Ratings Rant

[Justforthefun]

I have just posted my second story on the site. I am now going through the up and down of initial ratings. I like the idea of ratings but hate seeing it tanked by a low score without any sort of feedback or constructive criticism. My first story has shown me that this will eventually balance out and sweeps will clear out many of the votes placed by trolls. As a new author, it's extremely frustrating to have a story I'm very proud of receive low ratings without a hint as to why or how it could be improved.

With my first story I took time to respond to all non-anonymous comments and readers that contacted me via PM. However, these were typically positive and mainly without useful criticism beyond using an editor. I just don't see the appeal in pissing on someone else's hard work without suggesting a way to improve tthe writing. I can't think of anytime I have given out a one star rating because I know how discouraging it can be to a writer. Any low score I do give I try to pair with constructive criticism and point out what aspects I enjoyed as well.

Is that really to much to expect?

 

[sr71plt]

You might do some reading in on the forum for a while. You'll see that this isn't either unusual or likely to change too much. But, yes, it's too bad it works this way.

 

[Justforthefun]

You might do some reading in on the forum for a while. You'll see that this isn't either unusual or likely to change too much. But, yes, it's too bad it works this way.

I know but it's still frustrating. That's why I titled it a rant because I know it can't be changed. Oh well, at least I feel it is a quality story that I can be proud of despite anonymous haters.

On the upside, I have read and enjoyed many stories here (including yours) that give me a basis on how to improve a story. I think I have also learned more from the writers tools on the forums than I ever absorbed in school!

 

[Ardent1]

You might do some reading in on the forum for a while. You'll see that this isn't either unusual or likely to change too much. But, yes, it's too bad it works this way.

Agreed.

Complaining about it, or replying to the criticisms in a negative way will also likely bring the trolls on even harder. Relax. Eventually it will roll off your back. I'm afraid it's common. I'm convinced some categories, like loving wives, bring negative ranking just because it's in the category. I don't think the extreme neg ratings even come from someone who has read it.

I haven't read your stories. Be open to criticism, but a good approach may be to politely ask for clarification or simply say thank you.

You'll be fine.

 

[rwsteward]

I think it's human nature to kick someone in the face, just to feel good about it.

I have several stories with 4.90 ratings, the numbers change up and down of course, but every now and then someone will post a nasty comment. And of course you know they hammered the story with one star.

I know that everyone has their opinion and I respect that. If someone thinks a story of mine sucks, that's cool! Do I get pissed? Sure, and if it's a comment that attacks me personally, I have, we all do, have the ability to remove the comment.

Tell me you're going to kill me and my family, well all together now, let's say 'delete.'

You can also block anonymous comments from your user control panel.

If the comments center on editing, then get an editor. Easier said than done. Currently I'm working on a short story, it's sitting about 5000 words. Will top out at perhaps 7000, or two LIT pages.

I have contacted twelve editors. Of those seven replied. Of those seven, I sent the file, NO one has replied. It's been two weeks. I'll keep trying.

I have no idea why someone would throw their name in the hat, and then never respond when their name is pulled out.

I quit contacting those that commented about any of my stories, especially with negative comments. I'd spend time writing to them, explaining what or why I did what I did. I've never heard back from any of them. That's time I could have used writing stories instead of explaining myself.

I guess the best information I can give is simple. If you're going to write and post on Literotica, you'd better grow a thick skin.

PS... read Stephen King's "On writing" It's his story about how he began to write and all the rough spots he had to work though before his big break. It's a good read.

 

[Over_Red]

When you open your writing to feedback through a public ratings system, you're going to get people who rank it low. It's annoying, especially when there's no explanation, but that's just how it is.

You can't change how the wind blows, but you can adjust your sails. Don't worry about it.

Have realistic expectations. Trolls aside, say someone really didn't like your story. They honestly think it's a 1. That's also the least likely person that is going to spend extra time giving you constructive and specific feedback. And even if they do leave a comment, it's going to be one designed to convey a certain bitterness and the sense of time wasted.

I find that the best feedback comes from people that found the story to be "okay" or "pretty good". They're the people that wish they could give a 3.5, or a 4.5, and they tend to have an urge to explain the nuance of their opinion, and that's often quite helpful to you as a writer.

TL;DR: Anonymity makes people lose all sense of responsibility. Shrug it off and focus on your goals.

 

[DreamCloud]

Literotica Mantra
==========
Write. Post. Ignore.
Write more. Post more. Ignore more.

 

[laptopwriter]

I was going to read your story and see if I could do a small critique, but...

I'm just not into gay male stories, sorry. I did see, though, that your story has a 4.62 rating. That's not bad at all. The way you were talking, I expected to see something in the low 3's.

There's always going to be people who don't like your work but obviously you have a lot of people who do like it. I think I'd just focus on them and forget about the trolls. There isn't much you can do about them and if you're waiting for one to give you a true critique, you'll be wait a very long time.

Be proud of your work. With a score like that, you obviously do it well.

 

[Justforthefun]

Thanks for the advice everyone. I got it out if my system by ranting a little and starting up a new story. That, and the firm belief that all the 1 ratings come from sexually repressed prudes that feel guilty after masterbating to my work. Lol

 

[SamScribble]

One thing I have learned is that, on Literotica, the score has very little to do with how good the story is. You write; you post; you take your chances. And then, every month or so, Manu rides through on his sweeper, and your score almost invariably goes up. But the important thing to keep in mind is that most of the people who gave you those 1s and 2s struggle to write their own names. Just keep writing.

 

[Hypoxia]

What are the possible rewards of writing for LIT? (These are not necessarily exclusive.)

* You could master the craft of writing and go pro.
* You could aim to grab as many LIT eyeballs as possible.
* You could aim to receive nothing but glowing (or nasty) comments.
* You could aim to receive high vote scores and lots of Red-H's. (Or zeroes.)
* You could aim to please/arouse yourself with your writing.
* You could write to exorcise your internal demons.
* You could write because you just must.

What do you want here?

 

[JAMESBJOHNSON]

Mostly you waste your time.

 

[JKendallDane]

I'm just a little more than familiar with the GM category and after seeing your scores, views, favs, and comments for your maiden voyage story and the follow-up one you just posted, I'm having a little bit of trouble figuring out just what it is you have an issue with? Were there some nasty-assed comments made to you in private messages or emails or what?

Because quite frankly, I would be celebrating the feedback on those two stories if they were in my portfolio here.

 

[tw_holt]

Literotica Mantra
==========
Write. Post. Ignore.
Write more. Post more. Ignore more.

Good strategy!

 

[Justforthefun]

I'm just a little more than familiar with the GM category and after seeing your scores, views, favs, and comments for your maiden voyage story and the follow-up one you just posted, I'm having a little bit of trouble figuring out just what it is you have an issue with? Were there some nasty-assed comments made to you in private messages or emails or what?

Because quite frankly, I would be celebrating the feedback on those two stories if they were in my portfolio here.

I am pleased with the comments, the number of people that have taken time to read the story, positive PMs, and overall rating. My problem was that I was just watching the initial rating too closely and taking it too personally. Seeing the rating drop dramatically when someone gives it a 1 rating just makes me wonder why they felt it deserved such a low score. My complaint was that a story just gets hit without any feedback to help the author improve their writing.

 

[sr71plt]

You need to keep in mind that this isn't an instructional site. There is absolutely no requirement or pressure for any reader to respond in any way to a story. They aren't here to develop your writing. They are here for reading enjoyment. If they comment/vote, that's completely dependent on their motivation to do so. Doing a lot of discussion on the forum about what they aren't giving you will bring out the trolls on your work. Sorry, that's the way that is.

You should also be aware that GM readers don't comment or vote on the stories in as high a rate as the readers of some other categories do.

 

[Justforthefun]

You need to keep in mind that this isn't an instructional site. There is absolutely no requirement or pressure for any reader to respond in any way to a story. They aren't here to develop your writing. They are here for reading enjoyment. If they comment/vote, that's completely dependent on their motivation to do so. Doing a lot of discussion on the forum about what they aren't giving you will bring out the trolls on your work. Sorry, that's the way that is.

You should also be aware that GM readers don't comment or vote on the stories in as high a rate as the readers of some other categories do.

I understand, that's why I labeled the post as a rant. I hadn't thought about it causing rating trolls to pop up though. Oh well, lesson learned. I'm happy with the story and I'm trying to not worry about the number at this point.

 

[litmlove]

I have just posted my second story on the site. I am now going through the up and down of initial ratings. I like the idea of ratings but hate seeing it tanked by a low score without any sort of feedback or constructive criticism. My first story has shown me that this will eventually balance out and sweeps will clear out many of the votes placed by trolls. As a new author, it's extremely frustrating to have a story I'm very proud of receive low ratings without a hint as to why or how it could be improved.

With my first story I took time to respond to all non-anonymous comments and readers that contacted me via PM. However, these were typically positive and mainly without useful criticism beyond using an editor. I just don't see the appeal in pissing on someone else's hard work without suggesting a way to improve tthe writing. I can't think of anytime I have given out a one star rating because I know how discouraging it can be to a writer. Any low score I do give I try to pair with constructive criticism and point out what aspects I enjoyed as well.

Is that really to much to expect?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sqY052B_m38

I can't say it better than the Andrew Jackson Jihad. it's what gets their dicks hard, pissing on our most pathetic attempts at art.

 

[Sensual Stories]

Ratings

I would like to see Literotica do 2 things:

1. Somehow force people to rate the stories, before they can go to the next story.
This is probably not possible, but I can wish it anyway.

I am averaging one rating for every 150-200 people who read my stories.
What good is a rating when it only reflects 1 out of 150 people?

OR, AT LEAST make it to where, if someone adds me as a favorite, or my story
as a favorite, they have to rate a story before they can add me.

2. Those who leave comments, there should be a way that you can read all comments
that person has ever left someone. This way "Mr Constantly Negative" will get
spotted for who they are.

Amazon.com has this system in place. If a person leaves comments about a book,
or other product, you can go that person's site and see all the comments they have
left before.

It would help us discount those people quicker.

I have received helpful suggestions, but I have received some nasty, arrogant
comments that was totally unnecessary. Would be nice to single the nasty people
out.


Just my thoughts on how to make ratings work better on literotica...

 

[sr71plt]

I would like to see Literotica do 2 things:

1. Somehow force people to rate the stories, before they can go to the next story.
This is probably not possible, but I can wish it anyway.

This isn't a critique site. This is a reading site. If you want that, you should be looking for a different kind of story site.

 

[HandsInTheDark]

I am, I think, a half-way decent writer. I've written a couple of failed pieces, but for the most part I hit what I'm aiming at and do it with decent grammar, character depth and hotness. The failures aside, my stories might not work for everyone thematically, but in terms of craft, they are solid.

When I post a good one, I watch the scores. The same pattern emerges, every time. 1. a bunch of 5s get piled on, with a few 4s. Yay, I'm awesome! 2. Someone drops a 3 on it because hey, you can't please everyone, but then the score starts edging up again. 3. Suddenly the score is below 4.5 because someone dropped enough 1's on it, in rapid succession, to get it there.

In short, some people are assholes and enjoy rudeness. As such, the scores are nearly meaningless, especially in the short term. AFter a year, a story's ranking might reflect reality, but the first few weeks it doesn't.

It would be NICE if people could be convinced to reserve 1 for "incoherent, unbelievable, and grammatically poor" and 5 for "clever, caliente, coherent and clear". But that isn't going to happen. You'll get the occasional 1 or 2 because you got 85% of the way into someone's fetish and then "ruined it" with a scene or detail they don't approve of, no matter how well written.

The only metric that matters is thoughtful fan email (which is slow to come; people who've just orgasmed all over your story rarely type up long critiques.) Ignore the damn numbers.

 

[redzinger]

When I post a good one, I watch the scores. The same pattern emerges, every time. 1. a bunch of 5s get piled on, with a few 4s. Yay, I'm awesome! 2. Someone drops a 3 on it because hey, you can't please everyone, but then the score starts edging up again. 3. Suddenly the score is below 4.5 because someone dropped enough 1's on it, in rapid succession, to get it there.

Last couple of stories I posted, I was 1-bombed out of the blocks, before any other votes registered. They both recovered well enough though.

 

[RejectReality]

This is one of the advantages I have in posting to multiple sites.

If I want to write something that I know is going to create hostility or bomb here, I have other options.

Any LW style or pseudo-incest idea I have goes to SOL, where those stories do quite well. I see no need to have it in my list here, dragging everything else down. If I want to write a flash piece, I post it to Lush, because those perform quite well there. If I want to write something completely non-erotic, I have another site where I can post those.

And everything goes on my website, if someone wants everything, but doesn't want to visit multiple sites. Some things I only post on my own site.

I don't let the quirks of the sites or categories dictate what I write, but I do let it dictate where I display those stories, and my ratings reflect that care.

It's part of the reason why I have three pen names as well.

If you ask for trouble, you're going to get it.