Damn lies?

[Green_Knight]

...That's why stats at Lit are pointless. The event is a person clicking 1 to 5 stars, and there's no measurable meaning to what 5 means or what 1 means. Around here 1 often means "your story rocked and it started to rise into the toplist and we can't have that now can we." Or "you mentioned red stockings. Only nude stockings are hot." Or "I just got dumped by my boyfriend and your character is just like him, you bastard!"

No context, no meaning.

A meaning for each of the stars appears when you hover over it so it's not entirely meaningless but how many people actually base their vote on that is another matter entirely. Of course, the answer to the problems you've raised is to get more people to vote so that those with malicious intent and the downright bizarre are vastly outweighed by normal readers and unable to influence the results. It really is pathetic that, on average, only one per cent of views turn into votes. Lit could do something about that very easily if it had a mind to – a better use of its resources than tarting up the control panel, perhaps.

 

[Hypoxia]

Authors may chase numbers if they so desire.

Whatever turns one on.

Go nutz.

 

[8letters]

Unfortunately, statistics are only as good as the person manipulating them. In one of my advanced statistics classes (years ago) the class split into two groups (6 in each group) and given the same data. We were then instructed to prove two opposite conclusions using the data given. Both groups were successful. The entire exercise was a lesson in not trusting statistics.

That is not to say that statistics are not useful. They are. But, when used to draw a conclusion, they are not to be trusted.

This is painfully stupid. What do you recommend for drawing conclusions? Bird entrails?

Statistics are a huge part of coming to the right solution. Otherwise, you are dependent on anecdote or your gut. At the same time, a one-time look at one data set can't be the end-all of any analysis. And you have to accept that there are some facts that support X and there are some facts that argue against X. You always have to weigh the facts and also avoid oversimplistically looking at the facts.

The problem with LitE statistics is that we don't have any model or statistics that tell us how readers get to our stories. How many stories are read from the new stories list on the daily hub for each topic? How many are read from the current top list? How many are read from tag list pages? How many are read from the author's submission list? How many are read from contest pages? How many are read from Google searches? How many are read from a link in an email? How many are read from a link in social media? What's the breakdown by category? What's the breakdown for me? Of the reads from each source, how likely is it to result in a vote? In a comment?

Without that basic information, we are stumbling around blindly. If most of the reads for stories over a week old come from Google searches, then authors should be spending time on SEO. If most of the reads for stories over a week old come from an author's submission list, then frequently publishing new content is really important. If the tag list page is a major source of reads, then you need to optimize your use of tags. Etc, etc.

With scores, we don't have any type of model or statistics that predict what a score would be. What is the effect of page length on score? What's the effect of category on score? Does a story with an 18-year-old female lead on average score better or worse than a story with a 25-year-old female lead? I think that storker stories do better on average if they are shorter, if the girl has big to huge tits and if the guy has a big to huge cock. For more serious stories, they do better the longer they are and giving the girl huge tits and the guy a huge cock on average hurts the story. Do statistics back that up? Sadly, we don't have those statistics and are stumbling around blind.

 

[lovecraft68]

This is painfully stupid. What do you recommend for drawing conclusions? Bird entrails?

What's painfully stupid is people so obsessed with stats they'll write their stories based on every shred of 'data' they can gather to get the most reads/votes/comments and scores, rather than just writing for fun or going by what you choose to.

Stats mean nothing here. They are no indication of talent or skill or creativity. They may, in some cases, indicate quite the opposite in the sense that some readers are so easy to please you only have to give them A and B over and over again and they keep slapping on the 5's.

I have plenty of 'stats' here and maybe back in year 1-2 I was impressed by them. But now I see them for what they are....worthless. The results of trolls on one side and mindless sheeple on the other. In the middle there's the minority who vote based on more serious criteria than just did it make them tingly, but they're few and far between.

 

[ChloeTzang]

What's painfully stupid is people so obsessed with stats they'll write their stories based on every shred of 'data' they can gather to get the most reads/votes/comments and scores, rather than just writing for fun or going by what you choose to.

Stats mean nothing here. They are no indication of talent or skill or creativity. They may, in some cases, indicate quite the opposite in the sense that some readers are so easy to please you only have to give them A and B over and over again and they keep slapping on the 5's.

I have plenty of 'stats' here and maybe back in year 1-2 I was impressed by them. But now I see them for what they are....worthless. The results of trolls on one side and mindless sheeple on the other. In the middle there's the minority who vote based on more serious criteria than just did it make them tingly, but they're few and far between.

I guess I fall in between - I like the ratings and the votes but I write what I want to write without trying to target them. I get better feedback on my actual writing from reader emails after they get past the feedback panel and on to corresponding. Much better.

 

[HandsInTheDark]

https://xkcd.com/937/

 

[UghOkay]

I'm of the opinion that people should write the story they want and not worry too much about ratings. You'll drive yourself crazy if you spend a bunch of time worrying about what total strangers will think. If Becky in Ohio likes my story, that's great, but I'm not going to lose any sleep if she doesn't.

I've seen some good stories that got bad ratings. I've seen some bad stories that are marked as hot. It doesn't matter. You have to be satisfied with the story you write.

 

[Hypoxia]

Write for the numbers. Or write for yourself. Or both. Or neither. Whatever. The numbers come and go, as does your inspiration. Do numbers inspire you? Go for it. Whatever.

 

[sr71plt]

I have the hots for the number 3.

 

[lovecraft68]

I have the hots for the number 3.

More of 1 person myself because many times they are accompanied by oh so witty remarks. I'm a sucker for pillow talk.

 

[Green_Knight]

I guess I fall in between - I like the ratings and the votes but I write what I want to write without trying to target them. I get better feedback on my actual writing from reader emails after they get past the feedback panel and on to corresponding. Much better.

The author who really wants to write just for fun does no more than press 'Save' when they reach the end.

The author who presses 'Submit' does so in the hope that other people will enjoy reading their work. In that case, even if it is entirely sub-conscious and subsequently denied, some degree of writing to the audience is inevitable.

Write for the numbers. Or write for yourself. Or both. Or neither. Whatever. The numbers come and go, as does your inspiration. Do numbers inspire you? Go for it. Whatever.

As Number 6 insisted, 'I am not a number, I am a free man' but that was before Rover got him.

 

[oggbashan]

The author who really wants to write just for fun does no more than press 'Save' when they reach the end.

The author who presses 'Submit' does so in the hope that other people will enjoy reading their work. In that case, even if it is entirely sub-conscious and subsequently denied, some degree of writing to the audience is inevitable.

...

Part of the fun of writing is seeing the reaction of others even if that reaction is WTF? (or a 1 bomb).

 

[Green_Knight]

Part of the fun of writing is seeing the reaction of others even if that reaction is WTF? (or a 1 bomb).

Indeed, or even writing to provoke such a reaction!

 

[oggbashan]

Indeed, or even writing to provoke such a reaction!

The Loving Wives category produces most reaction when a story provokes the fans.

 

[Green_Knight]

The Loving Wives category produces most reaction when a story provokes the fans.

I hear the howls even as the words slip their way from my fingertips to the screen.