Tags

[SkyBubble]

That current limit of sixty characters for a summary just isn’t enough.

I entirely agree. The title and description limits are absurdly tight.

 

[SamanthaBehgs]

If they (Manu I guess) had time (they don't) and it was a priority (it isn't), cleaning up the vast majority of these would be straightforward technically, even for older stories.

I think this is the biggest problem I've had with the tag system, while also understanding that how it functions is how it needs to function because there are other more important priorities.

If I had more tags, it honestly wouldn't make my tags any better in terms of descriptions of my story, I'd just be able to include more variations of the same things.

I try to work around this by looking at the tag cloud and finding the version of the tag that I'm looking for that is just most common. Sometimes I think this is a mistake, that my rookie story is now competing with better stories by better authors, but I think if a reader is going to use the tag system to find a story, they are going to pick the one in the biggest font as well. More seasoned authors - is this how you would do it (assuming the tag you want has multiple varients)?

 

[EmilyMiller]

Let me try to explain my point of view (and I'm not pretending it's anything other than mine).

In terms of tags, I've no problem with "lesbian" or "lesbian sex" being used. In fact, for stories in Sci Fi or NN (for instance) those are really helpful for finding stuff I want to read.

However, you were proposing allowing writers to post to multiple categories. That would result in stories appearing in Lesbian Sex that weren't driven by love/sex between two women. E.g. stories where two girls fuck each other to entertain their boyfriends, but ultimately remain with their boyfriends. Even worse, imagine it was told from the boyfriend's pov. Such stories wouldn't go down well with most lesbian readers for obvious reasons! Plus, if there were loads of them flooding the category, it would make it harder to find the type of stories those readers do enjoy.

Plus, it's not just Lesbian. Imagine a story placed in the Anal category (as well as, say, Sci Fi and EC) that only festures 3 sentences describing the act. I imagine most Anal (and anal) readers would be disappointed.

I agree totally. I have many stories which include some lesbian sex. I have one which is a woman is on an anal-only vacation, but has a sapphic interlude between the sodomy. Now that might appeal to me as a bisexual, but it would be anathema to the average LS reader.

I only put stories in LS in which women loving women is the preponderant and often exclusive theme.

 

[SamanthaBehgs]

I agree totally. I have many stories which include some lesbian sex. I have one which is a woman is on an anal-only vacation, but has a sapphic interlude between the sodomy. Now that might appeal to me as a bisexual, but it would be anathema to the average LS reader.

I only put stories in LS in which women loving women is the preponderant and often exclusive theme.

Is this a good argument for the distinction between the tag, which just gives information on "what sorts of things you find in this story" and the categories themselves which is more "what is this story about?"

 

[SimonDoom]

Let me try to explain my point of view (and I'm not pretending it's anything other than mine).

In terms of tags, I've no problem with "lesbian" or "lesbian sex" being used. In fact, for stories in Sci Fi or NN (for instance) those are really helpful for finding stuff I want to read.

However, you were proposing allowing writers to post to multiple categories. That would result in stories appearing in Lesbian Sex that weren't driven by love/sex between two women. E.g. stories where two girls fuck each other to entertain their boyfriends, but ultimately remain with their boyfriends. Even worse, imagine it was told from the boyfriend's pov. Such stories wouldn't go down well with most lesbian readers for obvious reasons! Plus, if there were loads of them flooding the category, it would make it harder to find the type of stories those readers do enjoy.

Plus, it's not just Lesbian. Imagine a story placed in the Anal category (as well as, say, Sci Fi and EC) that only festures 3 sentences describing the act. I imagine most Anal (and anal) readers would be disappointed.

The bottom line, which we all have to consider at all times, is that what matters is readers. All of these devices, like tags and categories, exist to facilitate the ability of readers to find stories they want. The Site is not interested, as it has no reason to be interested, in facilitating our ability as authors to use the site features to fine-tune our ability to describe our stories and get them on as many lists as possible. The Site may well decide that's not what's in the interest of readers, AND that it makes more work for them.

For example, if you as an author could post your story to more than one category, then the category lists will get longer, giving readers still more information to wade through. How would one handle category-based contests? Would it be fair for a story to hog valuable site real estate on not just one but two category top lists?

This site is principally designed to enable readers with predetermined erotic preferences to find stories that match those preferences as easily as possible. That's a rational goal. It's not optimal from the standpoint of an author who likes to write subtle stories that cross over into multiple kinky interests, but it's totally rational for the site to say to authors who do that: feel free to do that, but you're on your own. We're not going to help you with that, because it doesn't serve the site mission.

 

[IWroteThis]

The bottom line, which we all have to consider at all times, is that what matters is readers. All of these devices, like tags and categories, exist to facilitate the ability of readers to find stories they want. The Site is not interested, as it has no reason to be interested, in facilitating our ability as authors to use the site features to fine-tune our ability to describe our stories and get them on as many lists as possible. The Site may well decide that's not what's in the interest of readers, AND that it makes more work for them.

For example, if you as an author could post your story to more than one category, then the category lists will get longer, giving readers still more information to wade through. How would one handle category-based contests? Would it be fair for a story to hog valuable site real estate on not just one but two category top lists?

This site is principally designed to enable readers with predetermined erotic preferences to find stories that match those preferences as easily as possible. That's a rational goal. It's not optimal from the standpoint of an author who likes to write subtle stories that cross over into multiple kinky interests, but it's totally rational for the site to say to authors who do that: feel free to do that, but you're on your own. We're not going to help you with that, because it doesn't serve the site mission.

Can you please be a bit more clear on your stance?

You make a lot of statements that support allowing stories into multiple categories, but you also make statements that indicate that you disagree with that position.

One of the key statements you made is, "This site is principally designed to enable readers with predetermined erotic preferences to find stories that match those preferences as easily as possible." Forcing a story that fits multiple categories into a single category violates this, as it only enables the readers of one of those categories to find the story easily.

 

[SimonDoom]

Can you please be a bit more clear on your stance?

You make a lot of statements that support allowing stories into multiple categories, but you also make statements that indicate that you disagree with that position.

One of the key statements you made is, "This site is principally designed to enable readers with predetermined erotic preferences to find stories that match those preferences as easily as possible." Forcing a story that fits multiple categories into a single category violates this, as it only enables the readers of one of those categories to find the story easily.

My view is that the Site probably has good reasons for NOT allowing stories to be published in multiple categories, and I'm fine with that. I understand it. I can't remember specifically endorsing having stories published in multiple categories, but I might have, because my views evolve, and they're somewhat tentative given what I know is a lack of complete information. I don't pretend to understand all that's happening with the site behind the scenes. It's a black box. But I don't think most of the other commentators in this forum understand any better than I do.

Your last statement is only true to the extent there actually ARE readers looking for stories that span multiple categories. I suspect that's not true for the vast majority of readers. I suspect there are readers who appreciate stories that are not easily pigeon-holed but that they are not necessarily going to benefit from a tag/category system that makes things more nuanced and complex.

I speak as someone who's been a reader far longer than a writer. I've read stories here since around 2002 and have been publishing since 2016.

 

[IWroteThis]

Your last statement is only true to the extent there actually ARE readers looking for stories that span multiple categories.

No, it's not. Yes, it's of the most benefit to those looking for specific combinations, but it's not exclusive to them.

Let's say that your story has elements of three different categories. In the current system, the author has to pick one of the three. That doesn't mean that the other two elements disappear from the story. All three are still in the story, whether acknowledged or not.

For readers looking for stories that contain the element the writer went with, finding the story is as easy as looking at the new stories list for that category. However, for the readers looking for the other two elements, looking at the new stories list for their category does not present that story. Allowing multiple category selections provides those other two groups of readers the same convenience.