Ficbook User Activity Dataset: Reader Feedback, Publication Dynamics, and Pseudo-Engagement Before and After the 2024 Platform Block

This dataset contains materials for a quantitative analysis of user activity on Ficbook, a major Russian-language fanfiction platform.

The study focuses on completed “maxi” works (long-form fanfiction) published between January 2021 and February 2026, comparing two periods:

before the platform block;

after the Ficbook block by Roskomnadzor on 12 July 2024.

Dataset Contents

The dataset includes:

Work-level metadata(likes, comments, length, number of chapters, publication dates, categories, ratings)

Chapter-level data(publication dates and comment counts for each chapter)

Aggregated analysis tablesfor all research hypotheses

Codebookdescribing variables, categories, and data structure

Python scriptsused for data processing and analysis

Research Scope

The dataset supports analysis of:

changes in the structure of reader feedback after the platform block;

dynamics of reader engagement across text progression;

publication intervals and long pauses between chapters;

pseudo-engagement in comment sections(repeated commenters and author participation);

seasonality of publication activity;

the relationship between text length and popularity;

the ratio between likes and unique commenters.

Sampling Methodology

The corpus was constructed as a stratified quota sample, based on:

fandom;

category (het, slash, gen);

rating;

an operational popularity threshold of 200 likes(“200+” vs “<200”).

Purpose

This dataset is intended for research purposes and provides a reproducible basis for studying:

reader engagement,

author behavior,

platform-level dynamics in online fanfiction communities.

Limitations

The dataset is based on publicly visible metrics only(likes, comments, publication dates).

Internal platform data such as views, completion rates, and recommendation algorithms are not available.

The sample is not fully representative of the entire Ficbook platform.

Data Collection

All data were collected from publicly accessible pages on Ficbook.

Work titles and direct links may be removed or anonymized in the published version to reduce traceability to individual authors.

Reproducibility

The dataset includes analysis scripts and structured outputs, allowing partial reproduction of the results presented in the associated research.