Reviews and Read Counts

Clovis · April 4, 2010

Hi. I have wanted to say for a while now how impressive this site is! There are so many options and so much information available on the stories and postings, and so many great stories to read. The reviews are especially welcome, although disappointingly few people write them, because it proves someone has read it. When I go to "Manage stories", there's also a 'Read Count'. I guess this simply means the number of people who've dropped by

Mark Arbour · April 4, 2010

Hi. I have wanted to say for a while now how impressive this site is! There are so many options and so much information available on the stories and postings, and so many great stories to read. The reviews are especially welcome, although disappointingly few people write them, because it proves someone has read it. When I go to "Manage stories", there's also a 'Read Count'. I guess this simply means the number of people who've dropped by

Eddy · April 4, 2010

You need to realize that people just don't leave reviews. They don't. You and all the rest of us can whine day and night, but they don't do it. The read count is the best indicator that you're getting traction. If you got reads in the thousands with your first story, you were doing great. I'd think deleting your story just because you didn't get enough attention is a little petulant, but I understand where you may have been confused by the system. If you decide to post in e-fiction again, I'd advise you to compare your read counts to the top 10 read stories as an indicator of those who have been really successful.

Interesting thread --- First off, I NEVER read an unfinished story. Stories that have interest to me I download to a "new stories" directory. As they are finished I move them to a "ready to read" directory. Some in the NS are months old and RTR are more recently finished but might be months old since the author started posting.

So my reading is almost an 'after the fact' reading which does nothing to bolster the authors ego to continue their writing. John Ellison had died before I finished reading his 'Aurora' series, Which is one of my 5 top favorite stories. This story is a really good read!!!!

Ellison might have been one of the last authors I have written to. I had gotten tired of no response in return. Even a short 'form' response would have been nice --- 'Thanks for reading my story". So I don't normally comment any more. I know, pretty stupid of me -- but then---------. Maybe I should write my own "form letter response".

Just my 2 cents worth.

hh5 · April 4, 2010

oh - if the story does affect me somehow - I will comment.

I will read unfinished stories - love to imagine where the story is going

Johnathan Colourfield · April 4, 2010

You need to realize that people just don't leave reviews. They don't. You and all the rest of us can whine day and night, but they don't do it. The read count is the best indicator that you're getting traction. If you got reads in the thousands with your first story, you were doing great ... If you decide to post in e-fiction again, I'd advise you to compare your read counts to the top 10 read stories as an indicator of those who have been really successful.

I dont think this is fair to be honest.

Alot of people just stop by and read and never mention it again.

The writer needs feedback from its readers really, i mean with people who read my angel story i like them to grill me on questions because that helps me with ideas for future chapters.

Also with comparing to the top 10 read stories is a bit too much of a goal for a new writer because their is in the 10,000's and that isnt really a good goal for a new author on the block.

I have quite a good fanbase of my work with around 20 regular readers and with my highest read count being just over 2000.

This doesn't mean that my story isn't good it just means that i write for select tastes

I agree with the whole read count being important but it is in the feedback to the author that it helps the writer to develop. I know writers bitch and moan about feedback and stuff but it really does help me in ways for example Cia and Nephy are readers of most of my stories and they help with my ideas for future chapters which i find is more helpful than just a "i like it well done" even though this is VERY encouraging

As writers we do need to encourage the reader to write a review, i know someone who has a website and someone once read through all of their 100's of stories and left an a4 page review on each of them because they wanted to give the writer feedback. Now i'm not saying that every reviewer needs to do this. I am trying to say that if the website/the authors encourage people to review work then it would improve the quality of the stuff written on the website.

In my own personal opinion, we need to stop "leeching" off the hosted authors for stories and the promising for stories and start to explore efiction much more. By looking at efiction there is alot of fiction that is just ignored because it isnt promoted much on the website. I am the number one guilty suspect for relying on this and i put my hand up for it.

To me, as an author "I like it. Carry on." would be much more helpful than having just "320" on my read count

Sorry for the massively long rant but this needed to be said The website is amazing and efiction is a brilliant system but the reviews are the heart of what the writer is encouraged by.

hh5 · April 4, 2010

The hard part to leaving comment is that the new person has to register in order to leave a comment.

If they register in GA they assume its for efiction but its not.

also sometimes its visa versa assumption and thats not how it works.

For some they don't know or its just extra trouble

I actually inform a newbie that if he wishes to leave comments is to register into efiction with the same user credentials as before.

We need single point registration to simply the system we have now

Nephylim · April 4, 2010

Of course I love it when people leave a review. What writer doesn't, and I make an absolute point of responding to each and every one of them. There was a reader once who revieved every chapter with thoughtful criticism and I would like to bow and lick his/her feet. It is so exciting to check and find that someone has reviewed a story or make a comment in the discussion thread.

On the other hand I fully apprecaite that the majorit of readers don't leave a review and I don't think that they should be expected to. Reading is for the pleasure or the reader and not to stroke the egos of the authors... although I am all for a nice long slow stroke whenever I can get one.

John Doe · April 4, 2010

Of course I love it when people leave a review. What writer doesn't, and I make an absolute point of responding to each and every one of them. There was a reader once who revieved every chapter with thoughtful criticism and I would like to bow and lick his/her feet. It is so exciting to check and find that someone has reviewed a story or make a comment in the discussion thread.

On the other hand I fully apprecaite that the majorit of readers don't leave a review and I don't think that they should be expected to. Reading is for the pleasure or the reader and not to stroke the egos of the authors... although I am all for a nice long slow stroke whenever I can get one.

Agreed. The same could be said of us. Do we go to Amazon and write a review for every book we read? I bet most of us don't. Some authors out there are as talented as some who have not been published and being a published writer does not mean that you are above the criticism of the mass public. But again we are not required to write a review for all the books we buy and read... as should our readers. I admit I have read quite a few stories on here and I haven't comment on much stories. I read and finsihed one or two but I'm just too busy in school and work and social life... along with reading books and novels. Writing a review takes time. Yeah a minute or two isn't a lot but it is when you have other things to do, it just seems like too much work. Plus if I was to "really write" a review it'd take me a good ten minutes. All my reviews consist of my initial feelings of reading the work, which I deem as pretty shallow coming from the perspective of the author. Anyone can say they like and dislike something. *shrugs* But I guess knowing that overall is better than not hearing anything. As much as we want every single reader to read our stories and leave a comment, it's not going to happen and it shouldn't be a requirement. For some, it takes the pleasure out of the reading. For others, it's like your aunt who bakes a cake and after eating it she keeps asking how the cake was just to fish out a compliment and you find yourself sitting on her couch rolling your eyes at her back.

Skylights · April 4, 2010

Okay so a lot of you have made some good points here. I agree that I would much rather prefer a brusque but effective "Read it. More.Bye." over just a number. I have decent read counts, about 400 a chapter within the first 2 days of posting, but only 2 reviews usually or 1 and most of them are from Nephy, LOL.

About the dual account thing, they should definitely fix that up! I never bothered visiting the forum, though i've been coming to GA to read occasionally for a while now. I only recently made an account after deciding that my stuff wasn't too crappy to be on here.

Clovis · April 5, 2010

You need to realize that people just don't leave reviews. They don't. You and all the rest of us can whine day and night, but they don't do it. The read count is the best indicator that you're getting traction. If you got reads in the thousands with your first story, you were doing great. I'd think deleting your story just because you didn't get enough attention is a little petulant, but I understand where you may have been confused by the system. If you decide to post in e-fiction again, I'd advise you to compare your read counts to the top 10 read stories as an indicator of those who have been really successful.

It wasn't petulance, Mark, and I certainly wasn't whining, I simply thought it best not to overload the storage capacity of the GA site once the story had run its course, and I also had other, personal reasons for removing it, such as a letter from a Library that holds some of my novels, saying it wasnt good for my image to be seen on 'this site. That's why I changed my author name on GA. I understand fully the reluctance of readers to write reviews -- I do not expect them, I simply wondered if there was a way of indicating the the read count was in fact a read count and not simply an indication of how many people had visited whether they read or not. I am surprised by your contemptuous tone, but perhaps it's just your way of saying you don't think a simple tick box to indicate that it has been read, is a good idea. Fair enough.

hh5 · April 5, 2010

Agreed. The same could be said of us. Do we go to Amazon and write a review for every book we read? I bet most of us don't. Some authors out there are as talented as some who have not been published and being a published writer does not mean that you are above the criticism of the mass public. But again we are not required to write a review for all the books we buy and read... as should our readers. I admit I have read quite a few stories on here and I haven't comment on much stories. I read and finsihed one or two but I'm just too busy in school and work and social life... along with reading books and novels. Writing a review takes time. Yeah a minute or two isn't a lot but it is when you have other things to do, it just seems like too much work. Plus if I was to "really write" a review it'd take me a good ten minutes. All my reviews consist of my initial feelings of reading the work, which I deem as pretty shallow coming from the perspective of the author. Anyone can say they like and dislike something. *shrugs* But I guess knowing that overall is better than not hearing anything. As much as we want every single reader to read our stories and leave a comment, it's not going to happen and it shouldn't be a requirement. For some, it takes the pleasure out of the reading. For others, it's like your aunt who bakes a cake and after eating it she keeps asking how the cake was just to fish out a compliment and you find yourself sitting on her couch rolling your eyes at her back.

I wonder if Amazon is paying people to be the first ten to review an item for some incentive.

Here - hey - we're willing to take any honest comment that the reader gives.

We're not asking too much since we wrote the story for everyone to enjoy.

Mark Arbour · April 5, 2010

It wasn't petulance, Mark, and I certainly wasn't whining, I simply thought it best not to overload the storage capacity of the GA site once the story had run its course, and I also had other, personal reasons for removing it, such as a letter from a Library that holds some of my novels, saying it wasnt good for my image to be seen on 'this site. That's why I changed my author name on GA. I understand fully the reluctance of readers to write reviews -- I do not expect them, I simply wondered if there was a way of indicating the the read count was in fact a read count and not simply an indication of how many people had visited whether they read or not. I am surprised by your contemptuous tone, but perhaps it's just your way of saying you don't think a simple tick box to indicate that it has been read, is a good idea. Fair enough.

Clovis, that post came out wrong. I'm sorry about that. I meant to say that it could have been misconstrued until I realized where you were coming from.

Still, the guts of the issue, that reviews are sparse and readership uncertain, is certainly true.

gabrielsknife · April 5, 2010

Aw, babe, you can't be like that. Don't just delete your hard work because you're not getting the reviews. Not only are you denying several thousand more people from reading your works, you're dooming yourself.

I wish more folk would comment on the things they read or see, but that's just how folk are. Some are just lazy, or so hungry to read that they're moving on from one piece to another like flies at a bodyfarm. Others are just shy little lurkers who have no idea what to tell the authors they read. You can only say "I liked this! Write more!" in so many different ways.

Then there are the folk who are scared of us writers. They think the writer's gonna try to talk their ear off or demand more "constructive criticism", or try to bite their head off through the monitor. >.< Sad to say, but they do.

Instead of just shoving it all away, try finding more outlets for your work! There are many different e-zines or publishers just starved for good writing. And if you can show, proof positive, that you got a thousand or more readers with *one* story, you'll have some good offers!

As a writer myself, I totally understand your pain about the lack of comments. It's only after I lured readers, through e-zines, that I received my first helping of comments. I love every single one of them, but I work hard for every single last one of them. And you have to too. Nothing in life is ever easy; you have to work to take in every breath and every step.

Seriously, don't give up. Don't delete; advertise! You'll see a change, once you get your name out there, I promise!

Clovis · April 6, 2010

Aw, babe, you can't be like that. Don't just delete your hard work because you're not getting the reviews.

Thanks for your very sweet post. Although, as I wrote above, I didnt delete it because of a lack of reviews -- I dont expect them at all! honestly! I just thought it had run its course, and was wondering if the 'read count' could be made to represent only those who had read it, and not include people who just dropped in for a squizz. I deleted Dancing Bare and the other stories because I wanted to stop having Rigby Taylor as an author, and revert to Clovis.. I've put several links to the book where it can be downloaded absolutely free, here, so I hope people will go there and find it, because it is very amusing. You made me realise that there is a stream of new readers all the time, so stories might be read even years after first posted... I hadn't thought of that... Not too bright, so I'll put it back on GA when I get a minute to spare.

Thanks again for your positive remarks... I'll see if I can find any ezines -- although GA is a darned good site.

Tarin · April 6, 2010

A check box "I read this" would require a lot of coding and effort. Myr is already working on a new eFiction setup, we should be patient and see what happens there.

Yes I did read the whole thread, I just don't have comment on reviews.

David McLeod · April 8, 2010

...I agree with the whole read count being important but it is in the feedback to the author that it helps the writer to develop

...a "i like it well done" even though this is VERY encouraging

...someone once read through all of their 100's of stories and left an a4 page review on each of them because they wanted to give the writer feedback

...there is alot of fiction that is just ignored because it isnt promoted much on the website.

...Sorry for the massively long rant but this needed to be said...

Good rant. You raised a lot of interesting and valid points. If I may elaborate:

A good review from a fellow writer (I'm thinking Nephylim, for example) is worth more than a thousand "read counts." And, by "good review," I don't necessarily mean just compliments, but a few words saying what was especially good about a story, and a few words about what might be improved. Hmm, again, I'm thinking Nephylim.

On the other hand, any review, even (as you said), the "I like it..." or "keep writing," is valuable.

There is a great deal of stuff in eFiction, and I agree that it can be difficult to find what I want to read. Naturally, I look for favorite authors (and have linked to some using that feature of eFiction, although I often forget to do that). When I see a new story by a new author, I often will read the first few sentences or a paragraph or two. If I'm not hooked by then, I leave (leaving a "read count" but not a review).

And, yes, if I read something good by a new author, I'll take the time and effort to leave a review or contact him or her by PM or email...There is something very rewarding in offering encouragement to a new talent.

End of my rant!

Bondwriter · April 8, 2010

I think that even with a tick box, you'd be disappointed. On our site, which is supposed to get 150-400 individual readers every day, we set up a rating box at the bottom of every story. One story got 40 votes over three years. That's the highest score I found with a quick browse. Most stories don't get over ten votes. Personally, I've given up on huge returns and feedback. The few "fans" are sufficient to make my day with the very nice reviews they send me.

*HJ* · April 10, 2010

Alas, reviews are what all of us authors here at GA want, but not everyone gets what they want! Personally, I try to leave reviews when I can actually say something worth saying. I don't read many stories that are not finished, but most of the time I can't seem to help myself. My fear is that I will get hooked and they will not be finished, or deleted *glares*. You just have to hang in there! You need to remember most people are lazy! I doubt that will change in the near future, and some are just shy. I agree with David about one good review from someone like Neph is worth a 1000 read counts! She really gets in there! I love my small amount reviewers (no matter what they comment), and they know that cause I reply to their comments often, but you just have to remember! People are lazy..... Love you and don't let it get ya down!

smiles,

HJ

Gaytron87 · April 10, 2010

I think that you should put your story on here again. The point is knowing you have something of yours being viewed in the public eye. Possibly inspiring someone to write stories of their own. Don't let lack of reviews stop you from sharing your writings. In the end its all about the creative process.

Skylights · April 10, 2010

I think that you should put your story on here again. The point is knowing you have something of yours being viewed in the public eye. Possibly inspiring someone to write stories of their own. Don't let lack of reviews stop you from sharing your writings. In the end its all about the creative process.

Read the subsequent posts. He took it down for a reason.

Gaytron87 · April 10, 2010

Read the subsequent posts. He took it down for a reason.

I was only encouraging Clovis to post it again. If you read Clovis' response to Mark Arbour he is actually going to add the story again. Just more reasons for him to post more stories. Thanks for your input tho =]

Clovis · April 11, 2010

I was only encouraging Clovis to post it again. If you read Clovis' response to Mark Arbour he is actually going to add the story again. Just more reasons for him to post more stories. Thanks for your input tho =]

Actually, I'd like to post it again, [under the name clovis, not the other name for various reasons]... but the trouble is the editing! no matter what format my stories are in on my computer in 'Word', when posted they appear as a great blob of text, and I have to go through on the little box and put in every paragraph break... takes ages and my eyes cross!

I don't mind doing it chapter by chapter as I'm doing with The Price of Freedom at the moment, but 32 chapters in one go? arghhhhh.

I've had feedback by people who liked it and missed the end, and if the GA editing changes, It will appear again. meanwhile, as I mention on my profile page, the entire story is available totally free for download here:

http://www.lulu.com/content/8027268 simply click on 'download'at the right hand top corner.

And I agree absolutely with those who say the knowledge that two or three people are reading and enjoying it is enough. I sort of wish I hadn't begun this topic, because I like GA so much I'd hate anyone to think I was criticising it...

Gaytron87 · April 11, 2010

Actually, I'd like to post it again, [under the name clovis, not the other name for various reasons]... but the trouble is the editing! no matter what format my stories are in on my computer in 'Word', when posted they appear as a great blob of text, and I have to go through on the little box and put in every paragraph break... takes ages and my eyes cross!

I don't mind doing it chapter by chapter as I'm doing with The Price of Freedom at the moment, but 32 chapters in one go? arghhhhh.

I've had feedback by people who liked it and missed the end, and if the GA editing changes, It will appear again. meanwhile, as I mention on my profile page, the entire story is available totally free for download here:

http://www.lulu.com/content/8027268 simply click on 'download'at the right hand top corner.

And I agree absolutely with those who say the knowledge that two or three people are reading and enjoying it is enough. I sort of wish I hadn't begun this topic, because I like GA so much I'd hate anyone to think I was criticising it...

Well if you post a chapter every time you gt on the editing won't be too much. Plus you'll wind up with a pretty good audience.

Myr · April 11, 2010

Just to throw a few things in here:

1) don't worry about storage space at GA. We are on a dedicated server and have plenty of space.

2) As active as the forums are, believe it or not, it is only about 1/3 the visitors to GA. Most people do not come to the forums at all. People come here to read. sometimes they stay longer. sometimes they comment. most of the time, they just read.

3) The software replacement of eFiction that I'm currently designing will address a few of the issues mentioned in the posts above.

Linxe Termoil · April 11, 2010

To address the 'word' problem between microsoft word and the efiction software, on the paragraph section where you cut and paste the meat of your story you should be hitting a little clip board button with a w on the front of it. That brings up a screen that formats the msword stuff into usable/understandable tidbits of information for the efiction software and keeps your formatting the way you had it.

Now onto the rest of the conversation, sure, having reviews is nice, even better is when someone actually posts in the thread discussion area, but the best thing for me is when a completely new person drops in and pms me just to say they've read the story and like it. I like that because i'm more inclined to see the email, and I'm more inclined to respond; seeing as I don't always check the forums myself.

Attached is a picture of the button you should be hitting to cut and paste your msword story into the efiction area.

Regards,

Linxe

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