That... group thing. Maybe.

Okay, this may seem a very basic - and even silly - line of questions, but I ask your patience.

What, exactly, do “Groups” do? How do they work? Does one join as a member, or does one apply each story to a group individually? What are the upsides and the downsides, in different peoples’ experiences?

Comments

[Super Trampoline]

You have to be part of a group to add stories to a group. That you can do either from the story page or on the group page

[link4]

like minded individuals, or just a place for specific story types to be stockpiled. i'm part of the creators guild. we review stories. only those in the group can submit stories for review.

to review, one must be part of the group, to submit request to be reviewer.

[Sixes_And_Sevens]

From my personal experience, this is what I know about groups.

Benefits of joining a group:

• You can add your stories to that group
• This helps you show your stories to more people
• You'll receive notifications on stories added to that group
• You can join in group discussions with people who write stories on the subject of that group

Downsides of joining a group:

• If you aren't actually all that into the subject of that group, all of the benefits seem pretty lousy and boring.

Solution to the downsides:

• Join the group for like, a minute, add your story, and hit the big red button that says 'leave group'. Your story will stay there, you won't get any notifications, and you never have to think about it again. I know this from experience.

Other notes:

• You can visit groups and look at the stories without being part of that group, but you can't add stories or comment in the threads.
• If you join a group, you don't have to actually add a story to it. You can just search for things that interest you and join those groups to get alerts for stories you might like.
• There is a group for everything. Sometimes more than one. I personally belong to eight groups about Doctor Who, plus one for general crossovers and two for time travel.
• Groups aren't strictly necessary, but they can give you a sense of community, help your stories target a larger number of people in a specific audience, and show you stories that match with your particular interests.

Hope that helps!

[Coyote de La Mancha]

4969775
It does. Thank you.

So, out of curiosity: if one joins just long enough to post a story and then leave, is that generally considered Bringing-Something-They-Might-Like-To-Their-Attention, or more like Abusing-Our-Social-Circle-System?

(Also, brilliant avatar.)

[Sixes_And_Sevens]

4969784
Dunno. I don't do it often, so I guess just don't make a habit of it. I doubt they'd really notice, unless you put in a story that really didn't belong there. Alternately, try and stick it out for a few weeks, and leave once you've had enough. Or just don't leave. There are many options.

(And thank you-- I thought I might change it up for plum pudding season)

[cogwheelbrain]

In short, adding your story to a group is a way to organize it with similar stories (characters, plot, size, etc.) and makes it easier for others to find your story. I have yet to find a group that will remove your story from the group if you just join it long enough to add your story and then leave, as long as your story is appropriate for that group and you follow the group guide lines (if any - always check the main page of the group for any such rules/restrictions and then FOLLOW THEM).

Using groups is the best way (IMHO) for others to find your stories. It's a lot easier for someone who wants to find a "Twilight Sparkle Adventure" story to go find such a group or just a "Twilight Sparkle" group and see what's there versus hopefully them just finding them through a general site search or by the "similar stories you may like" boxes that pop up next to what ever they are currently reading.

From personal experience, the difference between number of readers of any given story (and potential feedback/comments) is astronomical. I've read good stories posted years ago with no groups and saw they had very low reader totals vs really bad stories that were written a week ago posted to lots of groups.

In short, adding to groups is a good thing and helps others find your stories. They are there for a reason; use them.

Oh, and there is nothing that says you can't, or shouldn't, add your story to multiple-similar groups. There's probably about 10 bazillion Twilight Sparkle related groups on the site, if you write a Twilight Sparkle story, and as long as the story meets each group's requirements, add it.