Allowing story rating/voting...

[Lady_Guenivere]

How do you feel about it?
I have mixed feelings. While I do like feedback I find it heartbreaking if my story does not get a good rating...it is kind of like allowing people to rate how "great" your kids are...you know? It is so personal. What if they gave them 3 out of 5 stars. Ouch!
You pour your heart and soul into a story and you really want people to embrace it...love it even and when they don't...it doesn't feel so good.
I like feedback, even constructive critisism...but random ratings...I don't know. If you are giving me 2-3 stars, tell me why.

Thoughts?

 

[JamesSD]

First, I think it's wonderful we're given the choice to turn voting/comments on or off.

Reader votes are heavily influenced by expectations. A cheerful, happy ending Romance will typically score better than a complex, morally ambiguous tale with a less wonderful end.

On the other hand, they can be a very useful barometer for the "silent majority" of readers. Typically those who comment or send feedback are at the fringes; they either loved it or truly hated it. The person who gives your story a 3 or a 4 often won't comment.

It also can be useful comparing the scores of your own work to see what's working for the reader and what's not.

If you're going to worry too much about a story's score, turn voting off. If you're mostly curious about how people like it, leave it on.

 

[voluptuary_manque]

I rarely vote a story a 2. If I do, it's one that I basically find repellent for some reason. Perhaps the story is brutal or the protagonist the sort of person who needs his/her birth certificate revoked. I never vote a 1 on anything. Threes are, if you read the definition, a complement. I can deal with threes. Fours make my day and anyone who gives me fives gets undying gratitude.

However, I'm much more rewarded by comments than by numbers.

 

[jomar]

Not a perfect system, but I like the voting and feedback. But yeah, if a reader is going to give me a low score I'd like to know why and rather it be for writerly issues instead of them just saying "you suck."

 

[DeeZire]

Some of my favorite stories here don't have red Hs, so I don't put much stock in them. All a red H means to me is that the author has succeeded in connecting with the lowest common denominator. Is that a worthy goal? I guess it depends on who you want to please.

 

[The_Darkness]

I am a feedback whore. I thrive on it. I want to know if I'm doing well or if my stories are crap.

Then again, writing for certain categories....the fans of those genres tend to be a little less forgiving than others, particularly BSDM....

 

[TE999]

I appreciate constructive feedback, favorable or unfavorable...the insults and crude comments I simply delete.

 

[The_Darkness]

I appreciate constructive feedback, favorable or unfavorable...the insults and crude comments I simply delete.

Seconded.

 

[voluptuary_manque]

Seconded.

thirdedededededed . . . .

 

[michchick98]

I like seeing the red H's beside my stories/chapters, but if I don't have them I don't worry about it. I figure anything over a 3 is good, cuz that's closer to 5 than to 1. Although it does make me happy when the scores are higher.

If I get particularly nasty or incoherent comments, I usually delete them since they're almost always anonymous comments. If someone has actually given me negative feedback on my story and left a user name, I'll reply to them through their contact info and have them explain in more detail what they disliked about the story.

I've never turned off voting or comments on my stories. I like seeing what people like or dislike about my work. And I myself, won't give anyone anything lower than a 4. If I feel the story isn't worthy of a 4, I usually don't vote, but rather contact the author and explain to him/her what I didn't like about the story.

 

[sr71plt]

I leave everything turned on and if I get low votes/unfavorable comments, I assume they're crazy and have no knowledge of good creative writing and when they leave high votes/great comments, I sign their checks.

 

[Edward Teach]

Now, me, I like don87654. He comes back around to the same story every couple of years and leaves another PC, apparently having forgotten that he left a similar one two years earlier. And he always says the same thing, that it's a good story but that "you should get her pregnant."

Edward the Affable

 

[The_Darkness]

Now, me, I like don87654. He comes back around to the same story every couple of years and leaves another PC, apparently having forgotten that he left a similar one two years earlier. And he always says the same thing, that it's a good story but that "you should get her pregnant."

Edward the Affable

Ahhh yes...the serial voter...I used to have one of those as well, but I can't remember who the hell it is now. Maybe it's the same person....

 

[Edward Teach]

Ahhh yes...the serial voter...I used to have one of those as well, but I can't remember who the hell it is now. Maybe it's the same person....

This guy makes the rounds pretty well, Dark, and he always wants the woman to get pregnant.

 

[The_Darkness]

This guy makes the rounds pretty well, Dark, and he always wants the woman to get pregnant.

Given that 50% of my stories are incest, I'd imagine he's hit mine at least once

 

[Dragonlipz]

A guy who grew up in my old neighborhood, Yogi Berra, once said: "Boos are cheers when you're on the road..."
I don't worry about negative feedback or that guy that calls me niggerlipz, it just shows their LORD when they post.....Ciao....
Jump high, come again.......

 

[glynndah]

I rarely get comments. I check occasionally just to make sure I haven't accidentally turned them off. Comments, not the readers. I've just about given up on turning them on.