Has anyone else experienced a real drop in scores?

[nakdsub]

Or am I the subject of a troll conspiracy? I know I have been hit by some trolls lately because I've gotten thier emails and their comments, but every one of my stories has dropped significantly in the last week. One story went from 4.86 to 4.59 in a matter of days. That's not normal.
I really do wish they would change the rules. If you want to vote, you have to do it under your ID. That's how SOL works.
If this continues I'm really thinking about pulling all my stories and just saying the hell with it.

 

[lovecraft68]

Or am I the subject of a troll conspiracy? I know I have been hit by some trolls lately because I've gotten thier emails and their comments, but every one of my stories has dropped significantly in the last week. One story went from 4.86 to 4.59 in a matter of days. That's not normal.
I really do wish they would change the rules. If you want to vote, you have to do it under your ID. That's how SOL works.
If this continues I'm really thinking about pulling all my stories and just saying the hell with it.

You know it could be sweeps doing it. There's a contest going on and every story gets hit and sometimes the results are extreme.

I've had a few go down a bit this week, but others have gone up as well.

And hate to tell you, but nothing will change here. Lit will never remove the "anonymous" tag. They are afraid people will leave if they have to create a log in.

Really bizarre because it's not like your log in would be your real name. Even with a handle you're still anonymous

Unless your ID says Naked Sub that would be something.

 

[DG Hear]

Most anyone who writes stories goes through the "Hell with it syndrome" I've been through it a dozen times. If you want your stories read but hate the voting, then turn voting off. You can turn comments off also but to me I like receiving the comments good and bad.

Pulling your stories does nothing. It mean thousands less people will read your stories. Only the troll voters win, and they don't really win anything. Over all my scores have been a lot lower the last year. Of course it could just be my stories suck but I enjoy writing them.

My favorite author Papatoad turned off both voting and comments but readers still get to read his stories.

You wouldn't be elegible for contest awards but if you're getting trolled that hard you wouldn't be in contention anyway. Stay around and submit your stories. Best of luck to you.
DG Hear

 

[HandsInTheDark]

Same here. A story that had been hanging steady at 4.7+ for days, got hammered down to 4.6 in 24 hours. It's very obviously artificial.

Folk... it's porn. Erotica if you must have a fancy title. It can be decently written, but let's not deceive ourselves here. It's not fine writing and it's not really any sort of glory to be a highly ranked internet erotica writer. I can see competitiveness among genuinely published authors - they are competing for their paycheck. But here? It's tawdry and cheap to run around slapping 1 star writings on stories that deserve 4 or 5. Get a life.

 

[Cruel2BKind]

Same here. A story that had been hanging steady at 4.7+ for days, got hammered down to 4.6 in 24 hours. It's very obviously artificial.

Folk... it's porn. Erotica if you must have a fancy title. It can be decently written, but let's not deceive ourselves here. It's not fine writing and it's not really any sort of glory to be a highly ranked internet erotica writer. I can see competitiveness among genuinely published authors - they are competing for their paycheck. But here? It's tawdry and cheap to run around slapping 1 star writings on stories that deserve 4 or 5. Get a life.

With one or two major exceptions (COUGH *scouries* COUGH) Most of the folk doing the one-bombing are not on this thread. You wont convince anyone.

Start writing in gay male, the people there are fairly compassionate, and they tend to vote high.

 

[lovecraft68]

With one or two major exceptions (COUGH *scouries* COUGH) Most of the folk doing the one-bombing are not on this thread. You wont convince anyone.

Start writing in gay male, the people there are fairly compassionate, and they tend to vote high.

I am going to paste this quote and use it every time Pilot makes excuses for his lousy scores over there in GM.

Because you're right that category seems "friendly". It places often in the monthlies and is on it's way to its third straight contest win.

You have to have some lousy stories to not hit at least 4.4 over there and yet....

 

[Stella_Omega]

I notice that one of my stories lost two votes, and dropped .02 ratings. So I guess someone really liked it, enough to vote three times.

aww... that's so sweet

 

[Derroreaper]

Lets face it, if the voting system cant be controlled it should be done away with.

 

[lovecraft68]

I notice that one of my stories lost two votes, and dropped .02 ratings. So I guess someone really liked it, enough to vote three times.

aww... that's so sweet

Well it was probably someone with tentacles and they voted with each one.

 

[Cruel2BKind]

Lets face it, if the voting system cant be controlled it should be done away with.

Votes are why so many people love this site.

I've visited other sites, and what is the point of posting a story if there is no way to get consistent feedback?

The user-friendly interface is part (if not all) of the reason lit is so popular!

And if it has bugs, ya just gotta shrug! It's still better then 100% of all other story-sites out there.

http://i2.squidoocdn.com/resize/squ...8474module157340600photo_1330606368__a__9.jpg

 

[sr71plt]

I see that Lovecraft is having another one of his "obsessed with sr71plt" days.

I don't think that my GM stories are rated down (while the favoriting of my GM stories and me as an author consistently has me at the top of the GM "most popular" list) because GM stories are rated low. My GM stories are rated low because folks are obsessed (much like Lovecraft on the forum) about harassing me--and quite apparently contributing to the rating lowballing so that they can jab me about my ratings on the forum (ala Lovecraft and Lance).

As I've noted before, those who seem obsessed with my ratings in their forum posts (e.g., Lovecraft) are the most likely ones to be engineeering that. Lovecraft, since he was caught cheating the last contest here, certainly stands front and center as someone who would do that.

But, to respond to the OP, yes, about three months ago, within a week, my ratings went from three-quarters hot to maybe 10 percent. Those showing here that they are obsessed with my story ratings seem more twitterpated about this than I am. I understand that this is the Internet--which draws immature lunkheads and gamesters.

If Lovecraft and others (including me) continually say the ratings don't mean much of anything on Lit. because they are too easily manipulated, why do Lovecraft (and others) continually post about my story ratings on the forum? I don't post boasts about my ratings. Aren't they just being assholes?

 

[lance gt]

I watched my latest chapter go from a steady 4.92 at 2000+ views and over 25 votes, suddenly dive to 4.81, then who,or whatever, decided that wasn't enough and hit me again to lower it to 4.72. Every story that had a H was hit, so I know I was trolled in one instance, but something more is in play with my latest story. Every chapter started well and then got 1 bombed.
Even asking for comments on why I was 1 bombed didn't get anything back, except a few more faves and positive comments, saying they couldn't understand why it was hit that way and it wasn't fair.
I look at the scores as a vague reference, as I said before. I, and others have stated already, that comments, feedback and being faved, are the true indicators of how a story is doing.and should be taken as the basis for knowing how well you're writing your story.

 

[Stella_Omega]

Well it was probably someone with tentacles and they voted with each one.

I speak to the tentacled minority, for sure.

 

[Stella_Omega]

I watched my latest chapter go from a steady 4.92 at 2000+ views and over 25 votes, suddenly dive to 4.81, then who,or whatever, decided that wasn't enough and hit me again to lower it to 4.72. Every story that had a H was hit, so I know I was trolled in one instance, but something more is in play with my latest story. Every chapter started well and then got 1 bombed.
Even asking for comments on why I was 1 bombed didn't get anything back, except a few more faves and positive comments, saying they couldn't understand why it was hit that way and it wasn't fair.
I look at the scores as a vague reference, as I said before. I, and others have stated already, that comments, feedback and being faved, are the true indicators of how a story is doing.and should be taken as the basis for knowing how well you're writing your story.

I'm guessing it was from some MANDUDE who was going to punish you for being a feminist and therefore not a real man. I've seen my ratings rise and drop after posting something controversial in the forums.

The fandom archive archiveofourown.org doesn't do ratings, but kudos. Eachstory header tells you how many hits the story has gotten and how many kudos have been left. It's so much easier just to click the "Kudos!" button then to have to calculate how many stars some story deserved-- especially knowing that a story getting three stars doesn't lift it in any way towards the coveted red H, so why bother?

 

[lovecraft68]

I see that Lovecraft is having another one of his "obsessed with sr71plt" days.

I don't think that my GM stories are rated down (while the favoriting of my GM stories and me as an author consistently has me at the top of the GM "most popular" list) because GM stories are rated low. My GM stories are rated low because folks are obsessed (much like Lovecraft on the forum) about harassing me.

As I've noted before, those who seem obsessed with my ratings in their forum posts (e.g., Lovecraft) are the most likely ones to be engineeering that. Lovecraft, since he was caught cheating the last contest here, certainly stands front and center as someone who would do that.

But, to respond to the OP, yes, about three months ago, within a week, my ratings went from three-quarters hot to maybe 10 percent. Those showing here that they are obsessed with my story ratings seem more twitterpated about this than I am. I understand that this is the Internet--which draws immature lunkheads and gamesters.

Oh please your stories have sucked for a long time now. And I've been around a hell of a lot longer than three months.

And the only cheating done in that contest was by you and scouries,

You know scouries? The one that you blast constantly and accuse of cheating until he cheated me then you say he did no wrong.

How's that for swiftboating sweetie? That's because the two of you couldn't stand the fact I've kicked both your asses in not just the v-day contest but the winter as well (what did I finish 30 places in front of you? on a stupid foot fetish story)

Speaking of allow me to explain to people how the uploading of five votes to someone's story can be cheating.

When the sweep occurs it pulls all suspicious votes from local IP addresses and neighboring IP addresses. So what happens is for every say 30 or so fake 5 votes removed it eliminates several legit votes, taking the score down below where it should be.

But you know that don't you? Scouries explained it to you as he did it, I'm sure.,

Speaking of cheating I find it amazing your name somehow shows up on those lists when your stories are very low viewed (not voted, but viewed) low commented and don;t get very many votes, strange indeed. Must be some cheating going on there somewhere.

And want to talk coincidence? A day after I posted that I tracked some of your amazon sales and they sucked I woke up to negative reviews on 3 of my amazon stories, so negative and placed so close together, Amazon removed a couple of them.

Good luck finding me there now, back stabber.

Funny huh? You must be a riot sitting behind your pc, which is the only place you have any balls. MY daughter could slap your gutless ass around.

Jealousy is an ugly emotion Pilot, and you have it in spades. You are jealous of every author here who doesn't listen to you and does just fine for themselves.

Cruel is what? 20? and her stories are hotter than yours by far. GM is a perennial contest placing category and you can't sniff a top spot. I suppose that you would blame my one one vote on all that (If I one bombed you, which I don't)

And want to talk coincidence? A day after I posted that I tracked some of your amazon sales and they sucked I woke up to negative reviews o n 3 of my amazon stories.

Funny huh? You must be a riot sitting behind your pc, which is the only place you have any balls. MY daughter could slap your gutless ass around.

All you have is a grossly misplaced superiority complex and the compulsion to claim that your the best at everything.

I'm sorry you were a disappointment to your father Pilot (my educated guess to explain your perpetual chest thumping) but hey, that's not my fault.

Not my or any of ten thousand other authors here that they're better than you and don't even try.

Now go ahead and tell me about the green E's you get for licking Laurel's ass at every given opportunity.

Those should be brown like your nose.

Maggot.

 

[sr71plt]

That's Lovecraft for you. I don't feel the need to expose him and his obsession with me any more than he does himself.

 

[lance gt]

I'm guessing it was from some MANDUDE who was going to punish you for being a feminist and therefore not a real man. I've seen my ratings rise and drop after posting something controversial in the forums.

The fandom archive archiveofourown.org doesn't do ratings, but kudos. Eachstory header tells you how many hits the story has gotten and how many kudos have been left. It's so much easier just to click the "Kudos!" button then to have to calculate how many stars some story deserved-- especially knowing that a story getting three stars doesn't lift it in any way towards the coveted red H, so why bother?

I can see how some readers would object to me writing lesbian, being a man and all, but that shouldn't warrant 1 bombing. Avoiding me altogether would be the appropriate thing to do, but it seems some feel the need to let me know personally that they are offended with me writing in their category.

As much as the H's are bogus representations, they're still the only way a reader looks for a story worth reading on visual scanning. The more H's a writer has beside their stories, the more likely the reader will fave them, if they write in the genres they like.

Changing, or even overhauling the scoring system here would be too mammoth a task to ask any site owner, but something better needs to be put in place for a more accurate score posted.

 

[Weird Harold]

One story went from 4.86 to 4.59 in a matter of days.

A story that had been hanging steady at 4.7+ for days, got hammered down to 4.6 in 24 hours.

I watched my latest chapter go from a steady 4.92 at 2000+ views and over 25 votes, suddenly dive to 4.81, then who,or whatever, decided that wasn't enough and hit me again to lower it to 4.72.

You people are breaking my heart.

Dedicated trolls and malicious voters don't stop while your stories are still over 4.50 and still have a Red-H. Suck it up and be glad the voters didn't actually trash your stories.

 

[sr71plt]

You people are breaking my heart.

Dedicated trolls and malicious voters don't stop while your stories are still over 4.50 and still have a Red-H. Suck it up and be glad the voters didn't actually trash your stories.

Amen. If it really was a troll, it wouldn't stop until the rating was under 4.50.

 

[Darkniciad]

Sounds like toplist manipulation rather than a personal troll. As WH and SR said, personal trolls won't stop until they completely trash you.

Toplist manipulators will stop as soon as they believe you're no longer a threat to the position of their story or the story of their favorite, because you're not the only one they have to bomb. The only thing they have against you is outscoring whatever story they believe should be above you.

 

[lance gt]

You people are breaking my heart.

Dedicated trolls and malicious voters don't stop while your stories are still over 4.50 and still have a Red-H. Suck it up and be glad the voters didn't actually trash your stories.

I don't worry about them. There's more than enough good votes that out-weigh them and bring them up again. It's just an annoyance writers really don't need, when they're looking for feedback.

 

[Candlelight062]

Darkniciad, I think that's what I have. Toplist manipulators and their fans.

They constantly vote down every single story the moment I post it. That happened to my Earth Angel nonhuman series. Look, I know I'm no Stephen King or Stephanie Meyers, but I'm an okay author of plot-driven stories that don't deserve to lose their H's on the first day. Good thing, though, that the scores do climb up after a week or so and rise a notch or two afterward, but the moment I post another installment, they return and vote down the scores again.

It's disheartening because low scores discourage new readers from trying out your story. Yes, I know it's superficial, but that's just the way it is. Just ask yourself, would you want to read a story with no H and low scores?

I believe, also, that publicly posting the score of a story was not a good idea. This gives the trolls and lowballers a goal to work toward, and they know how long they need to come back in order to get your score below 4.50. I mean, it's right there!

It then becomes a vicious downward spiral and it's incredibly frustrating (I know I already mentioned that).

 

[HandsInTheDark]

Amen. If it really was a troll, it wouldn't stop until the rating was under 4.50.

A stupid troll, maybe. Someone who just wanted their story (or their favorite author, or whatever) ranked a little higher than yours, might not be that stupid. They'd use few different IPs, and maybe use 2's instead of 1's, just enough to tamp you down a bit, and volia, damage done.

Anyway, I don't buy your not-a-troll. Becoming Marie was at 4.7 for days, with 80+ votes, off in a category that gets less traffic than some. I checked it last night and tonight, and while the vote count only went up about 3, the rating dropped by over .1. That meant I got 3 "1" votes between last night and now; the math doesn't work out any other way. And lo, I pop in here and there are two threads from other people who noticed the same thing on the same day. "Coincidence? I think not."

I don't understand Why - at 4.72 it was not a threat to highly ranked stories here. But the How is unmistakable.

If I ran the zoo, a vote of 2 or lower would require both login and a comment. There's nothing wrong with telling people their story sucks, but if you're going to do it you should put your id on your opinion, and offer a little constructive criticism. If you're not willing to help someone improve, in other words, maybe your opinion is not significant enough to count.

 

[sr71plt]

Anyway, I don't buy your not-a-troll. Becoming Marie was at 4.7 for days, with 80+ votes, off in a category that

First, I was echoing Weird Harold's post, so it's fun that you go after me on it. But still, I don't think you are talking REAL trolls with being knocked down to (swoon) 4.6. You are talking gamesters--and, yes, probably those concentrated on puffing up their own scores. They aren't voters going for the jugglar. They aren't REAL trolls. REAL trolls don't just want to jockey you out of position and them into position, they want to reduce you to rubble. Until recently, that was bringing your story tantalizingly just below hot. Lately, though, it seems to be to take the story to under 4.00. We do seem to be moving into a whole new level of hatred mongering.

And I'm not whining about anything here. I don't care a third as much about my ratings of stories on Literotica that my brutal forum detractors do. We have a whole bunch of posters here discussing what is happening. I'm just another one in that discussion.

 

[lance gt]

A stupid troll, maybe. Someone who just wanted their story (or their favorite author, or whatever) ranked a little higher than yours, might not be that stupid. They'd use few different IPs, and maybe use 2's instead of 1's, just enough to tamp you down a bit, and volia, damage done.

Anyway, I don't buy your not-a-troll. Becoming Marie was at 4.7 for days, with 80+ votes, off in a category that gets less traffic than some. I checked it last night and tonight, and while the vote count only went up about 3, the rating dropped by over .1. That meant I got 3 "1" votes between last night and now; the math doesn't work out any other way. And lo, I pop in here and there are two threads from other people who noticed the same thing on the same day. "Coincidence? I think not."

I don't understand Why - at 4.72 it was not a threat to highly ranked stories here. But the How is unmistakable.

If I ran the zoo, a vote of 2 or lower would require both login and a comment. There's nothing wrong with telling people their story sucks, but if you're going to do it you should put your id on your opinion, and offer a little constructive criticism. If you're not willing to help someone improve, in other words, maybe your opinion is not significant enough to count.

I can get into that idea. I'm not opposed to 1 or 2 votes, but an explanation of why should accompany them. I think 5 votes should as well, so real ones aren't deleted in the sweeps.