Hi Joanne, don't you think the forum dynamics could be improved a little? We are all writers competing for readers, and readers have no reason to come to the forum, I think this detail could make a lot of difference.
Nope, sorry, but no one should have to watch how they frame things to avoid hurt feelings when they have a valid complaint they're voicing. Especially when no one is being named and no one is being overly harsh and many others have voiced the same feelings.
Personally, I don't care if people do sub4sub, you do you and I even think it can be good for creators starting out who need a little boost. But it's distasteful when it's done for a contest entry and especially when it's unsolicited. In that case, I think their intentions are clear, especially when they're literally saying "I subbed to yours, now sub to mine" to people who never asked for that. To me it's just a way to guarantee I never look at your work.
But is it honest reciprocity? You can see the time stamps on people's subs/likes/comments--if someone subbed and liked three chapters all in the same minute, what are the chances they actually read anything? It strikes me as dishonest, but perhaps you're right, and I'm reading into it too much. Maybe the person doing it assumes the creator they're DMing to ask for sub4sub knows sincere reading/engagement is not expected in this transaction.
I don't think it's wrong to look for reciprocity at all. I've made a lot of friends on this site from reading and commenting on stories written by people who were reading and commenting on mine. I've certainly commented on stories I admired, hoping that the author would want to read mine, too! But I think there's a difference between putting in that effort to build the basis for a reciprocal relationship and... spoofing engagement, I guess, for lack of a better way to phrase it.
And I get we all have limited time. You can't read every novel and comic on Tapas. You can't honestly engage with everyone who drops you a like. It's worth considering that maybe the people DMing asking for sub4sub aren't expecting you to be fooled by the sub/likes but just to appreciate your numbers going up enough that you'll make their numbers go up, too. But what's really the point of the numbers going up if they don't reflect people actually enjoying the things you've created?
Well, I guess I have my answer to that part, anyway, and it's that there's a tournament going on right now that's encouraging people to get their numbers up by any means necessary. So, that's understandable.
But there isn't really a way to get readers onto this forum.
Tapas has tried to make threads in the past for readers during reading events, but they will just make one response post and don't really stay to check out the rest of the forum and other threads.
I've seen the occasional reader make threads to fan over a series they like, but those threads get 0 traction with no responses.
Something with the contest I think messed up a lot was this in the rules pages
I feel like those words give writers the excuse to slide into the DMs of other writers. I understand what Bree was trying to say, and it's a really valid point, but don’t feel bad for speaking up or voicing your concerns. I was literally blocked from the Discord after I spoke up about how other writers were treating smaller creators trying to make it. It left a bad taste in my mouth about the company, but also it did not make me quit writing my story or the contest since I already have readers looking up for the updates, and if I need to keep doing it, I will. It's just that a lot of things are not helping right now.
Hey I'd love that to be messged privatly for me to subscribe it could be both ways they subbed and haven't gotten a sub back in return. I do that to especially when I'm a fan of a creator's work when they say they sub back if you sub me then they don't. Also when they subscribe to your work and you don't sub back they may message you to sub. As long as they are not spamming or just taking your sub then don't sub back. It works if they will stick around while subscribing to your work.
I was literally blocked from the Discord after I spoke up about how other writers were treating smaller creators trying to make it.
Oh yikes, that sounds awful! It does feel a bit high school popularity contest, doesn't it? I'm sorry that happened to you.
I'm making myself get more comfortable with social media and self-promotion, because that's the world we live in, but it doesn't mean I have to like that that's the world we live in lol.
I hope your novel does well, and I'm glad the experience didn't make you give up, though I totally understand it souring you on the company.
On the Tapas Discord? I don't recall any official action by the mods against an account for an instance like this. If you would like to message me about this, my DMs are open here and on Discord.
I feel the pressure. I'd rather they just said hi and didn't tell me they liked it so that I would subscribe. You don't have to 'like' something to like it. It's just a button if they don't even read it.
I'm sorry, but that is not what happened in the discord. A very civil conversation about sub4sub culture was happening, mostly BY small creators about the people with huge sub4sub numbers, and you came out an accused me, personally, of a lot of untrue things and incredible rude and hurtful words were tossed around to people trying to defend me. But that's not for here.
Normally I would ignore and not speak up, but as I am the person you came after in that conversation, I fear for false information about me to spread, and about others in that conversation who came to my aid. Please keep the drama between the people involved. There is NO need to involve the people from outside the situation.
Thank you
Let's return to OP's topic.
@irr11tauthor if you would like to dm me here or on discord please do!
That's okay. I don't feel the need to keep the drama alive, and would rather it be forgotten as it was a pretty unpleasant situation. I just needed it to be known that the story had two sides.
Thanks. And I agree. Let's get back to the topic 
with the matter of people dming to promote i think it ends up in similar camp as sub for sub. I personally haven't been active enough on Tapas to get these kinds of messages in a long while but as was mentioned its a big reason why vets of the site did their best to explain some of the nuances of self promo and recommend methods that wouldnt risk potentially having them viewed in a negative light in the same way sub4sub practices get a bad rep (even tho reasons are given as to why its not always productive)
i dont think anyone wants another creator to fail but its why we strongly encourage folks to find non intrusive methods to promote their work. i think the few instances i genuinely didnt mind having someone dm their series was because it was similar to other series i was already subbed to and actively interested in or because we had already interacted and built a good rapport
otherwise it was a "sorry thanks but no thanks" and maybe some suggestions of other places that would maybe serve them better for promoting their work or just "swiping left" and moving on with my day, especially if they were coming in high volumes. it's something thats gone on for ages so ive kind of gotten over making a fuss about so if it does cross my path i have my methods for responding but its just something that comes with the territory (especially when there's times you see the same with just general social media) 🤷♂️