2007 News & Views: Discussion and Announcements for the Survivorphile

[DarkBee]

I did not mean to infer that anyone on the staff of Literotica eliminated most of my red H's. I know that it is the army of bashers who follow my stories by giving me multiple zeros from multiple computers.

The elimination of red H's occurred in one day. They, he or she must have worked at it for hours because they hit every single story, more than 100. Some of my red H stories had very high vote counts with very high scores so for anyone to drop it below the 4.50 mark, it had to take a determined effort on their part.

To me, it is not the score that matters but the ability for anyone to happen along who has a hair across their ass the take that out on you because they do not like something that you wrote. The scores are a good way to determine how well your story does with the public at large. When those malcontents tamper with that barometer, it is a frustrating experience.

It is unfortunate that anyone can anonymously vote. It would be better if those who wanted to vote for a story had to not only register first but also sign in. That way, we could see who the bashers were and report them after we identified that all they contributed to the site is bashing. The way it is now, anyone can bash your score even another jealous writer intent on winning a contest by dropping your score.

Ok, that bites, you're absolutely right. Unfortunately, as you pointed out, nothing can be done against these *whatever you want to call them* bashers.
Having to login or register first before voting is a really good idea, maybe something can be done with it?

 

[Lauren Hynde]

Is my scorecard the only one that gets adjusted? Or am I the only writer around here who complains and then gets punished for what he writes?

I extracted the first part of your question and responded to it on the F.A.Q. thread, and moved the rest of the discussion here.

As for the second part, all you need to do is look around the Author's Hangout and the Story Feedback forums, and you'll see there's at least a new thread every week whining about the scores or the mean anonymous people. You're not alone there. I can't speak for all readers, but I know that at least I do punish these whiners, by ignoring them. When authors turn on votes and/or comments, I assume they want to know their readers' opinions, i.e. 1-to-5 votes and/or honest opinions. At the bottom of each story with comments turned on, it says "Love it? Hate it? Have suggestions?" It doesn't say "Cover me with praise!"

It, truly, does not matter to me if you take all my poems and other submissions and lump them all under Reviews and Essays because I know that I have no chance in Hell of winning this or any competition around here.

A little paranoid, are we? If you have no chance in Hell of winning this competition, who does? You're way ahead of all other contestants. If any of your submissions have been moved to a category different from the one you tried to post it, it's because the owners of Literotica considered it didn't belong to the category you tried to post it in.

In the first post if this thread, it is said:

Every year, there are concerns about multichapter stories and about the quality of some submissions. Once again we must remind all contestants that the only quality control in place is Laurel, at the moment of approval of the submissions. If you read a story that cannot be understood without reading the others in the series, if it doesn't make sense on its own, or if it doesn't correspond, on its own, to the minimum that can be expected for the category it is placed in, please report the story. If you think that any story you read in Literotica is substandard, please report the story. Let Laurel know about it. That's the only way a quality control can be implemented.​

I can tell you that I have personally reported four of your submissions because I didn't feel that they corresponded to what can be expected for the category they were posted. Reading the comments that readers had left on those categories, I was not the only one to do it, and probably wasn't the only one to report them. And before you ask, no, your submissions weren't the only ones I reported. I have been doing it for years whenever I read a story that doesn't belong to the category where it is posted, and I encourage everyone to do it. Survivor contestants, especially, should do this, even for their own benefit. When you submit a story to a category, do it because it belongs to that category, and not just to get more points in a contest. Have some respect for the readers.

Literotica and the "in" crowd has their favorites. I am not one of them. Yet, that is okay with me because I will still post my stories, so long as Literotica allows me too. I am, after all, at their whimsy.

To me, it is about the story and not about the points or contest.

If by "Literotica" you mean "the readers", then I'm sure they have. You can't please everyone, that's for sure. And if to you, it is about the story and not the points or the contest, you should be the first to think a little at the moment of submitting a story and stop to consider whether you're posting it in the right category for the story instead of the category that would give you more points in a contest.

By the way for those reading this, you missed deleting some of my red H's. I had 24 now I only have 6. Maybe, you could get together as a group and get rid of those, too. Thank you in advance.

The readers are the only ones who can delete your red H's, by voting. I thought you only cared about the story, though, not about points in a contest. If it troubles you this much, you should consider turning votes and/or comments off.

Lastly, when I signed up at Literotica, I had no idea that my cap lock was on when I put in my user name as BOSTONFICTIONWRITER. Many have taken offense at that. Perhaps, someone there can change that to soothe the offended.

WTF!

Freddie
Bostonfictionwriter

The internet is a big place. I'm sure that some have taken offence at the colour blue dominating the submissions' pages. Tough for them. For future reference, however, you had no idea your cap lock was on? It could prove useful to look at the screen when you're typing, perhaps.

 

[Lauren Hynde]

I did not mean to infer that anyone on the staff of Literotica eliminated most of my red H's. I know that it is the army of bashers who follow my stories by giving me multiple zeros from multiple computers.

The elimination of red H's occurred in one day. They, he or she must have worked at it for hours because they hit every single story, more than 100. Some of my red H stories had very high vote counts with very high scores so for anyone to drop it below the 4.50 mark, it had to take a determined effort on their part.

That sounds a lot more like a sweep of fraudulent votes that a spree of systematic low-voting. And if it was a spree of systematic low-voting, those votes will be deleted in the next sweep.

To me, it is not the score that matters but the ability for anyone to happen along who has a hair across their ass the take that out on you because they do not like something that you wrote. The scores are a good way to determine how well your story does with the public at large. When those malcontents tamper with that barometer, it is a frustrating experience.

How do you know that the lower scores don't actually reflect the opinion of the public at large? That's a bit presumptuous of your part, don't you think?

It's a well-know fact that for each low-voting troll that is easily detectable, there are many, many, many others that will vote high no matter what. Just look at the percentage of stories in the site with Hs -- which should mean the story has more people thinking it is excellent than it is merely good. How many of those stories do you think truly deserve being considered more than average?

It is unfortunate that anyone can anonymously vote. It would be better if those who wanted to vote for a story had to not only register first but also sign in. That way, we could see who the bashers were and report them after we identified that all they contributed to the site is bashing. The way it is now, anyone can bash your score even another jealous writer intent on winning a contest by dropping your score.

That wouldn't solve anything. First, everyone is anonymous online, and anyone can register as many different personae as they want. Second, the possibility of anonymous voting is paramount to any democracy, where you're expected to voted honestly and without fear of reprisals. Third, if there's one thing writers whine about more than anonymous trolls and low votes, it's about lack of feedback; if readers were required to register before voting or posting a comment, the amount of votes or comments would plummet, and the amount of honest ones would all but disappear. Next time you're whining about or posting a rant about anonymous trolls, remember that more than 90% of your readership is made up of unregistered anonymous.

 

[BOSTONFICTIONWRITER]

Glib response

We writers get nothing for writing here. So, why do I post here?

It is a place to put out your work and, hopefully, get honest feedback, good, bad, or indifferent.

What sucks is when you have to deal with bashers who, many, contribute nothing but bashes and have never taken the time to write a story.

Now, I offered a suggestion that, perhaps, Literotica can do more in limiting the bashing playground by having everyone who wants to vote on a story, register and sign in. Sure, we and they are still all anonymous. Yet, this way, the bashers will think twice before vomiting their miserable shit on our stories that we must read or skip over to get whatever feedback given.

It does not help, Lauren, for you to be so glib with your responses to me. A kind word will go a long way with me, as well as with other writers.

I have not written on this site for years, only 7 months. As you can see, I do not know the correct rules to follow when engaging moderators or bashers. I only write stories.

You think that by your responses to me that you come of as smart? You don't. You come of as smug, angry, and unappreciative of a writer who writes here for no pay other than to hope that someone enjoys reading the stories that he writes.

Perhaps, you, like a street cop, have been in this job too long and are twisted and fed up with some of the characters who lurk here, including me.

I apologize if I offended you. If I did, I did not mean to do that. This is not personal. You suggest to turn off my scores? Then, why bother posting?

When you have bashers dumping multiple zeros on your stories, I may as well turn off my scores because I have no idea if my stories are liked or not liked.

I suggest you do more to keep we writers happy instead of giving us your "attitude".

Have a nice day.

 

[LadynStFreknBed]

if readers were required to register before voting or posting a comment, the amount of votes or comments would plummet, and the amount of honest ones would all but disappear. Next time you're whining about or posting a rant about anonymous trolls, remember that more than 90% of your readership is made up of unregistered anonymous.

She's right. People are lazy online. No one is going to take the time to register or even sign in to be able to vote and/or comment on a story. Trolls are gonna be trolls.. it's just the way it is. For some reason, some people seem to take great price in bashing stories. But, I'd rather continue to ignore the trolls than to lose the positive and contructive feedback that I get almost everyday.

 

[Lauren Hynde]

We writers get nothing for writing here. So, why do I post here?

It is a place to put out your work and, hopefully, get honest feedback, good, bad, or indifferent.

What sucks is when you have to deal with bashers who, many, contribute nothing but bashes and have never taken the time to write a story.

And how do you know they are bashers who contribute nothing but bashes? Seriously, how do you know they're not simply posting their honest opinion of your stories? Is it so difficult to accept that there may be people who don't like them?

Now, I offered a suggestion that, perhaps, Literotica can do more in limiting the bashing playground by having everyone who wants to vote on a story, register and sign in. Sure, we and they are still all anonymous. Yet, this way, the bashers will think twice before vomiting their miserable shit on our stories that we must read or skip over to get whatever feedback given.

And it is a suggestion that I am sure the people of Literotica have heard over and over and considered carefully. And if they haven't implemented it after all these years, my guess that they think, as I and many other writers do, that the possibility of anonymous voting is paramount to any democracy, where you're expected to voted honestly and without fear of reprisals, and furthermore, if readers were required to register before voting or posting a comment, the amount of votes or comments would plummet, and the amount of honest ones would all but disappear. Remember that more than 90% of your readership is made up of unregistered anonymous.

It does not help, Lauren, for you to be so glib with your responses to me. A kind word will go a long way with me, as well as with other writers.

I have not written on this site for years, only 7 months. As you can see, I do not know the correct rules to follow when engaging moderators or bashers. I only write stories.

You think that by your responses to me that you come of as smart? You don't. You come of as smug, angry, and unappreciative of a writer who writes here for no pay other than to hope that someone enjoys reading the stories that he writes.

Perhaps, you, like a street cop, have been in this job too long and are twisted and fed up with some of the characters who lurk here, including me.

I apologize if I offended you. If I did, I did not mean to do that. This is not personal. You suggest to turn off my scores? Then, why bother posting?

When you have bashers dumping multiple zeros on your stories, I may as well turn off my scores because I have no idea if my stories are liked or not liked.

I suggest you do more to keep we writers happy instead of giving us your "attitude".

Have a nice day.

Well, let me finish it off with a big fuck you. You have a lot of nerve. Why should I be keeping you happy? I have no obligation to do anything around here other than the one I took to myself when I accepted Laurel's invitation to oversee this contest, since it is a contest made by the authors, for the authors. I spend hours every week making sure everything is running smoothly, I do things way beyond my obligation as a moderator, such as responding in great detail to any doubt any participant contacts me with, as contacting the winners of immunities every week, as checking all the scorecards every single day, as wasting my time even typing this post when I could be writing my stories or working or doing anything other than putting up with idiots that have no respect for their readers, and you have the royal nerve of, first calling my responses glib, and then suggesting I should be doing more to keep you happy? Would you like a blowjob too?

 

[DarkBee]

Well, let me finish it off with a big fuck you. You have a lot of nerve. Why should I be keeping you happy? I have no obligation to do anything around here other than the one I took to myself when I accepted Laurel's invitation to oversee this contest, since it is a contest made by the authors, for the authors. I spend hours every week making sure everything is running smoothly, I do things way beyond my obligation as a moderator, such as responding in great detail to any doubt any participant contacts me with, as contacting the winners of immunities every week, as checking all the scorecards every single day, as wasting my time even typing this post when I could be writing my stories or working or doing anything other than putting up with idiots that have no respect for their readers, and you have the royal nerve of, first calling my responses glib, and then suggesting I should be doing more to keep you happy? Would you like a blowjob too?

Woohoo! That oughtta teach him not to mess with the people who run the show and to stop complaining!

 

[BOSTONFICTIONWRITER]

"May a camel never piss on your shoe..."

Does your mother know you write like that, Lauren? You ought to be ashamed.

"Relax. Take a breath. Think good thoughts. Take your medication."

Thank you, but no, for offering to blow me but I have a girlfriend to do that.

Again, I apologize, I did not realize that your duties were only limited to the Survivor Contest, which you are doing a wonderful job. Thank you for all your help with my and everyone's scorecard.

Nonetheless, I stand by my suggestions for improvement to Literotica hoping that one day, Literotica will make anyone who wants to vote on a story register and log in. Anyone can still read stories, of course. I disagree that the votes will trinkle down to nothing. Yet, even if they did, what was left would be the gems instead of the coal dust.

Yet, understandably, by your raving banter, I can see that the focus of this web site is not with the writer but, more importantly, with the reader.

I shall keep that in mind before I voice another complaint in the future.

"May a camel never piss on your shoe or an owl shit on your head."

I wish you well in your recovery from your sudden nervous breakdown.

I love you, too.

Freddie

P. S.

Tomorrow is my birthday.

"Happy birthday, Freddie."

Please thank Laurel and Manu for me for sending the nice flowers and card.

 

[Lauren Hynde]

Does your mother know you write like that, Lauren? You ought to be ashamed.

"Relax. Take a breath. Think good thoughts. Take your medication."

Does your mother know you're an idiot?

Nonetheless, I stand by my suggestions for improvement to Literotica hoping that one day, Literotica will make anyone who wants to vote on a story register and log in. Anyone can still read stories, of course. I disagree that the votes will trinkle down to nothing. Yet, even if they did, what was left would be the gems instead of the coal dust.

A matter of opinion. If you consider blind praise from your fan-club praise, then yes, you'd have lots of gems left. Would they be any indication of the real reception your story had with the readers in general? Not in a million years.

Yet, understandably, by your raving banter, I can see that the focus of this web site is not with the writer but, more importantly, with the reader.

The focus is with both. If you don't give the reader the respect he/she deserves, the feedback you'll get as a writer will be worthless.

Tomorrow is my birthday.

"Happy birthday, Freddie."

Happy birthday, Freddy. Have another can of fuck-off.

 

[BOSTONFICTIONWRITER]

Midnight: Celebrities

My story, Midnight: Celebrities is a chain story that I signed on to do with Fieryjen. My story was due 7/23 and it posted today.

Now, when I submitted this story, I submitted as a chain story and even made a comment in the notes section telling the powers in charge that it was a Fieryjen chain story.

Today, the story was not posted as a chain story but was posted under celebrity stories.

Now, I have contacted pretty much everyone asking this story to be moved where it belongs to chain stories and the story has not been moved and no one has responded to me.

Is this the type of treatment that I can expect from those in charge around here?

Secondly, I have a stalking basher ruining all of my stories, bostonfictioncritic. I have complained about him also and have not received any response.

Your response to me, Lauren, is that I cannot take constructive criticism. I welcome any and all constructive criticism, but what this deranged man is giving me is bashing. He has single handedly removed nearly all of my red H's, has lowered every score of every story, more than 100, and is sending me threatening e-mails.

When will you people do something about banning someone like him before something happens to me or my family. Do I have to involve the police? Must I get a lawyer?

I would appreciate a response from someone concerning my Midnight chain story and about what you intend to do with this nut case bostonfictioncritic.

Thank you,

Freddie
bostonfictionwriter

 

[SweetWitch]

My story, Midnight: Celebrities is a chain story that I signed on to do with Fieryjen. My story was due 7/23 and it posted today.

Now, when I submitted this story, I submitted as a chain story and even made a comment in the notes section telling the powers in charge that it was a Fieryjen chain story.

Today, the story was not posted as a chain story but was posted under celebrity stories.

Now, I have contacted pretty much everyone asking this story to be moved where it belongs to chain stories and the story has not been moved and no one has responded to me.

Is this the type of treatment that I can expect from those in charge around here?

Secondly, I have a stalking basher ruining all of my stories, bostonfictioncritic. I have complained about him also and have not received any response.

Your response to me, Lauren, is that I cannot take constructive criticism. I welcome any and all constructive criticism, but what this deranged man is giving me is bashing. He has single handedly removed nearly all of my red H's, has lowered every score of every story, more than 100, and is sending me threatening e-mails.

When will you people do something about banning someone like him before something happens to me or my family. Do I have to involve the police? Must I get a lawyer?

I would appreciate a response from someone concerning my Midnight chain story and about what you intend to do with this nut case bostonfictioncritic.

Thank you,

Freddie
bostonfictionwriter

Freddie,

Though I can appreciate your difficulties here, Lauren cannot help you with this or any other issues that may be plaguing you. She is, like the rest of us, an author on this site. She is not in command. The only reason she is involved in the Survivor contest is that she was asked to handle it by the powers that be. She is not in a position of authority. Continuing to harrass her will only cause more bad blood.

The persons you need to contact are Laurel or Manu. They have final say around here.

As far as the stalker goes: We all have them. We ignore them. Bitching about them only feeds their sick, twisted egos.

Something you should know is that the louder you complain, the more attention you get from such trolls. Unless you give them information about yourself, they cannot find you or cause you any issue anywhere besides here. Trolls are a part of life around here, or any other site where voting takes place. Rise above it and write. Don't write for the readers. Write for yourself. That's when you will find a fan base that loves your work.

Molly

 

[BOSTONFICTIONWRITER]

I'm done.

Thank you Molly for explaining. I was unaware who I was suppose to contact. I have contacted Laurel, Manu, and the web master.

Constructive criticism is one thing, bashing is another, but threats is something else. This creep is sending me threatening e-mails that I cannot ignore.

It is one thing that he has ruined all the score of my stories and has written numerous comments to every story, but he has crossed the line.

I have friends and family in law enforcement who will track him down and prosecute him should he continue these illegal tactics.

I can take bashes. I get plenty of them and I ignore them, but this is taking it to the next level.

Now, as far as the survivor competition. All week long Lauren has been shuffling my stories from out of Non-erotic to reviews and essays. That's fine. I have no problem with that. Only, when someone complains that one of my non-erotic stories is an essay, the powers that be move my story within minutes.

Now, that I wrote, submitted, and posted a valid chain story, someone sticks in under celebrity stories and ignores my request to move it where it belongs. What is that about?

I'm done. I just write stories and they can put them wherever they want and wherever they feel that I will earn the least amount of points. I'm done.

 

[cloudy]

I can take bashes.

Then, why do you keep griping about it?

Now, as far as the survivor competition. All week long Lauren has been shuffling my stories from out of Non-erotic to reviews and essays. That's fine. I have no problem with that. Only, when someone complains that one of my non-erotic stories is an essay, the powers that be move my story within minutes.

Lauren doesn't change your categories, but Laurel does. Bitching to/at Lauren, who has always done way more than she needs to, just makes you look childish.

Now, that I wrote, submitted, and posted a valid chain story, someone sticks in under celebrity stories and ignores my request to move it where it belongs. What is that about?

PM (not email) Laurel about the problem. She's the only one that can help you. Again, bitching and whining about it here doesn't little beyond make you look like a whiner.

I'm done.

Promise?

 

[4glory6]

Well, let me finish it off with a big fuck you. You have a lot of nerve. Why should I be keeping you happy? I have no obligation to do anything around here other than the one I took to myself when I accepted Laurel's invitation to oversee this contest, since it is a contest made by the authors, for the authors. I spend hours every week making sure everything is running smoothly, I do things way beyond my obligation as a moderator, such as responding in great detail to any doubt any participant contacts me with, as contacting the winners of immunities every week, as checking all the scorecards every single day, as wasting my time even typing this post when I could be writing my stories or working or doing anything other than putting up with idiots that have no respect for their readers, and you have the royal nerve of, first calling my responses glib, and then suggesting I should be doing more to keep you happy? Would you like a blowjob too?

Wow, talk about whining--and about being snotty. With that attitude toward the writers here, think the Web site should give you the boot on any "moderating" reponsibilities. (Doesn't "moderating" stem from "moderate"?) You obviously are way past your expiration date. Wow, being snotty and whiny to newcomers for being whiny. Wow.

 

[Lauren Hynde]

We're obviously all out to get you, because our lives revolve around you.

I've gone out of my way and beyond my obligations several times to help you, and every time you hit the smallest obstacle, you have started out by making insulting posts and insinuations of foul play. As far as you are concerned, BOSTONFICTIONWRITER, I am now strictly on a minimum services strike. If it's something I'm supposed to do, I'll do it as fairly, impartially and honestly as ever; if it's not my job, it's not my problem. I'd done dealing with jerks.

All others, don't worry; I'll continue doing everything the same way, responding to everyone as quickly and helpfully as I can.

 

[cloudy]

Wow, talk about whining--and about being snotty. With that attitude toward the writers here, think the Web site should give you the boot on any "moderating" reponsibilities. (Doesn't "moderating" stem from "moderate"?) You obviously are way past your expiration date. Wow, being snotty and whiny to newcomers for being whiny. Wow.

Wow. Every post you've ever made in any forum is that of a fucktard. Wow.

 

[SweetWitch]

Wow. Every post you've ever made in any forum is that of a fucktard. Wow.

*Snort*

 

[4glory6]

Wow. Every post you've ever made in any forum is that of a fucktard. Wow.

I think any objective reader of this thread (and the rest of the categories) who wasn't an obsessive posting junky like you, cloudy, would snort at you saying this about any other poster. From what I've read of your postings, you are the poster child for this posting behavior.

I think any reader of this thread who wasn't posting out of posting junky personal loyality would clearly see that, although probably bulldogging the issues long past the usefulness of the exercise, BOSTONFICTIONWRITER has legitimate frustrations and hurts--and remained civil and polite. In contrast the "moderator" of the room was uncontrolled and abusive throughout. I can see just turning off on the responses after a while if the site isn't (or can't) do anything to assuage BOSTONFICTIONWRITER's concerns--but getting juvenile and abusive gives the Web site itself a black eye. The "moderator" certainly could learn a good lesson in control and not answering polite whining with abusive whining by looking at SweetWitch's posting to BFW yesterday, which was much more mature and sensitive to what appear to be legitimate questions/hurts--even your response yesterday, cloudy, seemed more controlled even though you can't seem to help yourself from being perpetually bitchy.

 

[BOSTONFICTIONWRITER]

Thank you SweetWitch and thank you 4glory6. I am still new here. Unlike so many others on this site, I spend my time just writing stories and do not participate at all on the other threads, so I do not know my way around this site. Also, I am not very computer literate. I know how to use word processing, the internet, and e-mail. So, please forgive my ignorance for not posting my messages to the proper channels or the proper people.

Now, in the case of Lauren, I mistakenly thought that she was one of the big cheeses around here. I had no idea that she was another writer who volunteered her time.

Again, I sincerely apologize to Lauren for being rude and for overstepping my boundries. I am grateful to have a site such as this to post my stories. The rest of the site is a bit overwhelming to me There is so much information to read, take part, and take advantage of.

Now, I have always ignored bashers and shall continue to ignore them. I am not a whiner and a complainer, as some have called me. I just want to write my stories and participate in competitions like everyone else.

Now, that I understand more about this site, I will personally take care of any problems that I have.

Again, I apologize to Lauren.

Freddie
Bostonfictionwriter

 

[cloudy]

I think any objective reader of this thread (and the rest of the categories) who wasn't an obsessive posting junky like you, cloudy, would snort at you saying this about any other poster. From what I've read of your postings, you are the poster child for this posting behavior.

I think any reader of this thread who wasn't posting out of posting junky personal loyality would clearly see that, although probably bulldogging the issues long past the usefulness of the exercise, BOSTONFICTIONWRITER has legitimate frustrations and hurts--and remained civil and polite. In contrast the "moderator" of the room was uncontrolled and abusive throughout. I can see just turning off on the responses after a while if the site isn't (or can't) do anything to assuage BOSTONFICTIONWRITER's concerns--but getting juvenile and abusive gives the Web site itself a black eye. The "moderator" certainly could learn a good lesson in control and not answering polite whining with abusive whining by looking at SweetWitch's posting to BFW yesterday, which was much more mature and sensitive to what appear to be legitimate questions/hurts--even your response yesterday, cloudy, seemed more controlled even though you can't seem to help yourself from being perpetually bitchy.

I like being a bitch, Mr. Gloryhole. Deal with it.

I'm so sorry you have no friends here, and are so jealous of those of us that do.

Okay...no, I'm not.

 

[4glory6]

Incidentally, BOSTONFICTIONWRITER, I may be wrong, but I don't think there is any "zero" voting here. I think the lowest vote is a "1." And, it may be some solace to you to hear that, of all of the erotic Web sites I go to to read stories, Literotica has the highest level of ratings, despite the inevitable spoiler vote trolls. As far as I can see, it has the highest number of readers and level of good, well-written stories too.

It might help to look at this in the half full/half empty glass spectrum. Literotica seems to care enough to have devised a method for sweeping away at least some of the troll and highly suspect votes and to take the effort to do so. They could just leave whatever voting is done. I suspect that most other Web sites do that. I agree with you that it would help--marginally--to only permit registered/logged in/sole e-mail addres-isp members to vote. But only marginally, as the cheaters have ways to get around this--and many of them will use it because it's a compulsive "thing" with them (of course at least then they'd have to put more effort into their cheating). Literotica has probably (sensibly) determined where the most cost-effective balance on that is. I haven't seen any Web site that is handling it any better than Literotica does.

Your best option is perhaps the one you decided to go to way back there on the thread--if it's highly frustrating to you to play the artificial games of the contests here, don't. Just post your stories and know that whatever "stuff" that is going on is going on for all writers here--and that you probably still will reach far more readers and get better ratings here than on other erotic Web sites.

 

[DarkBee]

Incidentally, BOSTONFICTIONWRITER, I may be wrong, but I don't think there is any "zero" voting here. I think the lowest vote is a "1." And, it may be some solace to you to hear that, of all of the erotic Web sites I go to to read stories, Literotica has the highest level of ratings, despite the inevitable spoiler vote trolls. As far as I can see, it has the highest number of readers and level of good, well-written stories too.

That's not enirely true: if you leave a comment, you also have to vote, where you can choose between 00 and 100 and steps between, going up 25 at a time. Of course this translates back to 1 to 5, but it's still a zero you can give to someone, instead of a 1.

 

[Lauren Hynde]

I think any reader of this thread who wasn't posting out of posting junky personal loyality would clearly see that, although probably bulldogging the issues long past the usefulness of the exercise, BOSTONFICTIONWRITER has legitimate frustrations and hurts--and remained civil and polite. In contrast the "moderator" of the room was uncontrolled and abusive throughout. I can see just turning off on the responses after a while if the site isn't (or can't) do anything to assuage BOSTONFICTIONWRITER's concerns--but getting juvenile and abusive gives the Web site itself a black eye. The "moderator" certainly could learn a good lesson in control and not answering polite whining with abusive whining by looking at SweetWitch's posting to BFW yesterday, which was much more mature and sensitive to what appear to be legitimate questions/hurts--even your response yesterday, cloudy, seemed more controlled even though you can't seem to help yourself from being perpetually bitchy.

Awesome. You'll have to let us know who taught you how to read. It's a neat trick to master if any of us ever goes into politics.

 

[Boxlicker101]

I haven't been involved in this thread for a while, so I thought I would put in my nickel's worth.

First, let me say that I think Lauren is doing a helluva job, in what is mostly a thankless position. I'm not trying to suck up to her for two reasons. For one thing, I don't do that for any reason. For another, she can't do anything for me anyhow. I write stories. I submit them, suggesting a specific category. Once it posts, I enter it in my scoresheet and, if I think it is in the wrong category, I complain to Laurel. She is the one who decides what category a story belongts in, and she doesn't always put it in the one the author wants. I have about a dozen stories that are not in the category I wanted. Lauren has nothing to do with where a story goes, except that she, or anybody else, can suggest that a story is in the wrong category and ask to have it moved. Personally, I would never do that for any stories but my own.

BFW, I have read the last two week's worth of your whining, and I don't blame Lauren for getting a little pissed off, especially because much of it was suggesting she is dishonest. I probably would have gotten pissed off sooner, and I think of myself as being good natured.

The usual way a H is eliminated is if the score of the story dips below 4.50 (actually, 4.496, allowing for rounding) The only other way I know of would be if there is a sweep and a vote is eliminated, dropping the vote total to fewer than ten. This would eliminate the H also. You mentioned that your score had dropped drastically. Did your total votes also decrease? That would mean there was a sweep and some votes of "5" that were thought to be bogus were eliminated. I don't know what criteria is used to decide whether or not a vote is bogus or not. If a person votes twice on the same story using the same computer, the second one is not counted at all and would not have to be swept.

Anyhow, good luck in the contest.

 

[RedHairedandFriendly]

That's not enirely true: if you leave a comment, you also have to vote, where you can choose between 00 and 100 and steps between, going up 25 at a time. Of course this translates back to 1 to 5, but it's still a zero you can give to someone, instead of a 1.

That's not a vote though. That's a rating. A vote goes to the scores, a rating just rates how the reader liked/didn't like the story.