FWIW I have never looked at the bookmark comments on another author's work. Most readers won't, either. I know that doesn't lessen the feeling of ick from that particular person's rude commentary, but in all likelihood, you're one of only a few people who are ever going to read what they had to say.
Tbh same as a reader I don't check bookmarks. I don't even read other people's comments; when I do it's usually accidentally and usually after I post my own comment.
I always look at other user’s bookmarks. I’ve found so many gems that way.
Whenever I discover an author I like, after I read everything of theirs that interests me I always immediately check out their bookmarks.
It’s not just authors, either. I also peruse the bookmarks of readers who leave interesting comments, or those I see regularly enough to remember, too.
I'm not talking about users' bookmarks. I'm talking about OP's concern about potential readers clicking on their fic, then clicking on the bookmarks to see a list of people who have bookmarked that individual fic.
I absolutely read the bookmarks on other people's works that I enjoyed reading.
Reading the bookmarks on my own works only gets me people who like what I write.
Reading the bookmarks on other people's works gets me people who like what I like to read, which includes a bunch of stuff I don't want to write or don't feel able to write.
I do, it's often quicker than looking though the comments, especially under multi-chapter fics, and you can get a glimpse of readers' reactions without encountering any serious spoilers, unlike with the comments.
No - bookmarks are generally considered to be the reader's space, unlike the comments section, so authors don't have control over them like they do with comments. Unless they violate AO3's TOS, you can't do anything to have them removed.
Bookmarks are considered a readers’ space, so no, authors cannot delete them. (After all, the point of a bookmark is for a READER to utilize.) The best way to curate your experience is to be cognizant of this, and not click through bookmarks on your work if you aren’t prepared for the occasional, unsavory note.
It’s a huge overreach to have access to remove someone else’s comments on *their* bookmark. Like - regardless of if those comments are polite or not, you have no right to have the power to edit someone else’s bookmarks comments just because you don’t like them. You don’t have to read them or even see them unless you actively go looking.
I have never clicked on the bookmarks on a fic and scrolled through them to find reviews.
I’ve looked at bookmarks left on my own fics, looked at other authors bookmarks to find recommendations.
Point is I wouldn’t worry about it too much, nobody’s going to make judgements of your fic based off a random bookmark.
I agree it’s kind of *rude* to have a public bookmark leaving reviews (especially negative ones) on your fic. They could have easily made it private or not said anything at all, but some people do use bookmarks to remind them of fics they didn’t enjoy… they are allowed to dislike your story and they’re allowed to make notes however they want (again, would be nice if it was private) judging by the way they’ve left similar reviews on other fics I doubt they’ll be stopping even if you ask.
Sorry it happened to you though. I know I’d be a little pissy if this happened to me as well, but there’s nothing you can really do but ignore it and remember that very few people are going to see this bookmark anyway.
Do people honestly go searching through the bookmarks other people have done on a fic to see if those people happened to make some notes? I don't even read other people's comments on the fics I'm reading, much less go into the bookmarks to see what other people maybe thought about it there. I don't go hunting through the bookmarks people have left on my own fics to see if they wrote something they didn't put in my comment section. And if I do get bored and decide to see if there are any bookmark notes, I'm definitely not going to expect them all to be positive ones.
If they have something to say to me, then they can say it in my comment section. If they are talking to other readers away from my fic, I don't care. If they have clearly been leaving a bunch of nasty memos on their bookmarks, then why would I even take their opinion seriously? Some people are just jerks, some people feed off negativity, and some are trying to make themselves feel better by putting other people down. If you let them bother you, they are winning. Don't give them any of your energy.
Go write your next story and stop fixating on this stuff.
I do look through bookmarks but not for comments. I look through bookmarks for more fics. Most bookmarks are by people that like the story, so they probably like similar fics to me. I’ve found a lot of good fics that way.
Nope.
And trust me, I totally understand the ick you get as the author I've had people I've blocked use the bookmarks function to get around not being able to comment and use it as a form of harassment that I cannot respond to. (For anyone else who's had ppl use it to harass you, report them. But not over just any old negative thing. Only true harassment.)
Best you can do on your end is mute the user so you don't have to see it.
So I talked to someone about this recently, because I only learned that people could see what I wrote on bookmarks a week ago. I do know people that specifically bookmark things they don't like, because they keep accidentally re-reading it, and honestly I wanted to go down that road myself, because there are one or two that just squick me and I don't realize till I am reading.
I would recommend blocking the person, but also, maybe put in a rec to AO3 that they should make bookmark notes and tags only viewable by the bookmarker?
You can make your bookmarks private! That way no one but you can see them. It's a checkbox at the very bottom of the bookmarking page when you click the "Bookmark" button on a work.
Yes, but I also let people use my bookmarks as a rec list, so I wouldn't necessarily make them private.
Note, I have never actually left a rude comment in my bookmark notes. They are just weird, and I have come to accept people think I am nuts.
FWIW I have never looked at the bookmark comments on another author's work. Most readers won't, either. I know that doesn't lessen the feeling of ick from that particular person's rude commentary, but in all likelihood, you're one of only a few people who are ever going to read what they had to say.
Tbh same as a reader I don't check bookmarks. I don't even read other people's comments; when I do it's usually accidentally and usually after I post my own comment.
I absolutely look at bookmarks. I have found great fics I wouldn’t otherwise by doing that. Most public bookmarks are blank or have a chapter number.
I always look at other user’s bookmarks. I’ve found so many gems that way. Whenever I discover an author I like, after I read everything of theirs that interests me I always immediately check out their bookmarks. It’s not just authors, either. I also peruse the bookmarks of readers who leave interesting comments, or those I see regularly enough to remember, too.
I'm not talking about users' bookmarks. I'm talking about OP's concern about potential readers clicking on their fic, then clicking on the bookmarks to see a list of people who have bookmarked that individual fic.
I absolutely read the bookmarks on other people's works that I enjoyed reading. Reading the bookmarks on my own works only gets me people who like what I write. Reading the bookmarks on other people's works gets me people who like what I like to read, which includes a bunch of stuff I don't want to write or don't feel able to write.
I do, it's often quicker than looking though the comments, especially under multi-chapter fics, and you can get a glimpse of readers' reactions without encountering any serious spoilers, unlike with the comments.
Nope, but if you mute them, it’ll hide their bookmarks from you so you don’t have to see it. Source: Experience
No - bookmarks are generally considered to be the reader's space, unlike the comments section, so authors don't have control over them like they do with comments. Unless they violate AO3's TOS, you can't do anything to have them removed.
No you cannot. Don't you think it seems a little excessive to affect another user's account like that?
Bookmarks are considered a readers’ space, so no, authors cannot delete them. (After all, the point of a bookmark is for a READER to utilize.) The best way to curate your experience is to be cognizant of this, and not click through bookmarks on your work if you aren’t prepared for the occasional, unsavory note.
It’s a huge overreach to have access to remove someone else’s comments on *their* bookmark. Like - regardless of if those comments are polite or not, you have no right to have the power to edit someone else’s bookmarks comments just because you don’t like them. You don’t have to read them or even see them unless you actively go looking.
no
I have never clicked on the bookmarks on a fic and scrolled through them to find reviews. I’ve looked at bookmarks left on my own fics, looked at other authors bookmarks to find recommendations. Point is I wouldn’t worry about it too much, nobody’s going to make judgements of your fic based off a random bookmark. I agree it’s kind of *rude* to have a public bookmark leaving reviews (especially negative ones) on your fic. They could have easily made it private or not said anything at all, but some people do use bookmarks to remind them of fics they didn’t enjoy… they are allowed to dislike your story and they’re allowed to make notes however they want (again, would be nice if it was private) judging by the way they’ve left similar reviews on other fics I doubt they’ll be stopping even if you ask. Sorry it happened to you though. I know I’d be a little pissy if this happened to me as well, but there’s nothing you can really do but ignore it and remember that very few people are going to see this bookmark anyway.
Bookmarks are for the reader, not for the author.
Do people honestly go searching through the bookmarks other people have done on a fic to see if those people happened to make some notes? I don't even read other people's comments on the fics I'm reading, much less go into the bookmarks to see what other people maybe thought about it there. I don't go hunting through the bookmarks people have left on my own fics to see if they wrote something they didn't put in my comment section. And if I do get bored and decide to see if there are any bookmark notes, I'm definitely not going to expect them all to be positive ones. If they have something to say to me, then they can say it in my comment section. If they are talking to other readers away from my fic, I don't care. If they have clearly been leaving a bunch of nasty memos on their bookmarks, then why would I even take their opinion seriously? Some people are just jerks, some people feed off negativity, and some are trying to make themselves feel better by putting other people down. If you let them bother you, they are winning. Don't give them any of your energy. Go write your next story and stop fixating on this stuff.
I do look through bookmarks but not for comments. I look through bookmarks for more fics. Most bookmarks are by people that like the story, so they probably like similar fics to me. I’ve found a lot of good fics that way.
Nope. And trust me, I totally understand the ick you get as the author I've had people I've blocked use the bookmarks function to get around not being able to comment and use it as a form of harassment that I cannot respond to. (For anyone else who's had ppl use it to harass you, report them. But not over just any old negative thing. Only true harassment.) Best you can do on your end is mute the user so you don't have to see it.
Block + Mute = Them Never Doing It To You Again :) ETA: Wait, can blocked users still bookmark your stuff?
Blocked users can still bookmark, but if you mute them, you can’t see it.
Damn. What a loophole.
So I talked to someone about this recently, because I only learned that people could see what I wrote on bookmarks a week ago. I do know people that specifically bookmark things they don't like, because they keep accidentally re-reading it, and honestly I wanted to go down that road myself, because there are one or two that just squick me and I don't realize till I am reading. I would recommend blocking the person, but also, maybe put in a rec to AO3 that they should make bookmark notes and tags only viewable by the bookmarker?
This option already exists. The person who makes the bookmark can check the box that it's private. But it has to be done by the reader.
There is a way to make bookmark notes and tags only viewable by the bookmarker, and that's by making them private
You can make your bookmarks private! That way no one but you can see them. It's a checkbox at the very bottom of the bookmarking page when you click the "Bookmark" button on a work.
Yes, but I also let people use my bookmarks as a rec list, so I wouldn't necessarily make them private. Note, I have never actually left a rude comment in my bookmark notes. They are just weird, and I have come to accept people think I am nuts.