Voting in Contests

[Jamie6977]

I am new to the contests and haven't seen how the voting is tallied. Is it the number of "Favorites" a person receives or the number of 5-star ratings? I read a few of the stories, but didn't see a voting button.

 

[PennyThompson]

The contest winners are based only on each story's rating average at the end of the contest. So if you like a contest entry you only need to give them a 5-star rating to help them, though obviously most writers love comments and favorites as well

 

[Tyrantino]

Thank you for the clarification PennyThompson, I had the same doubt as Jamie6977. Maybe not the best way to select the winners, but perhaps the easiest and therefore most reasonable way to do it.

 

[StillStunned]

Also: a story has to have 25 votes or more (after the sweep) to qualify for winning.

 

[RejectReality]

And speaking of the sweeps, nobody has any idea where they stand in the rankings until the final sweep happens. People can get bombed with illegitimate low scores and appear to not be in the running, only to have those low votes swept and shoot up to the top. A high score and lots of votes means good odds, but not necessarily the winner's circle.

 

[Slingshot7]

It seems difficult to win unless you have a lot of followers. I am glad that I finally got 100 ratings on a story and the overall was very high. I would love more comments though. Sometimes I really work on dialogue, sometimes action, sometimes character. And, yeah, there's the sex. I laughed at some discussions about erotica, because it all is to some degree.

 

[PennyThompson]

It seems difficult to win unless you have a lot of followers. I am glad that I finally got 100 ratings on a story and the overall was very high. I would love more comments though. Sometimes I really work on dialogue, sometimes action, sometimes character. And, yeah, there's the sex. I laughed at some discussions about erotica, because it all is to some degree.

The advice I've seen, and which I try to follow, is to not stress out about trying to win these contests.

There's no magic formula to it, great writers or stories don't always win, mediocre writers and stories sometimes do, there are too many variables to what lands and what doesn't, you would drive yourself crazy trying to figure it out.

Instead, focus on writing the story you want to tell, within the constraints of the contest theme. Contests are great exposure to an audience who might never see your work otherwise, and can lead to new followers and fans! Read and comment on other entries, chat and be supportive and encouraging in the contest thread, and you'll get something positive out of the experience!

 

[Slingshot7]

That's what I mean, I write my stories trying to focus on the writing. Getting a hot label is pretty cool, as are nice ratings. I wish I got more comments, but that may come.

 

[StillStunned]

I wish I got more comments, but that may come.

I've recently started replying to comments. The reader might never see the reply, but other readers do, and they see that you're engaged and that you appreciate their comments. At least, that's what I assume, because I'm getting far more comments now than I used to.

 

[Slingshot7]

I do reply, but have not had many comments. I only did not reply to one about editing that was rudely phrased. It is important to remember that tone is not always apparent in texts and comments.

 

[RustyRedheadSpitfire]

How do you prevent someone from creating 100 accounts and voting for themselves?

 

[Mistress_Fantasy]

If I understand the "votes" system correctly, slingshot seems to be right with their comment about a high follower count, or I suggest a large number of friends on the site who one can muster to vote up a story, being essential to win a contest. I do realize that on this sort of site, there really is no other practical way to do it. That's unfortunate, because the current system hardly seems fair to new people or those who don't make this place their entire life.

 

[RejectReality]

You only need 25 votes to qualify. You don't need a bunch of followers to do that in any category outside those with the smallest readerships. People can and have won contests with their first submission to the site. People that get 1-bombed out of the gate and never get much above 4.5 for the rest of the contest have had those bombs removed in the final sweep and landed in the winner's circle. On the flipside, he person who has led for the entire contest has won. Doesn't matter if you enter early, or late, or in the middle of the pack.

Certain categories are harder because the score average is lower overall. Long works fare better because only the people who enjoy them get to the end to use the voting form. Despite that, short stories and even Loving Wives stories have ended up in the winner's circle.

There's no magical formula other than write a good story.

 

[ElectricBlue]

How do you prevent someone from creating 100 accounts and voting for themselves?

You'd need a bunch of computers and email accounts so that each account gets its own unique identity. Hardly worth the bother, given the odds of winning a prize are pretty low.

 

[SmilingLez]

What bums me out - for example, if a story has 25 five-star votes and another story has 40 five-star votes and 10 four-star votes, that story will lose even though it has more five-star votes.