The Official Authors' Hangout April Fool's Day 2017 Contest Support Thread

[SusanJillParker]

I just calculated that I need 200 one-bombs swept to get a 4.9 score. Better hope for massive sweeps...

It's still difficult for me to understand why readers would bomb stories with one votes without even reading them most times.

We write for free for the pleasure of our readers and because we're driven to write. Yet, when they vote, they vote with a 1 vote. Go figure. It makes no sense.

As it is only 1/2 of one percent of those who open the story vote for the story. That's one vote for every 200 people who open the story.

Some say they didn't know they could vote. Others say they don't know how to vote. But the real reason why readers don't vote is because readers fear if they vote, their sexual desires will somehow be tracked and recorded by someone.

The only ones who vote all the time, every time, are the bashers (lol).

 

[tomlitilia]

A big sweep just went through. One of mine bounced up a little, the other a lot, but nowhere near anything that can win.

 

[ChloeTzang]

A big sweep just went through. One of mine bounced up a little, the other a lot, but nowhere near anything that can win.

Be interesting once the sweeps really go through. I saw that one and then saw the hit from a few one stars shortly thereafter ...

 

[TamLin01]

Well, the computers remove what their algorithm calculates to be "suspicious" voting activity--that which seems to lie at the extreme ends of the bell curve or which appears most likely to be artificial, based on voter behavior. (I gather.) Sometimes it will knock off scores you like, sometimes ones you hate.

We never get to pick what our story's scores are. Although even if we did, we'd probably still complain.

 

[lovecraft68]

Congrats to the winners!

Great job Chloe!

 

[oggbashan]

Congratulations!

First Place ($150 Cash Prize Winner):
Fingerprints on My Heart by ChloeTzang

Second Place ($100 Cash Prize Winner):
Chemistry of Love by YDB95

Third Place ($75 Cash Prize Winner):
Life on Short Notice by MSTarot

And thanks to all those who took part. This contest has one of the most difficult themes to work with.

 

[SusanJillParker]

My congratulations to the winners to to Chloe especially. Good job.

 

[SusanJillParker]

As usual being that I get a lot of bashing votes, my contest story, Last Day Alive, What Would You Do?, had nearly 50 votes removed (lol) and went from a paltry 3.79 score to a 4.55.

I'm happy with that. Even though I'm admittedly and modestly (lol) one of the best writers on the site, I don't expect to win any theme or monthly contests. I've won enough contest money, more than twice that of any other writer. It's just fun to write the story.

What I did notice however was that only my contest story was scanned for improper and bashing votes. Normally, my entire story page is scanned. What's up with that? Perhaps, I have too many stories to scan. Perhaps, they've changed the software to scan only those stories that are in the contest.

I preferred how they use to do it, by scanning the entire page instead of just select stories. I'm looking forward to the Nude Day contest.

 

[oggbashan]

Only one of my three entries, Household God, managed to get just into the Red H level. The other two went below 4.00 within hours of posting and crawled up to finish below 4.50.

I'm not surprised. I find the April Fool theme an awkward one and it probably showed in the stories.

 

[YDB95]

Wow, thanks everyone! I haven't placed in three years...nice to be back!

 

[ChloeTzang]

Wow, thanks everyone! I haven't placed in three years...nice to be back!

Congratulations to you too

And thank you so much everyone - it's nice to be there - first times are such memorable occasions and especially when you look at all the writers here who had stories in.

 

[rutger5]

Grats to the winners. To Chloe, nice guys finish last but nice girls can win contests it seems.

 

[TamLin01]

And that's that. There's a long break until the next contest in July, and then a few in quick succession in August and very early October.

 

[xelliebabex]

Congrats to the winners, all well-deserved wins!