Feedback

Feedback is a general term used to describe messages sent to the creators of fanworks in response to their works. 
The terms that fans use to refer to feedback can vary, depending on the platforms on which they spend time socialising and publishing fanworks.
The tradition of feedback in fandom began with Letters of Comment (LoCs) in zines, a term that carried through to Usenet and mailing lists, although the more general term "feedback" was also used fairly regularly. In fandoms which originated on LiveJournal and other journaling/blogging platforms, feedback is often referred to simply as "comments." On FanFiction.net and other archives, feedback may be known as "reviews." On AO3, fans have the option of leaving a comment and/or Kudos.
==Who is Feedback For?==
Many fans draw distinctions among feedback, which is directed to a creator, reviews, which are directed to potential readers/viewers/listeners, and concrit which has elements of both.
These different audiences can be challenging to navigate!
==Complaints About the Lack of Feedback==
Since the beginning of fannish time, fans have complained about the lack of feedback for their fiction and art. Letters of Comment in print zines in the 1970s and 80s, posts on USENET in the 1990s and early 2000s, online journal comments later -- all are filled with complaints about a universal lack of feedback. One common refrain: "People used to be better about leaving feedback than they are now." 
Not all fans feel unappreciated, though. A fan in 2001 wrote: "I've gotten over 25,000 feedback emails. I've kept every single one, and I've tried to answer every single one. I've got a backlog of about 200 now that I've been meaning to answer for months." from Working Stiffs Interview with Dawson Rambo 
For more about this as it relates to print zines, see Letter of Comment.
==Lack of Feedback: Why?==
While perceived lack of feedback could be expounded upon at great length, and in regards to a great many time periods and platforms, a fan in 2000 gave some common reasons that perhaps apply to many fans' reasons for not sending feedback in regards to fanworks:
==Controversies and Issues==
Feedback is a controversial issue in many fandoms. Debates over feedback have included:
* a fan's 2000 request for no feedback at all, see Couple of Sheepskins
* a fan's 2015 "list of rules" for feedback, see An Open Letter to Fanfic Readers.
*Obligatory feedback. Some fans feel strongly that readers and viewers of fanworks owe a debt to the creators. They believe that comments are an obligation that pays the creator, and they try to comment on every story they read. Other fans might hesitate to tell a writer how much they liked their dark satire, for example, for fear the writer thought they were writing a romance.
*What types of feedback are acceptable and the difference between concrit, comments, reviews and flames.
*Whether feedback should be intended to be helpful to creators or is simply an expression the impact the piece had on the reader.Cereta. How does that help me? Published 13 May 2004 on LiveJournal (accessed 7 October 2008). "I mean, I can at least understand the people who say "Don't just say you loved it, say something about what you liked," even if I think the attitude is ungracious. [snipped] I have a strong suspicion that it's tied into the Romantic notion of "I don't write for anyone but me/the response means nothing" that's been internalized by the culture at large but in particular on that community. If it's all about self-fulfillment or improvement, then the response of the unwashed masses is meaningless." -- See Icon. by cereta (August 25, 2005) 
* Style and content of feedback for explicit fanworks. "I don't remember any feedback or letters of comment that amounted to only "ohmygod that was hot I'll be in my bunk." That particular kind of public response to stories is, I think, relatively new; and it signals a general belief that authors will be pleased to hear it, that authors are working to create that reaction in their readership and will be satisfied with it. (I did once have someone tell me, in a con dealer's room, that they had read a story of mine and -- sly look -- "I was sorry I was reading it in public." I wish I could remember what con and what story this was, so I could date the anecdote, but it was probably in the late 1980s. I was a bit taken aback; I knew it was a compliment, so I was pleased, but I wasn't sure how I was supposed to react to being told this. Today I wouldn't be thrown by it at all.)" -- Sexuality and slash fandom (2007 post), shoshanna (2007) 
*Whether it is appropriate for creators to request feedback, complain about a lack of feedback, or discuss their feelings about feedback in public. Whether it is appropriate for creators to request only certain kinds of feedback (for instance, only concrit or only positive feedback). 
*Whether and how authors should respond to feedback. This question often turns on whether feedback is seen as a way of thanking creators for fanworks offered as gifts to the community, Te. Last thoughts (for now) re: feedback responses Published 8 January 2003 on LiveJournal (accessed 7 October 2008). or as a gift itself, Semantic noodling...the word "gift" makes people -- or rather specifically me -- uncomfortable by Seema (January 2003) Published 13 January 2003 on LiveJournal (accessed 7 October 2008)., making it polite for creators to offer thanks by replying. "I've heard a lot of authors complain that they don't get much response when they post fiction online, but ... if the authors don't respond to the actual feedback they do get, I'm not really surprised. I'm not inclined to send more feedback to some of the more 'prominent' authors in certain fandoms, because of the lack of response to my comments." - ACS, 2002 "Seeing a story with unanswered comments is really pushing some buttons. It just seems so... callous? Unappreciative? I know there are extenuating circumstances, like if there are six pages of comments, perhaps the writer simply doesn't have the time (but, dude, if I ever got six pages of comments on something, I would make the time) or if the story is on a comm or on a journal that is on hiatus the writer may not have even noticed.... Sometimes I read a "big" story by a BNF. A fic that has been recced everywhere, been read by most and pretty much uniformally adored. And sometimes those stories are really good and deserve the fame and glory heaped on them. And then I click on the comments page, only to see page after page of positive feedback and none of it answered. Or worst, only the select few, by the writer's bestest friends, answered. Suddenly, my willingness to leave a comment drops significantly. Does the writer even read them? Well, yes, the probably do, BUT HOW CAN I KNOW? Perhaps they don't care. Perhaps they feel they are such a big star in fandom already that they don't need to bother answering "fan mail". Perhaps they secretly laugh at me for fan-girling on their story. Why would they want to know about me or what I thought or... And that is the point I usually slink away silently, desperately clutching my own modest Flist and my little comms to my bosom like a security blanket. If I send fan mail to a big published author/actor/celebrity, I wouldn't really even expect a reply. But if I give feedback on an on-line community to someone who, just like me, writes this stuff for fun and self-development? I'm sorry, but I do at least expect a polite "thank you". Maybe that's petty and unreasonable of me but that's how I feel." -- by kat_lair, at Fandom Wank Uncut, August 17, 2006
* How platform and venue affect the amount and quality of feedback. A fan in 2015 posts: "I know I myself am guilty of often not giving feedback even when I love a story. I'll tell you why, though. Because I read it on my kindle but cannot give feedback easily from it. So I have to go back to computer and look up story and sometimes it just doesn't get done, or I forget." Also see Kudos for another example. from taass64, January 22, 2015 
==The Challenges and Issues Regarding Feedback for Different Kinds of Fanworks== 
From the beginning, fans have expressed the opinions that feedback for anything other than fic is difficult to do, and rare to see. Reviews of print zines and of online fic that include illos notoriously are bereft of comments about the art. Many fans explain that they do not have a background in art, or a vocabulary to discuss art, and therefore decline to say anything. Other fans feel this lack of comments about fanart accompanying fic is because fans are too text-focused, that this dearth is a reflection of certain segments of fandom being too focused on the written word. 
These same arguments are also found in other mediums such as vidding and podfic, which has led podficcers and vidders to create resources to help commenters feel more comfortable leaving feedback: 
* See Podfic Feedback for more details about the particulars of feedback in the podficcing community.
==Public Feedback or Private Feedback?==
===2001===
==Some Anecdotal Discussions==
===1975: Regarding "Literary Criticism"===
Boldly Writing tells of an early bit of controversy in 1975 regarding the place and form of criticism. A LoC by Paula Smith
===1985, 1991: Are Fans Too Critical of Treklit?:===
From the newsletter, The Propagator in 1985:
Joan Verba writes a LoC: 
Also in 1985, Shirley Maiewski also wrote an LoC addressing critique and why she didn't write fiction any more: 
In 1991, a fan wrote: 
===2001: Lack of Arenas, Lack of Vocal Participants === 
From a 2001 discussion:
* reviews are one-sided
* the vast majority of fandom energy and discussion happens privately
* most fans will not be honest in public
* most discussion venues dry up due to the passionate, but small number of, fans who get tired of doing all the heavy lifting
 
From Venice Place Mailing List:
===2009: Worthless, Squeeing Online Feedback===
===2013: Two Views===
Constructive criticism: 
Ease of accessing technology makes it harder to reply: 
===2015: Well, It's a Minefield Out There===
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
==Events Aimed At Encouraging Feedback==
* In 2010, a short-lived Podfic Critical Feedback Exchange was organised by paraka to provide concrit for volunteer podficcers.Podfic Critical Feedback Exchange by paraka, posted to LJ January 2010
* Podfic reccing community Podfic Love ran a "Podfic Feedback Day" on the 15th of every month, between 2014 and 2018, aimed at encouraging listeners to leave feedback on "(at least) one podfic".Podfic Feedback Challenge tag at podfic love
* The Long Live Feedback Comment Project, created in 2017, is an initiative to get authors who want more feedback to mark their works as part of the project and specify what kind of feedback they'd like (whether they take concrit or only want positive feedback, whether they're OK with being asked questions, and similar) and whether or not they respond to comments. It also allows authors to state that they do not want feedback. The project also provides a comment builder to help readers come up with comments, for people who want to leave a comment but are unsure what to say.
* Fanfic Comment Writing Month was started in January 2019. This is a challenge to comment on every fic you read and enjoy in January.
* Fic Appreciation Bingo was created in 2020 by nospheratt: "The objective of this bingo is to encourage appreciation & support of fanfic writers, artists and podficcers. We’ll also have a lot of fun playing, reading fics, sharing recs and giving our Bookmarks & Read Later lists a good workout."Fic Appreciation Bingo by nospheratt, posted on Tumblr April 2020
* Podfic Appreciation Fest was created in 2021 "to encourage you to leave feedback on amazing podfics. Encourage you...with points!" Participating and non-participating podficcers could submit up to 5 podfics they would like to receive feedback on, which earned particiants bonus points. Podficcers were also able to opt out of receiving feedback as part of the fest.Podfic Appreciation Fest 2021 by kitsuneheart, posted to amplificathon in March 2021
* Various fandom-specific events also exist, such as the Comment Bingo at hd_writers (Harry/Draco, 2014) or the Feedback Challenge & Gadge Bingo (The Hunger Games Gale/Madge, 2017). 
* Comment Day - Pan-fandom feedback event organised in September 2024 for AO3 comments. 
==Further Reading/Meta==
See Timeline of Feedback Meta.
==References==
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