scoring question.

[geronimo_appleby]

i noticed recently -- over the last three or four days -- that a submission of mine was scoring (unusully for me!), quite high at 4.85. this score placed the story 2nd in the top list for the category. now, suddenly the score has dropped significantly.

i'm not bothered by the score per se, i'm curious as to the reason why this event occurred.

in the event of a sweep i would anticipate that there would be more flutuations in score/vote numbers etc of my other submissions, but this did not seem to be the case this time.

could a 1 bomb, or a series of 1's have such an impact? i know that i piss peple off on the threads sometimes, which leads me to suspect some kind of 'revenge' attack. i also nderstand that overzealous voting at the other end of the spectrum would inflate the score, and that during a sweep that anomaly would be adjusted.

i suppose i could always PM laurel or manu, but i'm not overly-concerned as i said and wouldn't really want to bother them with a trivial question.

just wondered if anyone had a theory?

 

[oggbashan]

Most stories close to the top of a particular list don't stay there long.

Part of the problem is readers' perception. If a story is at, or close to the top, they expect something really outstanding.

If the story is good but not great, readers are likely to vote a four, not a five. A series of fours can drop the rating but not as fast as a couple of one bombs.

Og

 

[sr71plt]

When a story gets near the top of any list, others who like to angle to stay near the top of the list themselves bomb it (usually a 3-bomb or two . . . or three now, since 1 bomb attract the sweeper). No reflection on your story; they haven't read it.

 

[damppanties]

Did you happen to notice the number of votes? Usually the story gets on the top lists with about 10 - 12 votes. And then it gets bombed, because of the reasons offered by Og and sr.

 

[epiphany65]

Most stories close to the top of a particular list don't stay there long.

Part of the problem is readers' perception. If a story is at, or close to the top, they expect something really outstanding.

If the story is good but not great, readers are likely to vote a four, not a five. A series of fours can drop the rating but not as fast as a couple of one bombs.

Og

You bring up a good point and it's because of this that I'd love to see the rating system changed to a 1-10 scale. That would make less of a difference between, say, a 4 and a 5 vote and I think would be more fair due to what you mention -- readers'(sometimes fickle) perceptions. If this were changed a red H could then be given to stories with perhaps a 6.5 or 7 rating, rather than a 4.5.

 

[geronimo_appleby]

Did you happen to notice the number of votes? Usually the story gets on the top lists with about 10 - 12 votes. And then it gets bombed, because of the reasons offered by Og and sr.

i didn't notice the number of votes this time. i've spotted that difference in the past -- 50 votes dropping to 45 etc.

You bring up a good point and it's because of this that I'd love to see the rating system changed to a 1-10 scale. That would make less of a difference between, say, a 4 and a 5 vote and I think would be more fair due to what you mention -- readers'(sometimes fickle) perceptions. If this were changed a red H could then be given to stories with perhaps a 6.5 or 7 rating, rather than a 4.5.

interesting idea. i wonder if it's been considered?

thanks to ogg and sr too for the responses. i may not have mentioned it in the past 'cos i'm not an AH regular, but they're two posters whose opinion i respect.

 

[Elianna]

I've experienced something similar. I think it's all dependent on time. Though I eagerly watch as my stories hit the New List, I don't consider the score until it's been posted for a while. You could have 4 wonderful votes in 24 hours but then the next 5 people think your story is just okay. I've gone from incredibly high scores to just average scores in a 3 day time period.

I actually value the comments more than the score. Some of the readers on the site actually offer excellent criticism.

 

[epiphany65]

I actually value the comments more than the score. Some of the readers on the site actually offer excellent criticism.

Yes. I've become more interested in what readers have to say, good or bad, when they take the time to submit Feedback rather than click on a yellow star.

 

[geronimo_appleby]

I've experienced something similar. I think it's all dependent on time. Though I eagerly watch as my stories hit the New List, I don't consider the score until it's been posted for a while. You could have 4 wonderful votes in 24 hours but then the next 5 people think your story is just okay. I've gone from incredibly high scores to just average scores in a 3 day time period.

I actually value the comments more than the score. Some of the readers on the site actually offer excellent criticism.

this piece has been up for quite some time so the initial fluctuations aren't an issue.

Yes. I've become more interested in what readers have to say, good or bad, when they take the time to submit Feedback rather than click on a yellow star.

yep i'd agree that feedback is more important than the score, but my original point was more about why the score dropped so suddenly.

 

[Elianna]

yep i'd agree that feedback is more important than the score, but my original point was more about why the score dropped so suddenly.

Well, I suppose if it's malicious voting, the score will go up after sweeps. I notice the votes swept most dramatically on Monday. I'd check your score then.

 

[TE999]

I have had stories suddenly vault to # 2 or 3 on Top Lists...rattle around for a week or two...then plunge down to #30...overall, the scoring system seems to be riddled with inconsistencies.

As Elianna said earlier, I too am more appreciative of constructive feedback and comments than the overall score.

 

[sr71plt]

I do fine with just the "reads" number. Any time that number goes twice as much as the number I think I could have sold in the print market, I'm satisfied.

 

[slyc_willie]

I do fine with just the "reads" number. Any time that number goes twice as much as the number I think I could have sold in the print market, I'm satisfied.

Now, that's the best philosophy I've heard yet.

 

[Weird Harold]

i didn't notice the number of votes this time. i've spotted that difference in the past -- 50 votes dropping to 45 etc.

What the number of votes does when your score changes says a lot about why the score changed.

If the number of votes goes up and the score goes down, then you've been bombed -- ezpecially if the score goes way down.

On the other hand, if the vote total goes down, you've been swept and if your score goes down, it's because more high votes got swept than low votes.

If you're in the 40 vote range, a one vote will drop your score by about 0.99 for each one vote. so with a 4.85 it would have taken four one votes to drop the H from your story, but only one or two to drop it well down the top list for the category.

With fewer votes, each vote makes a bigger difference and with higher totals less.

 

[Techomancer]

I've had a couple of submissions do a weird crawl thing. I get the initial high votes and then a quick drop to the 200-300 range. After that it can be weeks and they slowly climb back to higher numbers.

I post exclusively in Toys and masturbation cat. Anybody see this in other areas?

 

[geronimo_appleby]

What the number of votes does when your score changes says a lot about why the score changed.

If the number of votes goes up and the score goes down, then you've been bombed -- ezpecially if the score goes way down.

On the other hand, if the vote total goes down, you've been swept and if your score goes down, it's because more high votes got swept than low votes.

If you're in the 40 vote range, a one vote will drop your score by about 0.99 for each one vote. so with a 4.85 it would have taken four one votes to drop the H from your story, but only one or two to drop it well down the top list for the category.

With fewer votes, each vote makes a bigger difference and with higher totals less.

didn't notice the vote count on this one, but the figures you mention are bang on.

so, i could be a 1, or it could be a sweep after being over-inflated.