Votes, Comments and Sweeps

[drksideofthemoon]

I did some testing, in the interest of science. All of my stories that have been submitted under D_K_Moon have always had the voting and comments turned off, so from the perspective of voting, they are virgin.

Test 1: Made a comement. Outcome A vote was recorded.

Test 2 Voted Outcome A vote was recorded. Test 2B Made a comment. Outcome No change in votes. Only one vote was recorded.

Test 3 Made a comment Outcome A vote was recorded Test3B Tried to voteOutcome Stars were already highlighted. Only one vote was recorded.

So, my observation is this. The system will take your first "vote" either the thermometer or the stars, but not both.

A different story was used for each test.

 

[3113]

I did some testing, in the interest of science. All of my stories that have been submitted under D_K_Moon have always had the voting and comments turned off, so from the perspective of voting, they are virgin.

Test 1: Made a comement. Outcome A vote was recorded.

Test 2 Voted Outcome A vote was recorded. Test 2B Made a comment. Outcome No change in votes. Only one vote was recorded.

Test 3 Made a comment Outcome A vote was recorded Test3B Tried to voteOutcome Stars were already highlighted. Only one vote was recorded.

So, my observation is this. The system will take your first "vote" either the thermometer or the stars, but not both.

A different story was used for each test.

Experiment on yourself often, do you

 

[drksideofthemoon]

Experiment on yourself often, do you

That's the thanks a guy gets around here, do some very calculated, and highly scientific tests on ones self and people just take it for granted that a fella is playing with himself...sheesh...pass the kleenex please...

 

[Darkniciad]

That's the thanks a guy gets around here, do some very calculated, and highly scientific tests on ones self and people just take it for granted that a fella is playing with himself...sheesh...pass the kleenex please...

The real test will come in the next 24-48 hours. I'd went through this same experiment several times before, too. What's happening is that the votes are vanishing the next time the Hoover comes around if it's attached to a comment.

 

[drksideofthemoon]

The real test will come in the next 24-48 hours. I'd went through this same experiment several times before, too. What's happening is that the votes are vanishing the next time the Hoover comes around if it's attached to a comment.

Well, it will be easy for me to spot, there's only 1 vote on each of the stories I used. I wonder if they sweep stories with the voting turned off.

 

[shereads]

So, my observation is this. The system will take your first "vote" either the thermometer or the stars, but not both.

Except in Florida, where sometimes neither vote is counted and sometimes both are, twice.

Btw, what is Lit's policy regarding dead (or "life-signs challenged") voters?

 

[sr71plt]

That's the thanks a guy gets around here, do some very calculated, and highly scientific tests on ones self and people just take it for granted that a fella is playing with himself...sheesh...pass the kleenex please...

So, you think a Kleenex is enough for cleanup after a guy's been playing with himself?

 

[Darkniciad]

Well, it will be easy for me to spot, there's only 1 vote on each of the stories I used. I wonder if they sweep stories with the voting turned off.

Most likely. I don't see why they'd bother with that conditional when most stories with voting turned off wouldn't have any votes to sweep. Would be a waste of processor time.

 

[shereads]

What is a sweep? WTF are you authors talking about, exactly?

 

[drksideofthemoon]

So, you think a Kleenex is enough for cleanup after a guy's been playing with himself?

I was trying to be polite, I didn't want to roar out, "Toss me the hefty wipes, yeah the whole roll..."

 

[DesertPirate]

I was trying to be polite, I didn't want to roar out, "Toss me the hefty wipes, yeah the whole roll..."

*water speeeeewwww*

Damnit, pardon me while I swap keyboards for the second time today.

Thank god I only drink water, they drain and dry well

Y'all are gettin too damn funny

 

[starrkers]

I did some testing, in the interest of science. All of my stories that have been submitted under D_K_Moon have always had the voting and comments turned off, so from the perspective of voting, they are virgin.

Test 1: Made a comement. Outcome A vote was recorded.

Test 2 Voted Outcome A vote was recorded. Test 2B Made a comment. Outcome No change in votes. Only one vote was recorded.

Test 3 Made a comment Outcome A vote was recorded Test3B Tried to voteOutcome Stars were already highlighted. Only one vote was recorded.

So, my observation is this. The system will take your first "vote" either the thermometer or the stars, but not both.

A different story was used for each test.

Yeah, that's what I've seen too. Now to see what happens the next time a sweep goes through.

 

[Guest]

Yeah, that's what I've seen too. Now to see what happens the next time a sweep goes through.

Hokay - I just submitted my How to and I turned off the PC.

Has anyone heard from Manu yet?

 

[freshface]

What is a sweep? WTF are you authors talking about, exactly?

Sweeps are an effort to keep the voting honest. No one who knows is saying exactly how they work.

When you post a story, you can see how many votes you've received and your average score. Both the score and the number of votes can fluctuate up and down, especially the first week the story is out. You can, for instance, be sitting at twenty votes and an average score of 4.25. The next time you look, you might have seventeen votes with an average score of 4.3. That means that a sweep has thrown out at least three votes.

The one bombs are all from vicious trolls and should be swept immediately. The five votes are obviously from a discerning public, so it hurts to see those go.

The concern here is that legitimate votes might be swept if the voter also leaves a comment. Some of the authors are in a surreal spot where they have more legitimate comments than they do votes.

 

[drksideofthemoon]

Yeah, that's what I've seen too. Now to see what happens the next time a sweep goes through.

Lemme know when you've seen a sweep and I'll check if the votes on my stories are still there.

 

[starrkers]

Hokay - I just submitted my How to and I turned off the PC.

Has anyone heard from Manu yet?

I got this reply from Laurel:

Hi starrkers,

Thanks for the heads up, and hope you are otherwise well.

A vote on a story and a Public Comment vote both count as votes for the story. Originally, they were supposed to cancel each other out - otherwise, a user could vote twice, which is very undemocratic.

Somehow, for the last couple years, people HAVE been able to vote twice - and in looking at the voting database, we have detected a few wily souls using this glitch to their advantage. The current tweak fixes this. Now, a person can only vote once - as was originally intended.

I apologize for the confusion, and hope everyone understands. It's unfortunate that errors do occur. Once Manu and I are replaced with androids, perhaps they will be fewer.

 

[Tarakin]

I did some testing, in the interest of science. All of my stories that have been submitted under D_K_Moon have always had the voting and comments turned off, so from the perspective of voting, they are virgin.

Test 1: Made a comement. Outcome A vote was recorded.

Test 2 Voted Outcome A vote was recorded. Test 2B Made a comment. Outcome No change in votes. Only one vote was recorded.

Test 3 Made a comment Outcome A vote was recorded Test3B Tried to voteOutcome Stars were already highlighted. Only one vote was recorded.

So, my observation is this. The system will take your first "vote" either the thermometer or the stars, but not both.

A different story was used for each test.

The next sweep will tell the results...

I yesterday had finally a second vote on one of my poems I had submitted long ago. It was a 4. No comment had been made. Today the vote has vanished again. Since I knew who had voted the only one, I asked him but the second vote was not from him (and thereby rightfully cancelled). The poem has two comments though, so maybe one of those commenters voted again...

 

[jomar]

I got this reply from Laurel:

Hi starrkers,

Thanks for the heads up, and hope you are otherwise well.

A vote on a story and a Public Comment vote both count as votes for the story. Originally, they were supposed to cancel each other out - otherwise, a user could vote twice, which is very undemocratic.

Somehow, for the last couple years, people HAVE been able to vote twice - and in looking at the voting database, we have detected a few wily souls using this glitch to their advantage. The current tweak fixes this. Now, a person can only vote once - as was originally intended.

I apologize for the confusion, and hope everyone understands. It's unfortunate that errors do occur. Once Manu and I are replaced with androids, perhaps they will be fewer.

Then they have another problem. I got a new comment and vote on a new poem, but the vote didn't get counted. The other two comment votes did count, I think.

 

[3113]

I got this reply from Laurel:

Starrkers, could you write back to Laurel. Of it you like, I will, but it seems you have a dialogue going on this.

The problem as I see it is that most readers leaving comments probably don't know that the thermometer = a vote. I certainly didn't. And the biggest problem is that some of them don't use the thermometer. Focusing on the comment that they're writing,t hey forget to adjust it. I can't tell you how many times I get one "50%" thermometer comment that reads "Best story ever!"--often followed by another from the same person say, "Oops, forgot to adjust the thermometer to 100." Many leave it out of laziness or forgetfulness at the "middle" point.

The stars, IMHO, should be the ONLY vote system as it's perfectly clear that this is what it is and what it's for. The Thermometer is too open to misunderstanding--i.e., not knowing it's a vote and, knowing this, remembering to adjust it when posting a comment.

 

[rgraham666]

Or perhaps they could replace the thermometer with the stars, and carry over the vote to comment entry page if the reader voted there.

Plus making sure no vote is registered if the reader doesn't click on either page.

 

[freshface]

Starrkers, could you write back to Laurel. Of it you like, I will, but it seems you have a dialogue going on this.

The problem as I see it is that most readers leaving comments probably don't know that the thermometer = a vote. I certainly didn't. And the biggest problem is that some of them don't use the thermometer. Focusing on the comment that they're writing,t hey forget to adjust it. I can't tell you how many times I get one "50%" thermometer comment that reads "Best story ever!"--often followed by another from the same person say, "Oops, forgot to adjust the thermometer to 100." Many leave it out of laziness or forgetfulness at the "middle" point.

The stars, IMHO, should be the ONLY vote system as it's perfectly clear that this is what it is and what it's for. The Thermometer is too open to misunderstanding--i.e., not knowing it's a vote and, knowing this, remembering to adjust it when posting a comment.

I don't think there's anything wrong with having the thermometer; it just shouldn't register as a vote. It's not just your opinion. I agree that the stars should be the only way to vote. It removes all of the confusion.

 

[jomar]

The problem as I see it is that most readers leaving comments probably don't know that the thermometer = a vote. I certainly didn't. And the biggest problem is that some of them don't use the thermometer. Focusing on the comment that they're writing,t hey forget to adjust it. I can't tell you how many times I get one "50%" thermometer comment that reads "Best story ever!"--often followed by another from the same person say, "Oops, forgot to adjust the thermometer to 100." Many leave it out of laziness or forgetfulness at the "middle" point.

The stars, IMHO, should be the ONLY vote system as it's perfectly clear that this is what it is and what it's for. The Thermometer is too open to misunderstanding--i.e., not knowing it's a vote and, knowing this, remembering to adjust it when posting a comment.

The thermometer is not marked when you first leave a comment and if you try to leave a comment without voting a pop-up will ask you to rate the story. So you can't forget to rate it when making a comment. (Unless that's brand new feature.)

Seems like it would be a simple thing to make it so if you left a comment you had to vote, and if you'd already voted with the stars, just count one of them.

 

[sr71plt]

Seems like it would be a simple thing to make it so if you left a comment you had to vote, and if you'd already voted with the stars, just count one of them.

If the author wants to respond to a PC with a PC, she/he is forced to vote (depicted by the thermometer) on his/her own story, which doesn't make much sense.

 

[jomar]

If the author wants to respond to a PC with a PC, she/he is forced to vote (depicted by the thermometer) on his/her own story, which doesn't make much sense.

True. And I've seen some authors give themselves a 3 to compensate. Not a perfect system, though it would at least keep it simple to attach a vote to a comment instead of having to vote with a star then go through the PC process.

 

[starrkers]

I don't think the problem was addressed by Laurel's PM to me, but I don't have examples to hand to prove my point.

If anyone else has, please take it up with Laurel and Manu. I Pmed both, Laurel replied. I am one voice in the wilderness.

At this point, I don't think they see a problem. If others contact them with the same issue, perhaps they will revisit it.