Story tags.

[Thor99]

Hey guys, my first thread here. Sorry if this is in the wrong place but I've not seen anywhere better placed for it.

Does anyone else here use story tags? What are the best ones to use to reach the widest audience? I've been on other sites that use tags that link similar ones together to compensate for people using different phrases (e.g, "big tits" and "big breasts" would be linked to the same stories, as would "redhead" and "red hair", or "two guys one girl" and "2guys1girl" and "mmf" and "fmm" etc.) but I don't think Literotica does that.

As such, how do I know which ones to add?

 

[Darkniciad]

The tag system here isn't really well integrated yet, and it certainly isn't standardized.

The word is that it's supposed to move more into the foreground, but it hasn't happened yet. I honestly don't worry much about it. I just pick a few things from the story, drop them in, and move on.

The biggest part of your reads come from the New list, where the tags aren't even displayed. Only the few people who search for stories get anything out of the tags.

 

[LettersFromTatyana]

I go to the hub of the category I'm posting in, look at the "popular tags," then click the "more tags" button and peruse to see if any seem appropriate.

I'm curious to see what others do, though. I don't think I'm very good at picking tags.

 

[Darkniciad]

Pretty sure those are just the tags most used by authors. They don't really tell you what readers might be looking for.

If anything, using those tags might very well bury your story in search results, since they're common amongst authors in the category.

I go to the hub of the category I'm posting in, look at the "popular tags," then click the "more tags" button and peruse to see if any seem appropriate.

I'm curious to see what others do, though. I don't think I'm very good at picking tags.

 

[sr71plt]

I just make a stab at ten highlighted elements of the story. I've never thought that they did much good. I suppose the website uses them to make up that "similar stories" list they put next to the posted stories--but maybe not, as some of those matchups are a real scream.

 

[LettersFromTatyana]

Pretty sure those are just the tags most used by authors. They don't really tell you what readers might be looking for.

If anything, using those tags might very well bury your story in search results, since they're common amongst authors in the category.

Valid point, especially with the popular tags, though when you click on the "more tags" button, you get tags that have been used maybe five or six times, depending on the category.

On a related note, is the edit process for adding tags the same as it is for every other type of edit, with perhaps a note that I'd like to edit my tags? Has anyone done this?

 

[Darkniciad]

Valid point, especially with the popular tags, though when you click on the "more tags" button, you get tags that have been used maybe five or six times, depending on the category.

On a related note, is the edit process for adding tags the same as it is for every other type of edit, with perhaps a note that I'd like to edit my tags? Has anyone done this?

Yep, exact same process. I would go a step farther and include the new list of tags in the "notes" section after saying that you're editing tags. Naturally, fill in the new tags in their section, too.

 

[sethp]

I just usually try to add tags that relate to my story or make it easier to find. If it's in the mature category, I don't need mature or older as a tag but I may need "large breasts" "Cleaning Lady" "Office" "Nadine" "Mistletoe" etc. I think that's the best way? A mix of story specific stuff, like camping, deserted island and sexual specific like swallowing and anal. Just my two cents. I've tried to be more thoughtful with my Tags the more I write. I do it for reads, yes but more for those who are looking for a specific kink or type of story or who have read my story once and then are looking for it again.

 

[lovecraft68]

I agree that the tags are pretty much ignored, or like others said can bury you.

I think your title and your tag line are what determines if someone thinks your story is right for them. I know that is what I go by when I feel like reading something.

 

[CarlusMagnus]

Yep, exact same process. I would go a step farther and include the new list of tags in the "notes" section after saying that you're editing tags. Naturally, fill in the new tags in their section, too.

Tags entered on the submission page with an edit have failed to appear for me.

However, I successfully added a tag to a story by placing a request to do so in the "Notes" box.

 

[beatrice_dreams]

The biggest part of your reads come from the New list, where the tags aren't even displayed. Only the few people who search for stories get anything out of the tags.

I'd have to agree with this - not that I'm great with tags, but after my chapters have dropped off the edge of the 'New' list I get very few hits/votes/comments. So for me, the 'New' list is where all the readership comes from.

But I'm thinking of working on the tags situation a bit more in future.

As has been pointed out in this thread, knowing what readers are searching for is the key thing!

 

[DocCIS]

Having spent hours trying to search for a specific story, I've found the tags quite useful when people use them correctly. The problem is there is no standardization of tags.

Depending on how the tags are even spelled makes a different. I've seen 3-some, threesome, three-some, three some, 3 some, and every other variation.

The general story sections are a start, but even those are fairly arbitrary at times. Many authors fearing the low scores and comments from LW put their stories in Erotic or First Time categories.

For tags to be useful, again there needs to be some standardization. The tags need to be in a drop down window or checked against a "master list" but who would make that list would be the question. Also, regardless of the common tags, there will always be stories that would not necessarily be best described with a standard list...so there would need to be some place to put 2-4 "custom" tags like all of them are now...then that list could be compiled regularly and the most common ones can be put on the master list.

The bottom line is maintenance of such a list would be a royal pain in the ass...so I can understand why some don't use them!

I agree the most common initial reads come from the NEW category, but I also find many stories by looking at the "Similar Stories" section at the end of each story; however, whether this too goes by tags or not I am not certain...

 

[Thor99]

Thanks for the replies all! It's a shame that the tags seen underused as when utilised properly they can be a very powerful tool. Admittedly, the places I've seen them used best is on hentai image boards (yes, I'm one of *those* people!) but I see no reason a similar system couldn't be useful here. Tags would need to be linked and well-maintained though, which I can see would be a mammoth task for some poor moderator.

Ah well, I guess I'll worry about them less then, at least until the system is better integrated!

 

[lovecraft68]

Thanks for the replies all! It's a shame that the tags seen underused as when utilised properly they can be a very powerful tool. Admittedly, the places I've seen them used best is on hentai image boards (yes, I'm one of *those* people!) but I see no reason a similar system couldn't be useful here. Tags would need to be linked and well-maintained though, which I can see would be a mammoth task for some poor moderator.

Ah well, I guess I'll worry about them less then, at least until the system is better integrated!

Problem with tags in general isn't the tags themselves, but the readers using and or paying attention to them.

In my year plus here, I am learning more and more how lazy some of the readers are. Most don't go crazy with searching as its to much work, and worse ignore the story tags then complain in the form of a negative feedback that they "stumbled' into something they did not like, meanwhile the proper tags used to 'warn' them were used.

 

[Tyro999]

Problem with tags in general isn't the tags themselves, but the readers using and or paying attention to them.

In my year plus here, I am learning more and more how lazy some of the readers are. Most don't go crazy with searching as its to much work, and worse ignore the story tags then complain in the form of a negative feedback that they "stumbled' into something they did not like, meanwhile the proper tags used to 'warn' them were used.

Since a story's tags appear at the bottom of the last page of a story, if a reader hasn't used the search feature to find a story, but just goes through the new stories or categories lists [which, BTW, don't show tags either], considering tag use to be sufficient 'defense' is disingenuous. Just take your lumps/ignore as you choose.

FWIW, I don't search, I follow the new stories lists and select stories based on category and the "teaser" line. I generally click on the author to check out his/her submission page and the #/level of ratings for past stories, and go on to read the new story. If I like it, I print out the submission page to check others when I have time. I've found a lot of my favorite lit authors like this, as well as a lot of good stories

 

[Darkniciad]

As to the tags being used to create the similar stories list: I used to think that as well, but upon looking into it, I don't see it.

Just came across an extreme example between one of my old ones showing up as similar to one of the new Halloween stories while reading ( and voting 5 now that voting works again... Very creative and witty, but fair warning that some may be squeamish )

http://www.literotica.com/s/tampyre

http://www.literotica.com/s/grandfather-yule

No matching tags at all. More or less true for the other similar stories as well. Suffice to say, the only thing these two stories share is a category *laugh*

 

[CarlusMagnus]

The tag system here isn't really well integrated yet, and it certainly isn't standardized.

I might argue with the "yet"; I have a definite impression that things that haven't happened "yet" on Lit. are things for which I shouldn't hold my breath---or even my piss---while I wait.

In my own stories, I try to list the major things I think readers might be looking for---and I use category names if I think that the story in question might be of interest to people who are looking for pigeonholes other than the category under which I'm submitting.

I do use tags, too, as a reader. When I'm looking for something to read and there's nothing on the "New" page that looks interesting, I often go to http://tags.literotica.com and then, in the box to the right, click on the link to the filter for the category I'm interested in that particular day.