It's not the foul mouthed comments, although I haven't suffered from these the way others have.
It's not even negative votes torpedoing my stories because overall I believe I've been treated reasonably fairly under the ratings of the time.

It's because the site keeps changing the voting methodology always favoring newer stories. Top rated all time almost exclusively shows stories published in the last few months on its top pages. Same applies to themes. Maybe I'm getting jaded after 5 years in the genre, but to my mind none of them compare to the writings of the great writers over the last six - seven years whose magnificent works lie virtually unread in the bowels of the results.
These ranked high, justifiably so, in their time, but their position has been usurped by lightweight fluff, because high scores are now easier to achieve.

I would have thought the owners would have a vested interest in having a showcase of quality to bring back repeat visitors. By having the cream rise to the top. But, I must have been on that cheap moonshine again. The owners and logical thinking is an oxymoron.

 

Thank you for not pulling your stories.

I hope you change your mind. I've read nearly all of your stories and you're right about the change in voting making it hard for a reader to find the best stories that were posted before the voting change.

I'd love to see what kind of ratings some of the best authors would get if they were submitting now. Most of all, I'd like to read more of their work.

 

I'm sorry to hear that my freind, I liked your stories...
Maybe we can talk to the owners about a community recommended writers list... rather than the way stories are listed now? Or something like that? A showcase. if you will that shows certain more prolific writers

 

Mmm. Too bad MT wants to leave.

He suggests a list of recommended authors - a place where the "classics" would stay up and be easily accessible.

We have one of those. Here on the forum. But it is too dirty. And not just because DC is no longer around to maintain it. The problem is that there is no way to keep it clean. There should be one list, on the original post, constantly maintained. Then the recommendations can follow, and the OP should be able to clean out any junk that accumulates down below. The Recommended Writers thread doesn't work this way, and it has become too cluttered to be useful.

Elsewhere, I have visited VBulletin based sites that allow the OP to edit his/her posts forever. I have a thread on e-x-b-i-i, which I have been using for the past few weeks for experimentation. I can still edit my very first post. I essentially "own" the thread.

Here, the poster gets only ten minutes to edit, and then the post is locked down. That is a shame. The site I have just mentioned runs on the exact same forum engine, and lets the poster modify the post without time limit. That means the restrictions here are just an admin-modifiable setting. The ten minute setting is ridiculous. If OP's could modify their posts, it would be much easier to maintain the stickies and keep them useful.

Not that a change in that direction would be enough to bring back MT....

 

But this is the only PORN SITE which harbors the political dissidents who want to argue about gun control, justification for going to war, and whether or not republicans/ democrats are mentally incapable of feeding themselves.

That is why there is such a diminished amount of freedom here. People are allowed to make death threats and suggestions here without punishment, but a story where a fictional family has intercourse will be banned and prohibited from ever being read or posted. It's purely a pathetic principle to practice.

 

AMEN!

Sheesh. Just two minutes ago I got in a tussle with some dweeb who calls himself Stumbler and says the U.S. should break its oil dependency by generating electrical power from weed. Maybe that's why they need the ten minute limit on edits here: so we can call out the dweebs and prevent them editing their own posts to pretend that they're not fucking insane.

 

It used to be 5 minutes, so we should be grateful for the extra time. It was only recently changed

Alot of people are full of themselves and need to be faced with the harshness of reality. I'd advocate the return to 5 minute edit windows:awesome:

 

So, high scores are what you are looking for, and if you fail then you drop out and no longer participate.

Excuse me for a Sarah Palin moment...

 

You really have no idea what he's talking about. Perhaps you ought to review all the threads on the subject, going back over a year ago. You might have a vague understanding, then.

Clarise, I would have loved to see you go at Stumbler. When he's on, he's on, and you my dear, are one who can give him a run for his money.

MT - I love you and will always read your work.

 

While the voting system is flawed I am unsure why you seem so upset by this, it's not as if you are paid the higher your sories are rated.

Personally if I read a new story that I like, I almost always check out the authors older works.

I'm sure you realize that it is important for a site to promote it's new content so that so that new authors and readers will be drawn in.

Is there some ratings battle the authors are having the I am unaware of?

 

There are top stories last 30 days and another one Top Stories. All the old favoutites are on the second one.

 

Yep. People whine about not getting the best ratings all of the time. Its a free site for unpaid talents to submit their works. Easy concept.

 

Actually she's right on the money.

Anytime we speak of the great old time,Oh God why did they leave writers, we are talking about ourselves and pretending not to.

And Clarice didn't give him a run for his money because she knows diddly about the topic and he does.

 

~giggle~

Which part do I not know anything about? The part about how we will all be driving electric cars when the government cleans up the environment by converting the nation's power plants from coal and LNG to weed and filling the sky with soot? That part? You're right. I don't know anything about that. Gosh. But it's all good, dude. Pass the bone, man. Let's get high on reefer, man, in your Momma's basement, man, and get fucking wasted and then go on a porn site and solve all the world's problems.

What are we talking about? Whoaaaa! I'm too fucked up to remember!

 

I'm sorry, I would have to disagree. A member who has only been here one month and has not suffered the issues we have on the stories site, for as long as we have, has no idea why a good writer would leave here. It's not all about the ratings. The site has issues, we all know it and would like it to run more smoothly with some consitency.

And I never said Clarise gave him a run for his money, but being the wordsmith that she is, she could.

 

Thanks for the support, but I can handle this whelp. Week after week I obstinately insist that P.P. is really a nice guy, deep down inside. He has a wry wit, a pithy je ne sais quois.

I still can't decide whether he is trying to goad me into meting out abuse so he can derive some odd semblance of pleasure, or whether I've genuinely harmed him in a previous life. But it's all good. I will not rise to the bait. Because I like him. The way I like Miss Amas Veritas, and WilliamGeorge. Everyone is so nice here, and I am so fortunate to be able to participate, after a fashion.

Now, then. Time to post a story.

 

Your arrogance is exceeded only by your arrogance my dear.

 

True, true, dear sir, but I have come to terms with my flaws.

Now, I know you have been lurking on the energy thread, and you have to admit I have poor Stumbler on the ropes. Come on.... admit it.... :excited:

 

Perhaps I didn't write clearly enough or perhaps you didn't read carefully enough.

My beef is not against the scores I have received. It's how the voting methodology has changed over the years making it easier to score more highly now.

Case in point: my most recent story is my highest rated and yet it is my worst; it's junk.

Four years ago 81% would get a story into top rated all time on the front page. Now those stories are 10 - 20 pages back languishing unread while lightweight puffery fill the top slots.

So a serious new reader, once he/she has gone through top rated 30 days and looks at top rated all time will have to wade through mediocre waffle and is more likely to go forever.

Where a story ranks in its first 30 days will depend on quality, to some extent, broad reader appeal, luck and whether it avoids the trolls. Fair enough, that's life.
But where a story ranks on top rated all time will depend on how recently it was published. That's my gripe. The system also changed three years ago with many classics being consigned to the dustbin and many fine authors responding by pulling their work.

 

Back to topic... some of us have been using your thread to squabble... I might be a babe in the woods around here, but I understand your point.

Sorry to see you go. Said as much above.