Weird rating goings-on

[Senor_Smut]

I don't know, but you raise a fascinating point. As a professional and highly knowledgeable statistical analyst I can assure people that the mean value of a set of data cannot change unless the data itself changes. Now, can people who rate a story go back and change their original rating? I.e. no data added or deleted but one or more data points altered? I don't know if that is possible. But the shift you mention - how many ratings is that based on? Because if you have, IDK, 50 or more ratings that went into the original score you report, that "revised" score is a HUGE shift. But if the scores are based on very few ratings (data points) then it's not such a huge shift. That's why once a mean (which is a type of average, along with median and mode) is based on a sufficient number of scores, it will not shift very much at all. Your bowling average isn't going to change a lot even with a 300 game if it's based on 100 games versus 10 games.

Nah, it was a small number of ratings. My stories appeal to a specific audience (people who like long, deeply psychological stories where the sex is secondary). A few changed ratings could make a big impact.

 

[EmilyMiller]

I don't know, but you raise a fascinating point. As a professional and highly knowledgeable statistical analyst I can assure people that the mean value of a set of data cannot change unless the data itself changes. Now, can people who rate a story go back and change their original rating? I.e. no data added or deleted but one or more data points altered? I don't know if that is possible. But the shift you mention - how many ratings is that based on? Because if you have, IDK, 50 or more ratings that went into the original score you report, that "revised" score is a HUGE shift. But if the scores are based on very few ratings (data points) then it's not such a huge shift. That's why once a mean (which is a type of average, along with median and mode) is based on a sufficient number of scores, it will not shift very much at all. Your bowling average isn't going to change a lot even with a 300 game if it's based on 100 games versus 10 games.

It’s not a Gaussian distribution

 

[EmilyMiller]

5, 5, 5, 5, 5, 5, 5, 5, 1, 1 => mean is 4.2

5, 5, 5, 5, 5, 5, 5, 5, 5, 5 => mean is 5.0

The sweep might delete two 1️ and then the story gets two more 5️

 

[RejectReality]

You can keep saying the same things and continue to fail to convince me, or you can give up on trying to educate the dumb bitch. Your call.

I know. The only people you have time for are those who fawn over your cutie-patootie act. Thing is, it's not for your benefit. Facts always get lost in the mail on the way to fantasyland. I'm just making sure nobody else is fooled into believing this ill-researched bit of bruised ego salve would matter one tiny bit.

( The same thing is part of the spiderweb of math at SOL and has been for years. It was also in place at Lush for years prior to the change to like-only voting. They also have members-only voting, and it accomplishes exactly jack-squat to deter or even really impede trolls/cheerleaders despite that additional level of "protection". )

 

[EmilyMiller]

I know. The only people you have time for are those who fawn over your cutie-patootie act. Thing is, it's not for your benefit. Facts always get lost in the mail on the way to fantasyland. I'm just making sure nobody else is fooled into believing this ill-researched bit of bruised ego salve would matter one tiny bit.

( The same thing is part of the spiderweb of math at SOL and has been for years. It was also in place at Lush for years prior to the change to like-only voting. They also have members-only voting, and it accomplishes exactly jack-squat to deter or even really impede trolls/cheerleaders despite that additional level of "protection". )

Oh dear. Anger management problems much. Put me on ignore, hun. It’s the best solution for your blood pressure.

 

[RejectReality]

Oh dear. Anger management problems much. Put me on ignore, hun. It’s the best solution for your blood pressure.

No worries. I do ignore you with no need for software. Not going to happen when you're pushing hornswaggle.

 

[EmilyMiller]

No worries. I do ignore you with no need for software. Not going to happen when you're pushing hornswaggle.

Please try to calm down. Stress is bad for you. Why are you letting one person get to you so much? It’s not healthy. It’s not proportionate. Why do you care so much?

Pro Tip: Just stop replying. It’s not hard. And it would be so much more relaxing than having tiresome bimbos disagree with you.

 

[alohadave]

Now, can people who rate a story go back and change their original rating? I.e. no data added or deleted but one or more data points altered? I don't know if that is possible.

Yes, changing scores is possible. What you cannot do is remove a vote.

 

[RejectReality]

Please try to calm down. Stress is bad for you. Why are you letting one person get to you so much? It’s not healthy. It’s not proportionate. Why do you care so much?

Pro Tip: Just stop replying. It’s not hard. And it would be so much more relaxing than having tiresome bimbos disagree with you.

I'm not the one sitting there refreshing the window every few seconds so I can reply instantly.

 

[EmilyMiller]

I'm not the one sitting there refreshing the window every few seconds so I can reply instantly.

O-M-F-G a fatal blow. How can I ever recover from that? My blood is spewing everywhere. It’s carnage. The light is dimming…

I thought you were going to ignore me? How’s that working for you?

I’m taking my cough to bed. Please feel free to have the last word if that’s important for some reason.

And tomorrow maybe reread this thread and ponder why someone refusing to agree with you is so very upsetting. Only you will know the answer.

 

[RejectReality]

O-M-F-G a fatal blow. How can I ever recover from that? My blood is spewing everywhere. It’s carnage. The light is dimming…

I thought you were going to ignore me? How’s that working for you?

I’m taking my cough to bed. Please feel free to have the last word if that’s important for some reason.

And tomorrow maybe reread this thread and ponder why someone refusing to agree with you is so very upsetting. Only you will know the answer.

You're the one who wanted to play the passive-aggressive armchair psychoanalyst game. I'm just vollying your weak serves back at you.

 

[TheRedChamber]

Emily, get over yourself. Someone disagreed with you. That is all.

 

[Gamblnluck]

I learned the power of numbers my freshman year of college when I walked into the final with a B and got a D for the course. Admittedly, I did not understand that answering the question correctly was not good enough in an English course. (I took an Intro to Greek Classics while being in a science major.) It was HOW you answered it. But that almost ended my career.
Same here. A few low numbers play hell with overall scores.
The funny thing is how so many authors here say they write for themselves and then lose their shit when their stories get a low score. Or get panned by their audience. They KNOW they wrote a great story. When the audience did not agree, it is 'TROLLS'. Or maybe the fact they put it before the wrong audience and did not give them what they wanted.

 

[caleb35]

I learned the power of numbers my freshman year of college when I walked into the final with a B and got a D for the course. Admittedly, I did not understand that answering the question correctly was not good enough in an English course. (I took an Intro to Greek Classics while being in a science major.) It was HOW you answered it. But that almost ended my career.
Same here. A few low numbers play hell with overall scores.
The funny thing is how so many authors here say they write for themselves and then lose their shit when their stories get a low score. Or get panned by their audience. They KNOW they wrote a great story. When the audience did not agree, it is 'TROLLS'. Or maybe the fact they put it before the wrong audience and did not give them what they wanted.

You're not wrong, but it's that human desire for praise, coupled with inner doubts. You might KNOW that you wrote a great story, but you still want to hear it from other people Part of that is due to enjoying praise, but another part of it is that you never really know, actually.

 

[Gamblnluck]

You're not wrong, but it's that human desire for praise, coupled with inner doubts. You might KNOW that you wrote a great story, but you still want to hear it from other people Part of that is due to enjoying praise, but another part of it is that you never really know, actually.

Oh I agree, but just read many of the posts here on AH. LW is a cesspool where only the total destruction of the cheating wife gets by. They complain constantly about 'trolls one-bombing them' and the need for period sweeps to help them regain their true ratings.
At the same time, those authors will admit they do not read stories. After all, their position is to write, NOT read. The didn't get paid for their efforts so why should they care if the lowly peasant readers do not like their magnificent efforts. How many times have you seen it written her on AH, ""I didn't get paid, so what do I owe?" or a similar attitude.

Yet those same authors seek or even demand adoration. And 'll admit some categories give good ratings if the story is readable. If the story arouses, it gets 5's.

 

[lovecraft68]

You're the one who wanted to play the passive-aggressive armchair psychoanalyst game. I'm just vollying your weak serves back at you.

Its not about the topic of discussion, it's about them. It's always about them.

 

[Senor_Smut]

Oh I agree, but just read many of the posts here on AH. LW is a cesspool where only the total destruction of the cheating wife gets by. They complain constantly about 'trolls one-bombing them' and the need for period sweeps to help them regain their true ratings.
At the same time, those authors will admit they do not read stories. After all, their position is to write, NOT read. The didn't get paid for their efforts so why should they care if the lowly peasant readers do not like their magnificent efforts. How many times have you seen it written her on AH, ""I didn't get paid, so what do I owe?" or a similar attitude.

Yet those same authors seek or even demand adoration. And 'll admit some categories give good ratings if the story is readable. If the story arouses, it gets 5's.

I check my ratings if I'm on Lit for something else, which (given the speed I write) happens every few weeks to every few months. I am fully aware that my writing is for a small subset of the readership here. My stories get readership in the low-single-digit thousands and very few ratings or comments. I'm under no delusion that I'm a great writer and I never say my stories are great, only that they're the best I can do at the time. I don't expect adoration or acclaim. I genuinely write what I want to write because if I didn't I would have legit killed myself long ago. I do therapy by creativity and then I post some of the results here on the off chance that the stories might reach a few folks who dig them; of they do, I'm glad for it, and if they don't then they've still served their purpose.

 

[caleb35]

There are some weird personal attacks in this thread by several posters, none of which have anything to do with the topic on hand.

 

[feel_the_beast]

There are some weird personal attacks in this thread by several posters, none of which have anything to do with the topic on hand.

Welcome to the internet...

 

[Timesup]

Well I'll be damned (obviously, but I mean more so than usual). I don't know what to make of that. I'm glad I don't pay attention to the numbers or that would drive me bonkers.

More than usual. Right there with ya.

 

[Baztrachian]

OK now I'm more confused than before. Why would votes be deleted?

Bots detected. Votes coming in from automated programs.

 

[Senor_Smut]

Bots detected. Votes coming in from automated programs.

Aha, interesting. That's messed up.

 

[IWroteThis]

If they really cared, there are other things they could do, including the non-radical proposal I made to Laurel and Manu.

I read your proposal and I have a couple of questions.

First, how did you arrive at 133 5* ratings and 2 1* ratings? There are 94 possible combinations of votes to get that rating from 145 votes, of which there are 16 where exactly 2 ratings are 1*. Looking at the one you picked compared to the others, it seems to be a less than likely choice.

Second, why do you think that your modifications to the overall rating calculation would not have boosted the winner's score as well, allowing them to still beat you? Based on your hypothesis for why this change is needed, I would expect their score to rise as well.

 

[EmilyMiller]

I read your proposal and I have a couple of questions.

First, how did you arrive at 133 5* ratings and 2 1* ratings? There are 94 possible combinations of votes to get that rating from 145 votes, of which there are 16 where exactly 2 ratings are 1*. Looking at the one you picked compared to the others, it seems to be a less than likely choice.

I tracked the votes. They came in slowly. I have a spreadsheet.

Second, why do you think that your modifications to the overall rating calculation would not have boosted the winner's score as well, allowing them to still beat you? Based on your hypothesis for why this change is needed, I would expect their score to rise as well.

If that’s the outcome, cool. If they had someone systematically screwing their score too, then OK. But maybe, hate isn’t distributed evenly.

 

[LargoKitt]

There was a sweep at the end of Summer Lovin’ - you had some votes deleted and some new ones replace them. It’s normal (sadly).

People post about 'sweeps'. What are they? Who does them? Every story on Lit? How do you know about them?