If you turn off scores...

[THBGato]

...what happens to the current score a story has? Does it disappear? Or is it preserved, but nobody can add any further votes?

(Asking as I have three stories with the scores in the 4.90s. Assuming the trolls don't get to me beforehand, they'll hit no 1 on the top list once then get 100 votes, then immediately get pummeled but whatever troll/bot has been whacking everything on the Lesbian top list for the last 6 weeks. They'll end up on 4.82 or something. If I could freeze them now, I'd be tempted.)

 

[MelissaBaby]

...what happens to the current score a story has? Does it disappear? Or is it preserved, but nobody can add any further votes?

(Asking as I have three stories with the scores in the 4.90s. Assuming the trolls don't get to me beforehand, they'll hit no 1 on the top list once then get 100 votes, then immediately get pummeled but whatever troll/bot has been whacking everything on the Lesbian top list for the last 6 weeks. They'll end up on 4.82 or something. If I could freeze them now, I'd be tempted.)

I believe the score disappears and you don't get listed, but I don't know because I'm not crazy enough to try it.

 

[ShelbyDawn57]

Pretty sure if you turn off voting, you exclude yourself from those lists, but not 100%.

 

[THBGato]

I don't know because I'm not crazy enough to try it.

Fair. Not sure I am either. Just wondered whether it was an option.

 

[lovecraft68]

Pretty sure you lose the score and that's as it should be. If it was allowed, people would five bomb all their stories, then lock them in.

It blows my mind the vanity involved with scores because of all the variable, many of which are sketchy, and few of which are really representative to the quality of the story, involved

 

[AwkwardlySet]

...what happens to the current score a story has? Does it disappear? Or is it preserved, but nobody can add any further votes?

(Asking as I have three stories with the scores in the 4.90s. Assuming the trolls don't get to me beforehand, they'll hit no 1 on the top list once then get 100 votes, then immediately get pummeled but whatever troll/bot has been whacking everything on the Lesbian top list for the last 6 weeks. They'll end up on 4.82 or something. If I could freeze them now, I'd be tempted.)

If you turn it off, your score should disappear. There were some glitches in the past when a story would retain its score prior to being turned off, but in general, your score should disappear. It's not worth doing it, IMO, as your story will get de-ranked and it will be much harder to find as any tag or keyword search sorted by score would place your story at the very end.

 

[SimonDoom]

They'll end up on 4.82 or something. If I could freeze them now, I'd be tempted.)

You would? Think about that. You're gaming the system, getting to a point where you like the scores and then turning it off to preserve an advantage over other people who continue to subject their stories to voting.

I don't understand how somebody could be content with that. Your score doesn't mean anything if it isn't the result of the same process everybody else is subject to.

It's nice to have a high score, but I don't understand caring so much about the number that one would want to do this to preserve it.

My understanding is if you do this, the score will disappear, but even if it didn't I'd never do it because I cannot imagine being satisfied with a score that isn't "real."

 

[RejectReality]

Your score will vanish, replaced by x.xx, and nobody else will be able to add a new score. Thanks to fixing the bug ( or at least it was fixed the last I knew ) any Hs you have will also vanish, as that's a benefit of score.

The story will not be eligible for contests based on score ( monthlies prior to turning off the score is a question, since they're so far behind, though I suspect they will be excluded for simplicity ) or the toplists that are based on score. Some categories of the annual have nothing to do with score and are by nomination, so you can still place in those.

If you choose to turn back on scoring at any point, your score will reappear based upon the average of the votes you have at the time it's turned back on. I believe that your Hs will also reappear at that time if the score merits one. They will still be permanently ineligible for any score-based contests, though I believe they're allowed to once again be considered for the toplists.

 

[THBGato]

You would? Think about that. You're gaming the system, getting to a point where you like the scores and then turning it off to preserve an advantage over other people who continue to subject their stories to voting.

I don't understand how somebody could be content with that. Your score doesn't mean anything if it isn't the result of the same process everybody else is subject to.

It's nice to have a high score, but I don't understand caring so much about the number that one would want to do this to preserve it.

My understanding is if you do this, the score will disappear, but even if it didn't I'd never do it because I cannot imagine being satisfied with a score that isn't "real."

Well, I'd be turning them off BEFORE I got to 100 votes and thus wouldn't be eligible for the top list. So not really gaming the system. Also, right now, none of the scores in the Lesbian Sex top list are "real" because they have been subjected to sustained, indiscriminate down-voting for the past 6 weeks.

But yeah, as I said, was just curious as to whether it was an option. Doesn't mean I would take it.

 

[THBGato]

Your score will vanish, replaced by x.xx, and nobody else will be able to add a new score. Thanks to fixing the bug ( or at least it was fixed the last I knew ) any Hs you have will also vanish, as that's a benefit of score.

The story will not be eligible for contests based on score ( monthlies prior to turning off the score is a question, since they're so far behind, though I suspect they will be excluded for simplicity ) or the toplists that are based on score. Some categories of the annual have nothing to do with score and are by nomination, so you can still place in those.

If you choose to turn back on scoring at any point, your score will reappear based upon the average of the votes you have at the time it's turned back on. I believe that your Hs will also reappear at that time if the score merits one. They will still be permanently ineligible for any score-based contests, though I believe they're allowed to once again be considered for the toplists.

Thanks for the detailed response.

 

[ElectricBlue]

...what happens to the current score a story has? Does it disappear? Or is it preserved, but nobody can add any further votes?

(Asking as I have three stories with the scores in the 4.90s. Assuming the trolls don't get to me beforehand, they'll hit no 1 on the top list once then get 100 votes, then immediately get pummeled but whatever troll/bot has been whacking everything on the Lesbian top list for the last 6 weeks. They'll end up on 4.82 or something. If I could freeze them now, I'd be tempted.)

Your scores will stay. No-one else can vote.

Whether or not the story will stay in the top lists, I don't know. They shouldn't, because you'd be gaming the system.

Freezing scores during a Contest renders that story ineligible for that Contest, which is the right response from the site.

I know this because a good friend got trolled fiercely by a bunch of maggots, and said, fuck it, I'm leaving the site. He locked down his scores, and hasn't written anything since. His story list reflects the quality writer he was, almost as a finger to the cabal that attacked him.

I got the motivation in his case, because we knew who the trash were, but my advice, don't be tempted.

Complaining that a 4.82 is "not a good score" does say something to me - maybe the previous scores were over-rated. Stop looking at the Top Lists - clearly, they're meaningless.

 

[ElectricBlue]

Your score will vanish, replaced by x.xx, and nobody else will be able to add a new score. Thanks to fixing the bug ( or at least it was fixed the last I knew ) any Hs you have will also vanish, as that's a benefit of score.

Not 100% sure about that. See my post above. Yes, the Red Hs are gone, but the scores still show, and you can't drop a new vote.

I have seen x.xx in people's story lists. Maybe it depends when the stories got locked - in this instance it was back in 2018.

 

[RejectReality]

Not 100% sure about that. See my post above. Yes, the Red Hs are gone, but the scores still show, and you can't drop a new vote.

I have seen x.xx in people's story lists. Maybe it depends when the stories got locked - in this instance it was back in 2018.

The score reverting to x.xx has always been the case. It's a default for a score of 0.

If somebody's scores are still showing despite voting being turned off, that's a bug.

 

[THBGato]

Your scores will stay. No-one else can vote.

Whether or not the story will stay in the top lists, I don't know. They shouldn't, because you'd be gaming the system.

Freezing scores during a Contest renders that story ineligible for that Contest, which is the right response from the site.

I know this because a good friend got trolled fiercely by a bunch of maggots, and said, fuck it, I'm leaving the site. He locked down his scores, and hasn't written anything since. His story list reflects the quality writer he was, almost as a finger to the cabal that attacked him.

I got the motivation in his case, because we knew who the trash were, but my advice, don't be tempted.

Complaining that a 4.82 is "not a good score" does say something to me - maybe the previous scores were over-rated. Stop looking at the Top Lists - clearly, they're meaningless.

Like Simon Doom, you missed my point - I would freeze them BEFORE 100 votes. (Well, no, I probably won't, but that's the hypothetical I was asking about.) Because, at this current moment, getting 100 votes means they will instantly get whacked...

Just the other day, one of my stories popped back up into the top twenty, then immediately got whacked and dropped down to lower than it was before. So, you know, watching the votes creep close to 100 on those stories feels a bit like watching a car crash about to happen and being powerless to stop it.

Oh well, not the end of the world.

Yep, maybe the previous scores I had were overrated. But they were from genuine readers. What's happening at the moment isn't coming from readers.

I was also half thinking about what happens when I leave the site, like your friend.

Anyway, it was all hypothetical. I probably wouldn't have done it anyway and certainly won't if it results in an x.xx.

 

[RejectReality]

Just looked up Geronimo, who I know has a bunch of stories with scores turned off, and the new public submissions page doesn't show a score at all, rather than the x.xx. Same difference really.

 

[lovecraft68]

Well, I'd be turning them off BEFORE I got to 100 votes and thus wouldn't be eligible for the top list.

I believe you'd still show at the top of the 12 month list. I don't think there is a minimum for that.

 

[THBGato]

I believe you'd still show at the top of the 12 month list. I don't think there is a minimum for that.

Oh yeah, fair enough, I hadn't thought about that (I never look at those as they don't turn up on the category home page).

Anyway, it's all moot.

 

[AwkwardlySet]

I believe you'd still show at the top of the 12 month list. I don't think there is a minimum for that.

There is no minimum for the 30-day list. The minimum for the 12-month list is a mere 10 votes.

 

[THBGato]

I believe you'd still show at the top of the 12 month list. I don't think there is a minimum for that.

Thanks for reminding me about those: I just checked and I've got three in the top twenty. Which is nice.

 

[StillStunned]

Are you that naive, or do you really not get the real motivation for some to write?

If the voting system and the top lists vanished, most of the current writers would likely disappear too. My guess, however, is that the void would eventually be filled by better replacements.

I think it's pretty well established that people publish their stories for recognition and acclaim. Why else publish? Keep your story locked away in a drawer or on your computer, and never share it with anyone.

But Lit scores aren't why people write. They're a reflection of that acclaim, nothing more. If the scores went away, the people with a story to tell would still tell it. The urge to write, for most of us, comes from within.

 

[lovecraft68]

But Lit scores aren't why people write.

I think some do. I've seen people leave over their scores taking hits. Whether its the lowered score, or the fact they don't feel like dealing with trolls and BS, either way it is over scores.

I'm sure most have other reasons for being here, but you can't completely dismiss scoring being a big draw here.

 

[AwkwardlySet]

I think it's pretty well established that people publish their stories for recognition and acclaim. Why else publish? Keep your story locked away in a drawer or on your computer, and never share it with anyone.

But Lit scores aren't why people write. They're a reflection of that acclaim, nothing more. If the scores went away, the people with a story to tell would still tell it. The urge to write, for most of us, comes from within.

He's saying that some authors crave high scores and top lists out of egomania and desire to feel validated in such a way. While that likely isn't entirely wrong, I also believe that's not a major motivator for many authors here. His view is also one-sided as it neglects the impact of scores and top-list placements on the visibility of our stories. I'd say that making your story more visible is quite important on a website that hosts 600k+ stories.

Some people, I suppose, see high scores and placements in the top lists or even contests as a measure of story quality (whatever the hell that means) but I am not one of those people. There is some correlation there but it's not a major one, in my opinion.

 

[ElectricBlue]

The score reverting to x.xx has always been the case. It's a default for a score of 0.

If somebody's scores are still showing despite voting being turned off, that's a bug.

Must be. I've just checked the story file. Definitely votes turned off, scores showing.

Years ago I experimented on my own story file - turned the scoring off for a story, no change to Red H or the scores, but the five blank stars were gone. Turned the scoring back on, voila, back to normal.

I've always assumed x.xx means the author never turned scores on.

 

[ElectricBlue]

Are you that naive, or do you really not get the real motivation for some to write?

If the voting system and the top lists vanished, most of the current writers would likely disappear too. My guess, however, is that the void would eventually be filled by better replacements.

You're probably right. The Top Lists are dominated, from what I can see, by stories from the first decade of Lit, those with huge read counts. I've never taken them seriously. Who cares about chapter 59 of something?

 

[SimonDoom]

I think it's pretty well established that people publish their stories for recognition and acclaim. Why else publish?

I publish stories so they will be read. I want them to be read by as many people who appreciate them as possible. Everything else is secondary. I'd much rather have 100,000 people read my story and have a 4.65 than have 10,000 people read my story and have a 4.9, because it means the odds are high that in the first instance far more appreciative readers are reading the story, even if I'm also probably getting more negative readers. I don't care about negative readers at all except insofar as their voting might reduce the score enough to make it harder for me to reach the positive readers. But I strongly believe people overrate the importance of this phenomenon. Among my body of stories, at least, the correlation between high scores and number of views over the long run is pretty weak.

Two other points about downvoters:

1. It happens to all of us. Maybe not to the same degree for all of us, but we're all pretty much in the same boat.

2. Over time, it's not true that votes after the first 100 don't matter. The downvoting phenomenon is likely to be a temporary thing. Over time votes will take your story to a score that probably accurately represents what people think of it. If you have 300 votes, for example, then it's unlikely that the score is dramatically affected by deliberate malicious downvoting. It's possible, I guess, but I think it's unlikely.