Whose Fault Is It: The Authors or the Site?

[MillieDynamite]

Since the site is for sex stories, if the story isn't about sex, the only tags you have are mainly about sex. Mystery isn't a tag, and murder isn't allowed as a tag (it seems to be the only one that gets a no-no when you try to use it). So if you write a murder mystery your SOL on any tag for that. I mean no on searches for a murder mystery, noir, dark realistic, or such.

 

[Bramblethorn]

The tag system was added some time after the site was established, so many older stories didn't have the option when they were submitted.

From what I can tell, when tags were introduced those older stories got auto-generated tags. The method for that tagging seems to be based on recurring word combinations in the story; if a story had "John brushed dust off his coat", "John brushed past a line of people" and "John brushed his teeth", it'd probably end up with a "John brushed" tag.

Needless to say, this has resulted in a lot of less-than-useful tags for those legacy stories.

 

[Bamagan]

From what I can tell, when tags were introduced those older stories got auto-generated tags. The method for that tagging seems to be based on recurring word combinations in the story; if a story had "John brushed dust off his coat", "John brushed past a line of people" and "John brushed his teeth", it'd probably end up with a "John brushed" tag.

Needless to say, this has resulted in a lot of less-than-useful tags for those legacy stories.

Yes, I believe that's what happened, although I don't know if the old stories that still lack tags are a result of failing to opt in or choosing to opt out, or if they just got missed somehow. I think my favorite inexplicable tag is the alien11111 one.

 

[Bramblethorn]

A poor choice off the top of my head, but I still think some authors do it to attract attention any way they can. Look at sites that allow an unlimited number of tags and see how off-the-wall they can get.

I'm active on one of those sites, and IME off-the-wall tags are not usually about attracting attention. Typically they're used as a form of tongue-in-cheek humour ("no beta [reader] we die like men"), and sometimes as a way to provide further information to readers who've already found the story. Both those uses depend on tags being more visible to readers on those sites than they are here.

You’re right about the views; I should have said votes: a viewer might read a story, and eventually vote on it, just to check out what that weird tag was all about.

But on Literotica they're very unlikely ever to see that tag unless they've already opened the story. Often not even then.

 

[Bramblethorn]

Yes, I believe that's what happened, although I don't know if the old stories that still lack tags are a result of failing to opt in or choosing to opt out, or if they just got missed somehow. I think my favorite inexplicable tag is the alien11111 one.

I did like the theory that the five 1s are an Area 51 reference. Dunno whether it's true, but it's creative at least.

 

[MyBareTorso]

Good point. I'll start using the tag "great story" from now on.

I've been using the tag "Read this story or your balls will fall off"for a while now... it's been very effective...

 

[pink_silk_glove]

I've been using the tag "Read this story or your balls will fall off"for a while now... it's been very effective...

What about those of us who don't have balls?

 

[MyBareTorso]

What about those of us who don't have balls?

I also use the tag "Read this story or your nethers will dry up."

 

[OffNSFW]

I cannot promise that this is good advice. This may be useless or even a dumb way to do it. But here's how I use tags.

I go to the story tags page, go through the most-used tags of each category my story might fit into (there are always several), and I make a big long list of them. Then I sort through them to find the 10 tags that I feel represent the story and would do the best job of helping people find it.

Again, this may be unhelpful or even bad advice. As the OP points out, there isn't really any guidance on this subject. We are but dumb apes, thrashing about with our heads barely above the waterline of the primordial soup from whence we emerged.

 

[ElectricBlue]

I go to the story tags page, go through the most-used tags of each category my story might fit into (there are always several), and I make a big long list of them. Then I sort through them to find the 10 tags that I feel represent the story and would do the best job of helping people find it.

Yep, that's what I do, find the most used tags in the category of choice that apply to my story. The font sizing on the tags pages makes that very easy. Go where most writers go - although it's just about the only time I'd do what everyone else does!

 

[Kelliezgirl]

It would be nice if the tags were cleaned up a bit. When 18 years old and 18-years-old are both options it probably causes some confusion.

 

[TarnishedPenny]

Like aloha, my only experience with tags being changed is having an arguably redundant category tag removed from the list before publication. And, I'm told, there are a handful of tags related to banned topics, like snuff, that will not display if included, although I've never tested the claim.

I had ‘sugar-baby’ refused. On the other hand, ‘sugar-daddy’ went through without a quibble.

 

[Bamagan]

I had ‘sugar-baby’ refused. On the other hand, ‘sugar-daddy’ went through without a quibble.

Yes, I believe there are several variations on 'baby' that were said to get kicked, and things like 'underage' and synonyms. I can understand why some of them get blocked, but I'm kind of dubious that things like 'sugar baby' or 'baby girl' and whatnot are truly problematic.

 

[Bramblethorn]

Yes, I believe there are several variations on 'baby' that were said to get kicked, and things like 'underage' and synonyms. I can understand why some of them get blocked, but I'm kind of dubious that things like 'sugar baby' or 'baby girl' and whatnot are truly problematic.

IIRC any tag containing "baby", even something like "babylon", gets blocked. There are a bunch of stories tagged "sitter" rather than "babysitter".

Since some folk have been confused about this in the past, let me underline: this is only as a tag, there are plenty of stories with things like "babysitter" in the text and even the title.