Is it time to leave?

[KeithD]

What happens here is what happens here. These are personal decisions. I make my own personal decisions on how or if I try to fit in with my stories here. I'm not a real fan of reading rants or being attacked on the forum for what is the natural rhythm of user (that doesn't include me) response to stories on a wide-open story site like this. I don't beg people to continue doing something that's just gravy in life to begin with. They are responsible for their own decisions. I think there's too little of taking responsibility for one's self in the generations following mine. And I have trouble building up tears for someone falling off the Top List and down to a mere 4.84 in rating here.

 

[oggbashan]

If I worried about my ratings I would stop posting stories. I haven't checked but I think my H ratio is lower than 50% of my submissions.

My two Es don't have an H; neither does one of my Ws.

It is one of the consequences of allowing anonymous voting, as is some of the personal abuse. I accept it and marvel at some people's intolerance of anything different, including 'British English'.

 

[TriadWriter]

If I worried about my ratings I would stop posting stories. I haven't checked but I think my H ratio is lower than 50% of my submissions.

My two Es don't have an H; neither does one of my Ws.

It is one of the consequences of allowing anonymous voting, as is some of the personal abuse. I accept it and marvel at some people's intolerance of anything different, including 'British English'.

I never much cared for the anonymous voting either, and I have seen at least one of my stories get hit with a 1-star or more right off the bat, but the positive far outweighs the negative. Only one of my stories is in the "Hot" grouping, but all my stories fall above 4.3 due to the amount of people who do like them, and bother to vote. Considering the rating only goes up to 5, I'm satisfied with the outcome, and I enjoy readers leaving positive comments about my works.

 

[BlinkOneSomething]

Tom Robbins said, "Focus on the work itself and not on what may or may not eventually happen to it. If the work is good enough, it’ll take care of itself." That's what I'm quickly learning to do here. As a rookie writer and litster, I've already managed to pick up a few "anti-fans" who immediately score anything I publish with a 1. Maybe I published a NC/R or LW story a bit early. Or maybe it just goes to show you, even newbies get targetted by some wierdo trolls who have nothing better to do than slam peoples generous offers to the public free of charge. Everyone whose saying ignore them are right. It if it's happening to everyone, the morons are cancelling out their own intentions.

 

[jsmiam]

....yesterday one of my story chapters in the I/T HoF hit the top spot with a score of 4.89..... 20 minutes later, that same story had tumbled to 4.83 and #114; it was #203 this morning....

Chances are, you're talking about "down at the twist and shout part 4"? The only reason I went to look, is to see about how many votes it had, and it looks like it's about 150 as of today (Nov 16 2018.)

When a story has only a few or a few hundred votes, the score is volatile. In a most extreme case, if a story has just one vote, a 5, and the second vote is a 1, the new average score is 3. The 1 bomb cost two whole points. Conversely, if a story has 1000 votes, and a hypothetical score of 5, a 1 bomb changes the score to 4.996, barely perceptible (and still a 5 with the current 2 decimal point scoring.)

It looks like 100 votes is the cutoff point for hitting the hall of fame. Perhaps it should be 250 or 500, that would make it much less volatile. But perhaps also less exciting (Wait, Am I implying that it's exciting???) And imagine if there were no cutoff at all. Every new story that happens to get a 5 as it's first vote would be the new number 1 (or at least, in a tie with hundreds of others as number 1), but the list would change every single time you hit F5 to refresh your page.

So a two part answer: (1) 1 bombs happen to everyone, including some cheating, but once a story has lots of votes, they don't matter. And (2) If your story is still on the hall of fame when it reaches a critical mass in terms of vote count, it'll truly be a classic that probably won't ever depart the hall of fame. What's a critical mass? I would say somewhere in the 500 to 2000 vote range.

It would be nice if there were no trolls. And if there were no review fraud. But even Amazon can't stop fake reviews, so how could Literotica? They barely even know HTML! ;-)

Here's an old link to how much a 1 bomb can affect a story, based on vote count: http://forum.literotica.com/showthread.php?t=1226676

Anyway... No, it's not time to leave.

 

[beachbum1958]

Chances are, you're talking about "down at the twist and shout part 4"? The only reason I went to look, is to see about how many votes it had, and it looks like it's about 150 as of today (Nov 16 2018.)

When a story has only a few or a few hundred votes, the score is volatile. In a most extreme case, if a story has just one vote, a 5, and the second vote is a 1, the new average score is 3. The 1 bomb cost two whole points. Conversely, if a story has 1000 votes, and a hypothetical score of 5, a 1 bomb changes the score to 4.996, barely perceptible (and still a 5 with the current 2 decimal point scoring.)

It looks like 100 votes is the cutoff point for hitting the hall of fame. Perhaps it should be 250 or 500, that would make it much less volatile. But perhaps also less exciting (Wait, Am I implying that it's exciting???) And imagine if there were no cutoff at all. Every new story that happens to get a 5 as it's first vote would be the new number 1 (or at least, in a tie with hundreds of others as number 1), but the list would change every single time you hit F5 to refresh your page.

So a two part answer: (1) 1 bombs happen to everyone, including some cheating, but once a story has lots of votes, they don't matter. And (2) If your story is still on the hall of fame when it reaches a critical mass in terms of vote count, it'll truly be a classic that probably won't ever depart the hall of fame. What's a critical mass? I would say somewhere in the 500 to 2000 vote range.

It would be nice if there were no trolls. And if there were no review fraud. But even Amazon can't stop fake reviews, so how could Literotica? They barely even know HTML! ;-)

Here's an old link to how much a 1 bomb can affect a story, based on vote count: http://forum.literotica.com/showthread.php?t=1226676

Anyway... No, it's not time to leave.

Aaaand sure enough, it got hit with a string of 1-votes, 6 in all, and dropped, in the space of 30 minutes, from 4.93 to 4.82, and dropped from #1 to #193. Now it's actually funny, the image of some pudgy twerp crouched over his keyboard in mummy's basement waiting to get his jollies by upvoting with his thousands of spoof identities just to win a (non-existent) internet contest and be the best (in his mind, anyway) and air-punching when he gets his fave back up on the top spot. At this point, a mental image of 'Comic-Book Guy' from The Simpsons pops up, and now I get him.

So, he wants his pet story to be number 1, he can have it; in the grand scheme of things it means nothing. There seems little point in competing with a troll-clique with a fixed image of who should be #1 (whatever that gains them, I don't know; it's not like there's money involved...) and who are prepared to do anything to keep it so, and I'm not playing that game; I just switched on voting to see how long it would take to get slammed, and 30 minutes seems fairly personal to me, so I hope fatty's having a good laugh, maybe it'll make up for being a pudgy 40-year old virgin in a Star Wars Onesie in a basement...

No more posting for me for a while, I think; this was part of my therapy, but it's beginning to be more of an embuggerance than a pleasure, so over to backup therapy/Plan B; sunglassing naked chicks in Juan les Pins and drinking Dubonnet & soda, Absinthe, and Martinis as soon as the clock strikes noon. I think I need a rest and a recharge to get some perspective back, and I have other (excruciatingly dull, but unfortunately important) writing projects to take care of; this here, fun as it once was, is just going on the back burner; unlike cellar-dweller, I have a life to get on with, and a living to earn.

 

[beachbum1958]

.....

 

[TarnishedPenny]

You're right about the trolls. In any case, it's been a slice, doc. Hurry back - and get well soon.

 

[KeithD]

Solution: write and post so many stories that you don't think of each one as a real baby and can't manage to obsess where each one is in the standings.

 

[Lori_the_Hoosier]

Solution: write and post so many stories that you don't think of each one as a real baby and can't manage to obsess where each one is in the standings.

Right, because he has all the time in the world to write like a machine on a hobby site instead of doing his job; read his post...

 

[LexxRuthless]

Increasingly, I find that I am spending more time chatting via e-mail with other authors I have met through the site than I am writing. The trolls can't intercept friendly e-mails.

 

[beachbum1958]

Increasingly, I find that I am spending more time chatting via e-mail with other authors I have met through the site than I am writing. The trolls can't intercept friendly e-mails.

me too; it's relaxing and I actually learn things, share stuff I don't necessarily want to broadcast on the forums, and don't have to put up with unasked snippy comments

 

[KeithD]

Right, because he has all the time in the world to write like a machine on a hobby site instead of doing his job; read his post...

He seems to have time to obsess about not being at the top of the pile on a story site. I'm not all that impressed with couple tag teams--or with his complaint and need to be begged to stay here.

 

[Lori_the_Hoosier]

He seems to have time to obsess about not being at the top of the pile on a story site. I'm not all that impressed with couple tag teams--or with his complaint and need to be begged to stay here.

No-one's tagged team you, Keith dear, just me; as usual, you assume more than you know, and parade it as established fact. You started off being snide and snotty, but you'll notice that BB hasn't bothered to respond in kind, I doubt he will, he's ignoring you, why can't you do the same, or is your itch to have the last word just too much to bear?

 

[ChloeTzang]

He seems to have time to obsess about not being at the top of the pile on a story site. I'm not all that impressed with couple tag teams--or with his complaint and need to be begged to stay here.

I do that obsess thing far more Pilot, maybe less so now but you know what, there’s nothing wrong with a bit of moral or immoral support. This forum is a good place to sound off. We all understand the issue and not all of us are as thick skinned as others. Some people shrug it off far more easily than others, and I’d be over towards beachbum’s side of the spectrum when it comes to trolls. So I’m quite happy listening and doing the moral support and big hug thing.

 

[gordo12]

Maybe it's just me, but I have the distinct impression that the comments are dying down. I know that I'm not commenting anywhere near as much as I used to because they get lost in the mod lineup.

A recent story in the LW genre didn't even get a cuck shit comment or a death threat. Maybe those are getting filtered out now. I don't know.

But then you get emails like this that (for me) make it all worthwhile:

"Your Loving Wives tale had this Loving Wife very wet for which you have my gratitude. Very erotic and arousing writing indeed in my favourite genre, being shared as a Loving Wife!"

 

[Handley_Page]

me too; it's relaxing and I actually learn things, share stuff I don't necessarily want to broadcast on the forums, and don't have to put up with unasked snippy comments

I think the answer to your question is NO; it ain't.

 

[KeithD]

I do that obsess thing far more Pilot, maybe less so now but you know what, there’s nothing wrong with a bit of moral or immoral support. This forum is a good place to sound off. We all understand the issue and not all of us are as thick skinned as others. Some people shrug it off far more easily than others, and I’d be over towards beachbum’s side of the spectrum when it comes to trolls. So I’m quite happy listening and doing the moral support and big hug thing.

Well, sure, on an author's section of the discussion board, where we're all getting 1s along with the 5s, it's just ducky for one writer to obsess about a story being knocked down to a 4.83. Such competitiveness and insensitivity to the other authors screams for a switch to bowling or macramé. The guy should try posting GM to this Web site. I'm not the one extending this "beg me to stay; give me strokes" thread.

 

[KeithD]

Right, because he has all the time in the world to write like a machine on a hobby site instead of doing his job; read his post...

I'm trying to be realistic in helping writers to survive in this world I've been in for several decades. You chose to drop in and be snide and nasty all by yourself with nothing to contribute.

 

[Lori_the_Hoosier]

Yup, there it is.

 

[ChloeTzang]

 

[yukonnights]

And......the last time I submitted a story (about 15 minutes ago) there is a handy little "Advanced Options Button" that allows one to opt out of voting and/or comments. This seems a better solution than just to quit doing what is the enjoyable part...writing your thoughts and feelings for others to share and appreciate without undue angst.

 

[jomar]

So if writing is about therapy, shouldn’t it be about the writing?

Making it about ratings turns the therapy writing focus into something else.

So turn off votes and comments and see what happens.

 

[YouDidWhut]

One day I will win the lottery and purchase Literotica so I can impliment some real change; but today ain’t that day and tomorrow isn’t looking good either. Until then I’ll simply bunker down and hope that my fan base can can overcome the Troll Regiments and One Bomber Squadrons that seem to show up as soon as I see the publication notice.

I watched my latest story drop from 4.89 to 4.68 in a matter of two hours. It’s managed to scratch its way back to 4.73 and I’m good with that. It isn’t on the Top List in its category and I’m good with that as well because it is still a very respectable score.

In the real world, if they don’t like your work, they don’t buy it at the store. Here, if they don’t like it, you get trolled for various reasons. Some people don’t like speling errers and some freak out if you have punctuation mistakes Then there is those who flip out, if you, fragment a sentence, or use incorrect subject and verb agreement.

Why? Who knows or cares. I write for relaxation and enjoyment and I rely more on feedback from the readers in the comments and emails I receive than I do on my scores.

With my extensive 15 works collection here, I’m not an expert on how to write something that gets my name in lights. I’ve done it, but you could dip me in honey and toss me in a gay bar before I could tell you HOW I managed TO do it.

Trolls will troll and One Bombers will always be in a holding pattern overhead. Write what you want, when you want. As we use to say when I was in the military, “Here’s to us and those like us. Fuck the rest of them.”

 

[Hypoxia]

So if writing is about therapy, shouldn’t it be about the writing?

Making it about ratings turns the therapy writing focus into something else.

So turn off votes and comments and see what happens.

What happens is, nothing. You have the Views count -- which is only how many clicked on a story, not how many actually read it -- and maybe count Favorites, but you otherwise have no idea of reader impact.

The assumption then is that readers are irrelevant. In which case there's no need to post the story here at all. If you're writing as therapy, keep it to yourself. Don't be entertaining. LIT readers wish to be entertained. Fuck-em. Let-em eat moose turd pie.

[/irony]