Advice for New(-ish) Authors

[AwkwardMD]

If I was to try to reconstruct: At the extreme ends - 1 5-Star + 79 1-Star, or 1 1-Star + 79 5-Star ratings - this works out to the single outlier vote making a difference of 0.05 points, or 1% of the rating scale.

Seriously impressive. I do not have a head for math, and I respect it whenever anyone can do things I can't.

 

[Husky_Embrace]

Isn't is as simple as adding all points up together, and then dividing it through the total? 79 one star rating means 79 points. Divided by 79 = 1. Add a 5 star review. 84 points, divided by 80 = 1,05.

Other side: 79 five star works out to 395 points. Divided by 79 = 5. Add a one star. 396 points divided by 80 = 4,95.

There's the 0,05 point difference talked about. That is the maximum difference for 80 votes.

An example where it's not as extreme. 40 three star votes and 39 two star votes, 79 votes total. 198 points, divided by 79 ≈ 2,5063. Add a 5 star vote. 203 total. Divided by 80 = 2,5375. A 0,0312 difference.

Edit:

The equation works out to:
((1×a)+(2×b)+(3×c)+(4×d)+(5×f))÷n

a to f being each of the starred votes and n being the total votes (add a to f together).

 

[Z_TheWriter]

Isn't is as simple as adding all points up together, and then dividing it through the total? 79 one star rating means 79 points. Divided by 79 = 1. Add a 5 star review. 84 points, divided by 80 = 1,05.

Other side: 79 five star works out to 395 points. Divided by 79 = 5. Add a one star. 396 points divided by 80 = 4,95.

There's the 0,05 point difference talked about. That is the maximum difference for 80 votes.

An example where it's not as extreme. 40 three star votes and 39 two star votes, 79 votes total. 198 points, divided by 79 ≈ 2,5063. Add a 5 star vote. 203 total. Divided by 80 = 2,5375. A 0,0312 difference.

Edit:

The equation works out to:
((1×a)+(2×b)+(3×c)+(4×d)+(5×f))÷n

a to f being each of the starred votes and n being the total votes (add a to f together).

Yes. If you want to make it complicated, it is that simple

 

[Husky_Embrace]

Yes. If you want to make it complicated, it is that simple

I should've said "my easiest way to think about it." In my mind it's a lot simpler than writing it all down.

 

[Z_TheWriter]

I should've said "my easiest way to think about it." In my mind it's a lot simpler than writing it all down.

I'm just teasing. You're completely right, it's a good explanation, and it's not exactly that advanced mathematically. I just find a lot of people tend to shut down once you start using variables and equations - which is understandable, many never had to do that again after high school.

 

[big_cane_sugar]

Yeah I haven't figured out how to know how many views and hearts my stories get. I guess it's the root of something.

Sorry for this tangent. I'm currently trapped in a love triangle and I can't get anyone to cosign my sin.

 

[MillieDynamite]

In my head, and my life, I add 1 + 1 = 69.

Seriously impressive. I do not have a head for math, and I respect it whenever anyone can do things I can't.

 

[AwkwardMD]

In my head, and my life, I add 1 + 1 = 69.

 

[SamanthaBehgs]

I remember this too as in the number, but not who it was that said it.

There's also the trick of voting on your own story right away because it takes 10 to get to the H and you want the H as quickly as possible.

I think that falls on category though, a lot of categories here get 10 votes very quickly but it could help with others.

You can....vote on your own stories?

 

[iwatchus]

You can....vote on your own stories?

Yes. It was recommended to me to start doing it when I started getting a troll giving me a one early in the morning, tanking my views.

 

[SamanthaBehgs]

Yes. It was recommended to me to start doing it when I started getting a troll giving me a one early in the morning, tanking my views.

Wouldn't sweeps make your own vote disappear, though, since you don't really need to read your own story?

 

[YmaOHyd]

Wouldn't sweeps make your own vote disappear, though, since you don't really need to read your own story?

Maybe! But the point is just to get to 10 as fast as possible, since you can't have an H without one and the H draws eyes.

 

[NuclearFairy]

Wouldn't sweeps make your own vote disappear, though, since you don't really need to read your own story?

Most likely, but when you wake up with two 1's you putting a 5 on there can be the difference between people reading it while it's new and people not.

 

[SamanthaBehgs]

Most likely, but when you wake up with two 1's you putting a 5 on there can be the difference between people reading it while it's new and people not.

Makes sense!

Maybe! But the point is just to get to 10 as fast as possible, since you can't have an H without one and the H draws eyes.

Ah got it. That makes a lot of sense - get there while you're still on that front page. Too bad I'm never awake when things pubish!

 

[iwatchus]

Ah got it. That makes a lot of sense - get there while you're still on that front page. Too bad I'm never awake when things pubish!

True for a lot of us in the western hemisphere. I tend to do it now for new stories when I wake up.

 

[ElectricBlue]

Wouldn't sweeps make your own vote disappear, though, since you don't really need to read your own story?

Depends how you vote - without giving too much away.

 

[Bamagan]

Wouldn't sweeps make your own vote disappear, though, since you don't really need to read your own story?

Pretty easy to test. Lock the voting on a story, unlock it whenever you're ready to test it, vote, and then lock it again. Wait until the next sweep happens and see if the vote disappears.
If that sounds like too much trouble, then the answer is that sweeps do not automatically remove such votes. Perhaps they would if you meet whatever other criteria the sweeps are looking for, but the site apparently does not consider your solitary vote on your own story to be needful of scrubbing in and of itself. After all, it'll never be more than 10% of any Hot rating or the short-term top lists, so it's hardly worth worrying about (from the site's perspective).

 

[SamanthaBehgs]

Pretty easy to test. Lock the voting on a story, unlock it whenever you're ready to test it, vote, and then lock it again. Wait until the next sweep happens and see if the vote disappears.
If that sounds like too much trouble, then the answer is that sweeps do not automatically remove such votes. Perhaps they would if you meet whatever other criteria the sweeps are looking for, but the site apparently does not consider your solitary vote on your own story to be needful of scrubbing in and of itself. After all, it'll never be more than 10% of any Hot rating or the short-term top lists, so it's hardly worth worrying about (from the site's perspective).

Still not something I'd want to use lightly, that's for sure. But it does seem like really good advice for new-ish authors. Perfect thread for it! @lovecraft68

 

[theWollstonecraftWoman]

Years ago I gripped the edge of a pallet to flip it out of the way. Someone thought it would be funny to screw it into the floor. I snapped off two fingernails and rumor has it the echos of my long string of profanity can still be heard today. We never found out who did it most likely due to my promise of walking around with pliers until I found who it was and pulled out all their fingernails.

Well, Millie and I do erotica together. If she does erotica with her sweet father, it's just so EEEEWWWW!