Weird and Discouraging Voting and Comments

[pervinplainpackage]

My fifth story was just posted sometime last night, in the 7 hours from 12:30 (when the story hadn't been posted) to 7:30 it had accumulated 27 votes...more votes than my other two stories that have been up for a year, and more votes than one story of mine that has been up for 4 years. It has also received the lowest average of any of my stories, by far, though I believe this is the best work I have posted.

Now in the 1 hour since 7:30, it has accumulated 17 more votes, and the average dropped by a full tenth of a point from where it was an hour ago.

Has there been a tremendous upsurge in readership and voting since last year?? And are there now large numbers of people who dislike cuckold stories (even though it says its a cuckold story in the title) so much that they read them anyway just to vote them down and make negative comments in the user comments? Has the character of Literotica changed that much in a year?

I recognize that my stories don't appeal to everyone, but I shared my stories here to make them available to others who might appreciate them. It seems now that there are a large number of people here who really don't like to read anything outside what they consider the norm and they will punish you if you publish anything they don't like. Am I wrong? Maybe I'm just wrong about my story...maybe it does suck...I don't know. All I know is that I thought this was a place where we could all share sexual fantasy stories. Discouraging.

 

[pervinplainpackage]

Odd, now it seems that there is a battle between site administrators and someone who is spamming the voting. The vote number goes down (admins taking out false votes?), and the average score goes up, then the vote number goes back up and the average score goes down (hater with an agenda?). Looks like it may be one hater with nothing better to do and not a systematic issue across the community.

I guess I just have to be less anal retentive about the voting. All I intended was to check to see if the story had been posted....

 

[wife2hotblk]

I don't know about cuckold stories, but I write a lot of interracial ones. I have had the same type of abusive voting and comments. It finally became so bad that I no longer allow public or anonymous comments. Since that it has gotten much better.

Like you, I simply don't understand why people bother to read and make ignorant, rude comments in categories they do not like. If you think that a white woman loving and marrying a black man makes her a traitor to her race, seems simple to not read the Interracial Love stories. Did someone stand there with a gun and make you read it? Isn't that why they made the back button? Lord knows I use it if I don't like a story.

Funny thing is that I am in the Survivor contest, which is forcing me to try genres I might never do otherwise. My skin got considerably tougher on the day that two of my stories were posted at the same time. One was about an average white couple experimenting lovingly with anal sex. The other was about a mature white divorcee who has sex with one of black young men on her son's football team. I received two feedbacks the next morning, both praising my works, one for each story. But after reading the comments, I wondered if either of those reaaders would have the same high opinion of my writing skills if they had read the other story instead?

These days...I write for me. I know I have some people that love what I write and I always try to let them know how much I appreciate their feedback. But if I read a nasty comment these days, I have learned to do the same thing as what I would tell someone to do if they don't like my stories...hit the back button and go on to something else.

 

[ericahope]

I've had similar issues with a story I wrote that includes a husband and wife engaging in sex with another two couples. With in 24 hours of it being posted I got few negative comments and low ratings. They weren't complaining about a poor plot, bad writing, or lack of eroticism. Their main complaint seemed to be that my characters were sleeping with people outside their marriage. I don't understand it. If you don't like those stories, don't read them.

After a couple days though I got more positive comments and ratings improved.

For some reason, it appears to be there are people who sift through the new stories that are posted and look for reasons to criticize them. I think those people need a life. If there are legitimate gripes with the writing then I'm all for hearing them. But don't criticize the actions of my characters.

 

[elfin_odalisque]

Hi PinPP,

The Loving Wives battleground splits between the cuckolds and wrath of God males. I think it's funny because the writers on both sides of the divide are dealing with wives who play away. It's just the cuckold writers get honesty and a chance to join the fun whilst the 'fundamentalists' get cheating, divorce and misery.

Seriously, there is little point leaving comments on as the genre is so polarized. Putting a cuckold disclaimer just attracts people who don't want to critique your writing but have a moral crusade to pursue.

I liked your writing.

 

[evanslily]

Has there been a tremendous upsurge in readership and voting since last year??

I don't know if there's been an upsurge in readership, but there's certainly been a change in voting in the last year. I think it has something to do with putting descriptors on the one to five stars system. More people are clicking on those lovely yellow stars, definitely.

There's a general consensus that scores overall are a little lower than they used to be, with people who really like your story voting 4 rather than 5 - again thanks to the descriptors changing. After all, a 4 is Really like it - good read and a 5 is Loved it - one of the best!

But as for the rest, I think Elfin's probably right - putting the cuckold description in the heading probably attracted the very people to read your story (and write negative comments) that you were trying to dissuade. Loving Wives is a tough category from that point of view. Take heart from the constructive comments, and try to ignore the ones from assholes...

 

[sr71plt]

You don't say what categories your five stories have been in. If different categories, they naturally will see different voting patterns that have nothing to do with anything other than the category. If the one you mention is in Loving Wives (which seems likely) and the others aren't, there's much of your explanation. Also, as has already been noted, the voting dynamics here aren't the same as they were two and four years ago. The dynamic/brutal/nonsensical voting/comment nature of the Loving Wives category is mentioned almost daily on this forum.

 

[pervinplainpackage]

Thanks for the feedback and the explanation. I do tend to write "Loving Wives" stories. Mainly because I really am interested in the sexual dynamics of marriage. I write about issues of control, because marriage is, at its root and across all societies and religions, concerned about two (or more) people entering into a socially recognized relationship of sexual control.

The human biological and emotional imperative is for both men and women to seek faithful partners, and to use commonly accessible social signals, like rings and public ceremonies, to indicate that their partner is no longer sexually available to others.

Twisting this fundamental emotional, social and sexual insitution of marriage around in fantasy stories is equivalent to crashing a simulated automobile in a video game. In the real world you get hurt if you do the same thing. In the fantasy world, the more realistic the game, the more fun crashing the car becomes.... In the fictional world, the more realistic the marriage, the more interesting (and erotic, at least for me) it becomes to say "okay, leave every other aspect of the marriage the same, but change this one setting all the way to the other end of the scale and let's see what happens."

Reading some of the bizarre and even violent comments I'm getting, mostly anonymous, I think there's a community of intolerant people (men) who frequent this category and seem to think that these works of erotic fiction are chronicles of real life, or the moral equivalent of sacred canons telling people how they should be living their lives. they so much miss the point....

The stories that I published that were better rated were in Fetish and Non-Consent. Maybe I'll go back and finish that series (I got waylaid by this latest story) because the readers seem to have a better grip on reality and a better tolerance of fantasy.

 

[pervinplainpackage]

Is there any way to take a story down and repost it in a different category?

 

[sr71plt]

You could send a PM to Laurel requesting that. But the adminsitrators post stories where they think they fit. When you identify a category, it's only taken as a suggestion. If your story fits best in Loving Wives in the view of the adminstrators, that's where it will go.

I really doubt it's mainly men who are posting those comments. Most men don't bother to comment at all, I think--or think that hard about the moral issues involved.

 

[michchick98]

Is there any way to take a story down and repost it in a different category?

The one time I had to have a story moved to another category, I simply submitted again with - EDITED after the title (Example: Story Title - EDITED), then in the Notes field, I put in the request for category change. It took about the same length of time for it to appear in the new category that it did to initially post.

 

[josieslut]

there are some HATERS out there

I happen to be the new hot poster to the audio section...that's a little tootin' my own horn, but I get SO MUCH positive feedback from so many people, and all but one of my audios have "H"s *does happy dance* But...

I've had some very just outright NASTY comments on my audio stories, and I think they're from one particular person...who trolls around my stories to write nasty comments to me on my board. And I don't mean 'sexy' nasty. I mean just comments like, "stick to your job at Wal-Mart" and "you must be fat." And of course, all posted anonymously so I can't tell this person off. I don't like to delete comments because I think it's disingenuous, but it really does hurt my feelings! And they seem to be specifically targeting me and not the other audio submitters.

I wouldn't mind someone saying, "I think that you need to moan more" or, ""You weren't descriptive enough," or something like that. But outright nasty comments like that or "You're sick," as a comment to a 'daddy' story (in the title!) just seems really rude. I don't know why it bothers me, but it does! I pride myself in quality work and the responses/comments that my stories illicit.

Just wanted to vent!

 

[rivertown_rat]

I've seen similar patterns in my LW submissions. The rating starts low, around 3, but then usually goes up over time. Most of my stories are around 3.9 - 4.3, however I just got my first one over 4.5 just yesterday (yea). What I'd really like to see is a simple histogram that shows how many votes I've received in each rating catatgory. That way if there are some social throw-backs out there voting 1 on everything just to try to discourage me, I'll be able to see that. I suspect that on all my stories I have a grouping at 1, a larger grouping at 5, and a lot in 4, with few in 2 and 3. That would explain the what I've seen for ratings, but it's just a guess of course.

 

[Tormenter]

I don't feel so alone

I have put up 9 short stories about a clinic.
Those in charge 'rehabilitate' the clients in a 'Non-consenting/Reluctant' manner.
Therefore the stories are in the Non-consent / Reluctant area.

Even so, I have received a couple of comments from two different people (on different stories).
Something to the effect that; It must take a sick mind to create this crap.
(Incidental, it is almost the same comment on both stories.)

Usually I just delete the unpleasant comments.
None the less, it is annoying to have people post obnoxious statements anonymously.

Perhaps they not have the courage of their convictions to post stuff under their nic.

In a similar vein, my wife and I attended a popular sex toy show.
There were many people there, some were in costume.
Some even stripped off their tops and went with a spray paint top!
It was all in good fun and after all, that is why we went.

Except there was this woman who was 'properly outraged' at this.
My question to her is the same as to these negative posters.

What do you get out of this?

 

[Auryman]

This has be an incredibly helpful thread for me to read. I'm pretty much brand new, posted a story in BDSM that included the tags "slavery" and "humiliation" and got a comment "this sounds like it's going to be about rape and only sick minds go for that kind of thing". Being that this was my first bit of feedback, I was kinda floored.

Sounds like this is not unusual tho: someone reads a story they know they're not going to like then knocks it. I concur with a lot of what's been said here: if you know you're not going to like this kind of thing don't read it.

I'm curious how many of you are considering not allowing comments? I really want feedback about the stories (everyone likes a pat now and then) but I really thing I'll get better feedback on the actual writing (pacing, characterizations, plot, etc) in these forums where we at least know who we're talking to and have some common goals...becoming better writers.

 

[sr71plt]

Sounds like this is not unusual tho: someone reads a story they know they're not going to like then knocks it. I concur with a lot of what's been said here: if you know you're not going to like this kind of thing don't read it.

I'm curious how many of you are considering not allowing comments? I really want feedback about the stories (everyone likes a pat now and then) but I really thing I'll get better feedback on the actual writing (pacing, characterizations, plot, etc) in these forums where we at least know who we're talking to and have some common goals...becoming better writers.

Ah, but they don't even have to read the story to pass judgment on it and slam it/you.

I haven't thought of not allowing comments. Any I don't think fair or are just there to attack, I delete. Other than that, even on the favorable comments, it's just one opinion and has no control over me that I don't allow it to have.

 

[driphoney]

I'm new too! So far, I've been told I'm thick and I need to learn 'grammer'. I also got a private feedback telling me I (concerning ch. 4) how boring my story is. Well, I had that fear too, but his really bad typing and the zzzzzzzzzz that followed were really kinda funny, ya know? Maybe I should write more boring stories just for the funny feedback.

But, at least for now, the good has FAR outweighed the bad. As a matter of fact, I got a green E and lots of really great feedback (except the part about needing to learn 'grammer'), that I wouldn't have gotten. The comments have been a counterweight to my incredibly sucky ratings on that short stroker I thought people would like and I liked very much!

Actually, that goes also for the chapters of my longer story. Sometimes my ratings have been all over the place and my two red H's are hanging on by a thread, so the few comments I've gotten have been a balm to my insecurities as a writer.

I think you learn to just grit your teeth over the comments that anger you, and you genuinely laugh at some of them. I mean, like, in the one that said I was 'thick', well, the opening line cracked me up! It goes something like, "Well, you've really done it this time!" This time?? As compared to ...? It's a first story.

Don't be afraid, we all have to jump in sometime ... or always wonder.

 

[emap]

Just keep in mind the internet is anonymous, as in whatever someone says usually can't turn around and bite them on the hiney. So because of that, people can and for the most do, be as nasty and snarky as they possibly can, just because there's no danger to their person.

I'm sure football stars get emails about hwo if they were in such and such a town they would get their butt kicked because they play for this team and not that team. The senders would never actually attempt to kick said football players butt, mostly because they are actually scrawny little white guys.

Well probably, it seems the most vehement naysayers are people who would get their butt kicked by 90 year old grandma's, with or without a pan.

Anyway, 90% of the readers don't leave feedback, out of the 10% who do, 90% of those are unhappy because your story did not fit into their criteria for stroke happiness, the rest actually think your story was great or needed editor help of some sort.

Of course this changes if your doing a loving wife or nonceonsent story, 90% never leave feedback, some may vote most don't, out of the 10% who do leave feedback 50% are unhappy or happy because your story did or did not fit their criteria, the other 50% are unhappy because they got off on what you put and feel upset they got off so lash out at you the writer for giving them something they enjoyed. It's pretty rare for someone who did not read your story and enjoy it to leave feedback.

So it's best to do what I do, read the feedback, take the comments about the wording and pace to mind and see if there would be a better way to do those. The rest, read and laugh because all they are is someone being unhappy they got off on your story.

Try doing a nonconsent with alot of partners, you get amusing comments, I got twice and they all died of AIDS comments on mine.

 

[LOAnnie2]

One of the things I find, and I hear often is that there are people who will vote down stories in categories they don't like for no real aparent reason. I.E. Someone who doesn't like incest voting all the incest stories as 1s

 

[Tormenter]

Needed Oral

The other thing I have to laugh about (because it's just too weird) is the anonymous poster who told me my female protagonist 'needed oral'.

Needed oral????

Are you serious...I mean...I wrote this stuff...I MADE IT UP.

L.O.L.!

 

[MiliktheRed]

I've had my 3rd story posted in the last 10 days and I have had thousands of views on each one. The first has over fifty votes and the last already has 17 after one day. Strangly, there was only two public comments left on the first and none at all since on any of them.
Most of the voting is between 4 and 5 so I must assume people are enjoying them, but I would like some feed back to know where I need to improve.
The stories, Kelly's Passion, are an examination of various tastes in human sexuality. The first 3 are Erotic couplings, first time , and reluctance, non-consent. I'm including some links if anyone would like to give me an opinion.
http://www.literotica.com/stories/showstory.php?id=410613 Chapter 1
http://www.literotica.com/stories/showstory.php?id=411262 Chapter 2
http://www.literotica.com/stories/showstory.php?id=411828 Chapter 3
Regardles of the feed back, If people are enjoying my work, I'll continue to post. Just the number of views I'm getting make it worth it.

 

[stevieraygovan]

I've gotten to the point where I may remove the ability for people to vote on my stories. I know to a certainty that some people aren't even reading them before they drop a vote on them, so why let them vote?

At this point the votes just seem to reflect the ability (or lack thereof) of the many to overcome the view of the few.

The other night a four page story of mine became available on the site at 9:02pm. By 9:06pm it had already received four 0 scores. Not even Evelyn Wood could get through one of my four pagers and vote on it in only four minutes. Somehow though, four people already posted 0 scores. Then the real votes began to filter in, hours later.

Along the way, all my other stories instantly took a hit too, just an hour or so after my story was posted.

I'm pretty sure some people simply have me bookmarked and when a new story of mine appears they receive a notification and they simply click on the story, hit it with a 0 and then go back to writing nasty comments to whatever "Loving Wives" story which is currently inciting them to riot.

ElfinOdalisque made an excellent point earlier, about how futile it is to try to include a disclaimer content warning at the beginning of a story. She's right, doing so will only serve the opposite purpose. Rather than simply accept the warming and move on these people will now be alerted to the fact that here's a story to crap on.

Man, some people really need to get a life.

 

[sr71plt]

I've gotten to the point where I may remove the ability for people to vote on my stories. I know to a certainty that some people aren't even reading them before they drop a vote on them, so why let them vote?

At this point the votes just seem to reflect the ability (or lack thereof) of the many to overcome the view of the few.

The other night a four page story of mine became available on the site at 9:02pm. By 9:06pm it had already received four 0 scores. Not even Evelyn Wood could get through one of my four pagers and vote on it in only four minutes. Somehow though, four people already posted 0 scores. Then the real votes began to filter in, hours later.

Along the way, all my other stories instantly took a hit too, just an hour or so after my story was posted.

I'm pretty sure some people simply have me bookmarked and when a new story of mine appears they receive a notification and they simply click on the story, hit it with a 0 and then go back to writing nasty comments to whatever "Loving Wives" story which is currently inciting them to riot.

ElfinOdalisque made an excellent point earlier, about how futile it is to try to include a disclaimer content warning at the beginning of a story. She's right, doing so will only serve the opposite purpose. Rather than simply accept the warming and move on these people will now be alerted to the fact that here's a story to crap on.

Man, some people really need to get a life.

How in the world were you able to receive a zero score (since there's no such thing here--the lowest actual computing score is 1)?

But I know what you mean. I have a couple of loyal 1 voters--no doubt voting hurt feelings from the forum rather than anything to do with the story itself. I figure ignoring them and their handiwork is the best revenge--and then making money off the story elsewhere.

 

[stevieraygovan]

Well, true. I call it a 0 vote since it's the worst possible score but it's really a 1. It's 0-25-50-75-100 when you post a comment.

As far as making money on these things, hey, if someone wanted to pay me to do this I'd be more than happy to listen. I'd love to make a living at this. Exactly where does one apply for such a gig??

 

[sr71plt]

Well, true. I call it a 0 vote since it's the worst possible score but it's really a 1. It's 0-25-50-75-100 when you post a comment.

As far as making money on these things, hey, if someone wanted to pay me to do this I'd be more than happy to listen. I'd love to make a living at this. Exactly where does one apply for such a gig??

Making money and making a living are two very different concepts.

I put mine here into anthologies (sometimes in more than one) for e-book release and get "consideration" for reposting at two other Web sites now (used to be three, but one went down the tubes).