for the statistically minded among us

[davidwatts]

I've noticed in the past that a few authors have gotten deeply into the numbers regarding voting and the like, so for those of you, here's a question(s).

Has anyone ever done a statistical study on the percentage of views and voting that is done on the first day a story is put up, and it is listed on the first page of New?

How about after the story has left the New section?

I realize that the numbers will always be increasing somewhat since it's always available to be read, which would make a precise accounting impossible, but it seems like after a month or so, the number of views slows to a trickle unless it''s part of a series.

Anyone have any tales of woe regarding submissions that got messed up in posting, through no apparent fault of your own?

I have so many questions, yet so few answers.

 

[Guest]

Ststststststatistically speaking, I don't give a toss.

 

[davidwatts]

all right!

Thanks for being the first one to jump into the pool, CV.

I'm sure that everyone else is too busy with their calculators right now, so I'll just wait and try to control the mob from here.

 

[cantdog]

I certainly never took such careful note of the accrued votes and views. When people claim the views tail off after the story has left the "New" list, I can see it happening, you know, as a concept. It seems to correspond with my own experience, but I don't have any figures to back up a statement like that.

There certainly are people who do take note, though. Perhaps there are people who can provide links to past threads about the phenomenon.

 

[oggbashan]

Competitions are different

One of the reasons that I encourage people to enter the themed competitions is that the story will get more exposure than normal.

Once a story is off the first page of the 'New' list views and votes drop as dramatically as the valuation of a new car does after a couple of months use.

Competition entries appear on the front page of Literotica for about a month. My competition stories get anything up to 10 times more views than a normal submission.

Whether all the attention is benign? Does it matter? Notorious is nearly as good as famous.

Og

 

[davidwatts]

thank you cantdog

My reasoon for asking is that I had a story put up on Tuesday. When I looked at it sitting proudly on the first page of New, I was greeted with someone else's story on the first page, about a character named Bella. Then at the bottom of the page my story started. I e-mailed Lit and they took it off by the end of the day, after 4000 people read it.

They sent it back to me for me to edit the other authors' work out of it and I submitted it again. They put it back on yesterday, only way back with the other stories submitted Tuesday. 300 reads and 2 votes later (for a saturday no less!) and I'm wondering whether it would make sense to do this:

1. withdraw the story
2. retitle it
3. resubmit it under the new title

Is that legal/kosher/ethical? Has anyone else had this happen, and if so what did you do? It just seems that nobody really reads beyong the first page of New, and my experience seems to be that I get half my views and votes on the first day, but I never kept track.

 

[elfin_odalisque]

For someone who is almost certain to win a themed contest on Feb 14, your comments are perhaps inappropriate.

Anyway, Lit seems to work like real life, there's no such thing as bad publicity. Stuck down at 499 on the top list of 'Very Unsexy Stories we Wish We'd Never Accepted' don't expect a lot of views. Keep posting, people do go and look at your earlier work.

After reading and loving your Val day post, I don't understand what is bothering you. I've done the pavlovian thing and gone and read your other (very good) stuff.

 

[cantdog]

That's a weird error, but my own first story was entirely fucked (my fault, I didn't know about the formatting). I know the feeling, but really, thousands of people will read it in any case.

And in eight months, your writing will be so much better that you'll be happy to move on. At least, I was.

Go ahead and pull it and retitle, then. It ought to have a shot. I might have done it, if the error had been like yours was.

cantdog

 

[neonlyte]

I get about 1000 'hit's a week across 8 stories, I average 1 vote per week and virtually no feedback.

The reason for entering competitions (for me), as Ogg indicated, is the far higher levels of readership. Roughly 75% of hits across all my stories - closing on 200k - was received during the first week of competition entry.

I monitor closely during the first 48 hours, almost obsessively, to mark and report deliberate '1' votes. The little fucker who goes down the new list voting '1' on NEW stories knows they can get away with it because the chance is, given initial voting rates, they will pass unnoticed, unless someone (me) is monitoring tightly.

The added benefit of competition entry is readers look at your other stories, if they liked your entry. All my stories have received multiple votes this week.

Off to read your submission.

 

[davidwatts]

not that one

For someone who is almost certain to win a themed contest on Feb 14, your comments are perhaps inappropriate.

Anyway, Lit seems to work like real life, there's no such thing as bad publicity. Stuck down at 499 on the top list of 'Very Unsexy Stories we Wish We'd Never Accepted' don't expect a lot of views. Keep posting, people do go and look at your earlier work.

After reading and loving your Val day post, I don't understand what is bothering you. I've done the pavlovian thing and gone and read your other (very good) stuff.

Thank you cantdog and og.

elfin... No, I wasn't referring to the Valentine's Day offering at all, but thank you for your kind words. This was about another story that just went up. I reread my question, and although I still don't read it the way you have, if I sounded like I was whining I apologize, as I wasn't so much complaining as confused.

I know absolutely no one on this site outside of these little exchanges, so I thought this was a way to get an idea about other people's experiences. This is the first time I've ever had a problem with a story and I wasn't sure what was the best thing to do. I'm certainly not trying to piss off the folks that run the show over something minor like this, or irritate anyone here either.

 

[elfin_odalisque]

Sorry, David, I think we all suffer from the same problems and insecurities.

I read stories I think are crass and unworthy of being here. I will never mark anyone below 4 but I will, occasionally, leave a comment. I have a good friend who dreamed of being an author and is now making a living as an artist and a french language teacher.

Stories have a life of their own and you seem to have mastered that.

 

[davidwatts]

thanks neonlyte

I get about 1000 'hit's a week across 8 stories, I average 1 vote per week and virtually no feedback.

The reason for entering competitions (for me), as Ogg indicated, is the far higher levels of readership. Roughly 75% of hits across all my stories - closing on 200k - was received during the first week of competition entry.

I monitor closely during the first 48 hours, almost obsessively, to mark and report deliberate '1' votes. The little fucker who goes down the new list voting '1' on NEW stories knows they can get away with it because the chance is, given initial voting rates, they will pass unnoticed, unless someone (me) is monitoring tightly.

The added benefit of competition entry is readers look at your other stories, if they liked your entry. All my stories have received multiple votes this week.

Off to read your submission.

That's pretty much been my experience and reaction too. I guess I'm just glad my story that was affected wasn't the contest one, as I've gotten a lot of wonderful feedback and support there.

 

[elfin_odalisque]

Yeah, sure, the voting bit is a touch bizarre. Grisham or King worry about votes, huh? Buy the book.

There's a game here. Are you in the 'I am what I write' or have you got higher ambitions. I love this place, but it's not for aspiring publishable writers.

 

[neonlyte]

Re: thanks neonlyte

I guess I'm just glad my story that was affected wasn't the contest one, as I've gotten a lot of wonderful feedback and support there.

Me too. I've just read it, it would have been a disaster if that story had been harmed in any way.
My congratulations.

 

[davidwatts]

Re: Re: thanks neonlyte

Me too. I've just read it, it would have been a disaster if that story had been harmed in any way.
My congratulations.

I recommend this hangout to anybody that needs a lift. Thank you so much, neonlyte and evryone else for their kindness.

 

[Guest]

Has anyone ever done a statistical study on the percentage of views and voting that is done on the first day a story is put up, and it is listed on the first page of New?

How about after the story has left the New section?

I realize that the numbers will always be increasing somewhat since it's always available to be read, which would make a precise accounting impossible, but it seems like after a month or so, the number of views slows to a trickle unless it''s part of a series.

I haven't, but I know a woman who probably has...

Oh, Lauren?

Lou

 

[carsonshepherd]

Yeah, sure, the voting bit is a touch bizarre. Grisham or King worry about votes, huh? Buy the book.

There's a game here. Are you in the 'I am what I write' or have you got higher ambitions. I love this place, but it's not for aspiring publishable writers.

And yet there are people writing on Lit who already are published writers and just use this as an outlet for practice, experimenting and meeting other writers and readers.

(No, I'm not one of them.)

 

[davidwatts]

Re: Re: for the statistically minded among us

I haven't, but I know a woman who probably has...

Oh, Lauren?

Lou

why am I not surprised that such a person exists here?

thanx tatelou!