Has anyone else experienced a real drop in scores?

[Cruel2BKind]

If I ran the zoo, a vote of 2 or lower would require both login and a comment.

But that is a critical and narcissistic reasoning flaw.

No one would have to be logged in to love your story, to love your story would be the only option of the unwashed masses. Only people with profiles could insult you.

If you're going to make it so only logged in people could hate you, you have to make it so only logged in people could love you too.

 

[Darkniciad]

That "can't vote less than xx without being a member and leaving a comment" has been tried on a couple of other sites I know of. It didn't work out well and was discontinued.

Average number of votes descended, while average score went up. Problem is, all the scores ended up bunching up even worse on the top end of the scale than we have here, which means that everything was 4.85 and above. The scores became completely useless, because they were all the same. Even after discontinuing the practice, the scores remain all bunched up and voting hasn't recovered. The attempt did lasting damage.

Imagine not being able to make a toplist with anything less than a 4.95. That's the sort of result you're likely to run into if you restrict the lower votes, and the number of votes -- which has been steadily ascending -- would drop off. Hs would become even more meaningless, because everything would have one.

It's an internet poll, and thus automatically flawed from the word "Go". You just have to consider it as one element amongst all the information you have to determine how your story is doing, or what story you might want to read.

 

[HeyAll]

My contest stories have also taken a slight drop, a small one though, ranging from .01-.02

And as far as the so-called 'trolls' and '1 bombers' go, screw 'em. I don't even think about it, and I think it's pointless to even worry about it.

The important thing is that I'm happy with what I wrote, and I'm even more happy that so many people enjoy them. If 1 person gives you a 1-vote, and 5 people either gave you a 4-vote or 5-vote, think about those 5 people, don't think about that one person.

 

[sr71plt]

And as far as the so-called 'trolls' and '1 bombers' go, screw 'em. I don't even think about it, and I think it's pointless to even worry about it.

The important thing is that I'm happy with what I wrote, and I'm even more happy that so many people enjoy them. If 1 person gave you a 1-vote, and 5 people either gave you a 4-vote or 5-vote, think about those 5 people, don't think about that one person.

Yep, that's the best revenge on the harassers.

 

[soflabbwlvr]

Imagine not being able to make a toplist with anything less than a 4.95. That's the sort of result you're likely to run into if you restrict the lower votes, and the number of votes -- which has been steadily ascending -- would drop off. Hs would become even more meaningless, because everything would have one.

In other words, just like the Nonhuman category.

 

[Darkniciad]

In other words, just like the Nonhuman category.

It's higher than average, but hardly that range.

4.83-4.92 all time. 4.79-4.92 12 month. 1.64-4.92 30 day.

 

[soflabbwlvr]

It's higher than average, but hardly that range.

4.83-4.92 all time. 4.79-4.92 12 month. 1.64-4.92 30 day.

Try comparing it to all other categories

 

[estragon]

The problem with any scoring system is compression at the top end. And I would argue that holds true even when there is only one person scoring, and that person not anonymous. When was the last time Parker gave any wine a 45 score in his 100-point system? His system is truly 86 - 100. And with anonymous scoring, the trolls can really topple a story (or a writer) almost with impunity, by throwing in an occasional 2 or 3.

 

[nakdsub]

For anyone doubting it's trolls at work here...

So far every one of my stories HAVE been voted down below 4.5 now except for 3, and they started so high, it just takes a while, that's all.

One story that started at 4.93 with 112 votes, is now down to 4.70 with 125 votes. The other two were in the high 4.70's and, in just a few votes, are now down to 4.5's.

Are you really going to tell me the trolls are not at work here. In addition to that, the comments also confirm it. I got one today saying I was trailer trash and gave one star to a story he didn't even read.

I don't really care anymore since I have decided to pull my stories and not submit anymore. I will continue to read Lit and post on the bulletin board. Hell, maybe I'll come back as an anonymous troll. Just kidding.

If this means the trolls win, so be it.

 

[sr71plt]

Are you really going to tell me the trolls are not at work here.

I don't think I've seen anyone really suggesting that it isn't purposeful trimming. I think the response has been that there's a whole lot of it going on. If you leave and find a website where it's not going on, do let us know. I think this sort of anonymous (or not all that anonymous if you've been reading the forum) meanspirited nastiness is pretty much a function of the Internet.

 

[lance gt]

I love these trolls!!! Even after 3 rounds of 1 bombing by them and their co-horts, they still couldn't drop the scores enough to get rid of my H's. Fuck you trolls, I write too well to drop them that much. said with the greatest of humour

 

[lovecraft68]

So far every one of my stories HAVE been voted down below 4.5 now except for 3, and they started so high, it just takes a while, that's all.

One story that started at 4.93 with 112 votes, is now down to 4.70 with 125 votes. The other two were in the high 4.70's and, in just a few votes, are now down to 4.5's.

Are you really going to tell me the trolls are not at work here. In addition to that, the comments also confirm it. I got one today saying I was trailer trash and gave one star to a story he didn't even read.

I don't really care anymore since I have decided to pull my stories and not submit anymore. I will continue to read Lit and post on the bulletin board. Hell, maybe I'll come back as an anonymous troll. Just kidding.

If this means the trolls win, so be it.

One thing to think about is if this all happened recently, I think they will be doing a big sweep on the Earth day contest shortly which might hoover away all these blatant one bombs.

Or, you could always write in the non human category. I don't think one bombs even take over there. It's the softest voted category on here and seems devoid of trolls. It's the anti loving wives category.

Now watch them come out of the woodwork on this one.

 

[Darkniciad]

Just checked your list -- overwhelmingly Non-con and LW.

That pretty much explains it. It's surprising you haven't seen this happening since day one. Those two categories are well known to house some of the biggest trolls on the website in large numbers.

 

[nakdsub]

Darkniciad, I have noticed before, just not to this...

Extent. I view my own work as mediocre. I am not a professional writer and the words do not flow from my fingertips like they do with some of the authors here. But I work hard and I've learned a lot from comments and critiques.
I was proud of my last series. The first chapter ranked in the low 4.8's for a long time. The second chapter did the same. The third chapter went off the charts. After 62 votes I was at a perfect 5. After 112 votes I was at 4.93 and was at the top of the all time highest scored story in Romance for quite awhile.
Then it hit, as soon as the trolls saw this they went to work. In 13 votes my score went from 4.93 to 4.70. The others dropped to the low 4.5's.
I have been hit by trolls many times before but never to this extent. It seems the harder you work the more they hit.
I'm simply tired of it.
I was going to pull my last story when it was pending but Lit tricked me and posted it late in the afternoon. I will submit the conclusion to the story only because I owe it the people who read the first chapter but that will be my last submission.

 

[Darkniciad]

If you're branching out of LW, in time ( and probably not much ), the trolls there will forget about you. Someone else will push their buttons, they'll go hell-bent on destroying their new most-hated writer, and barely remember your name.

Those troll votes will probably get swept, the new readers discovering you in other categories will help balance them out between Hooverings.

The LW trolls are just especially stalkerish. Once they decide you're offensive, they'll chase down everything you write for a while.

You just picked a really bad category to start out in here at Lit. You can already see that Romance is treating you well. There are plenty of other categories that will as well.

If you're on the top of the toplist, though, you're always a target. That's unavoidable. In time, those brief stints will gain you enough new eyes to make it harder and harder to knock you down, though.

And you're not going to find a larger audience for erotica anywhere on the internet. That's something that you should weigh in the equation if you decide to pull all your stories.

 

[lance gt]

After seeing so many people complaining about 1 bombs, is there any chance someone loaded a bot or something in, that just goes through every genre and every story, low balling anything with a H?

 

[lovecraft68]

After seeing so many people complaining about 1 bombs, is there any chance someone loaded a bot or something in, that just goes through every genre and every story, low balling anything with a H?

No, because there are a lot of categories that don't get hit too bad and some like EH that I think is probably the most fair voted. The people over there don;t seem to drop a lot of ones, but a lot of 4's

Unlike their cousins in NH, Erotic horror and Sci Fi have a discerning fan base and they vote fairly and accordingly. They won't troll, but won't blow flowers up your ass either.

Incest is a mix. a lot of fans seem to vote soft, but because of the genre it has a lot of trolls as well.

 

[lance gt]

Now this is really getting weird. I just took a look at my scores and the number of votes remained the same, but the scores changed. Two went up and one went down. How does that happen? They haven't done a sweep, have they?

 

[Darkniciad]

Now this is really getting weird. I just took a look at my scores and the number of votes remained the same, but the scores changed. Two went up and one went down. How does that happen? They haven't done a sweep, have they?

Whenever contest sweeps are going on, stories across the board get swept, and there will be a lot of contest sweeping over the course of today and tomorrow, as it's the final days of the contest.

Probably a combination of sweep + new votes. Unless you're checking every few minutes, it's unlikely you'll catch every bit of vote and sweep activity.

 

[lance gt]

Whenever contest sweeps are going on, stories across the board get swept, and there will be a lot of contest sweeping over the course of today and tomorrow, as it's the final days of the contest.

Probably a combination of sweep + new votes. Unless you're checking every few minutes, it's unlikely you'll catch every bit of vote and sweep activity.

I don't normally look at the scores all that often. It's recently, with everyone talking about it, that I saw mine go down as well. It was when I noted the number of votes and then saw the same number and different scores, I thought something strange was up. Hope it all sorts itself out soon.

 

[DG Hear]

For this contest, he votes hasn't been as bad. I remember when we used to lose them by the hundreds. I think the site is getting in under better control. My high that I remember seeing was 618 and this morning it was at 592. That's not bad at all.

I do believe the site is doing the best they can for a free voting site.

 

[nakdsub]

Darkniciad, it's the Romance stories...

I'm talking about. It doesn't seem to do any good to branch out. The trolls are going to find you anyway.
I've actually decided to try other avenues. Maybe it will work, maybe not, but I'm going to give it a try.

 

[Darkniciad]

I'm talking about. It doesn't seem to do any good to branch out. The trolls are going to find you anyway.
I've actually decided to try other avenues. Maybe it will work, maybe not, but I'm going to give it a try.

Give it time. LW trolls are numerous.

Every time you write a new LW story, you may very well be resetting the counter, though.

If you're at all concerned about scores, the only way to avoid the trolling that comes from that category is either to not write there at all, or rarely.

 

[lance gt]

As an aside to the topic of scores, what do you feel is a decent score for a story? Other than having the coveted little red H, isn't a 4 or better out of 5 still considered good, or even great? Where do you feel a story becomes just okay?

 

[Cruel2BKind]

As an aside to the topic of scores, what do you feel is a decent score for a story? Other than having the coveted little red H, isn't a 4 or better out of 5 still considered good, or even great? Where do you feel a story becomes just okay?

I consider every person that follows me a win. Apparently you can't trust the votes, so when other members like cannd or npiccini comment on every story of mine, I can trust that more then a score. And It's kind of awesome.