Just got a "1" vote

[MagicFingers]

My last story was sitting at 4.75.

I guess that someone here was upset that their well written Oxford novellas weren't doing as well and decided to bring me down a notch.

Or maybe that my worst stories are not as bad as their worst stories?

Or maybe they were only testing the voting system because they didn't understand how it works?

Yes, it hurts to know that some people here would go out of their way to go find my story just to vote it down!

Oh well, I should have known better than to open myself up to this type person by being honest in my postings. I'll never mention my own works again!
Thanks, Ass Hole!

 

[Guest]

Magic, it may have been a random troll, not necessarily someone hunting you down. With a 4.75 previously, I suggest you PM Laurel if it doesn't get fixed within a day or two.

best, Perdita

 

[Liar]

A "1" vote?

As in one one-vote? Singularis?

Consider yourself lucky. I get my stuff sprinkled with the little buggers:

...and what perdita said, PM Laurel if it bothers you.

#L

 

[snooper]

Just a thought

Considering the level of intelligence shown in some of the feedback I get, has it occured to you that the stupid **** may think they are saying that they think your story is first class, number one, a winner in their minds?

 

[pop_54]

My stories are written in Oxford and I still get '1' votes regularly... shit happens Magic... the trolls strike when they please and where they please... ask Laurel to check it out and remove it if she feels it to be unfairly or maliciously intended... no guarantee she will, but it's well worth a try.

I've said it on other posts... any story sitting above 4 in the ratings doesn't deserve a '1' vote, it isn't logical... '1' votes cast in such circumstances should be automatically removed unless accompanied by a public comment detailing the reason for the low vote.

 

[Lisa Denton]

I would never finish reading a story which deserved a 1-vote, and would never vote on something I didn't finish reading.
I have two stories which have only been posted a few months. Over a hundred votes on each, 43 PC's on one and 29 on the other, all good. When the scores plunge from a single vote I do notice, and then go on and have fun on the threads.

 

[Virtual_Burlesque]

Hey, it could have been worse"

What if they could have given you a "0"

 

[Guest]

Sweetie: "We shall never surrender!"

 

[CharleyH]

Welcome to the world of authors.

 

[MagicFingers]

Thank you all for your nice comments

I just received a glowing feedback for the same series that got trashed by the one troll. The person asked if I was a woman because the stories were the kind that most women would like to read. Since that was one of my goals when I started writing that story long ago, it was the best thing anyone could have said to me right now.

Of course, anon didn't vote, but still...
Thank you, whoever you are.

 

[juanjsojr]

people just dumb

people who votes a 1 they just dumb and doesn't know a good story when they see one

 

[Virtual_Burlesque]

I don't understand how people can decide what is an improper vote?

Since a "1" is provided, then why is it wrong to award a “1?”

If a "1" is too low to honestly award for a story, then — by the same logic — is a “5” not too high?

High or low, just getting a numerical score doesn't tell anybody much.


You got a “5” because they loved it — they didn't understand what you were getting at — but they loved their own interpretation.

You got a “1” because they hated it — they didn't understand what you were getting at — but they hated their own interpretation.

Or, you got either, because they understood what you wrote, and that was their reaction.


No writer can please everybody. If the voting is to mean anything, the readers who react negatively, should be counted, too.

What is more important, is knowing whether your readers understand what you are trying to communicate.

Is not communicating — even for a porn/erotica writer — the first task?

 

[Quiet_Cool]

I don't understand how people can decide what is an improper vote?

Since a "1" is provided, then why is it wrong to award a “1?”

If a "1" is too low to honestly award for a story, then — by the same logic — is a “5” not too high?

High or low, just getting a numerical score doesn't tell anybody much.


You got a “5” because they loved it — they didn't understand what you were getting at — but they loved their own interpretation.

You got a “1” because they hated it — they didn't understand what you were getting at — but they hated their own interpretation.

Or, you got either, because they understood what you wrote, and that was their reaction.


No writer can please everybody. If the voting is to mean anything, the readers who react negatively, should be counted, too.

What is more important, is knowing whether your readers understand what you are trying to communicate.

Is not communicating — even for a porn/erotica writer — the first task?

Actually, the point is pretty clear, in my viewpoint (just my humble opinion, of course). Pretty much anyone who shifts through these stories is similar to the other who do so. When you pick a story to read, out of so many options, aren't you pretty much testing the water first. "If I like the first paragraph, then I'll keep reading; if not, but to the other 250 or so in the New category, or the other 75,000 in the Group Sex category, or the however many in the whatever category." If the story is that bad, how would you not know until the end, and why would you vote, if not maliciously, for a story you didn't finish.
Let's face it, most of the one's recieved on Lit. are personal, either to the author or to the reader. Either a troll develops some attitude toward a particular writer or an attitude toward Lit in general, or maybe just an attitude (which is basically what makes them a Troll). A five is a different story. If the story is good enough to give a five, it makes sense that you'll finish it, because that means it's good. If it's a one and you finish reading it, it's either extremely short, or you're too stupid to hit the "Back" button. If the latter is the case, the reader is more deserving of a one than the story is.

 

[Virtual_Burlesque]

Actually, the point is pretty clear, in my viewpoint (just my humble opinion, of course). Pretty much anyone who shifts through these stories is similar to the other who do so. When you pick a story to read, out of so many options, aren't you pretty much testing the water first.

I chose a story based upon Category, Title, and Author (if I see a familiar name who’s work I have previously enjoyed). Sometimes I use the position to see why it is rated so high — or so low. Picking from the New List, there is less to guide me.

No matter what method, in the end it often turns out to be a crap shoot.

"If I like the first paragraph, then I'll keep reading; if not, but to the other 250 or so in the New category, or the other 75,000 in the Group Sex category, or the however many in the whatever category." If the story is that bad, how would you not know until the end, and why would you vote, if not maliciously, for a story you didn't finish.

As I am trying to educate myself, I tend to read stories to their conclusion. Either to see why they work, or to see why they don’t work. Success has no rules, but you can learn a lot from failures.

When I finish, I assess the result. If I could give it a “0" that would mean that it was perfectly awful. If I gave it a “5" that should mean that it was perfect. An average story should score around a “3."

Let's face it, most of the one's recieved on Lit. are personal, either to the author or to the reader. Either a troll develops some attitude toward a particular writer or an attitude toward Lit in general, or maybe just an attitude (which is basically what makes them a Troll). A five is a different story. If the story is good enough to give a five, it makes sense that you'll finish it, because that means it's good..

Let’s see, if I have this?

If someone gives you a "1" because she truly dislikes your subject, hates your style, finds your characters stereotypical, finds holes in your plot, and noticed a handful of typos, she is a troll with an attitude. If she gives you a “5" because she thinks your story is as good as The Story of “O’, but without all the needless verbiage between the underlined parts, she is an acceptable judge whose opinion “makes sense.”

That is all terribly convenient if you want your ego stroked, but I wouldn’t call it beneficial.

If it's a one and you finish reading it, it's either extremely short, or you're too stupid to hit the "Back" button. If the latter is the case, the reader is more deserving of a one than the story is.

So, if they don’t like your story, they shouldn’t vote because they didn’t finish reading, and if they did finish reading they are stupid, so obviously, their opinion shouldn't count.





I just described how I voted when I first arrived at this site. Very quickly, I learned that giving a better-than-an-average story a “4" was actually being insulting.

Since I won’t score a slightly-better-than-average story as perfect, I don’t vote at all. It would not surprise me if there are many other readers just like me.

 

[Colleen Thomas]

A one vote can be warranted. There are stories on this site that have horrible grammatical errors and have never seen a spell checker. There are stories with cardboiard cut out characters, glaring failures in plot and any of a hundred other pet peeves that some readers carry. If you wirte you expect ones just as you expect the occasional slam feedback or PC.

There are also a lot of spurious one's, delivered out of spite. The one delivered on an incest story in the incest category is unwarranted. The one delivered to a story heading the top list with a 4.78 average is most likely spurious. Multiple ones, delivered to all of an author's stories in the space of an hour are unquestionably spurious.

Yet if you removed ones entierely it would be malicious 2 trolls we were all upset with. All of us who post stories or poems here, simply accept that any rating system is going to be open to abuse. I think Laurel does a very good job of removing spurious votes.

Not all who vote 1 are trolls, yet enough of them are to make it easy to tar them all with the same brush. It's simply a fact of life that there is no way to determine which is which.

-Colly

 

[MagicFingers]

It was malicious

When a story has been posted for 6 or 7 weeks and no longer on the "New Stories" list, and has 30 or 40 votes which average 4.75, and has few grammatical errors, if any, and has only good reviews, and has only minor plot or story development problems,
Then there is no way a reasonable person can read the story and give a "1" vote based on the story.

As others have mentioned above, no one would have accidentally found it and given it a "1", and no one would have looked for it to read it and thought it was so bad that it deserved a "1".

If I read a story I don't like, I either finish or not, and exit - no vote. If I like it a lot - "5" vote. If I think it is good but has a lot of flaws, or is not deserving a "5", I usually don't vote at all.
Not all people are nice. Some have their own agenda in life.

people who votes a 1 they just dumb and doesn't know a good story when they see one- by juanjsojr

This sums it pretty well.

 

[Lisa Denton]

Re: It was malicious

When a story has been posted for 6 or 7 weeks and no longer on the "New Stories" list, and has 30 or 40 votes which average 4.75, and has few grammatical errors, if any, and has only good reviews, and has only minor plot or story development problems,
Then there is no way a reasonable person can read the story and give a "1" vote based on the story.

As others have mentioned above, no one would have accidentally found it and given it a "1", and no one would have looked for it to read it and thought it was so bad that it deserved a "1".

If I read a story I don't like, I either finish or not, and exit - no vote. If I like it a lot - "5" vote. If I think it is good but has a lot of flaws, or is not deserving a "5", I usually don't vote at all.
Not all people are nice. Some have their own agenda in life.


This sums it pretty well.

I just looked at one of your stories and gave you a good vote and nice comment, it was good.

I was on a thread where there was an arguement taking place, this guy was trying to say he often sees stories that deserve a 1 and also a bad public comment. To prove what kind of person he was, he would not answer yes or no whether he anonymously 1-bombed all of the girls stories while they were argueing.
I of course jumped in and called him an idiot, and to prove I was not very smart I told him I wasn't afraid of him 1-bombing my stories, which he did.
My scores went down but I feel good about it.

I would never finish and vote on a story which deserved a 1. Perhaps no votes is as bad as terribly low scores. I understand that some people think you should be a brilliant writer to post a story, but I don't think this is the site for for that. I have read and enjoyed many stories which were not perfectly written. A good story idea and hot erotica can be very entertaining without brilliance.

If I enjoy a story I read it, finish and vote. If not I go on.

 

[matriarch]

VB

I think the whole point is not the disappointment of receiving the odd '1' in your scores. We all expect that. As you say, you can't please everyone.

What I object to, most vehemently, is when a troll deliberately in a space of less than 24 hours, goes through every single one of my stories and systematically votes a '1' on all of them (this did not include the poetry, perhaps that genre was beyond their comprehension?)

That, to me, smacks of deliberate and malicious voting. For whatever purpose, I have no idea.

And yes, I have one-voted on a couple of occasions. For stories that were so dire, so badly written, so awful (in my opinion), that like you, if a zero had been an option I would have used it.

Hopefully, that does not make me a troll.

Mat

 

[ferociouskittycat]

I've never voted one.

If a story is that bad, I'll just click the back button. The author was obviously proud enough of their work to post it, I just can't vote one, to me it feels wrong.

I either vote five or nothing. And, leave a comment thanking or at least acknowledging the author for their efforts.

 

[matriarch]

I've never voted one.

If a story is that bad, I'll just click the back button. The author was obviously proud enough of their work to post it, I just can't vote one, to me it feels wrong.

I either vote five or nothing. And, leave a comment thanking or at least acknowledging the author for their efforts.

Like I said, I've only done it a couple of times, and if my memory serves me, they were stories that were unexpectedly so violent and repulsive in content, that I felt some sort of response was required. I couldn't even bring myself to comment.

Mostly, like you, I do tend to just move onto the next story.

And now a light has dawned......this explains why, when all my work has totalled in excess of 230,000 hits, the actual total votes are only 650, the highest for one item being 65 votes. People are hitting the back button !! *light goes on. Ping!!*

Mat

 

[wishfulthinking]

If it makes you feel any better, Laurel goes through and eliminates a good number of trolls around the middle of the month. I usually shed between 1 and 20 troll votes on a single story. If I only got 1 vote removed, I wonder what was wrong with the story!

 

[Liar]

As I am trying to educate myself, I tend to read stories to their conclusion. Either to see why they work, or to see why they don’t work. Success has no rules, but you can learn a lot from failures.

When I finish, I assess the result. If I could give it a “0" that would mean that it was perfectly awful. If I gave it a “5" that should mean that it was perfect. An average story should score around a “3."

...

I just described how I voted when I first arrived at this site. Very quickly, I learned that giving a better-than-an-average story a “4" was actually being insulting.

Since I won’t score a slightly-better-than-average story as perfect, I don’t vote at all. It would not surprise me if there are many other readers just like me.

This is exactly why I rarely vote on stories anymore. I have found the whole system made useless by the attitude of it's users. I can't cast an honest vote without being considered a troll, or simply un-comradery.

I remember once reading a pretty good story. The action was hot, but the narration and dialouge was a bit woody. So I gave it a 4, and sent off a feedback stating: "Hi! I read your story, and found it entertaining. Gave it a 4."

To this I got an angry reply saying that my vote cost her her red H, and asking why I didn't give her story a 5 when I obviously liked it.

What we really should have is not more voting options, but fewer. Since everything other than a 5 is mean to give, and damaging to a story's score, all votes 1-4 is considered a sign of disapproval from the reader. Some have advocated a 1-10 scale. But that would only lead to the same whining "Why did you only give me a 9? Is my story really that bad?"

A "yay" and a "nay" button would work just as well as the current scale. All other options are, as it looks today, rendered obsolete.

#L

 

[lucky-E-leven]

Hey, so did I. Dropped me twenty slots in the overall standings.

*sigh*

It's okay, really. Just a few days ago the same story got this feedback:

Beautifully Written... This was a hot, vivid, beautifully written story that made me want to read it again and again. Loved the imagery, the language, and the development of the story. This is really excellent, and I can't wait to read more of your work!!! What a wonderful piece of erotica.

Who do you think I choose to believe?

Magic, if your story was at a 4.75 then the substance is there. The scores will fluctuate up and down at the whim of the honest and the spiteful, but at the end of the day, the feedback remains unchanged. The comments inspired by your writing will stay with you and that person spent much more time and effort commenting than did the person that clicked once to vote a '1' and once more to submit it.

*hugs*

~lucky

 

[Ravin the Poet]

You ever just think they did like your story?



Ravin

 

[killallhippies]

VB

I think the whole point is not the disappointment of receiving the odd '1' in your scores. We all expect that. As you say, you can't please everyone.

What I object to, most vehemently, is when a troll deliberately in a space of less than 24 hours, goes through every single one of my stories and systematically votes a '1' on all of them (this did not include the poetry, perhaps that genre was beyond their comprehension?)

That, to me, smacks of deliberate and malicious voting. For whatever purpose, I have no idea.

And yes, I have one-voted on a couple of occasions. For stories that were so dire, so badly written, so awful (in my opinion), that like you, if a zero had been an option I would have used it.

Hopefully, that does not make me a troll.

Mat

i've been one bombed before. they didn't miss my poems.

and what ravin apparently meant to say.