Your Support Helps AO3

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2019-04-06 15:59:47 UTC

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Organization for Transformative Works Membership Drive, April 4-8 2019

The Archive of Our Own, recently announced as a 2019 Hugo Award finalist, is the OTW's largest project. With more than 31,000 fandoms, 4.5 million works, 1.8 million registered users, and countless guests, there's a lot to take care of. With the help of your donations, we work hard to make the Archive the best it can be.

In the past six months alone, AO3 has had several updates to improve both user experience and behind-the-scenes workings.

AO3 now supports the UTF8MB4 character set. This means that several languages now have more characters they can use. It also means that emojis are now supported for all your texting-fic needs!
AO3 also recently overhauled the code for its login system, making it easier to maintain.
Tag wrangling received a major update to how tags are sorted for wranglers to interact with. Because of this, more tags will get to the correct wranglers faster, simplifying the wrangling process and making it more efficient.
Work downloads have also recently been switched over to the Calibre command line interface. Downloaded works will now have better-organized metadata, easier-to-read layouts, and will display images!

All of this is possible because of your donations. Your support allows us to continue to maintain and improve the Archive.

And don't forget, if you'd like to support the OTW on a continuing basis, you can set up a recurring donation. You can choose any donation amount for as often and as long as you want, and save up for one of our thank you gifts!

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Ideasofmarch Sat 06 Apr 2019 04:31PM UTC

👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽💜💜👏🏽

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elfin Sat 06 Apr 2019 10:00PM UTC

Everyone behind A03 are truly amazing, wonderful people. THANK YOU for making this place possible, for keeping it running, for doing all the things in the background that mean the rest of us can just post stuff. You are our heroes.

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that_which (which) Sat 06 Apr 2019 11:56PM UTC

I don't have any skills you can use, but I'm proud to donate.

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xiongzhipeng (Guest) Sun 07 Apr 2019 01:04AM UTC

I LOVE IT

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NicNack4U Sun 07 Apr 2019 05:03AM UTC

🙌👏👏👏👏👏♥♥♥♥

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feyjewels Sun 07 Apr 2019 10:42AM UTC

This website has been a creative outlet for years, as well as a place for communities to relax and share what they love. Congrats to the creators and staff for the award!

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Ya cool but (Guest) Mon 08 Apr 2019 09:34AM UTC

When are you going to add a block button so I can stop having to read comments from the person who keeps commenting on my story telling me to kill myself and how bad my writing is and how I should go to hell and slit my throat and wrists every day or so?
How long has this fucking site been in beta? No one wants to be harrassed! LET US FUCKING BLOCK PEOPLE!!! ASK LITERALLY ANY OTHER SITE EVER HOW TO DO IT IF YOU DON'T KNOW HOW!!!! YOU GET HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS IF NOT A MILLION DOLLARS A YEAR!!!!!!!

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1. WildMushroom Mon 08 Apr 2019 01:10PM UTC
  
  Have you tried this? (from the AO3 FAQs):
  "If you'd prefer not to encounter comments and kudos from certain users or from any anonymous commenter on your works (or anywhere on Archive Of Our Own!), you can use tuff_ghost's Personal Hellban script and enable either guest blocking, or insert a list of usernames. This will not actually prevent people from commenting or leaving kudos, but will hide anything you specify in your own browser.
  Be aware that this is an unofficial tool created by a fan of the Archive, and so the Support team cannot provide assistance or tech support with using the tool. For more fan-created tools to use with AO3, please refer to the Unofficial Browser Tools FAQ."
  It sucks that someone is doing that, but looks like AO3 have already suggested a way of dealing with it.
  
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2. i_dwell_in_darkness Mon 08 Apr 2019 06:19PM UTC
  
  Although you can't officially block someone from commenting, there are several steps you can take to improve your experience.
  First, comments of this nature definitely qualify as harassment under AO3's Terms of Service, so you can and should report anyone leaving those sorts of comments; here's the link to the Report Abuse page for easy access.
  Next, if you're also receiving comments that aren't harassment but you'd still prefer not to see, you can adjust the Priavcy settings on your fics.
  For example, if you're receiving negative anonymous comments, you can disable anonymous commenting. You can also choose to only show your work to registered users. With this option, readers who aren't logged in to an AO3 account won't even see your work listed in searches; even if they have a link directly to the work, they won't be able to view any details unless they log in.
  Additionally, you can enable comment moderation. Although you will still see all comments, you will have an opportunity to approve them before they appear publicly on your work; this could be helpful if one negative comment tends to incite a whole chain of negativity.
  Hopefully that helps. Keep writing and take care of yourself 🙂
  
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3. AO3_Policy_and_Abuse (Official) Tue 09 Apr 2019 09:46PM UTC
  
  Hi,
  Blocking users is a popular request. However, blocking is a complex issue and there is no foolproof solution. The AO3 teams are discussing several sustainable, effective solutions; there is no timetable for when these might be available.
  While there is currently no way to block a specific user, there are a several options you can enable by editing your works that will give you more control over who can visit and comment.
  In the Privacy setting:
  "Only show your work to registered users" will limit access to the work to logged-in users only; users who do not have an account or who are not logged in will be unable to even see that it exists.
  "Disable anonymous commenting" will make it so that only users with an Archive account can comment on your work; if they have an account, the Policy & Abuse team has more options to enforce the Terms of Service.
  "Enable comment moderation" allows you to preview and approve or remove problematic comments before they appear openly on the work.
  If you'd prefer not to see comments and kudos from certain users or from any anonymous commenter on your works (or anywhere on the AO3), you can also use tuff_ghost's Personal Hellban script and enable either guest blocking, or insert a list of usernames. This will not actually prevent people from commenting, bookmarking, or leaving kudos, but will hide anything you specify from your own view: https://greasyfork.org/scripts/3577-ao3-personal-hellban.
  If you need technical assistance with anything else or have a question about how the Archive works, please contact Support: https://archiveofourown.info/support. If you are being harassed, or have concerns about abuse on the Archive, please contact our Policy and Abuse team: https://archiveofourown.info/abuse_reports/new.
  Please be patient if we do not respond immediately. Our Support and Policy & Abuse committees are small teams comprised of volunteers. We do our best to respond as quickly as possible, however we often receive thousands of tickets a month so it might take a bit of time before we can reply.
  Matty
  Policy & Abuse
  
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4. 1. Bolt Vanderhuge (Guest) Thu 11 Apr 2019 04:16PM UTC
    
    Cool. Thanks for the copypasted form response. Now let me explain point by point why it doesn't help.
    Blocking is NOT a complex issue and there IS a foolproof, sustainable, effective solution: add the block option. Those who don't need or want to use it don't have to. Those who need to use it can. It ain't that deep, fam.
    Disabling anon comments only does exactly that. People with accounts can keep on trollin'.
    Enabling moderation only keeps the comments from being shown publicly. WE STILL HAVE TO LOOK AT THEM. We still have to see suicide-baiting, threats, aggressive misgendering, and other such lovely things in our inboxes in order to moderate and report them.
    "But Hellban!" Not an option if you're on a shared computer where you can't install extensions or scripts, or on mobile, or for whatever other reason can't use it. Telling users "just install this third party script to approximate a bit of basic functionality almost every other website has" is not a solution.
    And finally, reporting. Last time the trolls decided to defecate into my mod queue it took two weeks to get a response from P&A, during which time the trolls kept on trollin'. And while you did the right thing with most of them, you determined that some of the people leaving slurs in my inbox wern't REALLY violating TOS. I am aware that your Support and P&A committees are small teams of volunteers and it may take some time for you to get to abuse reports. Which is why I don't understand why you are so reluctant to implement a basic site feature that would give us a little more power to deal with the problem ourselves instead of generating work for you. It would be a win for you, and for the users.
    There is absolutely no reason or excuse for this site to not allow users to block people who are harassing and threatening them. It is basic site functionality. Please take this seriously.
    
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  2. 1. solution (Guest) Thu 11 Apr 2019 09:24PM UTC
      
      Hi there,
      You are aware that there are two solutions to your problem, right?
      1. do not use this site
      - no one is forcing you to be here
      2. volunteer either as a coder or as a P&A staffer
      - since according to you it's such an easy fix to program a new functionality or solve thousands of reports each month
      
      This site is entirely run by *volunteers*. In their spare time. Without getting paid. Who are doing an awesome job (that the rest of us are to lazy to do). So please stop shouting at those volunteers and either get involved or get out.
      
      P.S. The budget is publicly available: https://archiveofourown.info/admin_posts/12422.
      
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    2. 1. solution unsatisfactory (yes, quote intentional) (Guest) Wed 01 May 2019 11:14AM UTC
        
        One of the main reasons I never did and never expect to write for publication is that I know I couldn't endure the assaults of sadistic bullies whose only joy in life is to hurt others. I believe that writers who want the ability to block such types here should have it if at all possible.
        Your first suggestion is not too realistic, in addition to being just plain nasty. There is no other site I know that offers anything like AO3's flexibility to readers, allowing them to seek or avoid content as their tastes dictate. As a devotee of "don't like, don't read," I would assume that writers value this just as highly, even though it's clunky in implementation. If a writer honestly applies all appropriate tags, he shouldn't have to endure flak from those whose tastes don't match.
        The second suggestion isn't too realistic either. I have checked repeatedly (last time today) for volunteering opportunities only to find that "We are not currently recruiting." Bam. Note that that is a flat and all-encompassing statement making no reference to any particular skill that a prospective volunteer may have. It just slams all doors. Further, with respect to coding, the programming field has fragmented into so many subspecialties that even pros can have no idea (absent a call for coders that includes such info) whether their skills are at all relevant to AO3's needs. If the site has a page that tells what tools its coders use, I haven't been able to find it.
        The need for frequent site re-checking gets old very fast, especially since most people don't have lives in which they can readily drop much of whatever they're doing to respond to a, "Well, we need right now. Get over here, learn a whole new buncha stuff real quick, and devote yourself to us." We usually don't have the energy and often not the time.
        I urge AO3 to call for coders to implement a blocking mechanism, preferably one that collects and reports stats re. internet addresses that users repeatedly block. There exist canned algorithms for such purposes in various programming languages. The abuse committee could then investigate and possibly block some addresses' access to the site for an extended period of time if not permanently.
        
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    3. so easy (Guest) Fri 12 Apr 2019 05:15AM UTC
      
      Step 1: Harass someone. Get blocked.
      Step 2: Create new account. Harass someone. Get Blocked.
      Step 3: Repeat Step 2 over and over and over.
      Step 4: Profit?
      
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Darkpetalz Mon 08 Apr 2019 04:28PM UTC

Thank you AO3. For years AO3 has been my safe space. You deserve all the great things coming your way.

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Pfannkuchenpferd Mon 08 Apr 2019 09:57PM UTC

Your passion and drive for AO3 and OTW is amazing, thank you for everthing you guys do!!!!! 🥰🥰 (heh, testing out emoticons for the first time)

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文 (Guest) Sat 14 Sep 2019 03:54PM UTC

1

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AO3 News

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Ideasofmarch Sat 06 Apr 2019 04:31PM UTC

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elfin Sat 06 Apr 2019 10:00PM UTC

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that_which (which) Sat 06 Apr 2019 11:56PM UTC

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xiongzhipeng (Guest) Sun 07 Apr 2019 01:04AM UTC

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NicNack4U Sun 07 Apr 2019 05:03AM UTC

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feyjewels Sun 07 Apr 2019 10:42AM UTC

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Ya cool but (Guest) Mon 08 Apr 2019 09:34AM UTC

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WildMushroom Mon 08 Apr 2019 01:10PM UTC

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i_dwell_in_darkness Mon 08 Apr 2019 06:19PM UTC

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AO3_Policy_and_Abuse (Official) Tue 09 Apr 2019 09:46PM UTC

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Bolt Vanderhuge (Guest) Thu 11 Apr 2019 04:16PM UTC

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solution (Guest) Thu 11 Apr 2019 09:24PM UTC

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solution unsatisfactory (yes, quote intentional) (Guest) Wed 01 May 2019 11:14AM UTC

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so easy (Guest) Fri 12 Apr 2019 05:15AM UTC

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Darkpetalz Mon 08 Apr 2019 04:28PM UTC

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Pfannkuchenpferd Mon 08 Apr 2019 09:57PM UTC

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文 (Guest) Sat 14 Sep 2019 03:54PM UTC

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