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Source: https://writers.stackexchange.com/q/42917
License name: CC BY-SA 3.0
License URL: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/

Source: https://writers.stackexchange.com/q/42917
License name: CC BY-SA 3.0
License URL: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/

 **Related questions:**

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**A possible duplicate of** , even if I'd like the question to be more generic:

- [What should I include (and not include) on a book's website?](https://writing.stackexchange.com/questions/34115/what-should-i-include-and-not-include-on-a-books-website)

Website is a pretty generic term that covers blogs and forums alike.

An author website supposedly has a lot of functions, such as:

- Promoting one's latest book;
- Keeping one's audience engaged with weekly updates;
- Keeping track of events or conventions where the author will be;
- Presenting additional materials, such as cut drafts, character descriptions and whatnot;
- Serving as a contact point for affectionate readers ...

and so goes the list.

A website design usually **highlights** some features and **suppresses** others. For example, a website where the visitors have no way of leaving comments has little to offer in terms of communication, and it's clearly not meant for that purpose.

Surfing the net you can encounter author sites from each side of the spectrum: some are only meant to promote a certain book (mostly cover art, some excerpt, and nothing more), others offer lenghty drafts and whole user-accessible forums, some others are daily-life blogs, and so on.

Roughly speaking, I can split those websites in two groups - promotional and interactive. Interactive websites have sections and built-in mechanisms to allow user interaction (be it through comments, reviews, topics, and so on). Promotional websites expose material and are meant to be read _only_.

Both are, of course, viable options. The question is:

## Should an author include user-interactive sections in his website?

Of course while user interactive sections are potentially more engaging, they don't come without cost (e.g., they usually need moderation).

Original score: 3