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How do I use tags to best advantage?

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JamesLlewellyn
da Bear
I can cope with all of the other things in submitting a story, but the "Tags" line defeats me, even though I know it's of great importance.

Is there a list of usual tags somewhere that I can access? I usually wind up putting in inane things like "bath salts" and "close cover before striking".

Help, someone?

Thanks,
James

An incredibly talented, but modest Polar Bear, often mischievous, but never malicious!
kistinspencil
Voyeur @ f/64
I have to say, I am in you camp. I find the tags very hard. Some, given my usual topic (lesbian) are easy, but I get sort of squeamish after that. How blatant should I be? To be realistic, the sex is often not the point of my story, but that's what gets the finds, so my tags end up as single finds, me. I do look at what was used on posts that get a slew of reads, but that is no real measure, since friends and followers are the real drivers, I think.

I guess I'm saying I don't know.
WannabeWordsmith
Writius Eroticus
Visit https://tags.lushstories.com/ to get a complete list of ones people have used. Add a tag to the URL or click around to see that tag and how many times it's been used.

The annoying thing about Lush tags is they're mostly unstructured. So for example you can choose from:

https://tags.lushstories.com/blow%20job
https://tags.lushstories.com/blow%20jobs
https://tags.lushstories.com/blowjob
https://tags.lushstories.com/blowjobs
https://tags.lushstories.com/bj
https://tags.lushstories.com/fellatio
https://tags.lushstories.com/sucking%20cock
https://tags.lushstories.com/sucking
https://tags.lushstories.com/suck
...

We do check them for typos (mostly) when verifying which helps. But with so many terms and no synonym feature you take your chances. I tend to pick the most popular term (most stories in it, or most searched - as indicated on the front-page) for each 'thing' my story is about. There's something to be said for going slightly off-piste (within reason) but then few will find it unless people visit your story first.

Over one million views on my stories can't be wrong, so please dive in and browse my 150 stories:


* 33 Editor's Picks, 85 Recommended Reads.
* 17 competition podium places, 12 other times in the top ten.
* 23 collaborations.
* A whole heap of often filthy, tense, hot sex.
GrushaVashnadze
Active Ink Slinger
I find tags - and categories - very difficult, and often a bit pointless. I usually list the anatomical procedures ("blowjob", "anal" etc.), as if I am touting a porn video - but actually none of those things is ever what the story is really about.

My latest story submission has "Song of Solomon" as one of the tags. I doubt that's been done before much...

GrushaVashnadze's best stories:

Alison Goes to London (RR) - "love this... fun, and funny, and sexy" (sprite)

The Cursed Cunt (RR) - "holyyyyy sheeeiiit.... Your writing is fucking fantastic" (CarltonStJames)

A Worthless Filthy Fucking Smoking Trash Cunt Whore (RR) - "Brilliantly done. Of course." (naughtyannie)

Snow White and the Seven Dildos (RR) - "Fuck. It's perfect.... honestly genius and so fucking well executed." (VioletVixen)

Metamorphoses (RR) - "so imaginative and entertaining" (saucymh)

And There Came Two Angels to Sodom - "What a deliciously worded story! So juicy, so raunchy" (el_henke)

Fuck-Talk (with VioletVixen) - "Jeez. I feel rendered wordless by how much clever fucking fun this is" (Jaymal)
WannabeWordsmith
Writius Eroticus
I don't know how many people browse by tag but the front page has a tag cloud thingy, which must be fed stats from somewhere. Whether it's the tags most used or most clicked, or a combination, I'm not sure.

If someone is looking for a story containing a specific tag, clicks on one and gets a list of stories, yours may be among them. Thus it's in your interest to match at least a handful of terms to ones featured in your story. Failure to do so will only frustrate and alienate readers who read stories on the strength of the tag themes they expect to appear.

You don't need to match the overall theme exactly - your title, tag line and opener should be enough of a clue. Tagging stories with 'acts' and 'themes' that appear within, is where tags help to deliver more value, and give potential readers a flavour of whether the story is their kind of thing.

Also, I don't know how the tag algorithm works, but I suspect it won't list very unique entries. So it makes sense to pick ones from those that have been used before rather than invent a sole one. It might be that stories with unique tags just take time to filter to the tag page, but (for example) 'song of solomon' doesn't feature... yet.

Over one million views on my stories can't be wrong, so please dive in and browse my 150 stories:


* 33 Editor's Picks, 85 Recommended Reads.
* 17 competition podium places, 12 other times in the top ten.
* 23 collaborations.
* A whole heap of often filthy, tense, hot sex.
JamesLlewellyn
da Bear
Thank you, all, for the input, especially the point about synonyms. It doesn't make the job any easier, but at least I have a sense of what's what. And WW, thanks for the tip about the word salad on the home page. I'll check it out.

I'm also thinking of compiling my own list of tags. Or perhaps we could get a thread started, then create a sticky?

Just a thought. Thanks, all.

James

An incredibly talented, but modest Polar Bear, often mischievous, but never malicious!
JamesLlewellyn
da Bear
Quote by WannabeWordsmith
Visit https://tags.lushstories.com/ to get a complete list of ones people have used. Add a tag to the URL or click around to see that tag and how many times it's been used.


Missed this the first time. I've checked it out, and see what you mean, WW. Thanks!

An incredibly talented, but modest Polar Bear, often mischievous, but never malicious!
C_R_R_Crawford
Active Ink Slinger
Quote by JamesLlewellyn
I can cope with all of the other things in submitting a story, but the "Tags" line defeats me, even though I know it's of great importance.

Is there a list of usual tags somewhere that I can access? I usually wind up putting in inane things like "bath salts" and "close cover before striking".

Help, someone?

Thanks,
James


You can also get a feel for "best practice" by checking out some of the most read stories on Lush in your relevant category and seeing what tags they've used. Adding "bath salts" can be good to help distinguish your story too (I think).