Forum: Story Discussion and Feedback

Number of Votes versus Number of Downloads

seanski1969 🚫

As a free reader here on SOL for a very long time (15+ yrs) I am continually amazed at the low number of total votes versus the total number of downloads of stories. Am I the only reader who votes on all stories that he reads? I am curious because I have always used my vote to remind if I've read a story before. If I think I have I can always jump to a story's last chapter/page and see if a vote has already been recorded. Then I can decide to reread or read if for the first time. Been helpful tool as I've read a lot of stories.

Still back to my original idea... Why is the Number of Votes versus Total Downloads so low? Any ideas??

Replies: awnlee jawking Switch Blayde joyR Grant

awnlee jawking 🚫

@seanski1969

If a story is released as a serial, a chapter at a time, anyone who reads it while it is ongoing might well be recorded as having downloaded the story as many times as there are chapters. But that reader can only ever record one vote. Therefore serials will usually have a lower vote-to-download ratio.

AJ

Switch Blayde 🚫

@seanski1969

Am I the only reader who votes on all stories that he reads?

I don't.

If I start reading a story and it's crap (to me), I don't score it. I should give it a low score, but I don't think it's fair to the author to do so. What if it gets better?

But I don't put much value in the score so that might affect my propensity to vote.

Replies: Remus2

Remus2 🚫

@Switch Blayde

If I start reading a story and it's crap (to me), I don't score it. I should give it a low score, but I don't think it's fair to the author to do so.

Agreed. A more recent to me example is the following story;
https://storiesonline.net/s/19098/demigod-of-war

First three chapters were not that great, then it picked up substantially.

Conversely, I've seen several very good starts, but then they died on the vine.

I'm of the mind, the former is much preferred. The latter just leaves a person regretting having read it imo. As a result, I don't vote or read a story until it passes 75kb, as the ones that start rough but get better, tend to stay better rather than fall apart at the end.

My .02

joyR 🚫

@seanski1969

Am I the only reader who votes on all stories that he reads?

If a story catches my eye I download the ePub and read it when I have time, I also often bookmark a story and only download when it's complete. So I never get to the last page to vote, nor do I add to the view count for all chapters.

To vote I tend to use the Recent stories/History tabs and vote from the list, often missing out those I part read then deleted. Why give a very low score unless it really deserves one.

Grant 🚫

@seanski1969

Am I the only reader who votes on all stories that he reads?

As Switch Blayde mentioned, a story might get better after the point I eventually bail out at. So while I won't vote on a story I don't finish, I do vote on all the stories that I read to completion.

REP 🚫

If I want to know how much interest there is in one of my stories, I don't go by download count or reader rating. both are very misleading according to the conversations we have had in the Forum.

What I use is the 'Lib' column value on my Stats page. That tells me how many Premier Members and authors have my story listed in their Library. If they don't care for the story, they will delete it from the library. So if the value is high and stays high, then they probably like the story. Of course that doesn't tell me how many 'Free' members are reading the story, but I believe it does give me a better indication than the other two values.

Replies: Switch Blayde Keet

Switch Blayde 🚫

@REP

So if the value is high and stays high, then they probably like the story.

Except when I complete the story, I delete it from my library even if I liked it. I use my library as a "pending to read" and "currently reading."

Replies: REP

REP 🚫
Updated:

@Switch Blayde

Except when I complete the story,

Yes that is true, but I only use that value while posting the story. Once the story is posted it is no longer a good indicator.

I also notice that when readers seem to like the story, they add my other stories to their library. Those Lib values go up and it gives me a short-term indication that the readers liked my story's plot and writing style enough to at least checkout the other stories.

Keet 🚫

@REP

What I use is the 'Lib' column value on my Stats page. That tells me how many Premier Members and authors have my story listed in their Library.

You would be missing my listings. I don't use the library because I download and convert stories into my own custom library.

Replies: REP REP

REP 🚫

@Keet

All I am looking for is a general idea of how my readers feel about a new story. So if a miss a few here and there, no big problem.

REP 🚫

@Keet

All I am looking for is a general idea of how my readers feel about my story. So if I miss a few here and there, no big problem.

Goldfisherman 🚫

My scores are typically in the 5-6 range but some of them I have to dig to find out the score as they are not posted in my recent ones. There were over 1100 downloads wit an average of about 5 in the scoring. I would really appreciate someone giving any feedback on any of my stories. Some I may continue, but not without some comment.

Reply to topic

Forum: Story Discussion and Feedback

Number of Votes versus Number of Downloads

WARNING! ADULT CONTENT...