A Different Rating System

[dr_mabeuse]

A week or two we discussed another story site on the web devoted to BDSM. I posted a couple of stories over theren, and I thought you might like to see how their rating system works.

Here's a link to the ratings for one of my stories:

http://www.bdsmlibrary.com/stories/review.php?storyid=1861

They show average, weighted, low and high ratings, do a bar graph breakdown of the voting, and make it very easy for the vioter to add at least some minimal explanation of the way they voted the way they did.

Weird Harold mentioned that the BDSM site was probably designed using the same off-the-shelf software Literotica used.

Would anyone be interested in seeing this kind of voting here in Literotica?


---dr.M.

 

[Weird Harold]

Weird Harold mentioned that the BDSM site was probably designed using the same off-the-shelf software Literotica used.

Their Forums use the same vBulletin software that Lit uses. Their story formatting and voting appears to be custom designed for that site.

I'd like to be ble to see that kind of breakdown and graphing of votes here at Lit for the authors, but it is far more than is required or useful from a reader's standpoint.

 

[Pure]

Hey dr.

I kinda like that. I've long been a proponent of better representation of votes, e.g., eliminating outliers. (top and bottom 5%, for example).

That, btw, answers WH's problem with complexity. You'd get a single number but less tainted by vandals or fans.

 

[Dirty Slut]

If you wanted a real representation of the votes...

You'd have to do it like this: Eliminate a 5 vote for every 1 vote that you get here, then eliminate a 4 vote for every 2 vote that you get, and leave all 3 votes in as they are. You'd get a much better idea of how good your story really is that way, but the problem is it would have to be programed into the site some how as it would be way too much work for Laurel to do.

DS

 

[MathGirl]

Re: If you wanted a real representation of the votes...

You'd have to do it like this: Eliminate a 5 vote for every 1 vote that you get here, then eliminate a 4 vote for every 2 vote that you get, and leave all 3 votes in as they are.

If I may be so bold as to make a suggestion:
Let mean = x
Let sd(x) = standard deviation of mean
Use Student's T-test or Chi-square analysis to determine p
If p > 0.05, then use reciprocal of ln p
Determine cube root
Order pizza, no anchovies, thick crust

Actually, there's an outfit called EroticStories.com which uses a voting on a 1-10 scale. A writer can look at each individual score entered in the last 24 hours.

No, I couldn't. Your thanks is enough.
MG

 

[dr_mabeuse]

The hell with the numbers.

It's the comments I want.

---dr.M.

 

[MathGirl]

Dear Dr M,
Excuuuuuuuuuuse me!
MG

 

[Pure]

i agree, dr.,

the comments are infinitely more interesting, and any way of encouraging them is welcome. another number of interest is, of those who voted, what percent gave a substantial comment (besides "I cummed!" or "eeww.")

I don't suppose it could be forced as "fill out 25 words or more here, and you'll get the 'voting' screen."

All I can think is that a smaller group could be formed who swear to give comments to one another.

And as you probably agree, the voting could be damned.

J.

 

[Pure]

//If I may be so bold as to make a suggestion:
Let mean = x
Let sd(x) = standard deviation of mean//

OK, it's a joke, but the math is really pretty simple. If there are a hundred persons voting, lop off the votes of the five who gave the lowest ratings and the five who gave the highest, [delete those 1's and 5's from the pool, iow], then average or find the median of the rest.

J.

 

[dr_mabeuse]

MG,

Didn't you post some statitsical breakdown of voting scores that showed that there was little or no difference between stories that were rated 5's and stories that were rated 4's? Or was that just another example of statistical legerdemain?

And you know I was teasing about numbers. I love numbers. What would we call simultaneous orogenital sex if it weren't for numbers?

And what is the square root of 69?

Eight something, isn't it?


---dr.M.

 

[MathGirl]

Dear Dr M,
I statistically analyzed some theoretical scoring and found that there was no significant difference between 4.20 and 4.65. Don't remember why I used those scores, but I think it had something to do with qualifying for the top 500.

I actually did the analysis.

MG

 

[dr_mabeuse]

Dear Dr M,
I statistically analyzed some theoretical scoring and found that there was no significant difference between 4.20 and 4.65.

MG

Can you translate that into English?

Because if that means what it sounds like it means, that's pretty incredible.

 

[Quasimodem]

Speaking about numbers, this is statistically the second most prevalent thread in Author's Hangout , surpassed only by the "I sent in my story last night and can't find it anywhere, when will it show up?" thread.

 

[MathGirl]

Popular subjects

Originally posted by Quasimodem Speaking about numbers, this is statistically the second most prevalent thread in Author's Hangout , surpassed only by the "I sent in my story last night and can't find it anywhere, when will it show up?" thread.

Dear Quaz,
I believe BS's wiwi is right ... um.. up there, too.
MG

 

[Quasimodem]

Popular subjects

Dear Quaz,
I believe BS's wiwi is right ... um.. up there, too.
MG

True, but you can't be seriously statistical about a legendary object. It just isn't scientific.

That's like doing a statistical analysis about the sightings of Nessie, which BS's wiwi somewhat resembles.

 

[dr_mabeuse]

Speaking about numbers, this is statistically the second most prevalent thread in Author's Hangout , surpassed only by the "I sent in my story last night and can't find it anywhere, when will it show up?" thread.

Well, just like the weather, there's a lot of talk about voting but no one ever does anything about it. Here's a site that uses a different system and I thought it was worthwhile to let people see what it looks like.

They only have ~9000 members so you don't get a fraction of the reads you get over here, but the few responses I've received for what I've posted there have already proven more useful to me as an author than the votes I get over here.


---dr.M.

 

[MathGirl]

Re: Popular subjects

sightings of Nessie, which BS's wiwi somewhat resembles.

Dear Quaz,
Except that Nessie is smaller and sighted much less frequently.
MG

 

[Guest]

Re: Re: Popular subjects

Dear Quaz, Except that Nessie is smaller and sighted much less frequently. MG

Ah, but Maths, I don't think Nessie gives a fuck about being sighted, unlike our own Snakenessie.

For the thread, and repeating myself from several (too many) similar threads: I don't care about the votes or ratings, and only a small percent of critical feedback, vs. flattery, holds my attention and means anything w/regard to how I write.

Perdita

 

[MathGirl]

Re: Re: Re: Popular subjects

Ah, but Maths, I don't think Nessie gives a fuck about being sighted, unlike our own Snakenessie.
I don't care about the votes or ratings, and only a small percent of critical feedback, vs. flattery, holds my attention and means anything w/regard to how I write.

Dear Perdita,
Yes, quite true. Le wiwi plus grand is not what I would call publicity shy.
MG

 

[Pure]

dr m
//They only have ~9000 members so you don't get a fraction of the reads you get over here, but the few responses I've received for what I've posted there have already proven more useful to me as an author than the votes I get over here. //

what do you think accounts for the greater willingnes, there, to give more feedback. Is the simple vote too easy here? is this more riff raff here . Is is just 'don't ask for food critiques from McDonald's customers'?

 

[dr_mabeuse]

what do you think accounts for the greater willingnes, there, to give more feedback. Is the simple vote too easy here? is this more riff raff here . Is is just 'don't ask for food critiques from McDonald's customers'?

McDonald's customers! *L* Yeah, I like that. Maybe it's something like that.

I really don't know why they give feedback more easily there. It could just be that, as a fetish community, they're tighter than we are over here, where we get a lot of stroke-'n'-go customers and they take their porn more seriously.

I really think it has something to do with that little comment box popping up over there when you go to rate a story. It just makes it easier and more inviting for someone to add a few words about what they thought of the story than it is over here where you have to call up a new screen.

The other thing that helps is, I think, that your comments are displayed on the story title page. Everyone likes to see their words online (don't they?), and knowing that everyone else will see your comments, not just the author, is a fairly good incentive to get non-trivial, non-stupid feedback.

---dr.M.

 

[rosco rathbone]

i agree, dr.,

the comments are infinitely more interesting, and any way of encouraging them is welcome. another number of interest is, of those who voted, what percent gave a substantial comment (besides "I cummed!" or "eeww.")

I don't suppose it could be forced as "fill out 25 words or more here, and you'll get the 'voting' screen."

All I can think is that a smaller group could be formed who swear to give comments to one another.

And as you probably agree, the voting could be damned.

J.

Why do I have this odd feeling that Pure has shitloads of pervy tales at this site under a name that none of us will ever know?

 

[Jenny _S]

I've thought about this...

Dr. M,
I have something like 170 email feedback's on 9 stories. Of that number nearly all of the are exactly the same. "I loved your story... etc." What's missing? What did you think of the character development, the plot and the pacing? What about the tone of the story? What would you like to see changed? And so on.

I'm not really much into the numbers. Most of what I write it Humor anyway and the group of readers in that catagory tends to be a fairly small, regular group.

So after thinking about this maybe the way it is set up is too easy. You can press a 1-5 and forget it. Or you can send you little "WTG" email. But what is on the general reader's mind when he does either of these?

For a change I would suggest a form. Something like:

Rate 1-5

Plot __________
Character Development __________
Readability __________

and so on.

It breaks the whole thing down into numbers again, but it has the reader thinking about his feedback and not just reacting to the story.

Just a thought.

 

[Joatster]

Words are much more important than numbers...you'd think a bunch of writers would have that one figured out. Numbers, particularly those in our story ratings, are just an attempt to simplify and objectify an inherently complex subjective experience.

While sum people would parse and manipulate the ratings numbers until they are dried up little things, others of us would prefer coherent constructive feedback. Leave the numeroligists their little numbers. Let them be happy fixing value on fuzzy nebulosity. Take the sigma from all their work and it is still simply another number.

Intelligent feedback that takes time, effort, and a little bit of thinking - now that would be something of real value. I'd give it a ten...

BTW - I've been fortunate enough to actually have a couple of people provide constructive feedback. Bless their horny little souls.

 

[Guest]

Joatster

I love that you used the word 'parse', had to let you know.

best, Perdita