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sailing101 Since: Feb, 2014
2016-12-04 19:57:26

When you make pages for your own works, the temptation is to use TV tropes to advertise your fic. This is NOT the purpose of TV tropes. Tv Tropes is a Wiki, a database of fiction, fandom, and storytelling. Tropers who trope their own works are prone to misusing the wiki, meaning more work is required from other tropers and the mods to clean up their mess.

Ye who would Tope Meaninglessness. Ye who ignore All We Have. I say to you You Shall Not Pass!
TheNerfGuy Since: Mar, 2011
2016-12-04 20:47:36

Tropers who make pages about their own works are as varied as the other works here. I don't think there is really a general opinion on these kinds of tropers.

Candi Since: Aug, 2012
2016-12-04 20:55:18

As long as they follow The Fic May Be Yours But The Trope Page Is Ours, stay away from populating audience reaction and such subjective pages, and don't treat it as a media release to advertise, it's not really a problem.

Coming back to where you started is not the same as never leaving. -Terry Pratchett
InsanityPrelude Since: Aug, 2009
2016-12-04 21:48:04

edit: double post, whoops

edit 2: or some kind of weird display error on my end??? What the original post said was that it's not always necessarily self-pimping- some people just get a kick out of assigning tropes to things.

Edited by InsanityPrelude
tsstevens Since: Oct, 2010
2016-12-05 00:54:44

When I was doing a course in game design I made a detailed tropes page for it as it was part of the criteria, and it was based on the novel I'm writing. Would I put up these trope pages or one for the Dragon Age: Inquisition fic I'm writing? Sure I would if someone were interested, but I'd much rather someone come across the game I wanted to make or the story I want to write and make the page themselves because as the creator I don't want to come across as promoting my work by creating the page or dictate what does and does not belong.

Certainly if a page existed for one of my works then absolutely I would add to it to the best of my ability but I want others to jump in first and launch said trope or work first. Just me.

Currently reading up My Rule Fu Is Stronger Than Yours
Larkmarn Since: Nov, 2010
2016-12-05 05:54:37

Do it right and it's fine. And by right I mean "trope accurately, don't look like you're gushing about your own works."

Do it wrong and you're masturbating using this site. And no one likes that.

Found a Youtube Channel with political stances you want to share? Hop on over to this page and add them.
Kuruni (Long Runner)
2016-12-05 07:30:10

Promoting or not, if they do it right by our standard and policy then it's as good as any trope page for indie works.

Edited by Kuruni
SeptimusHeap MOD (Edited uphill both ways)
2016-12-05 07:45:14

Creating pages for one's own work is absolutely fine. No Audience Reactions, though, these are for audiences to add.

"For a successful technology, reality must take precedence over public relations, for Nature cannot be fooled." - Richard Feynman
TheOldman Since: Dec, 2016
2016-12-05 20:55:03

So it's possible but:

1. The Troper's intention must not be to advertise his work. 2. The Troper must not point out the reactions of the audience. 3. The Troper must not act like a self-aggrandizing twat that praises his work's quality. 4. If there is criticism to be had, the Troper has no right to censor it. And if he ends up hating his work and wants the page gone, then too bad. It's here forever.

Opinions however, are either along the lines of: "You can do that, but it's best if the work gets a page on TV Tropes on it's own merits by being noticed and enjoyed by other Tropers instead of being shoved in." Or: "Eh, sure. Knock yourself out, just follow the rules"

I myself lean towards the former, but wanted to hear someone else's opinion.

Edited by TheOldman Banana Sword op plz nerf
Kuruni (Long Runner)
2016-12-05 23:14:37

1. Well, we can't detect intention online, do we? But blatant advertising usually get trimmed if it isn't beyond salvagatable. 2, 3, & 4. right

Well, we have Troper Works index, so we aren't against it at all. There's also DarthWiki.Unpublished Works.

crazysamaritan MOD Since: Apr, 2010
2016-12-06 05:34:48

Those four rules sound solid, and I'm in the "Eh, sure. Knock yourself out, just follow the rules" camp. A rabid fan isn't much different from a rabid creator, both just need a muzzle sometimes.

Link to TRS threads in project mode here.
Candi Since: Aug, 2012
2016-12-06 06:08:25

The muzzle comment is hilarious. :p And I agree. (I know I've had my sit-on-my-hands moments.)

Those points, plus Rule of Cautious Editing Judgement and don't harm the wiki, make a very nice synopsis of the issue.

Coming back to where you started is not the same as never leaving. -Terry Pratchett
SeptimusHeap MOD (Edited uphill both ways)
2016-12-06 07:43:10

"You can do that, but it's best if the work gets a page on TV Tropes on it's own merits by being noticed and enjoyed by other Tropers instead of being shoved in." is not the policy. Pointing this out so that people don't start making up nonexistent best practices.

"For a successful technology, reality must take precedence over public relations, for Nature cannot be fooled." - Richard Feynman
InsanityPrelude Since: Aug, 2009
2016-12-06 08:33:31

Auto-Erotic Troping does make me wonder: It says there that roleplays aren't tropable unless they're intended for publication. However, we have an entire category for roleplays. What does that mean for those pages? The games covered there are (mostly, except Amatomnes) viewable to the public.

I posted a separate question on this but it disappeared (I assume related to the bug that was turning everything I posted here from my laptop to double posts) So I may as well post it where the mention that got me wondering was.

Fighteer MOD (Time Abyss)
2016-12-06 13:55:10

"Viewable to the public" is the key requirement for any work, roleplays included. The point of that clause is to exclude chronicles of groups that happen to RP without any intent to publish, as they are almost always about the players instead of the game, and cannot be verified regardless.

"It's Occam's Shuriken! If the answer is elusive, never rule out ninjas!"
Kuruni (Long Runner)
2016-12-06 20:31:40

Basically if the RP group keep their play logs public, be it in text form or video, then they're tropable. Just make sure to trope Bob the Fighter instead of Bob's player.

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