I’ve already touched on this before. My opinion hasn’t changed.
– Feedback
shouldn’t inherently be expected. You’re not entitled to someone’s thoughts
just because they read your work. However, if you like a creator’s work,
feedback is the best way to keep them going.
– I think
engagement is more important. This includes likes, follows, reviews,
favourites, reblogs etc., Yes, there is a hierarchy in how some are more
valuable than others, but I’m not favourable of the “likes do nothing”
argument. They’re still a show of support and they do do something. Be grateful
for any level of interaction you receive.
– I saw @feyna-v
bring up an interesting point in reference to how the fandom is fragmented into
“niches.” That is, people will gravitate towards specific content. Since
popularity levels have dropped, these niches have become smaller. You can find
their post here [x].
While this is true, my only
qualm is to look at follower counts for specific blogs and to analyze the
engagement levels at a localized level = meaning, look at the engagement levels
of your followers. Then take the engagement levels of one niche and compare
them to others to verify if this is a fandom-wide issue. From my experience,
Hetalia does have an issue of low engagement. It’s not about how many people
are here. It’s about the ratio of engagement of the people in the fandom, compartmentalized as it may be, that
matters.
– Personally, I think a
1:10 ratio is healthy, and it’s what I believe this fandom should aspire for in
supporting our creators. This would entail 1 follow/ like/ reblog/ favourite
per ten people.
– If you write solely
for feedback, Hetalia isn’t the place for you. I learned that the hard way when
I wrote for nearly two years on ff.net, garnering 100s of readers and yet I was
lucky to get between 2-5 follows, favourites, and reviews. I’m not going to lie
and say that it wasn’t discouraging.
It’s a horribly shitty
feeling to write a 10k chapter (a minimum of 40 hours of work) and get excited
about potential responses, only to feel like you’re sending your heart and soul
into an unappreciated and empty void. What I had to learn before I came here is
that people read your work for a reason, and while they may not overtly show
it, they still appreciate it.
However, I would be lying if I said that the low levels of
engagement didn’t affect my confidence as a writer. Perhaps it was because I
began writing during such a vulnerable and lonely time in my life, but I now
have a colossal aversion to uploading fics. I’ve since moved towards private
writing but would like to begin updating again when I get my life back in
order.
– Last
point: If you complain to your
favourite author about not updating and don’t support them at all (i.e., no
follows, no likes, no reviews etc.) you have a lot of nerve. We’re not obligated
to create anything for you, just the same as you’re not obligated to support us.
It’s the same thing as the
working in a service sector argument.
To avoid the chronicity of rude, entitled customers, there’s the
belief that every person should work in the service/ food industry at least
once in their life. That way, they don’t treat the workers like shit because they know what
it was like to be one.
It’s the same thing for fanfiction. Become a creator and you’ll
see for yourself how much time and effort is put into it. It’s why I’ve noticed
that other creators are the best at giving feedback/support if they like something because they know the process
and what it’s like to be on the other end of the screen.
Ellawritesficssometimes 