Romance Stories were attacked.

[Softly]

I was off line for five days. Saturday I reviewed the Romance story top list. Many of the top stories, including mine, received votes that dropped them fron the 4.43 and above score area to the 4.18 area.

My stories, yesterday alone received the following changes;
"Most loving Man on Earth," went from 4.40 with 48 votes to 4.13 with 52 votes.

"Garbage Man" went from 4.43 with 51 votes to 4.18 with 55 votes. Thus, each received four one votes.

It is of note that several other stores, by other authors, that were above the 4.40 score with over 50 votes are now in the 4.20 range, so I am not alone.

I also had a feed back note saying that the person had read several of my stories and that they were all the same, and I should not clutter up the band width with such crap.

It is interesting that this "Bright Light" continued to read my awful stories.

 

[KillerMuffin]

I'd noticed that. All the romance stories dropped considerably. My two, which are archived and left pretty much alone for two months, dropped over .20 points in two weeks. Considering one has over 100 votes, it's not easy to drop like that.

*sigh*

I need a hug Laurel.

 

[CAT~~]

I have no idea why the romance stories are getting the sharp end of the stick. Maybe some people don't like romance stories but if they don't, then don't read them and don't vote on something you can't appreciate.
I happen to love the romance stories and I would just like to say that you two shouldn't concern yourself with the votes. Its just jealousy that is causing your numbers to fall, it has nothing to do with your writing. Heck if I went by my numbers I would never write another thing again in my life.
Cat~~

 

[KillerMuffin]

I'm not horribly concerned about the votes so much as the why. I guess my ego is too closely tied to my stuff. I need to stop it.

 

[CAT~~]

"I guess my ego is too closely tied to my stuff. I need to stop it."

"I guess my ego is too closely tied to my stuff. I need to stop it." -Muffin


LOL, yes you do. You're a talented writer and all of your stories are wonderful. All you have to do is remember that. Otherwise your ego is going to take one hell of a beating that it does not deserve. People are always going to be jealous of what they don't possess, which is talent like yours and like Softly.
So stop it. "Critics are people who can't write and desperately want to, so they can have critics".
Cat-ism...grin.
Cat~~

 

[Ulyssa]

At least he didn't say "Crappy."

My anonymous e-mailer called my piece "Sappy" and then announced to the world that I was Gay!

I've been wracking my brain on how to break this news gently to my husband. I'll probably admit it in bed. I'm certain he'll have to leave me for another woman, you know how pride sets males off.

Regretfully, Lyssa

 

[nitengale]

Re: At least he didn't say

My anonymous e-mailer called my piece "Sappy" and then announced to the world that I was Gay!

I've been wracking my brain on how to break this news gently to my husband. I'll probably admit it in bed. I'm certain he'll have to leave me for another woman, you know how pride sets males off.

Regretfully, Lyssa

THIS is why feedback is so valuable. Helps us steer our course for even our personal lives!!

Some of these readers need a life...

 

[circe!]

LOL!

From now on I'll try to steer my life on the winds of my feedback!

I'm dooooooooooooooooooomed!

 

[Royal_Prince]

Hit and sunk

I don't mind the numbers, the feedback helps soothe my nerves. However, sometimes you just have to take a step back and say...

its been a good run and I have enjoyed my stint writing here. Maybe in someway the numbers bother me more than i am willing to admit- oh well. I think the 1 vote has done in more than one writer...

guess its back to the old fashioned print, lick, mail and submit...

love ya- thanks for the feedback

 

[Whispersecret]

Abolish the voting. Alexander Tzara has excellent alternatives.

 

[cymbidia]

Re: At least he didn't say

My anonymous e-mailer called my piece "Sappy" and then announced to the world that I was Gay!

I've been wracking my brain on how to break this news gently to my husband. I'll probably admit it in bed. I'm certain he'll have to leave me for another woman, you know how pride sets males off.

I'm glad to hear that your feedback artist got you going on the right track now, Lyssa, and that you've gotten all straightened out with regard to your gender identity. Oh dear. Maybe "straightened out" isn't the appropriate sentiment at this point? In any case, I'll take you in and teach you about being bi, okay? http://cwm.ragesofsanity.com/otn/happy/11zwinky.gif

 

[Laurel]

http://www.literotica.com/forum/showthread.php?threadid=31805

 

[alexander tzara]

LOL. I never said to abolish the voting, WhisperSecret. I just mentioned some of the different possible solutions along with the problems associated:

1) If it was at all possible to bring in a system that only allows positive voting - a "yes, I like this story" vote or nothing, then that would greatly reduce the damage that can be done to an author's vote. But, as KM pointed out, a vindictive meanie could then still vote all the competition's stories up so that Debz's or whoever's story is buried again. It may also be expensive and time-consuming to rewrite the software.

2) The present system could stay in place but the software could be adapted to allow authors and readers to see how many 1s, 2s, 3s, 4s and 5s a story received. This would give authors a great deal more feedback on how well the story was liked and how many people voted a specific way. Readers would also be able to see this information. As a reader I'd then be able to judge for myself which story seemed to have received the best response over-all. Again, this might be expensive and time-consuming to implement.

3) You could completely scrap the votes and find a new method for determining the TopLists - probably not a very good idea considering the amount of work that's already gone into developing the voting scripts. There are probably also a huge number of people who would complain if the votes were ditched.

4) We could just keep things as they are and accept that there are imperfections and that vote fraud probably happen - but that, on the whole, the system works pretty well.

5) Have two top-lists - Readers' Favourites, based on the current system, and Most Read Stories In This category, based on how many people click onto the second page of a story (or something like that). This would scupper voter-Trolls (could anybody really be arsed having to fuck-up TWO systems?), and means that even readers who don't vote are influencing how well a story does simply by reading it through to the second page. (I guess, though, that shorter stories only have one page, and what about poems?)

 

[Kymberley]

Seeing that vote attacks have taken place on the Romance Category helps ease my mind now about a story I have in the Lesbian category that went from 6 to 117 overnight after being posted for over 7 months.

I thought it was strange but just decided that someone was out to trash people in the top of that list.

Whew! Glad to think someone has enough time on thier hands to worry about stories and authors that they just keep voting down their stories for reasons only they could provide.

Since I am sure you all know you are good writers, I would not let another attack ruin your day. Let them waste their time while we all enjoy ours.

 

[Dillinger]

I posted to Laurel's thread...

Personally - I lean toward abolishing voting overall - but I think the ideas presented are certainly worth discussion...

 

[Softly]

Voting Change

Hi Folks,

I suggest that the voting have only 3s, 4s, and 5s. To make a top list you must have mostly 4 and 5 votes. But, with the absence of the 1 and 2 votes, it would be far more difficult to lower a story score that has 50 or more votes.
Yes, it would mean that there would be a large group of stories in the 3 to 4 range, but so what.

Kymberley, it was interesting to learn that the Lesbian top list was attacked also. I would suspect that all the top lists must have been subjected to the same treatment.

To me, that means that the person that is doing it is trying to frustrate the authors of the better stories.
Two possible motives are; setting us up to offer to post at another site, as has happened before, or trying to destroy
Literotica.

I look at my scores every day. However, at this point, I know, even before a story is posted, what voter grade it will receive. It will be interesting to me to see how my "Lowered" stories fare now that they have been droppped
fifty places.

I look forward to being able to see how many people have read my stories.

 

[cymbidia]

Guys, the Lit BB just got done with a sometimes heatedly emotional discussion about voting. Go read it here, if you like: http://www.literotica.com/forum/showthread.php?threadid=30800

My reason for pointing this out is that you're not going to get people like KM and Dillinger involved in being righteously indignant about voting. Not right now, anyway, and not for a good long while. The issue has created hard feelings among many here at Lit, feelings that may color our interactions for long time. This most recent outburst included some harsh statements and accusations. EVERYONE is shying away from mucky places that smell like "voting issues" for awhile.

Take your issues to Laurel directly (who is more sick of all of this than ANY of us, i'm sure), go post them in some succinct form on the Author's Board (but be prepared for a lack of response because, well, the overriding feeling on this issue for now is that it's been done to death), go post a response to Laurel on her new voting improvement plan thread (http://www.literotica.com/forum/showthread.php?threadid=31805), or just give it a rest and know that you're definitely not the first to feel outraged about this issue. If you're an author, if you've been here awhile, then you've dealt with this issue either publicly or privately (in your head or via email bitches with friends). You're in good company on this one.

One last thing? Trust me on this: author perceptions of voting irregularities are NOT limited to the Romance category.

 

[HoneyBaby]

Rating System

Hi! I have been very curious and searched all over this site for the answer and can't find it. How does the rating system work. From what to what? Please let me know at texassunflowers@yahoo.com.

 

[Ulyssa]

Coming out of the closet.

I thought I'd let everyone know how it went with my informing my husband that one of my readers had spilled my secret about being gay.

First I hid in the bedroom closet for fifteen minutes waiting for my unknowing hubby to come and let me out. After the fifteen minutes was up, I screamed at the top of my lungs that he'd better come back to the bedroom closet and let me out.

My children came in instead. They asked me why I was hiding in the closet, and, being the helpful little girl scout she is, my youngest opened the door to let me out. So there I stood in the midst of all the shirts, skirts and dresses totally nude. Before my bug-eyed progeny could ask any more questions, I told them in no uncertain terms that I wanted to see their father, and then they were to work on their homework for at least three and a half hours or next Tuesday whichever came first.

My little girl put it succinctly when she said: "Daddy! Mommy's hiding in your closet naked and she said that you'd better get your ass in there if you know what's good for you."

So much for romance.

I didn't know a man could stare for so long at a naked woman standing in a clothes closet and not say a single word...

Why am I writing this here? I should do the thing up right and submit it to the humor section. Look for it there in the near future.

 

[CAT~~]

I would agree with abolishing the 1 and 2 votes. It seems that some one has an issure with certain stories and/or authors. I myself don't vote unless I really like a story or really dislike one. Maybe we could have a yes we liked this story or no we didn't. Number of votes would determine the top list. No's could be a negative one and yes's could be a positive one.
They have already limited the number of times you can vote on any one story, so that might work.
You never know until you try!
Cat~~

 

[cymbidia]

Confession is good for the soul

Yeh but Lyssa, did you find the courage to confess your newly-identified gayness to him and break his heart?

 

[CAT~~]

Re: Confession is good for the soul

Yeh but Lyssa, did you find the courage to confess your newly-identified gayness to him and break his heart?

Couldn't you ease him to the discovery? Maybe start out bi-curious at first and then slowly move him toward the final truth. Seems like it would be less of a shock that way. Much better than the naked in the closet thing. Although being naked in a closet with the right person might be fun.
Cat~~

 

[Ulyssa]

How to inform your hubby you are gay.

http://www.literotica.com/stories/showstory.php?id=14801

Finished and posted! It's a quick read, so enjoy.

 

[nitengale]

Re: How to inform your hubby you are gay.

http://www.literotica.com/stories/showstory.php?id=14801

Finished and posted! It's a quick read, so enjoy.

Definately enjoyable...my only advice...DO NOT read it with anything in your mouth!

 

[Ulyssa]

Aww, Nitengale...not anything in your mouth?

Bless you, nurse lady. I laughed when you sent me that email. It was so totally unexpected. But then you'd essentially told me just the same thing happened to you moments before.

Thank you for the

And thank you for dozens of other sweet things.