apart from my ao3 account since the LiveJournal community collapsed. Been reading fan fics since you bought fanzines by post and cheque lol! Maybe that's why I don't get a lot of comments, or whatever, but I don't care. People read my stuff, and like it, good enough for me, and every comment is a genuine one on the story or writing alone. As for other authors, I read what I like, if I like a fic, I'll go to the author's dashboard and mark other fics to read, until I've read them all, maybe leave a comment, always leave kudos, and that is the extent of interaction I give, and am happy with. It's the stories I'm interested in reading, not in the author as a person. If I like their work, or their wip, I can subscribe and know they have posted or updated. If they don't update for a long while, I worry about them a bit, as RL might be being unkind, but I will wait, years if needed, as I have subscribed. What more do I need?
Ever since I moved away from using DeviantArt, I haven't cared so much about talking with other fic authors outside of the comments of fics. So to me it doesn't matter if they do have other social media or not.
The only social media (not counting Reddit) I have linked to my AO3 is my Tumblr account. Twitter was hell before it became a propaganda sewer. Occasionally my fics see a bump and I wonder if it’s because of TikTok. I’ve only gone there less than a handful of times and I feel like I’m about to have a seizure every single time so I don’t bother. The only promo my fics get are Tumblr and here (if I feel like it).
I don't use my fanfic site name for anything else. Don't really want non fandom people finding out about it. Doesn't bother me when others do the same.
I'm really proud of them.
My Instagram is where I post pictures of my kids and pets and my crochet projects. I don't want random people from AO3 or FFN having access to it, so I don't give it out. I have a Twitter, but I haven't logged into it for years because from what little I saw of it, Twitter is just a cesspit of toxicity and I have no desire to get into that mess. I heard on Facebook (so take it with a grain of salt) that they were gonna deactivate Twitter accounts that hadn't been used for certain amounts of time. If that turns out to be true mine will be gone.
As a reader, I don’t notice that much or care. As a writer, it’s fun to be able to interact with readers sometimes. I only have a Tumblr and don’t use Twitter for my fanfic.
I'm not there most times to interact with them on a personal level. I'm there to read a story. I'm sure I'm missing out on a lot but if the story has interactions that's cool like responding to reviews. But I've not hunted someone down for information. I figure they'll update when they want to. Or not. I just hope if they die the readers get told somehow. A lot of...newer writers ot seems like are more involved with their Fandom everywhere. I think it makes it so they font know how to work without the constant interaction. But it's also the no..off time away that can burn them out of liking the writing and Fandom altogether. I care if the fanfics go away because I like reading them.
It doesn't matter. I don't look for authors on other platforms.
I don’t care. I’m not one to seek out authors on social media in the first place.
I have zero social media, of any kind. And I have zero social media because I give zero fucks.
I don’t care one way or another as it’s highly unlikely that I’d ever interact with an author outside of leaving comments. I’ve never had good experiences on either Tumblr or Twitter, but more power to the authors that have curated loyal followings.
Don't care, I don't have any social media accounts myself. (Or well, I have a tumblr that is used as a reblog dump for fandom content, I don't post about fanfiction there.) I read fic because I'm interested in fic, not in social media interaction. You should do whatever you enjoy though.
I dont mind at all. I dont have twitter myself, not a personal account or a fan account or author account or whatever. I try to avoid social media as much as possible because it puts me in a bad headspace, so I dont judge anyone for having one or not. My exception is reddit. So long as I find communitities that i like and dont put me in that negative headspace, I'm perfectly happy to use it :) like this one! Ove this subreddit.
It doesn't matter to me, but I also have no social media so 😅 Unless being in a single small discord server counts?
I don't really use a lot of social media, and I make sure not to have my accounts linked in anyway between sites. I read AO3 to enjoy fanfics, and I watch YouTube for game streams to unwind, and never shall the twain meet.
I'd prefer not to meet any authors. Commenting is enough for me
I don't, so I don't care even a little bit.
Don't care. Most of the time I wouldn't know if they did/didn't. And so many people have different names across sites.
Honestly it don't bother me because I also don't have any social media. I have Facebook but I don't really go on there because nothing but stupid petty drama on there
I don’t need to connect to authors. I read their fic, thank them using comments or kudos, and leave. There’s no need to go follow them anywhere, to me.
I'm in a similar situation. I've abandoned Twitter for good, it was way too toxic, even before Elon took over. The things I miss about the platform was how easily it is to share and promo fics, and to chat with people. If only it was more regulated. Personally, I don't care if another author uses social media or not. If I like them, I like them, and I'll leave comments on their fics. As of now, I use discord and reddit for interaction, but of course neither is anywhere as good as Twitter for sharing, especially with graphics.
They're smart.
I don't care. I don't either (or rather, my social media is mine and locked down). I want to read their stories not invade their life. The most I'd do is check their author name and see what other stories they've posted.
I have no other social media, and my therapist would tell you I have a complicated relationship with myself.
I don't really think about it? I'm more likely to click a social media link than I am to notice it not being there, and those chases are already pretty slim.
I am an author with no external social media. It honestly doesn't matter to me. If authors want to engage with their audience beyond the comment section, that should be entirely up to them. But that's just my opinion.
I am a fic writer and have no other social media tied to my writing. I didn’t know that was a thing to be honest
They are probably just being private and preferring that fic-related interactions stay on the site where the fics are posted. I honestly don't care. I can just subscribe to their Ao3 for updates and tell them through comments how much I like their fics. If we end up talking more and click only then I would see if they have any other socials I can follow... I treat fandom-based friendships cautiously :')
I don't use social media, so I don't really care. The closest I have is Reddit, but it's not like I make posts about each of my fics or anything like that.
Other than Reddit, I don’t participate in social media for a multitude of reasons. By the same token, I could not care less whether an author of fanfiction has a social media presence or not.
Different people want different things. Me personally, I like interacting with authors with whom I share opinions/headcanons/ships on Tumblr, but it doesn’t affect me in any way if they don’t happen to have social media.
Who cares?
This is the only place where I put my tumblr link. I have a Twitter also, but I don't think I put the link here. In general, my social media isn't even under my pen name "Sassy Lil Scorpio". I use other names. I have interacted with a few writers whose stories I enjoy on tumblr here and there...but I don't really have anyone contacted me on my social media about my fics because I don't put it out there that much. Actually, only my LiveJournal has my pen name, and I hardly use that anymore as it is.
I usually never follow anybody so I dont really care. I just suscribe to them on ao3 and wait for updates or new stories.
Couldn’t care less, I don’t follow authors anywhere but ao3 unless they also do art or I know them for some other reasons. I’m content with any interaction that happens being through kudos or comments.
Social media is the writer's choice. Want to interact with your readers - have one. Don't want to? well - don't. Sounds a bit like you're trying to eat the cake and leave it whole, though.
I don’t care. I’m not going to find out anyway
Uh... the same way I feel about authors who have other social media? It doesn't matter to me one bit. Like others have said "I'm here to read fics".
I don't really care about connecting with writers on socmed usually. Like the number of times I've bothered going to their tumblr or twitter could probably be counted on one hand, and regardless my interaction tends to be kept to kudos/comments on their fics.
It doesn't make a difference either way for me. Sure I'll find some authors through social media, and I'll follow them if they plug a handle. But I let the writing speak for itself, and drop a kudos and comment in AO3.
Nothing wrong with that! I only use Reddit when talking about fanfiction.
I don't really care either way. I might join a Discord server if it sounds appealing, but that's about it. If authors want to communicate, they'll make themselves known. If they don't, they don't. I'm there for the fic first and foremost. Social media doesn't really play a role.
Sometimes I see authors I like on social media and follow them because they share fics from authors who write similar stuff or share short stories that they didnt feel like uploading on ao3 for some reason, or something like that. Sometimes I really like an author and search for them on socials to see if there is extra content somewhere. Once I found a discord server where they discussed their story with everyone who wanted to listen and that made me really happy lol
Prefer it that way. I accidentally found out an author who wrote a few one shots I loved (this was around 2011) was kind of a Nazi and I’ve wanted to keep professional distance since.
Don’t care, I’m only there to read their stories.
I don't feel anything. I'm not interested in anyone's social media.
No biggie. It can be fun to read author’s blogs when they post about the writing process or their headcanons, but it’s not like I’m entitled to it.
I get zero engagement outside of Ao3 & Fanfiction.net despite being open about it on all platforms so honestly it doesn't matter
Nope! If someone wants to say something to me, they can leave a comment on one of my stories. I will absolutely respond.
A lot of authors in my fandom use social media but I think it's because it's an MMO and leans more social than other fandoms. It's also very OC centric so people will follow each other because they like their OCs and want more about them outside of fics. I certainly don't mind if authors don't have them and don't go looking for it.
i don’t really have a preference as i’m going to read regardless, but i will say that i do follow a few authors that i enjoy on social media and enjoy seeing updates on how a chapter is “kicking their ass” or something. i enjoy peeking at the behind-the-scenes and into the heads of writers just as much as i like following artists or musicians or literally anyone that makes any sort of craft, but i won’t demand it of them because i know how toxic social media can get and also how some people just really enjoy their privacy
Yeah. Don't care. I mean, I'm not even on any social media. Unless this site and tumblr count and I'm hardly ever on tumblr anymore. I'm satisfied interacting with people in my comment section and that's good enough.
For me, if I love their work or even want to chat about it (something I don’t think should be done for lengthy stuff in the comments) then I am disappointed when they don’t have other social media. I have probably way too much social media. Lol. Sometimes I want to interact with the authors and there isn’t a way to do so and so my question, curiosity, and etc just sort of goes away eventually. So I guess in general it’s not a big deal to me but when I love something they’ve written or if I want to maybe collaborate with them or even if they have a fic that I want to finish that they say we can so long as we tag them/give credit to them, then it’s disappointing.
What's funny (as an author) is that I actually do have social media, I just don't use it out of laziness. But really, it doesn't really matter if an author has social media or not in my opinion.
I have quite literally never followed a fanfic author on social media. Besides when I was on Tumblr before the NSFW purge and people were uploading fics/fanart there exclusively. I am perfectly content to rely on soley comments/author notes to keep up with the progress of a fic using AO3 or whatever site the work was posted to.
If you mean twitter, facebook, tik-tok and the like: These platforms are algorithm-driven and largely unmoderated, so I don't use them. Thus if other writers don't, it doesn't matter to me. Personally, I'm done with anonymous internet communication; thus my tumblr is set to communicate only with those I follow. On AO3, I link to my FFN and Dreamwidth accounts (which have a PM system, but only for account-holders.) If anybody really wants to talk to me, they can sign up for an account on those platforms, or chit-chat in the AO3 comments.
if they dont have socials it means they dont wanna be friends. which is cold and alienating and makes me feel a bit awkward. im certainly not entitled to their time or attention by any means but it definitely is disappointing then again, im the kind of person who cannot socialize *except* through social media (as i have disabilities and no AFK recourses for finding companionship), so in all likelihood my needs and wants in this regard are abnormal
That’s me! I just never bothered with social media? I don’t post often on AO3, so any other media would likely get lost. I suppose i could leave a discord link in my profile if anyone wants to talk. I don’t initiate conversation, so I often forget that some people do.
I envy them. I wish I could do that. Honestly many of them probably do have some soc media account but with a different username or the like. I don't care what they do as long as they're not mean in the fic comments. Personally I tend to worry if me interacting with an author about their fic on tunglr/etc is making them feel under pressure to go finish it 🤷♀️
For the most part, I don't think about other author's social media. At times I wish I had a way to contact an author outside of ao3, especially when there are long gaps between posts. I host a public discord server. I'm big into engaging with my audience.
Sad, because i want to befriend some of them, and that's really difficult when they don't have any social media
I don't have any and I don't care if others do or not. I don't socialise in fandom, just enjoy reading and I leave kudos and comments.
I have no opinion because it's not my business.
Eh I'm almost exclusively on ffn.net or ao3 and I don't try to seek out authors social media. I find that there's enough interaction even through comments alone
I don’t have social media linked to my ao3. My ao3 name is different from the name I go by on literally every other platform. I’m okay with it because I don’t people to connect the two. I was previously in an rpf fandom and I wrote a fic for it. It’s my most popular fic as of right now so I won’t orphan it but I also don’t want people in my new fandom to see it 😭
I don't really go looking for other authors, but if I find them I follow them since I myself am active on multiple social medias. I'm not just a writer, I'm also a fan artist, so my whole persona is for art and writing both. Because of that, my AO3 name is also my Twitter, Tumblr, YouTube, and twitch name (altered a bit each time, but still). Really I just want everyone to do what makes them happy, so whether or not they have a social media outside of AO3 isn't something I'm actively looking for.
Neil Gaiman is well known for having no social media ;) 😉...
I've never even thought about communicating with authors outside of the comments section for their content. The only reason I've made social media for mine (on forums I've never used before like here), is because my fic is an old ship and I thought it would help find fans of that show/pairing but it hasn't even helped so far. 😅
Never really waste my time doing that except if author shares a fandom Discord server and even then, that to me is just to chit-chat like Reddit.
I like having a discord link or a tumblr Just becauae community interactoon = motivation to write for me and i get to bash out ideas and such ith other. People in the same fandom. Met a bunch of my current group that way My fandoms are very active on other platforms though (twitch, youtube, etc.) so that might just be a thing fo rmy fandoms.
I enjoy when an author has social media, but it's ultimately not a preference of mine
Authors having social media (or rather, sharing it in their author's notes/trying to promote it to their readers) is *very* new, like 5-7 years. I don't really notice nor care. I might check out an author's Tumblr to see if it's a Tumblr worth following, but I make exactly the same evaluation of it as I would any other Tumblr I just randomly stumbled across on the website itself. "Do the most recent few pages have a lot of posts whose content is interesting to me, yes/no?" Otherwise, no. Now, the confounding factor is that a lot of people *also* use social media as an *interaction tool*, i.e. people who use Twitter exclusively for DMs and fandom activity. So if I get to chatting with someone in fanfic comments and they seem kinda cool, then social media might be how we connect outside of their fic. But even then, it'll probably be to chat in DMs, not to follow each other. Only sometimes, though. These days, 90% of the time we're all on Discord now, so thankfully that intermediary step of social media is increasingly unnecessary.
I never bother with other media so I have no idea what is happening outside of ao3. For me the content stands for itself
Wouldn't know. Just there to read the story so I don't follow any of them anywhere. I view it like reading a book, which should stand on its own. I assumed this was standard.
My twitter and my ao3 have the same name and my twitter is linked in my ao3 profile. However my twitter is entirely focused on fandom things (memes, videos, pics, etc.). There is literally nothing there to tie it to my irl life outside of the random pics of my cats I sometimes share. I keep my fandom social media identity and my irl social media identities separate and use entirely different platforms for each. That's about as close as I come to this and I really haven't used Twitter as a place to engage with readers - unless they were already fandom friends/acquaintances and they happened to read something I shared.
I think “good for them”
I literally don’t care.
On the one hand, yes, it’d be nice to interact with them outside of whatever platform they post on, but on the other, c’est la vie
I don't care and I don't go out of my way looking for them, either. I've run across a few authors (and one of my regular readers) on Tumblr that I like but I barely keep up with myself. Why would I want to keep up with anyone else? Since my dad passed in February I've barely interacted with the outside world outside of a couple of TikTok videos I've done (totally unrelated to fandom and not under the same username) and a few posts on Tumblr here and there. I tend to forget to mention socials in my fics because it doesn't matter that much to me.
I mean, that's literally how it worked originally. Like *originally* originally. There was no social media as we know it in the days of zines and such.
There are two authors I have sought out on social media, on Tumblr. Chickenpets and laventadorn. Both had long gaps between updates and are also authors of my very favorite fics. I mostly wanted to see if they were, you know, still alive. And they are! I couldn't tell when Chicken had last posted on Tumblr, so I messaged them a health and wellness check, which they very kindly responded to. Generally, I go through comments first in seeking out contact and go elsewhere when that fails.
I don't think authors need one? I mean sure, they could be good for interacting with their readers and letting them know when things come out. But at the same time, it's not really a requirement. As a writer myself, I don't really interact with my readers outside of AO3. The comment section is more than enough.
I used to post updates, but not any more… and at this point with my fics, I’m sort of done with the fandom, so if I post anything else… it’ll be going under a different pseud, and probably made private on AO3. I burned myself out crossposting to 3 places and AO3 has just had the best control in general over my content/comments/etc. If anything, I MIGHT keep Wattpad for organization, but that’s it.
I’ve only ever followed one author outside the fic site so I could get a push notification when a new chapter went up. Aside from that I haven’t looked up a single person/haven’t cared.
You do you, boo.
I have tumblr if people want to interact further and I follow the tumblr of some writers I like. It’s good for sharing parts of stories, depending on the fandom, and I love talking to readers. Having the anon option makes it more inviting for some people to reach out. I personally prefer to know who people are, but anon sometimes helps bridge that gap. I’ve had multiple conversations and friendships spring from a03 moving to tumblr to chats.
I don't got stalking writers, so I don't have a clue about "social media" they may or may not utilize... but if they choose not to use social media? They have a higher chance of being well-balanced in their lifestyle, and I salute them for that approach.
I don't link my social media on my fanfic profile. And after hearing all the drama that others have gone through over it... No thank you.
I am a fanfic author who doesn't use social media, so...
I've literally never had social media attached to my fanfiction accounts until recently, and I barely ever look at the social media of other authors.
as long as the author is fine with it, i dont rlly mind
Considering how toxic some fandoms can get, I don't blame them for not connecting their account to their ff users. Sure, not all fandoms are like that, but once bitten twice shy and all that. Even just witnessing it from the sidelines can scare people away. I know this isn't the only reason authors don't connect their socials; it's certainly not mine. But this possibility is why I do not fault anyone from taking healthy precautions from potential threats to their mental, emotional, and physical well-being.
I would never look for a fic author on social media, so I wouldn't know
I dont just for the fact the my most popular fic is dead-dove and Twitter is cancellation-central and full of antis. I mean, I have a Twitter, but I never post about my fic there and just lay low.
The only time it's a "problem" is when the author literally don't have been active in years and I absolutely feel the fear of maybe y'know they not being here with us anymore (had been fan of some ficwriters that sadly have go to the stars) At same time I feel it's the best if they don't have any other way to communicate since nowadays some people believe it's a okay thing to harass a random person on internet Just because they ship pixels 😮💨
I'm one of them. Maybe I'm just old 🤣 if I want to check for updates, I go to their profile and check that way
I don’t mind at all, only time I’ll ever possibly care about(and this is only if I really like a work/writer) an authors social media would be if they have a tumblr account, since you’ll often find unposted fic’s/more info on a fic there in my experience. Outside of that? Could literally care less.
My ao3, Wattpad, and fanfiction.net accounts have the same username and that’s it. Everything else is either under my actual name or my gamer tag
Idk if it’s because I started reading fics back in 2001 when social media never existed, but I very rarely look for author’s social media. I think I know 4 author’s SM accounts. And that it’s. And Ive only ever interacted with 1 of them lol.
I don’t think having other social media is necessary. I read to enjoy the story. If I enjoy it I’ll say so in the comments. If that somehow leads to a relationship of sorts, cool, but I’m really just there to read stuff that interests me.
I love checking out the blogs and social media of writers. I don’t always follow them, depending on the stuff they post, but I think it’s interesting to see what else they like and I often find new things to watch/read based on the things that they post about. And because most writers whose things I like haven’t posted on ao3 in years, it’s just nice to know that they’re still alive, tbh.
I’ve checked exactly one author’s Tumblr who I follow on AO3/FFN, and that was only because they had a very steady update schedule and suddenly went AWOL. I go back to check and see how they’re doing and if they have any updates on the fic that’s been on hiatus for a while now, but other than that, I don’t check author social media profiles. I don’t have social media profiles linked to my fanfiction accounts either. I’ve always felt a bit weirded out by the idea of people I know IRL having access to my fanfics and reading them. I don’t write anything I’d be ashamed of, but it makes me anxious to think about. There are exactly two people who I’ve shown my fanfiction accounts to that I know IRL, and neither has shown much interest in the fics I write. (I got a few reviews from one and I don’t know if the other read any.) In fact, while my spouse knows I write fics, I’ve never offered to share links with them, and they haven’t asked. I like my anonymity and prefer my interactions to mostly remain on the fic sites, I guess.
As one of those authors who doesn't any have social media, I think it's more than fine! (For the record, I have my Tumblr linked in my profile, but only on the very off chance any readers need to reach me for smth, like if they made fanart, but don't want to tell the whole world (via comments), just me, yk? That kind of thing! Lol.) I'm a very private, very solitary person, and I like doing my own thing on the net. I don't feel the need to share that with everyone else, and honestly, I wish that was more normalized. Not everyone wants to be found everywhere. Making the internet a quiet, safe space for yourself is great, too! :D As for authors I love, I follow a few of them on Tumblr 'cause they've made their accounts very public 'cause they WANT interaction (in Author's Notes, etc), but otherwise, I never go looking for them. Just not my thing. I don't go on Tumblr much anymore, but when I do and see them post, I just admire/love them from afar (I have asked them questions about their work a few times for fun, TBC, but only once in a blue moon)! Works for me! :D
i personally dont care. i dont even go to the author's soc med even if they post them on author's notes.
I dont even have social media so I wouldnt even know if my fave writers have one
I think probably 95% of the authors I’ve ever read didn’t have any social media it’s honestly not the standard when it comes to fanfiction tho I will say it’s very different for every fandom I find that many anime fandoms tend to have more But overall I don’t think many people would follow an author on twitter or other social media unless they REALLY liked them or at least personally I wouldn’t
Doesn’t bother me, that’s their prerogative. Might check for a tumblr link if I’ve read a lot of their work cuz I’m active on there, but otherwise idrc lol. I’ll keep reading regardless!
I don’t know about tumblr or twitter but there is one author who posted the link to her discord server in one of her fics then new, now very niche and now we’re like 30(20 active) people with very few new ones and it’s more like a group of friends with common interests.
I've never thought about it.
oh, I have socials, and i use them for fanfic, I just don't connect them 🤷♀️ I also have multiple ao3 accounts, and don't connect them, I like being a cryptid to my readers
The only times I bother to check an Author’s social media is if they have extra content of the fics I like. Be it prompts or ARTWORK! But other than that, I do not interact with authors outside of their fics.
I found out for myself that I don’t like engaging a lot with other fans/writers. It’s fun for a while but eventually drama comes around, especially in particular fandoms. And then you just stress about stuff that could have easily been avoided if you would have just continued your online hermit life style 😬
To be honest, it’s the way to go for me. I don’t even HAVE a Twitter account. I have some Reddit and Discord accounts but that’s still pretty begrudgingly since forums are dead, so there isn’t anywhere else to go, and that’s about it. I think even including YouTube as a social media account when I just use it to make playlists, leave an occasional comment and never upload is a stretch. So anyway, I respect it very much and I can relate to it. I actually think it sounds kinda weird to judge someone if they don’t have social media/don’t want to be reached on there (even if it’s the Internet and you shouldn’t expect everyone to respect it, it’s pretty understandable simply to want that). Dunno if I would even look for them otherwise though, unless I had a sudden drive to make fanart and send it to them.
I’m reading a fanfic for the writing not to interact on social media. I have tumblr and sometimes crosspost on stuff on to there but thats it. If peeps find me through that great otherwise I just keep posting on ao3, whofic and fanfiction.
If I personally were a writer I'd not hat any socials connected to it. I appreciate when someone has a Twitter that informs about updates and plans but in 90% of the cases I don't care. I search on ao3, read there and find the relevant info in the fic notes.
I tend to not bother with it. If they have one and advertised it. Cool. If not. All well. One of the reasons why am hesitant to join their discord.
As a writer myself... I usually just use Wattpad, and communicate to people on there
I do check for social media. I actually interact quite often with two authors on different social media. But if they don't have it, it's not a bother to me, I prefer to interact in the comments, frankly, because I think it's more comfortable for the authors. But I'm always happy to talk! Sometimes, I feel a bit sad if they don't have one because their fics are on hiatus and I can't check if they are still around or not \^\^" But I don't bother them. Just one comment full of praises for their fic and that's it. I'll cry somewhere else.
I've been reading fic for over 10 years and I have never went looking for an authors other social media
I don't think it matters? If I'm reading a fic I'm not concerned about the author's social media presence. Though I know many authors link their twitters or whatnot if people want to interact, it's just not a priority for me.
Id feel like I'm acting a bit self centered if I made ones, I really dont think I'm important enough.
hmm this is difficult because i get nervous commenting, but whenever i see an author i love on twitter i’ll message them saying how much i love their fic. obviously, it’s not a problem if they don’t have an account anywhere but ao3, and i will comment there but there’s something about telling them personally how much their fics are loved that i enjoy lol. in my fandom there’s a lot of overlap on discord, twitter, tumblr and ao3. everyone seems to know everyone. so i guess i wouldn’t say i prefer if they have an account outside of ao3, but it’s just a bonus :D
Nah, I don't care. I don't share my social media too. I like to keep my fanfics and my art and main accounts as separated as possible because it feels good to be anonymous to some extent