What information is really important for authors

[Jepasch]

What information is really important for authors?


Information which is really important for authors is not provided by Literotica at all.


- I want to know how many people have actually read my story. Not just clicked on it and read it. Or clicked through a search engine.

- The 5 rating still says that the reader thought the story was great, the 1 rating doesn't give the slightest clue as to what didn't like it.

- A great many readers like a story, but are bothered by major or minor flaws in the story. Still, they shy away from giving a 4 or 3 because they know authors see that as a punishment. Therefore, at best, only one out of 50 ever rates.

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Comments are the only thing that really gives useful feedback for authors here.

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Is there a solution, could this be changed?

Possible would be a different rating system:

Not clicks are counted, but only certain access times per book page. And to be scored at all, all pages would have to have been opened.

The 5-star system would have to be refined: Stars for story, style and spelling, would lead to a wider range. Manipulations would also be noticed more quickly, especially if a story clearly contains many spelling errors. (I fully realize that none of my stories could get full points then).

Users would have to have an advantage when they log in and rate a story. So to speak little diligence stars for many ratings or many comments.

And everyone is only allowed to read one story as long as they haven't rated it. Either they click that they have only read the story and don't want to rate it, or they rate.

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I'm just throwing this out there as a suggestion, knowing that this would be an immense effort for Literotica.

What do you guys think?

Translated with www.DeepL.com/Translator (free version)

 

[Champakian]

There's an Author's Hangout...

 

[JohnnySavage]

Some of my posts are real doozies. Too bad my readers can't vote on my posts.

 

[Champakian]

I'd be 1-ing the crap out of you!

​

 

[JohnnySavage]

That's just jealousy talking

 

[Champakian]

I think it as more of a semi-professional courtesy.

 

[Conager]

What information is really important for authors?


Information which is really important for authors is not provided by Literotica at all.


- I want to know how many people have actually read my story. Not just clicked on it and read it. Or clicked through a search engine.

- The 5 rating still says that the reader thought the story was great, the 1 rating doesn't give the slightest clue as to what didn't like it.

- A great many readers like a story, but are bothered by major or minor flaws in the story. Still, they shy away from giving a 4 or 3 because they know authors see that as a punishment. Therefore, at best, only one out of 50 ever rates.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Comments are the only thing that really gives useful feedback for authors here.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Is there a solution, could this be changed?

Possible would be a different rating system:

Not clicks are counted, but only certain access times per book page. And to be scored at all, all pages would have to have been opened.

The 5-star system would have to be refined: Stars for story, style and spelling, would lead to a wider range. Manipulations would also be noticed more quickly, especially if a story clearly contains many spelling errors. (I fully realize that none of my stories could get full points then).

Users would have to have an advantage when they log in and rate a story. So to speak little diligence stars for many ratings or many comments.

And everyone is only allowed to read one story as long as they haven't rated it. Either they click that they have only read the story and don't want to rate it, or they rate.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I'm just throwing this out there as a suggestion, knowing that this would be an immense effort for Literotica.

What do you guys think?

Translated with www.DeepL.com/Translator (free version)

I have highlighted the problems with your query.

 

[pecksniff]

What information is really important for authors?

That depends on the story you're writing -- but, there is no information important for authors that can't be found in a public library.

 

[Dutchboy51]

What information is really important for authors?


Information which is really important for authors is not provided by Literotica at all.


- I want to know how many people have actually read my story. Not just clicked on it and read it. Or clicked through a search engine.

- The 5 rating still says that the reader thought the story was great, the 1 rating doesn't give the slightest clue as to what didn't like it.

- A great many readers like a story, but are bothered by major or minor flaws in the story. Still, they shy away from giving a 4 or 3 because they know authors see that as a punishment. Therefore, at best, only one out of 50 ever rates.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Comments are the only thing that really gives useful feedback for authors here.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Is there a solution, could this be changed?

Possible would be a different rating system:

Not clicks are counted, but only certain access times per book page. And to be scored at all, all pages would have to have been opened.

The 5-star system would have to be refined: Stars for story, style and spelling, would lead to a wider range. Manipulations would also be noticed more quickly, especially if a story clearly contains many spelling errors. (I fully realize that none of my stories could get full points then).

Users would have to have an advantage when they log in and rate a story. So to speak little diligence stars for many ratings or many comments.

And everyone is only allowed to read one story as long as they haven't rated it. Either they click that they have only read the story and don't want to rate it, or they rate.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I'm just throwing this out there as a suggestion, knowing that this would be an immense effort for Literotica.

What do you guys think?

Translated with www.DeepL.com/Translator (free version)

In a related issue...
It strikes me that if anybody gives a damn about the ranking numbers, then the system ought to be aware of, and compensate somehow for its inherent bias. Specifically, serials with multiple chapters published as "stand alone" stories get inordinately high ranks. If you're looking for a read, are you going to just jump in and start reading a story entitled "Blah Blah Blah Chapter 23"? I don't think so, and yet these stories are consistently rated very highly. Why is this?

Well, it could be that the story is genuinely a 4.95, all thirty chapters of it. I'm skeptical.

Could it be that most, if not all of the folks rating it, are repeat readers who have invested in the previous 19 chapters and have already decided that they like either the author, the story line, or both? That's my bet. If they've already invested in a dozen or more chapters, it strikes me that it's highly unlikely that chapter 16 is ever going to get a lower ranking, even if it's not quite as "good" as chapter 15.

Now, contrast the rankings response to single, stand alone stories. They have no proven track record like the serials, no built-in fan base, except possibly that the author has a following based on other stories. A certain percentage of those who elect to try any given read are going to discover that some stories don't really "float their boat." That's natural. They're not going to award five stars. They'll maybe give it a "gentleman's 3" (or worse) and move on. The ultimate rating is clearly more indicative of the true feelings of the community-at-large.

Not so for the serials who already start the "ratings race" with a clear advantage.

Why does this distinction matter? Well, in the big scheme of things it doesn't, of course. Nevertheless, when people search for the "all time favorites" in a category looking for a proven commodity, what they find is that "Blah Blah Blah" chapters have copped eleven spaces in the top 100. "Blah Blah Blah" may, in fact, be a great read, but the REAL effect of handling individual chapters of a long story as if they could "stand alone" is that it squeezes individual entries out of the all-time rankings. Folks who deserve recognition don't get read. Think about it. You dial up the all time favorites looking for a well-rated story. Are you really going to say, "Ah hah! I think I'll read "Blah Blah Blah" chapter nine. No wait, I'll read chapter eighteen. No, chapter eleven looks good. They're all in the top twenty." Who does that?

Nobody does that, that's who.

Serial chapters featuring the same characters need their own category, maybe, or at least, say, a ranking which lists multiple chapters, but with only one slot awarded for the entire story. I have no problem with "Blah Blah Blah" getting the number one slot, but ten of the top fifty? Seems a little unfair. No, it seems VERY unfair.

Actually, my own writing is a kind of "tweener" with respect to this issue. All of my stories in "The Amazing Randy" series in Mind Control feature the same central character, but not only does each story stand alone as a story, but each new story takes place somewhere else in time along a thirty year stage career. Story "X" may take place early in his career, story "Y" may take place before of after "X" in time. Ditto for stories "D, K, Q, and F." The entire series jumps around, leaving the reader to decide if they like the story well-enough to invest in another, no matter where they start the series. A few of the stories are mini-series of two or three temporally related events, but most are not.

Anybody else agree?

 

[stickygirl]

Anybody else agree?

So, to summarise, you think a series should get a overall rating, not a by-chapter one that squeezes out individual stand-alone entries.

 

[Dutchboy51]

Indeed, that is exactly what and why. Do a little research. Look at the number of chapters of a given multi-chapter story and their individual ratings in, for example the Mind Control section. The issue fairly jumps out at you.