Comments to view ratio

[grenefire]

Hi all,

I recently started posting some of my work onto another site and I can't help but notice how many more comments I get there even though the view count is way less than here. For instance, I posted a story there yesterday and it was published this morning. While it only has 834 views, it already has 11 comments. That story is still pending here, so I can't do a 1 for 1 comparison, but I have stories on here with 80k views with barely more than a handful of comments.

Is this anyone else's experience? Why do you think people on this site don't comment as often?

Any thoughts would be appreciated!

 

[alohadave]

Expect about 1-2% .01-.02% comments to views. That's just the way it it here unless you are a particularly popular author or you post in LW.

 

[intim8]

Those other sites might have a better comment system, where you can reply and the person gets notified. Lit kind of discourages comments. You put one in and it goes into a black hole. The author sees it, and possibly later readers, but you'll never hear about it again. Even if authors or subsequent readers respond, you'll never know it unless you go looking at that specific story just in case.

People know their comments won't always get a response, but knowing they might encourages more commenting, and responses can start a conversation (or a flame war). It's my biggest single complaint here.

 

[intim8]

It's my biggest single complaint here.

Though I haven't been falsely dinged for AI yet, so that might change.

 

[EmilyMiller]

Comments to view ratio​

Hiyah

I’m not on any other sites, but here my view to comment ratio is 390.

However, I reply to quite a few comments, so it’s maybe more like 600.

Threading comments and notifying people of responses would be in my top five requests for the site.

Emily

 

[joy_of_cooking]

another site

What other site is this?

(AFAIK there's no rule against naming other sites, as long as you don't link or promote specific stories elsewhere.)

 

[grenefire]

Those other sites might have a better comment system, where you can reply and the person gets notified. Lit kind of discourages comments. You put one in and it goes into a black hole. The author sees it, and possibly later readers, but you'll never hear about it again. Even if authors or subsequent readers respond, you'll never know it unless you go looking at that specific story just in case.

People know their comments won't always get a response, but knowing they might encourages more commenting, and responses can start a conversation (or a flame war). It's my biggest single complaint here.

That is an interesting point. On the other site there is a reply button, and you get notified when people reply to the comment. I think it encourages more commenting and a sense of back and forth feedback.

 

[Rob_Royale]

That is an interesting point. On the other site there is a reply button, and you get notified when people reply to the comment. I think it encourages more commenting and a sense of back and forth feedback.

I'd love to have that here.

 

[intim8]

Lets start a petition.

Then Lauren could hire me to write it.

 

[Djmac1031]

semi on topic:

I find the vast majority of comments come almost immediately, Day One.

after that they drop off considerably.

I think it really just depends; does the reader even know they can comment? Do they even want to? maybe they just don't have anything to say besides "I liked it."

or maybe they had to go wash up after and commenting slipped their mind...

 

[ElectricBlue]

Expect about 1-2% comments to views. That's just the way it it here unless you are a particularly popular author or you post in LW.

That's very high. My rule of thumb over ten years, a million plus words, is one Vote per hundred Views, one Comment per thousand Views. I don't go near LW.

If you're getting one or two comments per hundred Views, you're story is either exceptionally good or diabolically bad, and people are telling you so. Are you sure you've got your percentages right?

 

[MillieDynamite]

I'd ask what this site is, but you can't tell us in public. I've never had that much luck with comments at any sites anywhere, anytime.

 

[ElectricBlue]

I'd ask what this site is, but you can't tell us in public. I've never had that much luck with comments at any sites anywhere, anytime.

Someone can name a site, just not provide a link to it, nor to a story posted to it, nor to promote it. But a casual naming, in passing, is okay.

 

[EmilyMiller]

semi on topic:

I find the vast majority of comments come almost immediately, Day One.

after that they drop off considerably.

I think it really just depends; does the reader even know they can comment? Do they even want to? maybe they just don't have anything to say besides "I liked it."

or maybe they had to go wash up after and commenting slipped their mind...

You’re right, but it’s such a pleasure to have someone “find” an old work and like it enough to comment.

I had the same Anon commenter (they “signed” each comment) go through six of mine this week (or maybe over the weekend) and leave comments building on the previous ones.

Made me

Emily

 

[AwkwardlySet]

For my fantasy stories, I am getting a very high view-to-vote ratio, in the range of 1 vote per 10-30 views. I also get about one comment per 200-300 views on average.

 

[MillieDynamite]

Ah, I see, well, I wonder what this site's name is?

Someone can name a site, just not provide a link to it, nor to a story posted to it, nor to promote it. But a casual naming, in passing, is okay.

 

[TarnishedPenny]

The conventional wisdom, IIRC, is that 1 in 100 readers vote and 1 in 1,000 comment. I suspect that much hinges on category. LW, as noted, brings comments like crazy.

FWIW, in my case, it's about 1:77 and 1:2,000.

 

[alohadave]

That's very high. My rule of thumb over ten years, a million plus words, is one Vote per hundred Views, one Comment per thousand Views. I don't go near LW.

If you're getting one or two comments per hundred Views, you're story is either exceptionally good or diabolically bad, and people are telling you so. Are you sure you've got your percentages right?

You're right. That's my Votes to Views ratio. It's more like .02-.08%, with a couple exceptions.

 

[RejectReality]

I suspect it's Lush. There was always a dramatically higher comment percent there. It's simply part of the culture. ( as it was here years ago ) It's declined a little since the 2.0 version of the site was introduced, but it's still a lot higher than here.

It was also incentivized by badges, and sometimes forced because there was a setting where you could require a comment to vote. ( Last I knew, that wasn't working since the 2.0 change )

 

[SimonDoom]

Expect about 1-2% comments to views. That's just the way it it here unless you are a particularly popular author or you post in LW.

I wish. I don't get anywhere close to that.

 

[MillieDynamite]

Don't like Lush!

I suspect it's Lush. There was always a dramatically higher comment percent there. It's simply part of the culture. ( as it was here years ago ) It's declined a little since the 2.0 version of the site was introduced, but it's still a lot higher than here.

It was also incentivized by badges, and sometimes forced because there was a setting where you could require a comment to vote. ( Last I knew, that wasn't working since the 2.0 change )

 

[grenefire]

Don't like Lush!

They are correct. It is Lush. What don't you like about that site?

 

[ElectricBlue]

For my fantasy stories, I am getting a very high view-to-vote ratio, in the range of 1 vote per 10-30 views. I also get about one comment per 200-300 views on average.

That's a very good response - assuming the comments are all useful .

 

[MillieDynamite]

The English Naza editors who don't allow prologues, epilogues, alt spellings )yestiday and others ( (I did that backasswards because I can here), and other quirks, ticks, and picadillos I fond of.

They are correct. It is Lush. What don't you like about that site?

 

[overwatcher]

That's very high. My rule of thumb over ten years, a million plus words, is one Vote per hundred Views, one Comment per thousand Views. I don't go near LW.

If you're getting one or two comments per hundred Views, you're story is either exceptionally good or diabolically bad, and people are telling you so. Are you sure you've got your percentages right?

EB: 1 comment/1000 views. Is this your personal ratio or the ratio true to Literotica? My latest story has (I think) 1800 views and 6 comments, 1 is as I've explained elsewhere was a little asshattery but ok, the others have been really complimentary. I ask because I've turned comments 'on' for the first time on my stories. I have up to now only turned comments 'on' on author challenge stories and I've only done two of those. I still don't allow voting. One exception to comments being 'off' was my first ever story here, I submitted it under 'Romance' but the moderator reposted under LW. It was a few hours before I realised and ended up deleting close to 100 derogatory comments. The few that weren't deleted remain on that story.