Geek Pride Day! Official Support Thread

[TANSTAAFL58]

Maria showed up a couple of times over the weekend. It's a real let-down, after the little lift from seeing that there is a new comment

On the other hand, I'm enjoying the feedback process. I'm slowly working my way through the stories. It's like sitting in front of the Scyfy channel (Space here in Canada) all day, but with great sex. I am really enjoying the variation in subject matter. My garden has suffered terribly! (I'll live!).

 

[Voboy]

Zero comments on mine so far.

Well, that’s not quite true; there’ve been three, but they were all spam. The trend continues, for me: low-ish readership, but appreciative readership. I don’t think I’m much over 2k views yet. That’s glacial compared to the categories in which I usually submit.

 

[ElectricBlue]

Mine fell off the front page yesterday after 550 views (story title too far down the alphabet), it's now up to 700 views, seven comments (excluding Maria). It's a bummer it fell off the first page so soon, but I feel for those guys who never made the front page at all. C'est la vie.

 

[LoquiSordidaAdMe]

Mine fell off the front page yesterday after 550 views (story title too far down the alphabet), it's now up to 700 views, seven comments (excluding Maria). It's a bummer it fell off the first page so soon, but I feel for those guys who never made the front page at all. C'est la vie.

I'm up to about 750 views, which is low, but I've had 38 votes - about one vote out of every twenty views - which is significantly higher than normal. So while the SF&F readership may be smaller, they seem to be active voters.

As far as reading, I keep trying, but life keeps getting in the way. Very frustrating.

 

[gordo12]

Zero comments on mine so far.

Well, that’s not quite true; there’ve been three, but they were all spam. The trend continues, for me: low-ish readership, but appreciative readership. I don’t think I’m much over 2k views yet. That’s glacial compared to the categories in which I usually submit.

Well I read yours and thoroughly enjoyed it. It reminded me sooo much of the imcompetence you see in almost every gov dept. Not sure why I went from space supplies to gov but there you are.

Anyway excellent story.

 

[Voboy]

Well I read yours and thoroughly enjoyed it. It reminded me sooo much of the imcompetence you see in almost every gov dept. Not sure why I went from space supplies to gov but there you are.

Anyway excellent story.

You’re far too kind. Thanks!

I like the character. We’ll have to see if she wants to come back out in the future. On a side note, you guys are too cool: I post about a lack of comments, then boom. I get a few.

Such a good community here.

 

[SimonDoom]

I'm up to about 750 views, which is low, but I've had 38 votes - about one vote out of every twenty views - which is significantly higher than normal. So while the SF&F readership may be smaller, they seem to be active voters.

As far as reading, I keep trying, but life keeps getting in the way. Very frustrating.

A vote for every 20 views is an extremely good ratio. None of my 20 stories is even remotely close to that. My Sci Fi story has a 1 out of 56 vote to view ratio, more or less. It means you are hooking your readers early and they're seeing your story through to the end.

 

[ElectricBlue]

A vote for every 20 views is an extremely good ratio. None of my 20 stories is even remotely close to that. My Sci Fi story has a 1 out of 56 vote to view ratio, more or less. It means you are hooking your readers early and they're seeing your story through to the end.

Yes, that's extremely good - mine's currently running about 1:40, which is high for me (my average over all stories is 1:100). My comment ratio is way higher than usual, I usually figure 1:1000, this piece is currently 1:100 (fellow geek writers and readers 50/50, roughly). The comment count doesn't include Maria, I hasten to add .

 

[Etaski]

I'm up to about 750 views, which is low, but I've had 38 votes - about one vote out of every twenty views - which is significantly higher than normal. So while the SF&F readership may be smaller, they seem to be active voters.

Yes. Yes, we are. I think it's a "not the size that counts but how we use it" mentality.

And hey, Loqui, you have the same ratio that I do on my Geek story. Well done.

Mine fell off the front page yesterday after 550 views (story title too far down the alphabet), it's now up to 700 views, seven comments (excluding Maria). It's a bummer it fell off the first page so soon, but I feel for those guys who never made the front page at all. C'est la vie.

Well, something that will help a little, is that Laurel was very kind (not sure if this was because of a request I made or she was going to do it anyway...might assume she was going to do it anyway).

If you haven't noticed:

https://www.literotica.com/c/science-fiction-fantasy

At the actual Sci-F/Fantasy portal, where I tend to go to first (easier than skimming the New Story List, which I rarely look at), is the Geek Pride Story List reset to the very top again as of today, so it will go through another few days being right under the main readership's nose. So, event's not over yet.

That, and yes, a lot of us are trying to get back to them, but I know I had no idea there would be 32 stories at once. Even the couple of friends I've prodded their shoulders are like, "Shit, I'm at a Con getting drunk while playing the Cryx faction. When I get back.." Or "Crap, busy with work at the moment, but thanks for telling me!"

So, some stuff will probably continue to trickle in. Including my reads. I'll be going back to that list for a while. I have much to do and don't want to burn out on reading/commenting, plus I like to think about what I just read, so I'm averaging about 3 per day atm.

 

[Etaski]

Oh...and something amusing. The Sci-Fi/Fantasy readers are voting on that actual list of Geek Stories, and right now, it's at 4.91.

I think we made some people happy.

 

[JasonClearwater]

So, some stuff will probably continue to trickle in. Including my reads. I'll be going back to that list for a while. I have much to do and don't want to burn out on reading/commenting, plus I like to think about what I just read, so I'm averaging about 3 per day atm.

Ditto here. I haven't had a chance or the concentration to read anything other than the story I beta-read prior to posting, but I plan to. I've taken a look at a couple and been extremely impressed with the quality. Just need to sit down and read.

Having ADHD really doesn't help.

 

[TANSTAAFL58]

I suppose for a rookie 11 votes for 620 views and a score of 4.27 isn't bad? I am slowly working my way up from the bottom (since that's where my story is as well). Assuming there is a second Geek Pride event next year, my story will be about someone named Araon or an Aardvark.

I have an an idea for a future story, more Fantasy than Sci-fi. Although, it might be interesting to follow the crew of the Hood...

I'm kind of waiting to see the reception of my present story after a couple of weeks before I submit a second story. The other stories I have written are in different categories. Is that common?

 

[NotWise]

I suppose for a rookie 11 votes for 620 views and a score of 4.27 isn't bad?

My first story has struggled up to 4.16. Two of my first four stories are my lowest scoring.

I'm kind of waiting to see the reception of my present story after a couple of weeks before I submit a second story. The other stories I have written are in different categories. Is that common?

I think it's common. My first four stories went into three different categories. You can read a category all you want, but there's nothing like posting there to give you a sense of what it's about. I've posted in three more categories since, and I'm not even being very inquisitive. I'll probably be posting in a another one fairly soon.

 

[Voboy]

I think it's common. My first four stories went into three different categories. You can read a category all you want, but there's nothing like posting there to give you a sense of what it's about. I've posted in three more categories since, and I'm not even being very inquisitive. I'll probably be posting in a another one fairly soon.

I read stories here for years before I ever posted, and I had NO idea. It's not like different categories on the same site; it's more like a bunch of different sites. There's scant similarity among voting patterns from one category to the next.

This is my first foray into SF, and I'm shocked by the low reads. But it strikes me as a very discriminating and welcoming category. Too bad it doesn't get more traffic, but then I never read it either before this.

I think I'm happier with a decent score on low voting numbers in SF over a massive readership of sheer spankers over in EC or wherever. I feel, from sampling some of the other postings there, that the standard of writing is higher than it is in many other categories.

 

[NotWise]

This is my first foray into SF, and I'm shocked by the low reads. But it strikes me as a very discriminating and welcoming category. Too bad it doesn't get more traffic, but then I never read it either before this.

Reads on some of the Geek stories have been low, but not out of the range of normal for the category. I think the 31 (or 32) stories in the anthology represent about four or five normal day's traffic in the hub, all at once. The readers were spread thin.

SciFi&F readers seem to vote frequently, and average scores are high. In my experience comments are not as common. From what I've heard from other writers they'll accept a wide range of kinks -- even non-erotic and softcore, which describes my two stories in SciFi&F.

Maybe the event will bring more writers to SciFi&F, and more readers along with them.

 

[SimonDoom]

I think the 31 (or 32) stories in the anthology represent about four or five normal day's traffic in the hub, all at once. The readers were spread thin.

.

I think this is true, and one good consequence of it, I think, is that while my first day's views were far, far lower than what I was accustomed to in other categories, the daily dropoffs since then have not been as significant as I've been accustomed to elsewhere.

 

[gordo12]

My Sci Fi story has a 1 out of 56 vote to view ratio, more or less.

Mine's running about the same. Just under 2k views now.

Edit: I just recalculated that and it's now around 1/41

So a view isn't actually a reader just someone that looked and maybe said nah? Or partially read it. I guess there's no way in knowing how much reading is going on.

PS thanks to those members for the editing advice earlier.

 

[ElectricBlue]

Assuming there is a second Geek Pride event next year, my story will be about someone named Araon or an Aardvark.

Already done: https://www.literotica.com/s/aalison-the-aardvark

 

[TANSTAAFL58]

Already done: https://www.literotica.com/s/aalison-the-aardvark

Dammit! I even read that (a Shaggy Dog story with an exceptionally delicious bad pun at the end).

I'll just enjoy the ride.

Any idea how long this Geek thread will stay open?

 

[ElectricBlue]

Dammit! I even read that (a Shaggy Dog story with an exceptionally delicious bad pun at the end).

I'll just enjoy the ride.

Any idea how long this Geek thread will stay open?

Yes, the whole story was to get to that shocker!

The thread will stay open until we stop posting in it. Threads rarely get closed, they just stop.

 

[Etaski]

Reads on some of the Geek stories have been low, but not out of the range of normal for the category. I think the 31 (or 32) stories in the anthology represent about four or five normal day's traffic in the hub, all at once. The readers were spread thin.

Agreed. The response has been consistent, even a little better for comments in general, regardless that the event started on the day before Memorial Weekend in the US.

SciFi&F readers seem to vote frequently, and average scores are high. In my experience comments are not as common.

I don't know how frequent it is in other categories, but sometimes readers in Sci-Fi (particularly on series) will ask a question in the comments and hope the author will answer/engage them. It's considered good form to reply and acknowledge your readers as the author, especially if they are asking questions about your world/characters/etc. and how it all ticks. (Although, avoid explaining it *all* in a wall of text; best to keep it relevant and concise, don't give away more than you have to to address the question. Sometimes my response is "Good question. Wait for it." ).

This reader response is not assured by any means, and it does depend on your own goals, but if you think, "Oh, if I post an answer, they may never come back to read it." ....They actually do come back in Sci-Fi/Fantasy, at least with series where they know more is coming. And even if they don't, future readers will see your response and it might answer the question for them, too. The comments section can function as a focused forum with no notifications of any sort.

From what I've heard from other writers they'll accept a wide range of kinks -- even non-erotic and softcore, which describes my two stories in SciFi&F.

Yes, for the most part. There's still the "eek! two dudes!" and "he's lost his mancard!" knee-jerk responses you get to gay and bisexual males, and certain kinds of fem-dom that you see in the other categories, but these stories are still posted and appreciated by others (just expect a comment or two mentioning how someone doesn't like it).

I will also note that Futanari stories are not the highest-scored but they are very frequently posted and do have their appreciative readers as well. What's more, every futa character I've read has a different refinement and/or explanation for their biology. No two seem to be alike, unless you're drawing it straight out of hentai and the "no explanation whatsoever, just exaggerated genitals and gallons of cum" route. Which also has its place, that's just what some readers want.

Harem stories are popular but have a particular formula, so prepare for some protest if a writer deviates from it. It's like the Romance Category, you have to hit certain notes to count as romance, or there will be blood. I kind of see the harem stories as the male-equivalent to romance, which has what I call the "Chimera man" in the "harlequin" type women's romances. She wants the "alpha male" behavior, wealth, and status, but also the "beta male" social acuity, monogamy (assumed), and emotional tenderness to bond with her spiritually, and that he be kind of animals and love kids.

....all these things just can't be in the same man--their life experiences are mutually exclusive to develop some of these traits, especially since it doesn't take into account male bonding. The male lead in many women's romances is a Chimera, he doesn't exist.

Neither are any of the women in the harem stories. The fantasy is that all the women get along with each other (or at least make peace for the sake of sharing the same man), and all agree that the 1 man the best choice for mating/having children, and protection/providing for them. They aren't tempted to look for another man, will be loyal and faithful to the group, and will verbally and physically defend their chosen male. If there's a challenge to him from another man, that challenger is always the "lesser" and the lead man always wins. You deviant from this, you break the fantasy.

Lien_Geller managed two variances in his "The Missing Dragon" that I could appreciate greatly, he was bold to do them. First, his main character got his ass kicked in a fight with orcs as a story/character-building event of getting up after you've been knocked down hard (a big "no-no" in harem stories). second, one of the female characters had enough self-empowerment to select another male lover for herself besides the lead man (who made it clear earlier he didn't "own" her, and for general competence, she was more can capable of thinking for and taking care of herself). L_G gave the the female and her second lover own sweet sex scene.

Both of these things were awesome story choices that raised my respect for him, but they also got some blow-back from the readers. Lien_Geller ended up killing off the secondary male lover. I'm not sure if that was always the plan or not, but I was sorry to see it happen.

Maybe the event will bring more writers to SciFi&F, and more readers along with them.

I can hope. Probably not in a huge way, but like all things with this category, every little thing counts. If more who entered a story for the first time for this event want to visit the category again, it's a very good thing.

And truly, having a Geek Pride Day for us, I think, has already proven a touching and rewarding event well beyond my expectations.

 

[weftandwarp]

I would like it if geek pride included more than sci fi / fantasy. Geeks / nerds are involved with a lot more than that. I remember one who was magic with washing people's bottoms. They loved being on his list.

 

[SimonDoom]

Sweeps?

Has anyone noticed if there have been any sweeps since the posting of the Geek Day stories? I have not noticed any for my story. My story was lying in the darkness of a deep, deep scoring hole after its first few votes, and it's been climbing out of it slowly but steadily since then, so I suspect there was some tactical voting at the outset. Am curious if anyone has observed changes resulting from sweeps.

 

[Etaski]

Has anyone noticed if there have been any sweeps since the posting of the Geek Day stories? I have not noticed any for my story. My story was lying in the darkness of a deep, deep scoring hole after its first few votes, and it's been climbing out of it slowly but steadily since then, so I suspect there was some tactical voting at the outset. Am curious if anyone has observed changes resulting from sweeps.

No, no sweeps yet. There weren't any for 2-3 weeks after the Mystery Tour event, either, so...going to need to be patient. It will probably coincide with the regular sweeps.

If you want to request a sweep on your story specifically, you can. You report your own story (lower right triangle-! symbol), select the reason as "Other," and ask politely. But even those don't go through for about 7-10 days. There's no insta-fix for tactical voting, that's why it's always early and immediate by those who care the most.

 

[MisterWildCard]

Well, let's see...

"The Tournament of Colors" currently stands at 1.8k readers, five people marked it as a favorite, an average rating of 4.65 with 31 votes, and three reader comments (plus one from myself responding to one of the ideas brought up by one of the commenters).

I know that the 4.65 rating has earned it the red-H "hot" tag, but beyond that, I don't really have a point of reference to say if this story would be considered to be doing well or not.