Literotica stats and how they're useful

[TheRedLantern]

There's an interesting thread about automatically downloading the Lit stats and looking at that data over time. If you're at all technical, it's a great discussion.

To those people plus everyone else who looks at the Lit stats and tracks them for your stories (even if just mentally watching how they change over time), what value have you gotten from this information? How has it informed your decision making? Or are the numbers motivating to you because you know that people are reading what you're writing?

(If you never downloaded the stats, it's just a simple spreadsheet with the following fields:

Name,Category,"Date Published",Rate,"View count","Votes count",Comments,Favorites,"Reading lists"

where those last six columns are all numeric. Quotes look like they're used to specify a column name with a space in it, which is normal)

 

[Writer61]

Good question.

I do track my stats; initially, it was to see which stories did well and which didn't, with the aim of improvement.

Now, with 25 published, the results are pretty consistent (all bar one in the range 4.4 to 4.8, average 4.6). Of course, I still want to improve, which is why I have kept doing it.

If I were getting worse scores, then I might give up.

 

[BobbyBrandt]

I have had a routine for several years where I manually download my stats every Thursday and move that CSV file into a new tab on an existing Excel spreadsheet. I have other tabs on this "master" spreadsheet that allow me to analyze the data whenever a whim strikes me, things like tracking views per day or view-to-vote ratios.

I don't publish here that often so comparing the data weekly is more than sufficient for me. The stats for my stories don't change that much over time to check them more often, or fret about setting up for an automatic capture of the data. I can understand someone with a new story being interested in tracking its progress for the first few days, or even weeks, but after that, things tend to settle down.

 

[ElectricBlue]

There's an interesting thread about automatically downloading the Lit stats and looking at that data over time. If you're at all technical, it's a great discussion.

To those people plus everyone else who looks at the Lit stats and tracks them for your stories (even if just mentally watching how they change over time), what value have you gotten from this information? How has it informed your decision making? Or are the numbers motivating to you because you know that people are reading what you're writing?

My only frame of reference is me against my own stories, getting some idea of how readers perceive my work, relative to the rest of my catalogue. There are too many variables from one category to another, so comparing scores from one category to any other is meaningless - I've written in a lot of categories. Similarly, I don't compare my scores to anyone else's, because those are their stories, not mine.

Do I take anything away from it all? Not really. I know which are my best stories, and generally readers agree. There are a small handful where I think, Philistines, what would you know? But there are always readers who "get" those stories, so I'm happy with that.

 

[Bamagan]

There's an interesting thread about automatically downloading the Lit stats and looking at that data over time. If you're at all technical, it's a great discussion.

To those people plus everyone else who looks at the Lit stats and tracks them for your stories (even if just mentally watching how they change over time), what value have you gotten from this information? How has it informed your decision making? Or are the numbers motivating to you because you know that people are reading what you're writing?

(If you never downloaded the stats, it's just a simple spreadsheet with the following fields:

Name,Category,"Date Published",Rate,"View count","Votes count",Comments,Favorites,"Reading lists"

where those last six columns are all numeric. Quotes look like they're used to specify a column name with a space in it, which is normal)

I used to download it roughly weekly, but I'm not sure I ever got value from it, if by that you mean any insight on audiences based on numerical data. At least, no insight without a hefty dollop of inference and/or confirmation bias.


(from xkcd.com)

I suppose I got some value in terms of satisfaction, because I like datasets. It also provided me with some curiosities, like a two-part story where the second part actually out-performed the first chapter (albeit by only 150ish votes on any given day), contrary to the usual drop-off of about 50-75% of the views as the opener. But I can't spend that.

 

[Cagivagurl]

I have looked at the data, but. Not something I consider.
If I was trying to build something, then yes they could be useful.
Me, I'm an amateur sentence mangler, who gets enjoyment from writing.
If what I produce is unpopular, so be it.
writing for fun takes aay all those stresses. Do people like it? will they favourite it, will they give it five stars or one...
These are things that concern me not...
Fun is my goal...

Cagivagurl

 

[THBGato]

I can say that my stats haven't affected what I write or how. I think I look at stats the same way I might once have looked at essay scores at uni - for a sense of satisfaction or what-might-have-been - but, just like with the essays, it's the comments that really count in terms of influencing my writing.

 

[iwatchus]

I admit I crave the external validation of the ratings — I’m sure this is not a surprise to anyone who reads these forums. But I promise to not whine about that here (and you don’t need to wonder where my first FMC got her whininess)

I am surprised at the divergence between rating favorites and the number of comments. S lot of it is category. Some categories comment a lot and some favorite a lot, largely together. E&V, which is still my most common category, tends to be low in both (at least for me). My second highest rated story (4.95) is I think my only story with no favorites and one of the few with no comments. On the other hand. My lowest rated non-LW story (also E&V) (4.43) has among the most of both, and the comments are overwhelmingly positive.

I don’t understand either of those cases, TBH.

 

[NotWise]

I've followed some stats for a long time. I started when I posted a story to the wrong category, didn't understand the readers' response, and started jotting the votes down on a legal pad. I filled most of the legal pad and moved everything to spreadsheets, then I automated the process and put everything in a database.

I do it to calm my nerves. I don't like unknowns, and tracking the stats gives me ways to answer my questions.

One of my biggest questions was, "What is the statistical distribution of votes?" To answer that, you need to record every vote and have a dependable way of breaking down groups of votes.

Quick answer: The votes are geometrically distributed.

Next question: Why?

 

[ThatNewGuy]

Stats are useful to me mostly as a general reminder that people are reading what I've created and connecting with it in some way. That's all I wanted when I started posting here, and it's still my main motivation.

@StillStunned said it well in the opening post of the "A place to discuss the craft of writing thread":

for at least a short space of time your words and imagination have lived in other people's minds. You've occupied their head, they've occupied your world. You're a writer, you've lived the craft.

 

[StillStunned]

@StillStunned said it well in the opening post of the "A place to discuss the craft of writing thread":

Wait, people actually read what I write here? That might be more responsibility than I'm comfortable with...

 

[ThatNewGuy]

Wait, people actually read what I write here? That might be more responsibility than I'm comfortable with...

If it's any consolation, I tune you out, like, ninety percent of the time.

 

[StillStunned]

If it's any consolation, I tune you out, like, ninety percent of the time.

Thanks, that makes me feel better.
Thanks, that makes me feel better.
Thanks, that makes me feel better.
Thanks, that makes me feel better.
Thanks, that makes me feel better.
Thanks, that makes me feel better.
Thanks, that makes me feel better.
Thanks, that makes me feel better.
Thanks, that makes me feel better.
Thanks, that makes me feel better.

 

[SimonDoom]

I've been tracking my statistics regularly since around April 2017. I have an Excel sheet with numerous tabs that I've used to track numbers.

I'm a somewhat competitive person so I also track the stats of stories by other authors. I follow where my stories rank in terms of views and favorites compared to other stories.

Why? What do I get out of it?

Mostly, I just find data interesting in itself. I'm the sort of person who voraciously consumes statistics concerning the sports I enjoy, like NFL football.

It's motivating, a little. I like having goals.

It also puts things in perspective. The unexpected, and perhaps healthy, result of focusing on the numbers so much is that I don't get upset about them when they aren't what I want. I can focus on the good and ignore the bad. I have a pretty good idea of the various factors, unrelated to quality, that affect scores.

 

[Writer61]

Wait, people actually read what I write here? That might be more responsibility than I'm comfortable with...

That's what the stats are for.

 

[alohadave]

Wait, people actually read what I write here? That might be more responsibility than I'm comfortable with...

No, no readers. It's all just bots. BEEP BOOP

 

[Nynah]

I love statistics but I largely don't pay attention to my own beyond what I can see the the "Works" section of my control panel. I think it's partially because I don't really have a significant body of work at the moment, so perhaps once I finally have more stories under my belt I'll be tempted to download the stats to crunch some numbers.

If Lit had a more robust option to interact with comments that I've received, I'd be more likely to utilize that since I am a corvid in human form and I like shiny things.

 

[alohadave]

I just like playing with the numbers. I don't put a lot of significance into them, but it is interesting to see trends.

 

[ronde]

I've always tracked my scores, mostly so I can get an idea of what readers enjoy reading. I do a little comparing between my stories in different categories, but I don't compare my scores with the scores of other authors.

I've learned a few things I never anticipated.

My oldest stories continue to get reads and votes, not as many as my newer stories, but they're still being read and voted on.
My longer stories tend to score higher than my shorter stories.
It is not necessarily the case as some believe that readers come to Literotica to get off. Apparently some readers just want to read a good story, with or without sex.

 

[filthytrancendence]

I mostly do it because it's calming to update my spreadsheet. I guess it reminds me the readers are out there.

I think the main useful thing I've gleaned is how to adjust expectations by category in terms of views/ratings. Knowing roughly what to expect does level out the peaks and valleys a bit come publishing time.

 

[Britva415]

Whether the conclusions are valid and useful or not, I figure maintaining spreadsheets and using them to tease out stuff which seems like intelligence (insights) is a fun activity all by itself, for some.

Reminds me of how much effort some people put into astrology.

 

[RejectReality]

Once you get over the disappointment of the manipulation, it lets you see what's happening, and to a reasonable degree, how it's happening. When you know what to expect, it doesn't sting as much.

It's also useful for the most important decision you'll make on every completed submission: What category to put it in. The particulars of the story should be the primary criteria for that, but there's times when it comes down to a shrug. There's two or three possibilities that are equally right and wrong. That's when you go with the numbers. Whether that's maximizing your eyeballs, or your score, or the feedback, your stats can inform that.

Notice I said completed submission. Unless it's for a specific challenge, numbers/squicks/trolls shouldn't influence what you write. Let yourself get boxed in, and your creativity dies on the vine. Write the story first as your muse dictates, and figure out where to put it when it's done.

No stat is a mark of quality. At best, they're indicators of popularity.

 

[Bamagan]

Whether the conclusions are valid and useful or not, I figure maintaining spreadsheets and using them to tease out stuff which seems like intelligence (insights) is a fun activity all by itself, for some.

Reminds me of how much effort some people put into astrology.

This is the dawning of the Age of Incestuous, the Age of Incestuous...

 

[7seven777]

Good question.

I do track my stats; initially, it was to see which stories did well and which didn't, with the aim of improvement.

Now, with 25 published, the results are pretty consistent (all bar one in the range 4.4 to 4.8, average 4.6). Of course, I still want to improve, which is why I have kept doing it.

If I were getting worse scores, then I might give up.

Hello,
I think you shouldn't worry about the scores...I'm sure you have written something you thought was good and received low scores. Then, something you thought was okay received high marks. I think it's just who was on....I think we all want to improve, so perhaps consider having a couple of people review your piece? (and don't worry about the scores)

 

[onehitwanda]

since I am a corvid in human form and I like shiny things.

I'm starting to wonder if you and I are related.