A complete profile gives readers a sense of who you are before they
open one of your stories. None of the optional fields are required to
use OutaStory as a reader, but if you want to publish a story you
need at least a display name and a one-line bio.
Required for everyone
- Your name — first and last name are required. Other readers see
them combined as your public name next to your comments and on any
story you publish. If you'd rather publish under something else, see
Your name and pen names. - Email — used for sign-in and for transactional notifications
(story comments, ticket replies, security alerts). Not visible to
other users. - Birthday — we use your date of birth to work out your age and
show you age-appropriate content. It's required, and it isn't shown
to other users. - Gender and address — required for legal and billing reasons
(for example, invoicing and author payouts). Kept private and never
shown to other readers.
Required to publish
- Bio — one paragraph telling readers what you write about. Shown
on your author page and at the top of every story. - Avatar — a profile picture is optional but strongly recommended.
Stories with no author avatar tend to under-perform on discovery.
Optional
- Interests — tell us the professions, music genres, and hobbies
you care about. These are optional and only used to personalise your
recommendations, so your home page fits your taste better. - Languages — which languages you write in. Filters your stories
into the right language section of the discover page. - Social links — up to three external links (Mastodon, BlueSky,
a personal site). Shown on your author page; not used for sign-in.