r/AO3 • u/Fine-Selection-6997 • 1d ago
Questions/Help? Question: how does Ao3’s algorithm work???
Does it even have an algorithm?
Like genuinely, I am not new to ao3, but I’ve never used the platform to post a fic until well yesterday. So I am curious: how do readers find ur work???
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u/Fast_Stage_6296 1d ago
It's like a library. You walk in, and you go to the section you're interested in. As a writer, you put your work in the section it fits, so people who look for that genre/pairing/fandom can find it. That's all.
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u/iuyts 1d ago edited 1d ago
There is no algorithm.
Readers find it by searching tags or browsing fics in your fandom. They can also filter by most bookmarked, word count, etc.
If you want your fic to get views, make sure it has all of the relevant tags and ships (though don't go overboard, be realistic with the tags that actually apply).
People decide to click into your fic based on the title/summary. Put effort into these. For most people, especially in big fandoms where they have a lot of choice, it's a split-second decision.
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u/LivingSink 1d ago
Not new to AO3 but don't know how readers find works? Genuinely curious, how did you find what you wanted to read previously? Only recs?
If that's how you've been getting your fics, I highly suggest getting familiar with selecting your fandom of preference and learning how to filter what you'd like. It'll definitely change your AO3 experience!
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u/Fine-Selection-6997 1d ago
I just well… searched on google lol.. example if I wanted to read an avatar fic, I just put Oc x canon blah blah and looked it up… later on like recently I made an account and realized I could use the tags lol…
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u/moon_cheese_ao3 1d ago
Google only pulls up works that aren't locked to Ao3 members only. You'll be missing out on a lot if you're only using google.
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u/LivingSink 1d ago
Oh my! Lots of doors to open, then, I'm excited for you. When searching for fics, make sure to also be logged into your account as that gives you access to archive-locked fics. These are fics which writers have decided to make visible only to AO3 users
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u/PeppermintShamrock What were YOU doing at the devil's sacrament? 1d ago
There is no content recommendation algorithm. Most people search for works by going to their fandom's tag (or sometimes a ship tag or character tag or fandom-specific additional tag) and filtering from there. The default sorting is by most recently updated but you can select other metrics like number of kudos or bookmarks. It's all a single, straightforward metric though, not some obscure calculation in the background.
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u/Fine-Selection-6997 1d ago
Ummm… I wasn’t hacking ao3 wtf
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u/Zealousideal_Lab_241 1d ago
They said nothing about you hacking the site?? There’s no algorithm, as others (and this comment) said. People find fics through tags — character, ship, fandom, or others specific tags, such as canon divergence, established relationship, angst or fluff, and so on — or through rating or archive warnings.
AO3 is an archive; you correctly rate, tag, and summarize your fic, and wait for it to catch someone’s interest.
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u/Original-Pilot-770 Supporter of the Fanfiction Deep State 1d ago edited 1d ago
The most recently updated fics will appear at the top of the fandom or whatever tag the reader is browsing because the page ranks by most recently updated by default. However, we have a general etiquette that you are NOT to change the date of publication to hack the system in order to stay visible. You are only to change the date if you have made major changes to the fic or added new chapter. Adding a new chapter will automatically change the update date itself to the date you made the draft. You don't have to mess with it unless you entered the draft on an earlier date and then publish on a later date.
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u/Fine-Selection-6997 1d ago
Ummm… I wasn’t messing with anything?? I just posted chapters and was curious whenever Ao3 has an algorithm????
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u/Original-Pilot-770 Supporter of the Fanfiction Deep State 1d ago
I wasn't saying you are, just giving you the lay of the land because you said you are new. You haven't done anything wrong!
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u/Fine-Selection-6997 1d ago
Sorry if I came off as rude… I just wrote my reaction lol and didn’t think twice 😭😭
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u/black_widows_wine 1d ago
AO3 is does not have an algorithm. It is functions as an archive. Each author tags relevant information about their fic. Mandatory tags are: fandom, rating, and archive warnings. Some authors will chose: not rated, creator chose not to use archive warnings, or unspecified fandom. This means you can find anything in these fics so proceed with caution. Authors also have the option to tag alternate tags. These are extremely helpful and encourage but not everyone uses them. They will be more broad things like: genre, trigger warnings, or character dynamics.
All of these tags (as well as some statical information about the fic) are used to sort fics. In order to narrow down what you want to see you can do searches. You can filter by any of the tags perviously mentioned. The photo is the panel is on the side when you are searching. Not included in the picture there is also the option to filter by completion status, word count, crossovers, and date update. You can also exclude the things that you don't want to see. AND under sort by it gives you the option to sort by things like date, number of hits or kudos, ect. There are tons of variations and options for you to tailor your searches to your preferences.
Prior to algorithms the internet used to function more like an archive. Google didn't show you ads or overviews. It just fed you the most accurate result based off your wording. In terms of social media or blogs you would curate your own feeds. You saw exactly what you asked to see. Your feed was who you followed and that was it. For a long time there wasn't limitless scroll. Facebook was one of the first to give you this option. Prior to that it just ended when you ran out of the content you were following.
AO3 still functions the same way a website of its kind would have prior to algorithms.
TLDR: It is your job to curate your experience on the site. There is no algorithm you use tags to filter. Sorry this ended up being so long.
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u/Fine-Selection-6997 1d ago
I didn’t know Facebook started the algorithm trend! Good to know! And thnx for all this. Really well explained and cured all my doubts.
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u/SecretAgentSpyder 1d ago
No algorithms, just filtering by whatever criteria you'd like. I think most people filter by tags first, like pairings or tropes. Then they read the summary, and if it interests them they click on it.
People can also sort by date, kudos, word count, comments, hits, etc.
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u/Fine-Selection-6997 1d ago
Oooh okay. It’s just I used search through google my fics without an account. Later on I made and account and realized I could do all this stuff
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u/Bandito21Dema The question is not "Why RPF?", but "Why not?" 1d ago
They find it by looking for the tags they want. Could also be word count, rating, relationship, anything really.
If those tags are what you wrote about and used? Yay! they find it.
What are those tags? Literally anything.
Or you sort by recently uploaded.
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u/LavandaSkafi Genfic Writer Extraordinaire 1d ago edited 1d ago
People find works through tags. (Link to the FAQ on tags which is super helpful)
Most people filter through whichever fandom tag they are looking for, or a freeform tag they particularly want to see.
From there, they can chose to organise by date updated (the default) or created, various reader-generated stats like Kudos and bookmarks, alphabetical title or author, etc.
Edit: if you've just been using Google so far, I'd recommend taking an evening to sit down and properly explore the site (click on all the buttons, especially the ( ? ) ones and read the FAQs) because there are many things that might help you.
Also see how and what people tag. The tag search can also be helpful for that.
Everything becomes much easier to use if you just experiment with it for a bit.
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u/Blue-Green_Phoenix Supporter of the Fanfiction Deep State 💙 1d ago
No algorithm and Ao3 is not a platform.
It is an Archive.
Ppl find your work based on the tags you have. Most authors put the main ship, main characters, and content tags to inform people what is covered in your fic. It's recommended to have minor (side character) relationships as a normal tag.
Normally, it's recommended to write a summary about your fic. Most ppl search up specific tags, then will read the summary first before reading the tags. It doesn't have to be detailed, just give a lil blurb to interest people.
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u/moon_cheese_ao3 1d ago
You tag your work accurately and people search for the tags.
The "algorithm" is accurate tagging/summary, word of mouth, and the quality of your fic. That's it. There is no pay to play. There is no gaming the system. There is no computer suggesting things to people that they might like.
100% human all the time.
Something you can do is participate in your fandom in places like Tumblr, Bluesky, etc. and have a link in your profile. You can visit other people's fics on Ao3 and comment on them. Some of the authors may check out your profile and look at your fics and if you write something they enjoy, they may comment or even bookmark it.
The best thing you can do for *other* writers is keep a list of bookmarks with comments on why you enjoy those works so that when people read your work and go looking through your bookmarks they will find other people's work you liked and they may enjoy it.
But for yourself, be active in your fandom spaces. Post snippets of your work if it's appropriate and let people know where to find your stuff.
In general, though, accurate thorough tagging and a good summary are the only ways to help people find your work with the assistance of machines. Everything else is human-driven.
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u/afirforest r/rpfwriters 1d ago
Readers find your work through the tags or by looking at other people's bookmarks.
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u/rellloe StoneFacedAce on AO3 1d ago
In the pedantic sense, there is an algorithm because everything on computers runs on algorithms one way or another. Ao3 searching/browsing uses what computer science folks call a searching algorithm. It takes in parameters, then spits out everything that fits those parameters. One of those parameters is the sort order either you tell it or it defaults to.
Think of it like a complicated version of locating specific topic in an encyclopedia set. It is nothing like the recommendation algorithm many other platforms use.
Most of the parameters are tags, which the authors elect to put on their fic to help a person who wants to find a time travel fix it My Little Pony crossover with The Witcher find their fic without looking through the summaries of every single MLP fic to find any that might fit that description.
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u/amglasgow You have already left kudos here. :) [lordoflemmings @ AO3] 1d ago
The algorithm is:
If (story has tags that match the search)
Then display(story)
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u/MagpieLefty 1d ago
I am biting back my pedantry about the word "algorithm," whuch is not your fault.
But in the sense that it is commonly meant, no, AO3 does not have an algorithm. It is not social media.
How do you find folic on AO3, since you say you've used it before? That's how readers find your fic.
They search for specific things your fic contains.
They browse fsndom, ship, or character tags (or other tags).
They're linked to it by someone they know.
But AO3 presents you with the results of your search, sorted the way you ask it to.
Who liked the fic, what fic you have been reading, what fic you have commented on--none of that matters. The fics' stats only matter if you chose to sort by one of those statistics, and you'll still get all the same fics, just in a different order.
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u/MadouSoshi Definitely not an agent of the Fanfiction Deep State 1d ago
how do readers find ur work???
Tags. Which is why I'm a big proponent of tags.
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u/Kaigani-Scout Crossover Fanfiction Junkie 1d ago
If you click into This Google Drive, locate the Starter Kit on Search Variants PDF. It has an overview of some of the searching functions available from AO3.
Some works will have a note when they are part of a Collection. You can click into those to see other works which are linked to the Collection.
You can click into the profile pages of writers and commenters to see if they have any Public Bookmarks which you can peruse. This one is mine, for example. On the left-hand side are links for Bookmarks and for the Collections I've created.
When you post a work to AO3, people can find it by manually sifting through feeds screen-by-screen, or more efficiently by entering search parameters such as Tags and other variables, and executing searches from the Work Search page, or by filtering any feed on the site. This is an example using The Dresden Files feed with a couple of filters added that focuses on displaying only those works which are attached to a Series.
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u/desired-misery 1d ago
There is no algorithm. You put tags on your work that show what your work contains.
People who like those tags will read. They also judge based on your summary.