This week: On Content Ratings Edited by: Kit of House Lannister  
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What helps you choose which items to read? Is it the genre, the title, the introduction? Do you look at the content rating?
Content ratings matter. This week's Action/Adventure Newsletter explains why.
Kit of House Lannister
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Is anyone else here looking forward to Jurassic World Dominion? I am… and I am not. I love dinosaur movies, and although I still firmly believe that the original Jurassic Park was the best in the movie series, I’ve been there for the Jurassic Worlds, and I will be there for the final one. Unless I find out in advance that Blue dies. If that happens, I’m out.
They do that, you know, those movie makers. They make you form an attachment to an animal character and then they cruelly use it to create shock and/or trigger tears. These days, I tend to avoid series or movies with animal characters, because my trust in them being treated well throughout is ruined. Though I’ve recently discovered a cool website with a fitting name: Does the Dog Die? I think that I will be using it quite a bit in the future, as it doesn’t just tell you about animal deaths, but also about other things that people might want to avoid, such as jumpscares, gore or even clowns. We all have things that we’d rather not watch, so it’s good to be able to make an informed decision about the content we wish to expose ourselves to.
It’s like on Writing.Com, I guess – we have content ratings for a reason. They’re not censorship. Members are not restricted in what they can post. They’re simply there to help people make an informed choice about which items to click on, and which to avoid. When opening an item with an E rating, people know that it will be free from, for example, violence. When opening an item with an XGC rating, they know to be prepared for pretty much anything and everything. In a community it’s important to look out for one another, and by choosing the correct ratings for our items we help make this a safe place for readers and writers of all ages and sensitivities.
Some online authors opt to place specific content warnings at the top of their items. That extra information can be very helpful – I find that I have used them from time to time to help me decide whether or not I would be likely to enjoy a story. I know that not everyone agrees with them, but in a world where we’re surrounded by a constant stream of content, anything that helps us to decide what best to spend our time on is surely a welcome addition to how things are done.
It’s a fact of life that we have different likes and dislikes, joys and subjects we’d rather avoid. I don’t enjoy sad animal stories, as said. I do my best to avoid gore. I really don’t like that creepy toy monkey from… I think it was a Stephen King story, where they keep on trying to get rid of it but no matter what they do it always finds its way back. I love action, though, and adventure (which is just as well, as I am an editor for this Newsletter), be it set in our world or other worlds, and have car chases or dragons. It is wonderful when I find a story that I connect with. That speaks to me. That makes me think and offers me memorable characters. And as an author, it is amazing when my work is discovered by someone who it connects with. When I make someone smile, brighten their day a little. Those signposts, then, that help someone decide whether my work is suited to them help me find my audience, too.
I personally work on the principle of ‘better safe than sorry’ and set my content ratings a little higher than I probably need to. I know that there are those who worry that the higher they set their content rating, the fewer people will look at their items, and it is true that some will opt to skip your work if it's non-E. However, as someone whose items are mostly non-E, it hasn’t stopped me from attracting an audience. And it’s important to keep in mind that there are many reasons why someone might either click on or skip an item. Genre, for example, is a big factor in whether readers may or may not be interested in a piece (so, remember to always set your item genres). Other factors include the title and introduction, what people are in your portfolio for, what they’re in the mood for, and so on. In short, there is no point in worrying about your content rating, other than taking a moment to make sure that it’s correct. By doing this, you will be doing everyone a favour.
Wishing you a week filled with inspiration,
Kit of House Lannister
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Action/Adventure: April 27, 2022 Issue [#11333]
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