Thanks for this breakdown! I'v seen bits and pieces about this on tumblr, but it's helpful to have a big picture overview; I had no idea that Sherlock Holmes was the epicenter of it all.
In the past, I have used the "All Media Types" tag for personally sorting my own fics--all of my Star Wars fics have the "Star Wars - All Media Types" tag, along with the specific installment, so I could more easily sort/track them. I'm not actively posting in those fandoms at the moment, and I would probably do it differently now if I was starting from scratch, but I think that's the only thing I've ever used AMT tags for as an author. (Looking at my fics, I also did this for Lord of the Rings; I just don't have as many.)
I have only dipped my toes in the "Video Blogging RPF" tag because it's so massive and it's not really my thing, but I found it was easier to search by character tags than fandom tags there. Unlike the "all media types" tags, which are all at least tangentially related to each other, this one combines different and unrelated series in the same general medium, so it's not as useful to me.
As with many things, you only hear about tag synning when it’s causing people problems to complain about. When it’s working smoothly, you have a good experience and you don’t even notice.
This is so true, and even with all the discourse and drama that pops up, I think AO3's tagging system is the best I've ever encountered on any site, anywhere! Now that other fanfic archives are starting to use AO3 code as a base, each one has their own tagging conventions (often with just one person doing the wrangling) and it brings home just how much work goes on behind the scenes. I support independent archives wholeheartedly, but I notice it's a lot harder for me personally to feel motivated to cross-post given how much I'm used to AO3's version.
All this is to say, you and your fellow wranglers are doing great work, and I appreciate both it and the informational posts!
no subject
Thanks for this breakdown! I'v seen bits and pieces about this on tumblr, but it's helpful to have a big picture overview; I had no idea that Sherlock Holmes was the epicenter of it all.
In the past, I have used the "All Media Types" tag for personally sorting my own fics--all of my Star Wars fics have the "Star Wars - All Media Types" tag, along with the specific installment, so I could more easily sort/track them. I'm not actively posting in those fandoms at the moment, and I would probably do it differently now if I was starting from scratch, but I think that's the only thing I've ever used AMT tags for as an author. (Looking at my fics, I also did this for Lord of the Rings; I just don't have as many.)
I have only dipped my toes in the "Video Blogging RPF" tag because it's so massive and it's not really my thing, but I found it was easier to search by character tags than fandom tags there. Unlike the "all media types" tags, which are all at least tangentially related to each other, this one combines different and unrelated series in the same general medium, so it's not as useful to me.
As with many things, you only hear about tag synning when it’s causing people problems to complain about. When it’s working smoothly, you have a good experience and you don’t even notice.
This is so true, and even with all the discourse and drama that pops up, I think AO3's tagging system is the best I've ever encountered on any site, anywhere! Now that other fanfic archives are starting to use AO3 code as a base, each one has their own tagging conventions (often with just one person doing the wrangling) and it brings home just how much work goes on behind the scenes. I support independent archives wholeheartedly, but I notice it's a lot harder for me personally to feel motivated to cross-post given how much I'm used to AO3's version.
All this is to say, you and your fellow wranglers are doing great work, and I appreciate both it and the informational posts!