Just got my first 'H'

[slyc_willie]

What I'd like to see an explanation of is the ones that register hot when they are posted. That requires a minimum of ten votes.

Depends what time of that first day you saw the story on the new list as opposed to when it actually posted. With Emet, for instance, when I checked around 10 a.m. on the day it posted, it already had around 15 votes. It couldn't have been up for more than a few hours.

It didn't go "hot" for a while, though. But if the majority of those first voters had given it a 5, it would have had a red H by the time I checked it.

 

[sr71plt]

Depends what time of that first day you saw the story on the new list as opposed to when it actually posted. With Emet, for instance, when I checked around 10 a.m. on the day it posted, it already had around 15 votes. It couldn't have been up for more than a few hours.

It didn't go "hot" for a while, though. But if the majority of those first voters had given it a 5, it would have had a red H by the time I checked it.

Oh, these are stories caught within ten minutes of posting--at least in my computer's view. I often start checking around midnight when I have a story posting the next day, and sometimes I catch them as they are going up--and some of the new stories post with an H. I have my theories, of course.

 

[driphoney]

What I'd like to see an explanation of is the ones that register hot when they are posted. That requires a minimum of ten votes.

A lot of stories post just after mid-night EST. Some writers have a fan list and send out an alert the day before the midnight posting (I'm on a couple lists, so I've seen this at work.) It's not an exact science, but it usually is 72 hrs, and we writers know that. A couple writers, that I've noticed, will have red H's within minutes of posting. I think it has to do with the excitement of some fans of some writer's and well-done 'marketing'. I've even wondered if there's a bit of, um, reverse bombing, where the fan will race to the end of the story, give it a '5', then head back and read the story. Many readers around here know how the game is played, they know the importance of that red H.

Why, oh, why do I enjoy this speculating so much? I need to write more, ponder about writing less!

 

[Boxlicker101]

Oh, these are stories caught within ten minutes of posting--at least in my computer's view. I often start checking around midnight when I have a story posting the next day, and sometimes I catch them as they are going up--and some of the new stories post with an H. I have my theories, of course.

A newly posted story should NEVER have an H. It always takes a few hours for votes to get registered. It can quickly collect ten votes, especially if it is in a popular category, and they could even be all fives, but the score will only be posted in the author's personal index, not in any public place. The score should not be in public view, such as the Top Lists or the New Stories List or anywhere else until several hours after it has been posted. If it does have a score when it is newly-posted, there is something fishy going on.

Perhaps the site employees vote on stories before they are posted.

 

[slyc_willie]

Oh, these are stories caught within ten minutes of posting--at least in my computer's view. I often start checking around midnight when I have a story posting the next day, and sometimes I catch them as they are going up--and some of the new stories post with an H. I have my theories, of course.

I'm sure you do.

I suspect it might be something as simple as a time delay between when the story actually hits the site and it is shown on the New Stories list. There has to be a reset point at some time, after all.

But I'm pretty sure I would agree with at least one of your unmentioned theories.

 

[sr71plt]

I'm sure you do.

I suspect it might be something as simple as a time delay between when the story actually hits the site and it is shown on the New Stories list. There has to be a reset point at some time, after all.

But I'm pretty sure I would agree with at least one of your unmentioned theories.

Some of both, I imagine. I have two computers on my desk (one to work in; one to factcheck in), and sometimes the new lists posts earlier in my desktop than on my laptop. I have no idea why.

But, I also think there is knee-jerk "scratch-my-back-I-scratch-yours" club voting going on--and they are leaping on anything posting by a club member. Some folks blatantly request it during contests.

 

[slyc_willie]

Some of both, I imagine. I have two computers on my desk (one to work in; one to factcheck in), and sometimes the new lists posts earlier in my desktop than on my laptop. I have no idea why.

But, I also think there is knee-jerk "scratch-my-back-I-scratch-yours" club voting going on--and they are leaping on anything posting by a club member. Some folks blatantly request it during contests.

I never thought there was any doubt about that, which, while I am happy to see that little blue W next to Shock Radio, makes me feel some awards are a bit tarnished. I never asked for votes, never will. But I wonder if PCs I left on others' works compelled some of them to respond in kind.

It's one of those things that makes you grateful for the support of friends . . . while at the same time wondering if an award would have been otherwise given.

Sort of like the voting done during a Presidential race, I imagine.

 

[sr71plt]

I never thought there was any doubt about that, which, while I am happy to see that little blue W next to Shock Radio, makes me feel some awards are a bit tarnished. I never asked for votes, never will. But I wonder if PCs I left on others' works compelled some of them to respond in kind.

It's one of those things that makes you grateful for the support of friends . . . while at the same time wondering if an award would have been otherwise given.

Sort of like the voting done during a Presidential race, I imagine.

The only contest results I have any faith in are the ones judged in the blind.

 

[Boxlicker101]

Frequently, I will have a story that has not been posted yet, and when I look at it on my index, it gives a posting date of the following day. I know that means 9PM Pacific Time, which is midnight Eastern Time. Sometimes I check at a couple of minutes before nine, and see it is not posted, and come back five minutes later and see it is listed.

However, that's in my index, which only I see. I don't look at the New Stories List or the Public Index because I have never been that concerned. Maybe I will do so the next time I have a non-contest story about to post. That should be within the next few days.

Even so, I'm not going to send out a newsletter to fans of mine, although I know I do have some. I exchange emails with a few people, and I tell them when a new story will be posted, especially if it involves a character they have expressed interest in or is about a favorite category of theirs.

I suppose I could somehow get a list of those who have me listed as a favorite and send out a notice to all of them shortly before a new posting is due. As far as I am concerned, that would defeat my reason for writing smut here, which is for my own enjoyment.

 

[slyc_willie]

The only contest results I have any faith in are the ones judged in the blind.

Hard to find those, isn't it? Literotica would have a hard time using a "blind taste test" philosophy for their contests.

 

[sr71plt]

Hard to find those, isn't it? Literotica would have a hard time using a "blind taste test" philosophy for their contests.

Yes, they would.

 

[sr71plt]

Frequently, I will have a story that has not been posted yet, and when I look at it on my index, it gives a posting date of the following day. I know that means 9PM Pacific Time, which is midnight Eastern Time. Sometimes I check at a couple of minutes before nine, and see it is not posted, and come back five minutes later and see it is listed.

However, that's in my index, which only I see. I don't look at the New Stories List or the Public Index because I have never been that concerned. Maybe I will do so the next time I have a non-contest story about to post. That should be within the next few days.

Even so, I'm not going to send out a newsletter to fans of mine, although I know I do have some. I exchange emails with a few people, and I tell them when a new story will be posted, especially if it involves a character they have expressed interest in or is about a favorite category of theirs.

I suppose I could somehow get a list of those who have me listed as a favorite and send out a notice to all of them shortly before a new posting is due. As far as I am concerned, that would defeat my reason for writing smut here, which is for my own enjoyment.

I'll admit that I like to know how high on the daily list my newest story will hit--and when I think I may have an "E" story, I'll check for that early. So far, although I've gotten a goodly number of Es, they've rarely been the stories I thought deserved them.

There's a phenomenum with the posting of my stories that I find a headscratcher. In almost all instances, my stories are among the last added into the New list. I have no idea why that is, although it could relate to a steady timing of submission. I have a backlog of nearly 100 stories waiting to post, but I now only post one a week--always submitting on Monday morning, and it almost always posts as one of the last added in the list on a Thursday.

(And at about 1030 every Thursday morning, my personal zapper comes along to hit the story with a "1")

 

[slyc_willie]

There's a phenomenum with the posting of my stories that I find a headscratcher. In almost all instances, my stories are among the last added into the New list. I have no idea why that is, although it could relate to a steady timing of submission. I have a backlog of nearly 100 stories waiting to post, but I now only post one a week--always submitting on Monday morning, and it almost always posts as one of the last added in the list on a Thursday.

This might come off as bragging, but I'm just exploring a theory here.

Of 54 stories submitted (I'm not counting the four poems I wrote), I have five Ws, so almost ten percent of my stories have won some kind of contest.

I've noticed that at least among my last five submissions, each was among the first twenty in the New Stories list on the day they posted (my latest, Emet, was at the very top the day it posted, as you know). Of course, that means they were usually one of the first seen by readers when they clicked on the New list on those particular days.

Maybe there is some favoritism given to authors who have won several awards. Laurel might well think that such authors are more of a draw to the site than others, and perhaps stories written by authors who have won several contests are given a bump up on the New list. In business terms, that would be a good idea.

Just a theory.

 

[Elianna]

I've had the other experience with the red H. Like SR, I'll stalk a story when I expect it should post and sometimes it has all the right stats and no red H for a few hours.

Sigh. I get a little impatient. I tell myself...STOP checking every ten minutes. Doesn't work.

I've never had one just "pop" up with a red H before.

I don't know about the whole "W" thing. I've never entered a contest before. I never thought of my percentages, either. Oh the ways one can obsess about votes and numbers. (And then they all get stripped away )

Oh. I just really wanted to say congrats to to Amber! YAY you!

 

[Weird Harold]

Hard to find those, isn't it? Literotica would have a hard time using a "blind taste test" philosophy for their contests.

Not at all, a blind story contest could be done fairly easily the way Lit's organized.

Keeping the authors blind is another problem altogether because those authors addicted to winning at all costs couldn't be relied on to keep the secret.

Just post all contest entries under a single username and let the votes fall where they may. then move them to the actual author's page when the contest is decided.

 

[slyc_willie]

Not at all, a blind story contest could be done fairly easily the way Lit's organized.

Keeping the authors blind is another problem altogether because those authors addicted to winning at all costs couldn't be relied on to keep the secret.

Just post all contest entries under a single username and let the votes fall where they may. then move them to the actual author's page when the contest is decided.

Or, just post the stories without indicating in any way who wrote them. The stories would just be posted "blind" through the duration of the contest, and only after it was over would the real user name of the author be revealed.

I agree that some authors would find a way to cheat the system. Perhaps a program could be written to look for references on the forum boards of current stories in a contest, and any post mentioning it would be deleted. In addition, the author who went about asking for votes would be disqualified.

There are a lot of holes in that, though. Lit couldn't control any email messages sent to known fans, nor anything at all outside Literotica.

 

[sr71plt]

This might come off as bragging, but I'm just exploring a theory here.

Of 54 stories submitted (I'm not counting the four poems I wrote), I have five Ws, so almost ten percent of my stories have won some kind of contest.

I've noticed that at least among my last five submissions, each was among the first twenty in the New Stories list on the day they posted (my latest, Emet, was at the very top the day it posted, as you know). Of course, that means they were usually one of the first seen by readers when they clicked on the New list on those particular days.

Maybe there is some favoritism given to authors who have won several awards. Laurel might well think that such authors are more of a draw to the site than others, and perhaps stories written by authors who have won several contests are given a bump up on the New list. In business terms, that would be a good idea.

Just a theory.

I doubt it's related to a W. I have none of those, and my stories are usually listed in the top ten for the New list day. I like to think that has something to do with the editor determination of quality--but I imagine it's just as likely connected to the rhythm of submission.

I agree though that it would be good business to shove the more popular authors to the top of the list (which can be easily determined by using the "favoritist list")--but there are so many other things I see undone here that would be good business to do (like not giving a leg up to the old story file rather than current authors on the new version of the top lists) that I can't assume any business consideration is put into it at all.

 

[sr71plt]

Not at all, a blind story contest could be done fairly easily the way Lit's organized.

Keeping the authors blind is another problem altogether because those authors addicted to winning at all costs couldn't be relied on to keep the secret.

Just post all contest entries under a single username and let the votes fall where they may. then move them to the actual author's page when the contest is decided.

Naw, I don't think that would be any better than what we have. Authors would just put out the word on which story is theirs.

I'd leave the contests as they are and just not give money to the winners (just give the Ws). The money just encourages cheating--and the contest setup militates against the best stories--on any criteria--winning.

 

[slyc_willie]

I can't assume any business consideration is put into it at all.

I figure there is some, but maybe not a whole lot.

A while back, I looked up some of the very first posts to the AH, made in 2000. At the time, Literotica was a very small site, begun by Laurel, with a minimal following. Those initial posts were about who was going to submit a story first, and general discussion about the nature of Literotica itself.

This site has always been for, and run by, amateurs. I wonder if either Laurel or Manu ever considered the giant it has become in the decade since its conception. It could be that Lit has become their own Frankenstein Monster, in the sense that they can influence it, but not control it.

For a pair of overwhelmed amateurs, I'd say that Laurel and Manu have done a fairly decent job. Fallacies and foibles aside, they have at least maintained a venue for amateur writers.

 

[sr71plt]

For a pair of overwhelmed amateurs, I'd say that Laurel and Manu have done a fairly decent job. Fallacies and foibles aside, they have at least maintained a venue for amateur writers.

Yep. Just passing some 60 stories onto the board day in and day out is a major feat.

 

[Darkniciad]

Well, one element is chapter stories. When you submit several chapters all at once, the chapters will typically be "pre-approved" with dates for release, and will appear immediately in the new list at midnight on that date. I've never seen one of those ( or any story that had an approval date prior to actually going live ) not come up immediately at midnight.

As to the immediate Hs, the story appears on your list at midnight, even if it doesn't show up in the new list. If you have a fanbase checking your listing on a daily basis, or they have the means to know when a story should be coming out ( newsletter, website, blog ) then there's a good chance that 10 can make it in to vote before it posts. The code seems to check for all "flags" on a story when it posts to the new list ( to ensure that the Es show up, I would guess ) and the H will then register.

Judging by the behavior I've observed, every time the new list updates, it checks the flags for everything. Thus, the Hs can appear on the new list before they appear anywhere else. This will usually be a couple of times a day ( midnight + the daily approvals ) but will happen more often during contests, or when Laurel decides to split the load of approving stories ( happens often on Sunday )

 

[Boxlicker101]

Quote:
Originally Posted by Weird Harold
Not at all, a blind story contest could be done fairly easily the way Lit's organized.

Keeping the authors blind is another problem altogether because those authors addicted to winning at all costs couldn't be relied on to keep the secret.

Just post all contest entries under a single username and let the votes fall where they may. then move them to the actual author's page when the contest is decided.

Or, just post the stories without indicating in any way who wrote them. The stories would just be posted "blind" through the duration of the contest, and only after it was over would the real user name of the author be revealed.

I agree that some authors would find a way to cheat the system. Perhaps a program could be written to look for references on the forum boards of current stories in a contest, and any post mentioning it would be deleted. In addition, the author who went about asking for votes would be disqualified.

There are a lot of holes in that, though. Lit couldn't control any email messages sent to known fans, nor anything at all outside Literotica.

This would produce some blindness, but not much. Authors could send out what I described as a newsletter to their fans and give the name of the story they had posted in the contest. Lit. would have no control over that or even any knowledge, since it would be done from the authors'' email sites.

I think most of us, maybe all, have links in our sig lines to our listings and sometimes to specific stories. Once I get my current contest entry posted, I will include a link to it. It isn't necessarily by name either; it could be called "Contest Entry" or similar name.

Besides that, many readers and others will recognize the work of certain individuals, either positively or negatively. I expect to post a story named "Cindy Lou and the Halloween Party" of something like that for the Halloween Contest. People who follow my smut will recognize the character. For the Winter Holiday Contest, I willl post "Donna & Kevin at Christmas" and those are reconizable chartacters too. A style of writing or writing about ongoing characters can hardly be called cheating.

 

[Weird Harold]

Quote:
Originally Posted by Weird Harold
Not at all, a blind story contest could be done fairly easily the way Lit's organized.
Keeping the authors blind is another problem altogether because those authors addicted to winning at all costs couldn't be relied on to keep the secret.

Just post all contest entries under a single username and let the votes fall where they may. then move them to the actual author's page when the contest is decided.




This would produce some blindness, but not much. Authors could send out what I described as a newsletter to their fans and give the name of the story they had posted in the contest. Lit. would have no control over that or even any knowledge, since it would be done from the authors'' email sites.

I did note the problem of authors not maintining the secret of which story is which in the initial suggestion.

A double blind story contest wouldn't be very workable because that would require that the authors not know who is judging the story as well as the judges not knowing who wrote the stories. a double blind contest would tend to be -- or get to be -- elitist because the general readership wouldn't have any voice in the contest.