Should writers and editors be ALLOWED to vote??

[snooper]

I... I never vote on a story that I cannot finish - that rates a 3. ...

Why a 3? If a story is so not what you like that you cannot finish it then surely it is a 1? If the lowest you can think of giving is a 3 what are 1 and 2 for? From what you say, 5 is for stories you like and 4 is for those you don't much like, and no vote is for anything you really don't like. This means that your votes tell the author almost nothing, since (s)he is not aware that you have [started to] read the story if you don't vote.

As I have said before, feedback is much more important than votes, especially since most people only vote 4 or 5.

 

[oggbashan]

Why a 3? If a story is so not what you like that you cannot finish it then surely it is a 1? If the lowest you can think of giving is a 3 what are 1 and 2 for? From what you say, 5 is for stories you like and 4 is for those you don't much like, and no vote is for anything you really don't like. This means that your votes tell the author almost nothing, since (s)he is not aware that you have [started to] read the story if you don't vote.

As I have said before, feedback is much more important than votes, especially since most people only vote 4 or 5.

The reality is that the voting system on Literotica is skewed. If all votes from 1 to 5 were an accurate reflection of the quality of the story from 1 being lowest to 5 being highest, then the average of most stories would be 3.00.

The actual average is close to 4.50 and H. What are considered "Good" stories score above 4.50. "Bad" or unpopular stories score below 4.50.

Any vote of 3 or below has a disproportionate effect on the story's perceived good or bad rating. A vote of 1 can only be redeemed by several 5 votes.

If a reader thinks that the choice is equally balanced between votes 1 to 5 then that reader will be voting atypically and skewing the rating. In practice most readers vote 4 or 5 or not at all.

Og (who has many stories below H)

 

[elfin_odalisque]

Og’s accurate description of voting math has been often stated and is well known to most writers who post here. If you analyze more deeply you can see the system is pretty robust and broadly achieves the objectives the site sets.

Firstly, it is meant to be a measure of mass popularity and is in no way a measure of ‘good’ writing. A high score means that people liked what you wrote; it can be no measure of ‘quality’. Because of the different readerships, comparing scores between categories is practically meaningless – which is why contests are ridiculous, even though Jenny’s premise of judges is a non-starter.

Secondly, although the system encourages ‘trolling’, the real (and achieved) objective is to keep votes between 3 and 5. Both from courteous and commercial objectives, there is nothing to be gained from exposing new and diffident writers to the howling gales that internet voting can produce.

I haven’t had time to count, but, on a rough estimate over the years, I would guess that less than a third of posts get the ‘H’ label. Any more, and the system ceases to work; any less and the site is not helping to publicize itself or the authors.

So, to answer the thread question, everyone and their grandmother should vote – if they want to: authors, editors, friends of authors – whoever. It is like a TV phone-in.

Can anyone tell me, from certainty, that a PC means leaving a computable vote? Unlike Jenny, I do sometimes leave a PC on a story I’ve noticed via the Story Feedback forum. Usually a good story that hasn’t had much attention – part of the publicity process.

Apologies for going on, but I think the voting – like the PCs – are part of the marketing drive to get people to open your story; the oxygen of publicity. Private mails and PMs give you the considered feedback.

 

[mjl2010]

Can anyone tell me, from certainty, that a PC means leaving a computable vote?

I had one story that that started out with three votes in it's first hour. Two of them were public comments. I had three votes, three views. so PC votes count, far as I can tell.

 

[elfin_odalisque]

I had one story that that started out with three votes in it's first hour. Two of them were public comments. I had three votes, three views. so PC votes count, far as I can tell.

No, thanks for the reply, but you haven't quite nailed it. Three views three votes - OK, but did they vote before they PC'd?

 

[snooper]

... I do sometimes leave a PC on a story I’ve noticed via the Story Feedback forum. Usually a good story that hasn’t had much attention – part of the publicity process. ...

I fail to see how that helps, since the PCs are posted at the end of the story, and the reader does not see them until (s)he has finished the story.

 

[starrkers]

I fail to see how that helps, since the PCs are posted at the end of the story, and the reader does not see them until (s)he has finished the story.

They do appear for a time on the Feedback Portal, how long depends on the number of comments made.

 

[Mr_Neb]

I never vote on a story that I cannot finish - that rates a 3.

For me, it depends on why I can't get through it. If I expected something different from the title and description and found myself in subject matter that was not to my liking, I wouldn't vote at all. Not my cup of tea doesn't mean it was a lousy story.

Now if I can't get through it because it sucked, was unreadable, didn't live up to it's own promises, then sure. A 3 or less. For me, a boring story gets a three and I go from there up or down. If I wished I could have written the story, a 5. A good journeyman entertaining read, a 4. Disappointing because it was just put out there with little effort and could have been written better, a 2. A rip-off, wish-I-had-the-time-back, piece of trash, a 1. (Very rarely do I vote a 1 or 2.)

 

[Jenny_Jackson]

For me, it depends on why I can't get through it. If I expected something different from the title and description and found myself in subject matter that was not to my liking, I wouldn't vote at all. Not my cup of tea doesn't mean it was a lousy story.

Now if I can't get through it because it sucked, was unreadable, didn't live up to it's own promises, then sure. A 3 or less. For me, a boring story gets a three and I go from there up or down. If I wished I could have written the story, a 5. A good journeyman entertaining read, a 4. Disappointing because it was just put out there with little effort and could have been written better, a 2. A rip-off, wish-I-had-the-time-back, piece of trash, a 1. (Very rarely do I vote a 1 or 2.)

Well... let me explain... If the story is really bad, I won't vote at all. If the story is a good idea but not carried off well, was predictable etc and I don't finish... that's a 3.

 

[elfin_odalisque]

Well... let me explain... If the story is really bad, I won't vote at all. If the story is a good idea but not carried off well, was predictable etc and I don't finish... that's a 3.

Guys, please.

Everyone has their view about voting. I only vote if I get to the end and can vote 3 or +. A good idea, whether not carried off well or spoiled by poor grammar, layout and so on, gets me to just pass over. If there's a request on Story Feedback, I will try to reply helpfully.

I come back to the point I made before, votes/voting are a blunt instrument to measure public opinion. It's not scientific.