Consistent Trend with Ratings

[JaxonHill]

So, I see a consistent trend with my stories in the ratings department.

1) Several 5 & 4 star reviews right out of the gate.
2) Hammered with a few 1 star ratings
3) Slowly my score goes back up with 4 & 5 star ratings.

Just seems odd that it keeps happening the same way every time, makes me feel like it’s robots or something lol.

Am I just seeing ghosts?

Thanks!

 

[Voboy]

Yay! Another thread about ratings!

OP, you're writing a series. That means your stories are unlikely to be attracting a huge amount of new readers as you post new chapters; you can reasonably expect that views will fall and score totals (though not necessarily vote numbers) will rise as you post more, provided the writing is fairly good.

Beyond that, it's nigh impossible to make generalizations about rater behavior. Though there are a number of confident posters who will come along soon and theorize, if we wait long enough!

Enjoy writing. Write what you want to read and don't worry much about ratings. That's my advice.

 

[MelissaBaby]

So, I see a consistent trend with my stories in the ratings department.

1) Several 5 & 4 star reviews right out of the gate.
2) Hammered with a few 1 star ratings
3) Slowly my score goes back up with 4 & 5 star ratings.

Just seems odd that it keeps happening the same way every time, makes me feel like it’s robots or something lol.

Am I just seeing ghosts?

Thanks!

In my experience, that's a normal pattern.

A disproportionate number of early votes are probably your followers, and if you are writing a series, people who read and enjoyed the previous chapters. When the number of votes is low, 1's and 2's carry a greater weight than they do later on, and so are more noticable. Eventually the rating will level out as votes accumulate.

 

[SimonDoom]

I see a very similar trend with almost all of my stories, in different categories. I think some of the very early votes are cast by followers, so they tend to be positive. Then, for a period of about an hour or so after publication and for several hours more, the 1 bombs happen, and the score is usually at its lowest a few hours after publication. Then it starts slowing going up. After the first 24 hours it's usually close to the score it will settle at.

 

[RejectReality]

In addition to potential 1-bombs caused by regular readers giving you an H early and putting your score in the "threat zone", the H can also attract people who might have otherwise skipped it. Casual readers of the category, people who just noticed something witty or interesting about the title/description, etc. because the red H bling caught their eye. These folks are more likely to drop 3s and 4s than regular readers and category regulars. When your vote totals are low enough, those can do damage that can appear to be 1-bombs at first glance because of how much they can dip your score.

Once you're out of the threat zone, the trolls go away. If you lose your H, your score once again gets dominated by regular readers and category regulars, and slowly percolates back up. It remains below the threat zone, and it's usually too late to attract many more casuals.

 

[Rustyoznail]

Being in a completely different time zone, I get to watch practically in real time how votes go. It's the same pattern. A bunch of fives, a couple of fours, then a few ones to depress me, then the slow climb back up, hopefully helped by a sweep.

 

[mirafrida]

I often see a crash out on day 2. My guess is that after the first-day scores are tabulated, and the public score is updated, a lot of users see it, decide it's "too high," and contribute a corrective 1-vote. And, since the user-visible score doesn't update for a good while, this may tend to lead to an overcorrection, where the story gets pushed down to a level that even users who are not enthusiastic about it may conclude is "too low" (which, in turn, can help set the stage for a painfully slow recovery)

 

[BobbyBrandt]

I'm the odd duck here I think, and my last two stories demonstrates this:

"1990", published early in January started out at 4.84. It has remained within a hundredth of a point of that for almost 10 months and currently sits at 4.83.

"Justice", published at the end of August started out at 4.86 and is currently at 4.87.

As a comparison, my very first story published here has remained between 4.85 and 4.90 for the past nine and a half years.

Collectively, my stories average around 85 views per day, with some categories being much higher than others. But regardless of the category, the score remains relatively static for each of them from the date of publication onward. Views for older stories might see a surge as a new story prompts people to check out my back catalog, but the score seldom reflect any corresponding change even with new votes being registered.

 

[Kelliezgirl]

Is there somewhere to find the more detailed ratings and views than just on the "Works" page? I feel like I'm missing something.

 

[alohadave]

Is there somewhere to find the more detailed ratings and views than just on the "Works" page? I feel like I'm missing something.

That's pretty much it. You can download a snapshot of you stats and record it over time, but it's a manual process on your part. I download my stats once a week on Friday mornings.

 

[Kelliezgirl]

That's pretty much it. You can download a snapshot of you stats and record it over time, but it's a manual process on your part. I download my stats once a week on Friday mornings.

Thanks, I was just wondering if there was a way to see the breakdown of 1s to 5s and all. Would nice to know if most people like it and there are a few haters or does everyone think it is average.

 

[luv2custrip]

Thanks, I was just wondering if there was a way to see the breakdown of 1s to 5s and all. Would nice to know if most people like it and there are a few haters or does everyone think it is average.

Can’t get too obsessed over ratings; I think number of favorites are more telling. Ratings can change but very few people “un-favorite” you.

 

[alohadave]

Thanks, I was just wondering if there was a way to see the breakdown of 1s to 5s and all. Would nice to know if most people like it and there are a few haters or does everyone think it is average.

There is a method to estimate the breakdown. https://www.literotica.com/s/how-to-analyze-your-scores

It's not super useful, but you get an idea.

 

[Kelliezgirl]

Thanks for all the help.
Not really obsessing over ratings, although I do have an analytical streak, just trying to make sense of it all.
I've always felt the best feedback comes from people who rate what you are doing a 3 or 4.
People loving you is great (the 5s), and people hating you (1 and 2) is inevitable and they probably just aren't your audience anyway, but the 3s and 4s are the "I like this but..." where you can find gold.

 

[ElectricBlue]

Thanks, I was just wondering if there was a way to see the breakdown of 1s to 5s and all. Would nice to know if most people like it and there are a few haters or does everyone think it is average.

No. You only get to see the number overall votes and the average score.

If you want to see the breakdown, you have to check your scores frequently and figure out the maths. It's fairly easily done, but ultimately serves no purpose. Come back in thirty days, and the score will have settled down, and you'll have some idea of your storytelling reception.

 

[belted and teased]

So, I see a consistent trend with my stories in the ratings department.

1) Several 5 & 4 star reviews right out of the gate.
2) Hammered with a few 1 star ratings
3) Slowly my score goes back up with 4 & 5 star ratings.

Just seems odd that it keeps happening the same way every time, makes me feel like it’s robots or something lol.

Am I just seeing ghosts?

Thanks!

I am experiencing the exact same thing.

 

[ShelbyDawn57]

Does Laurel do a sweep for east h contest? If so, it should rectify next week for the monthly.

 

[alohadave]

Does Laurel do a sweep for east h contest? If so, it should rectify next week for the monthly.

They happen regularly. But not all stories or votes are swept uniformly.

 

[ShelbyDawn57]

They happen regularly. But not all stories or votes are swept uniformly.

Just curious. I have a story that's a potential for a monthly and it's taken a curious drop in the past few days. I'm guessing contenders would take preference over something that's been out for three years.

 

[RejectReality]

Just curious. I have a story that's a potential for a monthly and it's taken a curious drop in the past few days. I'm guessing contenders would take preference over something that's been out for three years.

A sweep specifically for the monthly will only take place right before that month's winners are announced. It's like any other contest and your score is little more than a placeholder until that final sweep takes place.

 

[ShelbyDawn57]

A sweep specifically for the monthly will only take place right before that month's winners are announced. It's like any other contest and your score is little more than a placeholder until that final sweep takes place.

Thx