Forum: Author Hangout

Chapter download counts in Stats

Switch Blayde 🚫

Excluding the first chapter where the number of downloads is over-inflated, how can a chapter have more downloads than a previous chapter in that story?

I'm not talking about the last chapter where someone might jump to in order to score it. I'm talking about chapters in the middle.

Hypothetical example:

Chapter 1 - over-inflated count of downloads
Chapter 2 - 100 downloads
Chapter 3 - 90 downloads (the implication is 10 people gave up on the story)
Chapter 4 - 80 downloads (10 more gave up)
Chapter 5 - 85 downloads (huh?) *** how does this happen?
Chapter 6 - some other number
etc.

Replies: Lazeez Jiddan (Webmaster) Pixy AmigaClone KimLittle greenbottle

Lazeez Jiddan (Webmaster)

@Switch Blayde

https://storiesonline.net/h/27/how-are-the-access-stats-gathered

Any reloads will count.

Replies: Keet Switch Blayde

Keet 🚫

@Lazeez Jiddan (Webmaster)

Any reloads will count.

Mmm, that makes the download count a rather useless number or rather just a feint indication. Better would be if reloads on the same day from the same user are not counted but that would add another extra check and thus an extra strain on the system as indicated on the help page.

Switch Blayde 🚫

@Lazeez Jiddan (Webmaster)

https://storiesonline.net/h/27/how-are-the-access-stats-gathered

Thanks for that link and explanation.

The only thing I use the chapter download counts for is to see if readers who started a story read it all the way through (starting on the Chapter 2 count because of the inflated Chapter 1 count). Ideally, every chapter (except the first) would have the same number.

I wonder if you should do away with the chapter download counts. They don't seem to be accurate anyway. That will eliminate code and reduce system resources.

Would anyone else miss the chapter counts?

Replies: Switch Blayde Switch Blayde

Switch Blayde 🚫

@Switch Blayde

Would anyone else miss the chapter counts?

I just thought of a case where someone might use them. When someone posts a new chapter to an in-progress story, I guess they could check the counts to see if people are reading it.

Switch Blayde 🚫

@Switch Blayde

I wonder if you should do away with the chapter download counts. They don't seem to be accurate anyway. That will eliminate code and reduce system resources.

My opinion changed. I believe the chapter stats are useful.

First, there's other information about the chapter, like posting date. But the more I look at the chapter stats, the more I make sense of them.

Keep the chapter stats.

Pixy 🚫

@Switch Blayde

how can a chapter have more downloads than a previous chapter in that story?

I've noticed that on my longer stories (when published at the same time), more people read the last chapter than the ones in-between.

I've taken it to mean that they were semi-interested in the story. Not enough to read all of it, but enough interest to see how it ends. Interestingly, I see the same effect on TV series viewing figures. They start off strong (figuratively) decline and then peak on the final episode.

I'm not sure if the reason for this is shortening attention spans in humans in general, a case of Fear Of Missing Out (Not being able to keep up with office/work gossip), or simply too many other activities clamouring for the individuals attention, so something has to be ignored.

I also know a disturbingly (for me) large amount of people who will always read the last chapter of a book before they start the first. When I ask them about this, the answer is always the same, they don't want to be ambushed by a bad ending or have a character 'they grow to love' killed at the end.

Replies: Switch Blayde

Switch Blayde 🚫

@Pixy

I've taken it to mean that they were semi-interested in the story. Not enough to read all of it, but enough interest to see how it ends.

I assume the larger download number for the last chapter means they didn't finish the story but jumped to the end to score it.

Replies: Quasirandom Pixy

Quasirandom 🚫

@Switch Blayde

Or downloaded an ePub/kindle file and when they finished it, jumped to the last chapter to score it.

Replies: Switch Blayde

Switch Blayde 🚫

@Quasirandom

jumped to the last chapter to score it.

That's why I accept the last chapter as having a higher count.

Pixy 🚫

@Switch Blayde

I assume the larger download number for the last chapter means they didn't finish the story but jumped to the end to score it.

That is a perfectly good and sensible suggestion. Somewhat ruined by the voting numbers (amount choosing to vote). Since most people who bother to vote on my stories are in the low to middling double figures and the difference in number between those reading second, third and fourth parts compared to the amount who access/read the final part, is in the mid hundreds bordering on thousand, well.... LOL

AmigaClone 🚫

@Switch Blayde

I can think of a couple of other situations which might explain that phenomenon.

1) There was a significant amount of time since the previous chapter and some readers decided to read the previous chapter to reacquaint themselves with the story.

2) The author accidentally set the 'Story is complete' flag after posting chapter 4 and later corrected that mistake. Those with the story in their library would still have a pointer to chapter 4.

Replies: ian_macf

ian_macf 🚫

@AmigaClone

3) Chapter reading interrupted ; logout ; login ; read unfinished chapter

Ian

Replies: AmigaClone

AmigaClone 🚫

@ian_macf

4) Reader goes back to read the comments section a couple of times either after the story is complete or between chapters.

KimLittle 🚫

@Switch Blayde

I read mostly on my phone and I know that on occasion when I am interrupted by having to switch to another tab in safari to access work stuff, I switch back and SOL has to reload. Could be something like that.

greenbottle 🚫

@Switch Blayde

As I normally am reading a number of stories concurrently, when a new chapter has been posted I will return to the previous chapter to refresh my memory of what happened so I can understand the beginning of the new chapter.

The reason I would sometimes jump to the last chapter of a story while it is in progress, would be when I have bought the book (can't do that often being on the pension ) and am interesting in reading the comments. Currently doing that with "The Medieval Marine - Repercussions".

greenbottle

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Forum: Author Hangout

Chapter download counts in Stats

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