New AO3 Tag Wrangling Policy and the Transformers Fandom
(This is a long one, folks, but I think it’s important.)
A new tag-wrangling policy on AO3 has the potential to create some massive confusion and chaos in the Transformers fanfic community, with regards to fandom tags. There is a Reddit post about it here with a focus on anime fandoms, but I want to give some concrete examples for the Transformers fandom on why we DO NOT WANT this, and why I think it’s a horrible idea.
The Problem
Basically, AO3 is looking to get rid of the “All Media Types” fandom tag across the board, either by dismantling them or just not maintaining them. The Transformers - All Media Types tag has been an all-purpose tag that you could select when your story doesn’t fall into any one specific continuity. Additionally, all most (see below) TF continuities on AO3 are considered a subtag of the Transformers - All Media Types tag. For example, if you look at the link above for all works in the All Media Types tag, you will see fics that are also tagged ONLY with Transformers: Animated, because it falls under the All Media Types tag.
One exception: With the upcoming Transformers: One movie coming out imminently, there will likely be a big influx of stories tagged with Transformers: One. In fact, there are several already. However, it hasn’t been linked to the larger Transformers - All Media Types tag yet. I wasn’t worrying about it though, because I know these things can take time.
With information about this new tagging policy, however, I’m now wondering whether it’ll EVER get linked to the All Media Types tag. If that happens, and when more continuities are developed in the coming years (since you know Hasbro loves creating new universes) this has the potential to cause massive confusion when looking for stories to read.
Searching for Stories with the New Tagging System
So let’s say the All Media Types fandom tag isn’t accurate anymore, because it no longer includes ALL of the continuities (such as TF:One). You will need to include ALL the Transformers continuities when browsing for TF fics.
How many tags is that? Well, here are all of the tags currently listed under the Transformers - All Media Types tag:
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Note that this doesn’t include Transformers: One since it hasn’t been categorized yet.
You will potentially have to have 40 or more different fandom tags in your search, just in case the author tagged their story with something you weren’t expecting.
This massively decreases the findability of a story.
Tagging with the New System
The email response from the Tag Wrangling group (see the linked Reddit post above) seems to be a bit flip in the response to the user’s concern. “…encourages creators to tag with the media they intend.”
While I appreciate what they are attempting to do, this policy change feels like a solution in search of a problem, especially in larger fandoms with multiple continuities, versions, and media types that are all cross-pollinated in both canon and fanon. While I’m focusing on Transformers fandom, imagine a creator in the DC comic universe writing a story that incorporates bits and pieces from a dozen different reboots.
For example, let’s say that I am writing a fic about Ratchet. I am using the setting of the original G1 episodes, but I also am using the characterization of him as a bit of an old man grump. That characterization originated in the Animated continuity, but I want to incorporate bits of pieces of his other characterizations as well (old friend of Optimus from TFP, Ratchet ran a faction-free clinic like he did in the War for Cybertron series, he’s got a Decepticon boyfriend like in IDW1 - or maybe even Cyberverse, etc.)
With this new tagging structure, I might potentially have to tag the story with ALL of those continuities. So instead of just slapping down the “All Media Types” tag (and maybe one other fandom tag that matches the characters as best I can), I’ll have to analyze my story and try to figure out how best to tag for the characters I used.
And what if you’re doing a completely AU version of the story? For example, a humanformers story, or merformers? Using the All Media Types tag along with a Alternate Universe - Human or Alternate Universe - Mermaid tag worked perfectly, since you weren’t writing the story to fit into one specific continuity. But now, that might not be an option.
What To Do??
The first thing I would suggest is to contact AO3 (using the Feedback and Support page) and let them know (nicely) that you think this is a horrible idea. Give them some examples on how you use the All Media Types tag to find stories to read, or to help you tag a story. People outside of the Transformers fandom don’t always appreciate how absolutely tangled the continuities can be with each other, and providing examples might help them see why this would be a really messy change.
Readers: Be aware that when you are looking in the All Media Types tag, it will no longer show newer continuities. And if AO3 starts dismantling that tag like they suggested they are doing, be aware that some stories won’t show up in that tag like they used to. You can also create and then bookmark a custom search page that includes all 40+ continuities. REALLY annoying, but it’s a workaround.
Writers: Until they start dismantling the All Media Types tag, ALWAYS ALWAYS tag your stories using Transformers - All Media Types… Especially for newer continuities. This will be especially important if you are writing a Transformers: One story. Right now, anyone who is only browsing the All Media Types tag will not see a story tagged only with Transformers: One. Make sure you’re aware of how tags work and how they can affect the visibility and findability of your story.
Epilogue
Ugh. That’s a lot of words for a long-weekend Saturday. And maybe I’m overreacting a tiny bit. But my work involves information architecture, and this change just absolutely baffles me. It’s almost as though they want to make it harder to find stories. Considering that AO3 won a Hugo partially because of its fantastic tagging system, this change seems like AO3 is doing its best to shoot itself in the foot.
When you have a square hole, a round hole, and a rectangular hole… Yeah, you DO want each peg to go in the “right” hole. But if all of the pegs fit in the square hole, who cares? You got the job done.
I love you @ao3org, but please reconsider this change… Especially for IPs that are as old and are as varied as Transformers.
Oh, this is such a bad idea. Star Wars Fandom will become a mess. Marvel and DC, too.
The All Media Types tags are so useful because you never know what the author used. Were they super specific? Weren’t they? And it’s so much easier to browse the Star Wars - All Media Types tag and exclude what I don’t want to see (Sequel Trilogy, Bad Batch, Rebels, etc.) than to use every possible other tag that could be used. Especially since you have to use the ‘search in results’ box to use several tags with the OR option, since AND is the default in the filters.
And I’ve recently started reading Alex Rider fic on AO3. Alex Rider has the books, the single movie and the new 3 season long show. AO3 doesn’t seem to have an Alex Rider - All Media Types tag, even though that would be a lot more useful than browsing the separate book, movie and show tags or having to set up and bookmark a search to get all the fic.
Isn’t that the logic behind those catch all tags? To catch all the different variations and to be able to separate out what you don’t want?
ETA: Having now read the linked reddit post, apparently this has been policy for a few years at least and likely explains why there’s no All Media Types tag for Alex Rider.
ETA: According to some people, another reason for this is supposedly that the All Media Types tags cause additional server strain? An IT people around who could weigh in? Or look at the source code at github to see if the code explains it?
Yikes. I recommend reading the Reddit post, but this part caught my eye and I wanted to add it to the thread here:
Furthermore, the lack of parent tags makes it near-impossible to filter out crossovers, since using the 'Exclude Crossovers’ option eliminates both the near-identical duplicate tags, and the actual crossovers that the option is meant to exclude. An extreme example of this is the fandom tag 'BanG Dream! (Anime 2017-2020).’ Without any modifications, the tag currently contains 3421 fics, but if the 'Exclude Crossovers’ option is used, the number of fics goes down to 30.
Yeah this sounds like several disasters stacked in a trench coat. Bad plan bad plan bad plan.
Tags are there to help people find stuff, not to make it harder, more tedious, or impossible.
Already sent a whole essay on this to support, including links of people discussing the new policy.
I’ve sent in a note also!
Wow, this does all seem like a mess.
I wonder, in the absence of the “All Media” tag, would a property like Transformers require you to specify a certain movie or show, for example, or just “movies” or “TV”?
I ask because I’ve personally been frustrated by the Tron tag, which allows you to choose “Tron (movies),” “Tron: Uprising,” or any of several specific videogames– and yet does not allow you to specify “Tron: 1982” or “Tron: Legacy,” except as an “additional tag.” If I want to read fanfic about Tron : 1982 specifically, I have to wade through lots of Legacy to find it.
And yet, I get how it may be hard to categorize a fic as one or the other, since the movies (and therefore the characters) exist in the same continuity and could easily both be important to a fic.
Lumping all movies together like that would definitely make tag wrangling easier for a property with a whole lot of movies… but still would not eliminate the problem if the property also has TV shows, comics, games, etc.
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