Why do they make it so hard to get comments on this site?

[GWBosh]

I've been an author here for a while but not very active in this forum.

Readers' comments are like a breath of oxygen for me. It's great to get feedback and they don't all have to be positive.

But Literotica actively discourages readers from commenting.

1) It only shows comments made within the last 12 months. If there are none, readers will need to be almost psychic to see the link to all comments.
If comments are where readers can see them, more readers will take the hint and comment.

2) Readers have to click a link to another page to comment. Doesn't sound much, but it's an extra step. Website optimizers reckon that every extra click a website requires to finalize a sale reduces sales by over 33%.

 

[lovecraft68]

I've been an author here for a while but not very active in this forum.

Readers' comments are like a breath of oxygen for me. It's great to get feedback and they don't all have to be positive.

But Literotica actively discourages readers from commenting.

1) It only shows comments made within the last 12 months. If there are none, readers will need to be almost psychic to see the link to all comments.
If comments are where readers can see them, more readers will take the hint and comment.

2) Readers have to click a link to another page to comment. Doesn't sound much, but it's an extra step. Website optimizers reckon that every extra click a website requires to finalize a sale reduces sales by over 33%.

I understand your frustration, but place the blame where it lies, lazy readership.

The average reader here doesn't take the literally htree seconds it would take to click on a star to vote, let alone comment.

If someone wants to comment the system does not make it hard to do so,and if they want to they will put up with the extra step.

But as I said they have to want to, and many don't. A small percentage of people who read actually vote, and then only a small percentage of them will comment.

So at the end of the day, just laziness and apathy. Sucks, but it is true.

 

[PennLady]

I have to disagree. I don't see how difficult it is -- on the last page of the story, readers can plainly see where to leave comments after the story is over. There's no extra clicking, unless you mean getting to the last page of the story.

Yes, if comments are a certain amount old, they aren't displayed, but there is a link to see all comments, and it isn't hard to find.

Mostly I'd agree with lovecraft. The vast majority of readers simply don't leave feedback for whatever reason, but I think it has less to do with Lit's comment mechanism than it does with personal habits of readers.

 

[LettersFromTatyana]

Want something? Ask for it.

I just looked at your last three submissions. None has an author's note at the end asking for comments, and one has a note specifically requesting readers not leave a particular type of comment! Your profile doesn't have a line requesting feedback, either.

Some readers leave feedback with no regard to whether you asked for it or not; others will only leave feedback if an author specifically asks for feedback via comments or email. Right now, you're excluding that last group of commentators.

In your next story, why don't you include a note at the end asking for constructive feedback, either in the comments section or via email? And there's nothing wrong with stating something along the lines of this in your profile:

Readers' comments are like a breath of oxygen for me. It's great to get feedback and they don't all have to be positive.

It might help.

 

[TE999]

By the time many readers have washed their hands and had a drink of water they've forgotten to vote or comment.

 

[GWBosh]

The numbers

Comments on my stories on this site : 1 for every 8,900 reads
Comments on another site : 1 for every 1,700 reads

So readers comment on this site at 20% the rate on the other site. Seems conclusive to me. And there is no reason to believe there is any difference in the motivation or interest of readers on the different sites.

You're missing the point by simply saying that readers are unmotivated, lazy, indifferent etc. Whatever their state of mind, if it's easier, more will do it.

The changes I'm suggesting may seem trivial but the numbers above say it all. Successful internet marketers know the more simple they make it, the more money they make.

One of the replies suggested that it's not necessary to click to make a comment. As I see it you either have to click on a tab or a link. Either way, that's an extra click. Either way, my betting is, that halves the number of comments posted.

 

[lovecraft68]

Comments on my stories on this site : 1 for every 8,900 reads
Comments on another site : 1 for every 1,700 reads

So readers comment on this site at 20% the rate on the other site. Seems conclusive to me. And there is no reason to believe there is any difference in the motivation or interest of readers on the different sites.

You're missing the point by simply saying that readers are unmotivated, lazy, indifferent etc. Whatever their state of mind, if it's easier, more will do it.

The changes I'm suggesting may seem trivial but the numbers above say it all. Successful internet marketers know the more simple they make it, the more money they make.

One of the replies suggested that it's not necessary to click to make a comment. As I see it you either have to click on a tab or a link. Either way, that's an extra click. Either way, my betting is, that halves the number of comments posted.

OMG an extra click! See your explanation proves my point about laziness. I am sure your sales stat is true (about losing sales through extra steps) which shows that the laziness exists in every aspect of life.

If someone wants to comment they will make the extra click. I do it. If they don;t want to they won't

As for the other site, is it a pay site perchance?

 

[GWBosh]

OMG an extra click! See your explanation proves my point about laziness. I am sure your sales stat is true (about losing sales through extra steps) which shows that the laziness exists in every aspect of life.

If someone wants to comment they will make the extra click. I do it. If they don;t want to they won't

As for the other site, is it a pay site perchance?

No, the other site is not a pay site.

I agree that if someone really is determined to comment, they will and if they have no intention of commenting, they won't.

But in between there's the undecided. If they can see there are a lot of comments, herd instinct will sometimes apply. If they can do it without thinking they're more likely to do so. If they have to stop and think, maybe they'll change their mind.

 

[Darkniciad]

Up to a certain number of comments made in the last six months are displayed by default at the end of the story.

The only time there's an extra click involved to see the comments is when the story has received no comments in the last six months. That's when it defaults to the "leave a comment" tab instead of the "recent comments" tab.

A six month old story isn't getting that many reads anyway. I just don't see the problem.

If the other site you're talking about is similar to my experience, the higher percentage of comments per download is just as heavily weighed toward the first few days the story is posted as it is here.

You also need to keep in mind that Lit uses "views", not "downloads" as some other sites do. It's generally understood that while the readership is larger on Lit than on most sites, the views stat doesn't remotely represent an individual reading the story -- or even necessarily a human.

 

[lovecraft68]

No, the other site is not a pay site.

I agree that if someone really is determined to comment, they will and if they have no intention of commenting, they won't.

But in between there's the undecided. If they can see there are a lot of comments, herd instinct will sometimes apply. If they can do it without thinking they're more likely to do so. If they have to stop and think, maybe they'll change their mind.

In perfect timing for this thread I had a new story go up today. One of the comments (and I ask for them at the end, telling people all the time good, bad or indifferent let me know what you think.) is from a guy named digdaddyrich, who comments on many of my stories.

I clicked on his bio page and here is an excerpt

I do like commenting on stories, and praising the authors. For if it wasn't for the authors taking the time and effort to write and post their stories, we wouldn't have this fine resource that we have. I do have fun leaving comments on stories,just to see what I can get back from some of the other readers.

It depends on the reader some comment on everything, some on nothing. It has nothing to do with clicks.

Tatyana pointed out about you actually asking for them. I will add another point

You are quite new. You have three stories as time goes on you get more work out there and you get on more favorite pages and you will get more comments. My first few stories only received 3 or 4 comments. MY last couple are in the 20's it's about getting a following.

 

[GWBosh]

You are quite new. You have three stories as time goes on you get more work out there and you get on more favorite pages and you will get more comments. My first few stories only received 3 or 4 comments. MY last couple are in the 20's it's about getting a following.

I'm not so sure about my being new here. Five years, over 20 stories and well over a million reads. Modest by comparison to others but I'm certainly not complaining

I had a quick look at the numbers on your stories lovecaft and although it was from a sample of 15, you are averaging over 7000 reads for every comment. Slightly, but not much better than me.
I didn't read any, but from the quick scan I'll certainly be reading some soon.

The real points are:
Most authors really appreciate getting feedback
Readers comment far less (i.e. 80% less) on Literotica than on a comparable site.
Literotica is ignoring simple rules for increasing response rates which are taught in Internet Marketing 101.

The logic is there, the numbers are there so I'm a bit intrigued as to why the tired old complaints about readers and slightly condescending comments (unsubstantiated) that it's not up to me to question have been trotted out.

 

[PennLady]

I can tell you this as well -- I post on several sites. I'd say I get more comments at Lit, most times, than the other sites. There are a couple where I get none at all, not even private feedback. I'd guess those other sites (StoriesOnline, EroticStories, LushStories, AfterDark-Online) don't get the traffic Lit does, and some have public comments and some don't. For most, you just enter comments in a box, whether they're public or not, then click to submit them. So I think it boils down to people, in most cases, simply not wanting to leave comments for whatever reason.

 

[RedHairedandFriendly]

How long has Literotica been around? I'm sure someone knows ... what they are doing works, it's obvious that they don't need Marketing 101, because why fix what ain't broken? I have been on a couple other sites as well and this one is the one I prefer and have always come back to.

 

[lovecraft68]

I'm not so sure about my being new here. Five years, over 20 stories and well over a million reads. Modest by comparison to others but I'm certainly not complaining

I had a quick look at the numbers on your stories lovecaft and although it was from a sample of 15, you are averaging over 7000 reads for every comment. Slightly, but not much better than me.
I didn't read any, but from the quick scan I'll certainly be reading some soon.

The real points are:
Most authors really appreciate getting feedback
Readers comment far less (i.e. 80% less) on Literotica than on a comparable site.
Literotica is ignoring simple rules for increasing response rates which are taught in Internet Marketing 101.

The logic is there, the numbers are there so I'm a bit intrigued as to why the tired old complaints about readers and slightly condescending comments (unsubstantiated) that it's not up to me to question have been trotted out.

Try looking at the back half of my stories. After I had been around awhile and after I said "Hey how about some comments."

My last two recieved 25/27 comments both with under 8,000 views the several before that are around 10 comments or so and around 8000 views. not 1 for every 8000. You looked at the early stories.

 

[Darkniciad]

Again, a "view" on Lit is not the same as a "download" on a site like SOL.

If you're plugging those two into your equation as identical stats, you may as well be using a random number generator for all the accuracy you're getting in your conclusions.

Stories that have been "unapproved" either by the author's choice or by the moderator deciding that a mistake was made in approving the story in the first place continue to accumulate views, even though they're not available to the reading public. The link can still be reached as a "awaiting moderator's approval" link, and thus if any links to it remain on the internet, spiders and bots can find it.

Stories of late have been accumulating as many as 120 views prior to approval. It's a known glitch, and has nothing to do with anybody viewing it.

Google spiders, story-stealing bots, me clicking the story every day to gather stats when I'm tracking the themed contests... the list goes on and on. They're all counted as views.

 

[GWBosh]

Again, a "view" on Lit is not the same as a "download" on a site like SOL.

If you're plugging those two into your equation as identical stats, you may as well be using a random number generator for all the accuracy you're getting in your conclusions.

Stories that have been "unapproved" either by the author's choice or by the moderator deciding that a mistake was made in approving the story in the first place continue to accumulate views, even though they're not available to the reading public. The link can still be reached as a "awaiting moderator's approval" link, and thus if any links to it remain on the internet, spiders and bots can find it.

Stories of late have been accumulating as many as 120 views prior to approval. It's a known glitch, and has nothing to do with anybody viewing it.

Google spiders, story-stealing bots, me clicking the story every day to gather stats when I'm tracking the themed contests... the list goes on and on. They're all counted as views.

I agree the data is suspect. Sometimes I wonder whether these sites just generate views randomly and have no or very few readers. However this site has an Alexa rating of 1,627 which is seriously good territory.

Your comments on other statistical flack makes sense. I had thought the pre approval views was Literotica sending the story to selected readers to build a rating before it went public to reduce the effect of it being bombed by trolls.

But I doubt these incidents have a significant effect on stories with 200,000 views and when these are compared between sites - xnxx is the other by the way - the results show Literotica in a worse light.

This site allows authors to moderate abusive comments whereas xnxx doesn't, so this might explain some of the difference. Abusive trolls don't bother to comment here because they know they'll be deleted.

That's it. I won't return to this thread. Perhaps a little sad at the complacent response and the knee jerk refusal to seriously look at something ever so slightly different.

 

[sr71plt]

That's it. I won't return to this thread. Perhaps a little sad at the complacent response and the knee jerk refusal to seriously look at something ever so slightly different.

It's really being tired of having to discuss this a couple of times a month on the forum. It's not a new issue. It's also an issue that folks on the forum have very little influence over.

Beyond that, a lot of us aren't that wrapped around the axle on expecting the unrequired--that readers on the site have any obligation at all to read, vote, or comment on any of the stories. They have no such obligation and most of them don't do it. Most of them aren't here to help the authors "develop" their writing skills. They're here to be entertained. There's no hint of a requirement by the site for them to do more.

And anyone who expects more and can't live with the paradigm established here probably will be more comfortable posting on a "writing critique" site rather than a wide-open free write/read site.

 

[Darkniciad]

Don't know what to say. Comments are displayed by default as long as they're not more than six months old. I just don't see where leaving up a list of comments at the end of the story past that point would make a difference. If you can show me that six month old stories there continue to accumulate new comments at a consistent rate, rather than a burst at the beginning and trickles as time moves on, maybe there's something to it.

Just checked out that site... Yikes. Lit still has some issues with conforming to current expectations for presentation, but wow... All text and very early 90s. Seems to have a fair amount of traffic, though. Don't see much indication of content restrictions, either.

I also don't see any huge difference in the amount of comments received. Clicking through the links on the front page, I see pretty much what I would expect if it were here.

 

[1sickbastard]

I've not had any issue with getting comments. My first story has 20 on over 70000 views, so 1 per 3500 there. My last story has 53000 views and 20 comments.
Overall, my average is 4400readers/comment

Then again, I shamelessly ask for feedback, votes and comments.

I haven't posted on any other sites, so I have no basis for comparison.

 

[Darkniciad]

Last track at the beginning of the month, I was running at 1 vote per 169 views and 1 comment per 3415 views ( across all three pen names )

 

[lovecraft68]

It's really being tired of having to discuss this a couple of times a month on the forum. It's not a new issue. It's also an issue that folks on the forum have very little influence over.

Beyond that, a lot of us aren't that wrapped around the axle on expecting the unrequired--that readers on the site have any obligation at all to read, vote, or comment on any of the stories. They have no such obligation and most of them don't do it. Most of them aren't here to help the authors "develop" their writing skills. They're here to be entertained. There's no hint of a requirement by the site for them to do more.

And anyone who expects more and can't live with the paradigm established here probably will be more comfortable posting on a "writing critique" site rather than a wide-open free write/read site.

For the OP. JUst in case you decide to come back to this thread I am quoting this and going to add anothern dimension to it.

First of all what SR is saying is correct. They owe us nothing. In your defense I undertsand that we do put a lot of effort into this and the least they could do is show some appreciation for our work.

But people in hell want ice water, and more often than not people appreciate nothing especially when it is free.

What I will add is do not forget why you/most of us write here. To practice writing and to enjoy writing. If you put up a story you should be more concerned with whther or not you are happy with your effort and that you accomplished something.

Are you here to write your story or seek approval?

If you are writing solely to hear what others think, then yes you will be disappointed here.

One suggestion is if you want feedback, and much more constructive feedback then what the readers will give you, post a story in the Story feedback forum.