COVID-19 RESOURCES
LIT CAMS (200 Free Tokens)ADULT TOYSVOD MOVIES

Statistical Analysis of LitE Stories

AwkwardMD said:
You implied that your experience has elevated you beyond the petty concerns I spend my time on or, alternately, that my (and others) inexperience lends itself to silly and childish dithering. I implied that you mass produce garbage.

How is one any more nasty than the other?
Click to expand...

No I didn't. I pretty directly said that you spend more time obsessing about your insecurities about the reception of your writing on a Web site that has a hundred different reasons for why reader assessment is worthless than actually writing.

You needed no excuse to be nasty.
 
SimonDoom said:
I think I agree with EB. Tags may make a difference, but it seems likely that something else is at work if the difference between the two stories appeared from the beginning. One story has a more positive and attractive title than the other. The Favor also has a more appealing tagline. I think that has an impact, too.

Literotica readers have many options, and many have little time to exercise them. Small differences in the attractiveness of title, taglines, and tags can make big differences in views and reads. The more stories I publish the more I see this. What's interesting is how little correlation there is between scores and views. My best-read story in the Exhibitionism category is my lowest-rated story in that category, but I think its title grabs readers more effectively than the higher scores of other stories.

I track view data, too, along with comments, favorites, votes, scores, etc., on spreadsheets. I may someday give up doing so when the number of stories gets too large, but I'm not there yet.
Click to expand...

I used to do a lot with e-bay. I started selling comics and collectible on there back in the late 90's back when people were actually paying top dollar because the market wasn't flooded yet. Then of course when I had the comic shop I did it all day long in between customers.

Why that's relevant here is that I always used to say the only consistent thing about e-bay was it was consistently inconsistent. You could list the same item at the same time as someone else for the same price, but there would be a huge difference it what they sold for.

Variables like day listed time listed, price started buy it now vs auction, what was hot and when, who was looking, could you get lucky and get people into a bidding war etc...I could list the same comic five times with five vastly different ending prices...

Same here. There are formulas so to speak to hit the sweet spots in each genre, there are some tricks-especially in contests-to try to get optimum results, but at the end of the day...every story is still a crap shoot. I learned that a few years back and haven't paid much attention since.

I know I have good numbers here, but also know it means as much as bad numbers as in not a whole hell of a lot.
 
SimonDoom said:
I think I agree with EB. Tags may make a difference, but it seems likely that something else is at work if the difference between the two stories appeared from the beginning. One story has a more positive and attractive title than the other. The Favor also has a more appealing tagline. I think that has an impact, too.

Literotica readers have many options, and many have little time to exercise them. Small differences in the attractiveness of title, taglines, and tags can make big differences in views and reads. The more stories I publish the more I see this. What's interesting is how little correlation there is between scores and views. My best-read story in the Exhibitionism category is my lowest-rated story in that category, but I think its title grabs readers more effectively than the higher scores of other stories.

I track view data, too, along with comments, favorites, votes, scores, etc., on spreadsheets. I may someday give up doing so when the number of stories gets too large, but I'm not there yet.
Click to expand...

Also not to be discounted, The Favor posted at 1 am EST on a Sunday, and Derelict posted at 1 am on a Monday. I'm positive that made a difference too.

The difference between titles and descriptions is tough to gauge though. The only time a reader would be presented with these two stories side by side to pick one over the other would be from my author oage, and I don't think I have that kind of traffic.

That being said, it is pure conjecture. All i am suggesting is that tags could be a much more important factor than I had thought.
 
KeithD said:
For the record, you were being intentionally nasty. Any time you'd like to compare our writing talent with an impartial jury, I'm game. I just never have been snide about your writing. I haven't read any of it, which I'm sure is no different from you having read mine and having the actual ability to compare it to yours. I'm game because I have no hangups about my writing. It is what it is and it makes money.
Click to expand...

There's no such thing as an impartial jury. Everyone has their likes and dislikes and brings that to anything they're supposed to be judging objectively. Ten people could read any story of yours and you'd get ten opinions ranging from it sucks to holy shit that was good.

Comparing two authors is apples and oranges and ultimately useless. Especially here where we're currently discussing how useless numbers here are.
 
KeithD said:
The most reliable statistic I can put to this is that this probably helps explain why those obsessed with how their stories are doing at Literotica have fewer than a hundred stories posted here and I have, in combined accounts, well over a thousand. When I'm done writing one, I just move on to writing the next one. The relative reception of stories on Literotica is a mostly meaningless and manipulatable crap shoot.
Click to expand...
You remind me of the kid that, after I've given a talk for ten minutes and have asked for questions, raises his hand and when called on says, "I can belch louder than Caleb."
 
lovecraft68 said:
Comparing two authors is apples and oranges and ultimately useless. Especially here where we're currently discussing how useless numbers here are.
Click to expand...
And letting folk indulge their self-indulgences and curiosity about shit, without giving them a hard time for doing so. It was a civilised discussion until the usual fish rose to the surface with Predictable Response 101.

We know the numbers mean fuck all, we know which writers think they're god, we know all of this shit, but it's like that old Cyndi Lauper song, some of us just want to have fun. Without grumble-fucks looking down their noses, because that's what this thread, unfortunately, has turned into.

Just let us play in the sandpit, yeah? We know it's the same set of Tonka Toys, but sometimes building little villages is harmless, but fun.

If folk don't want to play nicely, don't play. It's not hard. Do what I do, draft a reply but don't hit the submit key. Like I should have done here, but fukkit, "Submit Reply."
 
lovecraft68 said:
There's no such thing as an impartial jury. Everyone has their likes and dislikes and brings that to anything they're supposed to be judging objectively. Ten people could read any story of yours and you'd get ten opinions ranging from it sucks to holy shit that was good.

Comparing two authors is apples and oranges and ultimately useless. Especially here where we're currently discussing how useless numbers here are.
Click to expand...

There is such a thing as blind contest assessment and judges trained in doing these comparisons. Not at Literotica, of course.
 
8letters said:
You remind me of the kid that, after I've given a talk for ten minutes and have asked for questions, raises his hand and when called on says, "I can belch louder than Caleb."
Click to expand...

And you remind me of snotty nosed Sammy, who stands in the second rank at the playground and throws out "yeah that's right" to the bullies in the front row he wishes to be buddies with but is too cowardly to initiate his own lines of attack from.
 
AwkwardMD said:
Citation please.
Click to expand...

Sure, post 44 of this thread, an arrogant, nasty, and uncalled-for two-for-one put down of the story qualities (not how they choose to use their time) of fellow authors on this Web site. This took an attack beyond the parameters of the thread discussion to the relative quality of story content and writing ability.
 
Last edited:
I think everybody needs a timeout. Let's forget the last few posts to this thread and get back to the point of the thread itself. 8Letters did a lot of work and it's worth noodling over (IMO).

I did a search of the same categories that 8Letters reviewed. Using the Lit search feature, I obtained the numbers for all stories in each of the categories over the last year, and then obtained the numbers for the stories with scores of 4.5 or above over the last year in the same categories. The numbers pretty closely track those 8Letters came up with, especially in categories with many stories. I noticed a slight overall upward trend in the view:vote ratio over time, which might reflect readers reading stories more than once. I have noticed that trend for my stories as well.
 
This thread has certainly headed for the dumpster.

Aside from tags, the "Similar Stories" and "Recommended for You" sidebars also give readers access to other stories. There may be others.

One of my stories receives regular traffic (well, maybe until very recently) and the most likely reason I can think of is that it may appear in those side bars. It's in Romance, the tags are pretty obscure and not very provocative, but the views keep coming in at 4-5 times the average for my stories.

I have no idea how the site decides what stories get promoted in those side bars.
 
electricblue66 said:
And letting folk indulge their self-indulgences and curiosity about shit, without giving them a hard time for doing so. It was a civilised discussion until the usual fish rose to the surface with Predictable Response 101.

We know the numbers mean fuck all,
Click to expand...

I assert that observing that statistics available at a wide-open site like Literotica are pretty much meaningless and a waste of effort that could go to writing is a legitmate aspect of this thread discussion--and something that users jolly well should hear and take into consideration. And if everyone here knew "the numbers mean fuck all" there wouldn't be threads like this. Who do you think you're fooling?
 
electricblue66 said:
And letting folk indulge their self-indulgences and curiosity about shit, without giving them a hard time for doing so. It was a civilised discussion until the usual fish rose to the surface with Predictable Response 101.

We know the numbers mean fuck all, we know which writers think they're god, we know all of this shit, but it's like that old Cyndi Lauper song, some of us just want to have fun. Without grumble-fucks looking down their noses, because that's what this thread, unfortunately, has turned into.

Just let us play in the sandpit, yeah? We know it's the same set of Tonka Toys, but sometimes building little villages is harmless, but fun.

If folk don't want to play nicely, don't play. It's not hard. Do what I do, draft a reply but don't hit the submit key. Like I should have done here, but fukkit, "Submit Reply."
Click to expand...

The reason I always reply to these things in the manner that I do is because a lot of new authors come here and its not good for them to get obsessed with statistics rather than just writing to write and not getting caught up in scores views votes etc...

So while you're yapping that I'm some kind of an asshole I'm actually trying to encourage creative writing, not pandering for the best results or worse, getting discouraged because maybe they're not hitting those numbers.

In other words...I'm encouraging writing for the sake of writing. Shame on me.

Oh, shit, did I draft that, or say it?
 
KeithD said:
There is such a thing as blind contest assessment and judges trained in doing these comparisons. Not at Literotica, of course.
Click to expand...

Seeing we're on lit, that's pretty much what I was talking about.

To me, part of writing is being comfortable in what you do and not trying to be something you're not. I know I'm a good story teller, but lack a bit technically. I probably wouldn't win any 'real contests' but I have fun and found people who like me enough to make me some money every month and that's enough for me.
 
NotWise said:
This thread has certainly headed for the dumpster.

Aside from tags, the "Similar Stories" and "Recommended for You" sidebars also give readers access to other stories. There may be others.

One of my stories receives regular traffic (well, maybe until very recently) and the most likely reason I can think of is that it may appear in those side bars. It's in Romance, the tags are pretty obscure and not very provocative, but the views keep coming in at 4-5 times the average for my stories.

I have no idea how the site decides what stories get promoted in those side bars.
Click to expand...

Have the recommended for you side bars gotten better? I haven't looked in a long time they used to be whacked out showing me things I'd never read and seemingly not based on what I tended to read.
 
lovecraft68 said:
Have the recommended for you side bars gotten better? I haven't looked in a long time they used to be whacked out showing me things I'd never read and seemingly not based on what I tended to read.
Click to expand...

As near as I can tell, they're no better than they have been. The only way I know that is by reading stories on the list, so as far as gaining views goes it still works.
 
NotWise said:
I have no idea how the site decides what stories get promoted in those side bars.
Click to expand...

I assume it does so by looking at whether those stories have been favorited by the same readers, or, if not that, if they have tags in common. But the former seems more likely. If you click on stories that have been recommended, they tend to be stories that have many favorites, which supports my first hypothesis.
 
lovecraft68 said:
His writing seems almost universally hated here(its easy to see why, its extremely racist and sexist) he gets bombed 24/7 and trolled, but he plugs along. This is really a guy writing for himself. The polar opposite of what you see in discussions like this.
Click to expand...

Yup. On this site, he is probably the writer I envy most, for exactly that reason. His style isn't my style but I wish I had that self-sufficiency.

KeithD said:
No I didn't. I pretty directly said that you spend more time obsessing about your insecurities about the reception of your writing on a Web site that has a hundred different reasons for why reader assessment is worthless than actually writing.
Click to expand...

I'm sure there are some folk who scrutinise their story stats out of insecurity, but it's not the only reason people do it.

I have plenty of insecurities, and some of them are related to writing, in one way or another. But far above that, I'm one of those people who wants to know How Systems Work, especially big complicated messy systems like this one, and that is the reason I keep a spreadsheet on this stuff.

Yes, story stats are difficult to interpret, for all the reasons we've discussed ad nauseam. But that just makes it a more interesting challenge.
 
RubenR said:
No matter how the scores are formed and what they represent, to some extent, they do matter.
:
I write for my own satisfaction, and I won't deny that part of the satisfaction comes from knowing that people are reading and appreciating my work. In particular, I care for 'Comments', but also the 'red H' and 'Likes' are very much appreciated. But then I'm talking about people reading the stories that I like to write; stories I feel good about; that I've tried to put my heart in...If it isn't a story that I put my heart in, it is true that numbers don't mean a thing to me.
Click to expand...
:thumbs up:

I want to get better as a writer, but it's hard from me just reading my stories to judge if I'm getting better. Statistics like rating, views, favorites and comments give me at least a feeling for how I'm doing.
 
I'm working hard to get a 50+K word story finalized and submitted. It's going to be five chapters and I want them published next Monday through Friday. That's where my free time is going to go, so I don't know when I'll have time to generate the posts on stand-alone stories.
 
8letters said:
I'm working hard to get a 50+K word story finalized and submitted. It's going to be five chapters and I want them published next Monday through Friday. That's where my free time is going to go, so I don't know when I'll have time to generate the posts on stand-alone stories.
Click to expand...

Be careful submitting them one day after the other, as in make sure the previous chapter posts. Occasionally odd things can happen and chapter two could get bogged down in submissions, but three goes right on through
 
RubenR said:
No matter how the scores are formed and what they represent, to some extent, they do matter.

Especially new writers being unlucky enough to have their story starting with a number of 1* bombs are screwed, as their chances of getting high reads are extremely reduced. I have seen it before. Once a swipe removes those votes and the score goes up, it may eventually pick up the same attention other stories get, but only if it hasn't moved away from the 'new stories' list. I've seen stories of, I guess, relatively unknown writers receiving a single 1* vote at the beginning and after that, those stories got very few reads and not a single vote for the first few days. but after someone else gave it a 5, it was obvious that suddenly other readers also picked it up and treated it the way it deserved.

I write for my own satisfaction, and I won't deny that part of the satisfaction comes from knowing that people are reading and appreciating my work. In particular, I care for 'Comments', but also the 'red H' and 'Likes' are very much appreciated. But then I'm talking about people reading the stories that I like to write; stories I feel good about; that I've tried to put my heart in. I also know that, if you want high reads, there are a number of categories where, even when bombed below zero, the reads will be higher than any of stories I have put up so far, but it's not that I aim for numbers. If it isn't a story that I put my heart in, it is true that numbers don't mean a thing to me.

For me, scores matter, as I still believe they generate views. And therefore I do think it can be interesting to know what affects those scores (and number of reads). It's not like I'm planning to adjust my writing to obtain higher scores, but if side-factors like key-words do have an affect, I might consider putting more effort in selecting them. Constant production might have an effect (could go both ways, I assume) but I don't have the time, skills or discipline to write several stories a month. Not intended to be snarling, but that's also not the kind of numbers that I'm aiming for. It wouldn't be realistic too, I think. Each his/her own, I guess.
Click to expand...

The problem is once you've been around awhile and see the way things work here, as in the trolls, the cheerleaders etc...the numbers mean less and less.

I can fall out of bed and get a Red H. Not because I'm that good, but because I've been here for several years and have had some success and a big fan base. I could write a meh story and many people will give it a 5 even if its not that good because its "LC!" and they like my other stuff.
 
lovecraft68 said:
Be careful submitting them one day after the other, as in make sure the previous chapter posts. Occasionally odd things can happen and chapter two could get bogged down in submissions, but three goes right on through
Click to expand...
You can also submit all chapters at the same time and ask Laurel to schedule the release. I did that for my latest, and each chapter went out every 24 hours - she did let two chapters out at the same time, but the rest went live with a midnight server refresh, someplace US time.
 
electricblue66 said:
You can also submit all chapters at the same time and ask Laurel to schedule the release. I did that for my latest, and each chapter went out every 24 hours - she did let two chapters out at the same time, but the rest went live with a midnight server refresh, someplace US time.
Click to expand...

Its been awhile since I thought on what might max views etc, but wondering if you'd get better results numbers wise if you spread the chapters a week apart rather than put the entire thing out in a week? I'd think you'd get more bang out of each one with some space between.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

EmilyMiller
Using my 750 word stories as a proxy for the popularity of Lit categories
2 3
Replies
51
Views
893
Bazzle
B
8letters
8L Stats - Average vote by category
Replies
4
Views
292
HeyAll
H
8letters
My experience with republishing stories, some after rewriting
Replies
13
Views
358
8letters
8letters
mirafrida
Anecdata, or, a tale of two stories
2
Replies
27
Views
558
pink_silk_glove
pink_silk_glove
8letters
8L Stats - Vote Distribution of Single Votes By Category
Replies
0
Views
188
8letters
8letters
Back
Top