disclaimer: I have a fairly significant background in web design/coding as someone who doesn't do that for a living, and have studied the accessibility guidelines alongside that. i am not an accessibility expert, nor am i a screen-reader user.
"alt text is easy" is something i've seen a lot, coming from people who are frustrated by not having their needs met (or the needs of the folks around them) which is absolutely understandable. but it's not always easy, especially when you're like me and having that extra step before posting means you'll just not post at all. or, maybe, you're looking at a complex piece of art you've just finished and want to share with the world and you're thinking- where do i even start with this? In the spirit of making this easy to digest, i'll share my tips first and explain them with examples under a readmore.
- Consider the alt text part of your post. It is complementary to whatever else your post is about
- Don't forget someone has to read it. Front-load important information so they don't waste their time going through minutiae.
- Don't try to recreate the piece in words- recreate the feel of the piece. Keep in mind why you're posting it in the first place.
- Something is always better than nothing. Nobody is going to crucify you for alt text that's lacking, but it's shitty to just leave it blank.
- Don't "come back and add it later." (you won't). If you can't post now with alt text, save it for later. (yeah there are tags to get people to help with alt text, but be honest with yourself if you'll actually go through with updating)
it does kinda just come down to "just do it" but click through if you want more information (probably too much more)