Good Tags

[Jerkface_]

What are some good, recognizable tags?

When I was making some for my story I wasn't
sure what kinds of tags people were accustomed
to seeing in order to decide whether my story
held anything they were interested in.

I made use of the examples given in the 'how to'
page, but it wouldn't hurt to ask....

 

[sr71plt]

The tags that are good for a specific story depend on the content of that story. If you go to the category page (listed on the Stories page) for the category of your story, you'll find a list of popular tags in the lower half of the column on the right.

 

[elfin_odalisque]

[
Jerkface, tags are there to help people find your story. If you skim this forum you will find many plaintiff cries from readers who can't find stories they once read and enjoyed.

In choosing your tags you should think about the key factors that will stick in readers minds. I don't know, perhaps Florida threesome, Michigan college lebians, Irish mature etc.

When you first post, your title and short intro should tempt readers in but your tags should give a lead into your story long after the initial fluurry has died down. A way to guide those who forgot to favorite you towards your stories.

 

[sr71plt]

OK, why isn't my response a polite answer to the query? Dark, can you comment on this, please? Where did I go wrong in my response, if anywhere.

What is the listing the website gives of popular tags by category on its category pages if not a response to what the good tags are for someone to use in tagging his/her stories?

 

[lovecraft68]

I have to say in all fairness, I think Sr is right on this one. The how to's over there give you some basics, but looking at the categories give you more accurate ones.

Also OP, if you go to the top lists of your chosen category, you can look at the most popular stories and see what they used for tags. If it helped them it can help you.

 

[elfin_odalisque]

LC, you are right. Was having a bad hair day, read it too fast and overreacted. Mea culpa.

 

[Darkniciad]

Find nothing wrong with SRs response.

The popular tags are a good place to start if you have no idea what to use.

You just have to keep in mind that those are the most popular tags used by authors and not necessarily the most popular search tags.

Unfortunately, I think the only place you can see popular tags used in searches is on the front page of search, and it's only a handful that aren't category specific.

 

[Etaski]

Well, I'm not really sure how effective this is/will be, but I thought as far as tags went:

1) Try to fill up all 10 spaces if you can (the more, the better)

2) Include tags for the specific sexual acts/fetishes that are in the story (looking at the popular tags as sr71 suggested is a good way to get a common list)

3) Include a few tags that would help narrow down a search for someone looking for topics (i.e. identify your story more easily in a word search)

So....I dunno, say with a story that has romance, candles, missionary and a hot tub, include those words as tags. Say the same story is about a 20th anniversary for a couple living in Arizona who love hiking, and that setting has actual meaning for the story, include "anniversary" and "Arizona" and "hiking", since it would narrow things down for someone maybe searching for your story a few years from now.


More for a side thought:

If you're ever doing a Non-Human or Sci-Fi/Fantasy story that has a particular made-up race or creature in it, always include it in your tags. Sometimes people just want to look for "Klingon" or "dwarf" stories and they'll find yours if you include the race/creature in your tags.

 

[elfin_odalisque]

just borrowed this from another thread. I don't recognize the story.

help me find a story

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

This is a romantic story centred around an interacial couple. The man is well to do district attorney and the young lady is an orphan struggling to complete her education while working two jobs. The premise of the story is that while working as a waitress in a strip club she comes to the attention of a coroupt cop who becomes obssessed with possessing her even though she has spurned his advances.

The cop now takes to stalking her, meanwhile she meets the district attorney who falls for her at first sight.

In one memorable scene, she decides to help a friend with the job of cleaning a house, the house she now goes to clean is non other than the lawyers' and on getting there she is confronted with a big snake which the guys friend had left in the house.

The guy in question has a step-sister and a mother who is pushing him to marry someone from their background. And unknowing to them, the girl is also hiding a secret. She is independently wealthy and the sole heir to huge fortune which will come to her on her 25th birthday.

At the end of the story, the stalking cop is shot dead by the lawyer who is now the girl's fiance after he breaks into their house and takes the girl hostage.

please can anyone help me find this story and the author.

Seems to me that useful tags just burst from the the poster's summary. Does it make sense to write a short precis of your story then pick the low-hanging fruit for your tags?

Surely a list like - interracial, district attorney, orphan, corrupt cop, big snake, huge fortune, 25th birthday, hostage - ought to let a reader find your story?

If anyone does remember the story, please tell ajasco 1905. I wouldn't mind reading it as it sounds a quite original plot bunny.

 

[sr71plt]

LC, you are right. Was having a bad hair day, read it too fast and overreacted. Mea culpa.

That and you just have to knee jerk rag on me, don't you? Usually, as here, it just backfires on you, doesn't it? You would think you'd get a clue about doing this some year.

 

[elfin_odalisque]

I should have guessed. You can never close the page and move on. True, like yesterday, I do sometimes overreact because I am sick of your cyberstalking and your offensive, personal posts attacking me. You persistently troll me to spit vituperation for no rational reason and happily threadjack to do so.

Your continued and offensive diatribe about my last story posting here, admittedly a while back, but I have a life to lead, which was a witty and informative piece, entered for a 'How To' contest that you couldn't lower yourself to enter, just proves your arrogance. I trust your ego hasn't blinded you to the fact it carries a blue 'W' - more than you seem to have achieved here to date.

I think you should regard other peoples feelings a tad more. Your last comment suggests you were somewhat inebriated whilst posting.

 

[sr71plt]

No, you did it because you are a crazy loon. Why should I do something you've never done? The mistake and nastiness was yours alone. You just don't want to face up to the implications.

You are one who is instrumental in keeping this forum on edge. You haven't been a Lit. author for six years, and you have some of the craziest notions on how erotica should be written--or the "rules" of writing--of anyone I've ever encountered.

I would critique more if you didn't do exactly what you did on this thread. You can't hide what you did on this thread.

My advice to people asking for advice here is to check out the Lit. background of anyone giving them advice.

And if you genuinely recognize what you did here was a mea culpa, Elfin, you'll just stop doing it. Your follow-up indicates that, although you were caught in bad behavior (yet again), you have no intention of stopping doing it.

 

[elfin_odalisque]

Balls! You run around the grit in your hamster cage. Just let the threads develop on topic.

 

[sr71plt]

Balls! You run around the grit in your hamster cage. Just let the threads develop on topic.

Like you didn't do on this thread? (Before you edited post #3)

 

[lovecraft68]

Elfin, Elfin, Elfin, right or wrong you should never edit a post, it makes you look worse in the end. Just spout your crap and live with it, I do it all the time.