On a practice I have noticed as being somewhat common.

[IMWPersonal]

What is with writers and blocking people solely to protect their ratings? We all know that some users are just toxic and blocking them is something you should do but that’s not what I’m referring to.

I’m referring to the writers that receive 1 or 2 star ratings, that then block the person who gave the rating. I bring this up because I’ve seen over a dozen writers make comments about, and even recommend, doing this.

I’ve also noticed that nearly every high ranking story has an overwhelming amount of 5 star reviews and close to zero 3 & 4 star reviews which is statistically improbable to say the least.
Some will say they have high ratings because the story is good, which is true for many. But If you have hundreds of ratings there, statistically, shouldn’t be 90% 5 star and 5% of 1 & 2 star ratings. Solely for the fact that the novel is reaching everyone, not just the people who like that type of content.

Do you guys have any thoughts on this? Do you see it as something that should be encouraged or something that is unethical?

 

[RepresentingWrath]

Some will say they have high ratings because the story is good, which is partially true.

Nah, it's not true at all.

 

[Alski]

I’ve also noticed that nearly every high ranking story has an overwhelming amount of 5 star reviews and close to zero 3 & 4 star reviews which is statistically improbable to say the least.

Welcome to the world of amateur rating systems.

 

[Poleg]

What is with writers and blocking people solely to protect their ratings? We all know that some users are just toxic and blocking them is something you should do but that’s not what I’m referring to.

I’m referring to the writers that receive 1 or 2 star ratings, that then block the person who gave the rating. I only bring this up because I’ve seen over a dozen writers make comments about, and even recommend, doing this.

I’ve also noticed that nearly every high ranking story has an overwhelming amount of 5 star reviews and close to zero 3 & 4 star reviews which is statistically improbable to say the least.
Some will say they have high ratings because the story is good, which is true for many. But If you have hundreds of ratings there, statistically, shouldn’t be 90% 5 star and 5% of 1 & 2 star ratings. Solely for the fact that the novel is reaching everyone, not just the people who like that type of content.

Do you guys have any thoughts on this? Do you see it as something that should be encouraged or something that is unethical?

A ton of people don't think about a story as 3/4 stars, they just think of it as good or bad. Hence the overwhelming amount of 5 or 1 stars.

 

[DireBadger]

There's a reason Steam just has thumbs up and thumbs down. Deep introspection is way too much to ask for in a YouTube culture that thinks 'the boys', 'the Mandalorian', and 'Game of Thrones' are anything but crap.

However, your statistical judgement is flawed. You forget about the fact that people SEARCH OUT the stuff they want to see. People don't give ratings when they read a boring blurb; they simply don't bother reading it. In fact, they usually won't rate anything that has not made a deep impression on them, because of the simple time investment. Literally, the 'recently updated' list on the main page is utterly and completely useless and outdated, because around prime time books spam off the bottom of the list in literally seconds.

How long is it going to take you to read a book with 467 chapters? If you can't read it all, how can you possibly rate it fairly? That's why the 'star' system is such a poor idea compared to thumbs-up and thumbs-down and ratings for why.

 

[Gray_Mann]

I've been blocked by several authors on SH and RR for just this very thing. We didn't even argue. Never spoke at all. I left a review they didn't like, and I was blocked within the hour. Hell, the reviews I left, which were decently detailed, one being 500 words, another being 600, and one approached 1,000...it was like 980-something. All 3 reviews are gone. So all I can think of, is Tony deleted them because the author whined....which isn't a good habit Tony should get into.

But, not my site, so it is what it is.

 

[FRWriter]

What is with writers and blocking people solely to protect their ratings? We all know that some users are just toxic and blocking them is something you should do but that’s not what I’m referring to.

I’m referring to the writers that receive 1 or 2 star ratings, that then block the person who gave the rating. I only bring this up because I’ve seen over a dozen writers make comments about, and even recommend, doing this.

I’ve also noticed that nearly every high ranking story has an overwhelming amount of 5 star reviews and close to zero 3 & 4 star reviews which is statistically improbable to say the least.
Some will say they have high ratings because the story is good, which is true for many. But If you have hundreds of ratings there, statistically, shouldn’t be 90% 5 star and 5% of 1 & 2 star ratings. Solely for the fact that the novel is reaching everyone, not just the people who like that type of content.

Do you guys have any thoughts on this? Do you see it as something that should be encouraged or something that is unethical?

Your profile has like 90 to 95% 1-star ratings. I don't see a single rating above three stars, despite adding like 100 stories to your reading lists. That borders on harassment & trolling. Why do you keep reading stories on this site if you hate every single last one? Your name probably spreads from author to author, thus explaining why you are blocked by so many people.

Blocking, after receiving a 1-star rating, is strange. Do they check out who recently read their story? Only people who have just started out do that and don't have a large readership, pay that much attention, and those are the people who are genuinely hurt and frustrated to receive a terrible rating like that. I guess they preemptively block you because they see that your average rating is like 1.1 stars or something like that. Might as well prevent you from sabotaging another one of their stories.

I agree with every single one of your points, and on paper, you are in the right, but if I see your spread of reviews, all these arguments go down the drain. It feels almost like a cry for help. Are you dissatisfied with your life and need to let off steam? I am not saying this to hurt you, but I am genuinely stumped. How could you do that to a hundred authors? You are like a 1-star bot. Might as well drop it without destroying their ratings, especially since you hate everything. It's not like you paid money for it and need to warn others. A casual 1-star review might ruin the day of another author, who just wants to improve. I see no Review, just cold and hard 1-star reviews.


Might as well pick every single story you rated 1 star and give them a 5-star just to balance out your trolling spree.

Edit: Your account is also just 4 days old. Please lift my confusion. What are you doing?!

 

[Gray_Mann]

Nah, it's not true at all.

At one point in time, He Who Fights With Monsters was making around 20k a month on sales due to its high popularity. But to me, it is one of the shittiest LitRPG's I've EVER had the displeasure of reading. While I had MANY gripes, the biggest was the MC himself. I DESPISED HIM, and this is coming from someone who enjoys many genre's that get a less than accepted welcome elsewhere....

I PUSHED myself through the first 2 books and half of the 3rd, and I couldn't finish the 3rd. It was awful. I pushed because sometimes, stories take a while to get going and I find myself enjoying it a lot later on in. Not so with HWFWM....

Yet it is STILL considered one of the best. The amount of times I've seen it compared to The Wandering Inn...

Admittedly, I haven't read all of The Wandering Inn, but it was still a hell of a lot better to me. I got tired of Ryoka or whatever her name was in The Wandering Inn during that Arc where she insisted on never using The System to gain power, "she wanted to gain power her own way..." which is just pointless infantile pride. I still couldn't understand her weird beef with something that is pretty much EVERYWHERE and integrated into daily life. Just baffling. I quit TWI because Ryoka was one of the MC's and I just didn't want to read about her anymore.

 

[Anonjohn20]

Your profile has like 90 to 95% 1-star ratings. I don't see a single rating above three stars, despite adding like 100 stories to your reading lists. That borders on harassment & trolling. Why do you keep reading stories on this site if you hate every single last one? Your name probably spreads from author to author, thus explaining why you are blocked by so many people.

Blocking, after receiving a 1-star rating, is strange. Do they check out who recently read their story? Only people who have just started out do that and don't have a large readership, pay that much attention, and those are the people who are genuinely hurt and frustrated to receive a terrible rating like that. I guess they preemptively block you because they see that your average rating is like 1.1 stars or something like that. Might as well prevent you from sabotaging another of their stories.

I agree with every single one of your points, and on paper, you are in the right, but if I see your spread of reviews, all these arguments go down the drain. It feels almost like a cry for help. Are you dissatisfied with your life and need to let off steam? I am not saying this to hurt you, but I am genuinely stumped. How could you do that to a hundred authors? You are like a 1-star bot. Might as well drop it without destroying their ratings, especially since you hate everything. It's not like you paid money for it and need to warn others. A casual 1-star review might ruin the day of another author, who just wants to improve. I see no Review, just cold and hard 1-star reviews.


Might as well pick every single story you rated 1 star and give them a 5-star just to balance out your trolling spree.

Edit: Your account is also just 4 days old. Please lift my confusion. What are you doing?!

It's funny that he has a "disliked" tab on his reading list but no "liked" tab; it's like he knew he wouldn't need it.

 

[RepresentingWrath]

At one point in time, He Who Fights With Monsters was making around 20k a month on sales due to its high popularity. But to me, it is one of the shittiest LitRPG's I've EVER had the displeasure of reading. While I had MANY gripes, the biggest was the MC himself. I DESPISED HIM, and this is coming from someone who enjoys many genre's that get a less than accepted welcome elsewhere....

I PUSHED myself through the first 2 books and half of the 3rd, and I couldn't finish the 3rd. It was awful. I pushed because sometimes, stories take a while to get going and I find myself enjoying it a lot later on in. Not so with HWFWM....

Yet it is STILL considered one of the best. The amount of times I've seen it compared to The Wandering Inn...

Admittedly, I haven't read all of The Wandering Inn, but it was still a hell of a lot better to me. I got tired of Ryoka or whatever her name was in The Wandering Inn during that Arc where she insisted on never using The System to gain power, "she wanted to gain power her own way..." which is just pointless infantile pride. I still couldn't understand her weird beef with something that is pretty much EVERYWHERE and integrated into daily life. Just baffling. I quit TWI because Ryoka was one of the MC's and I just didn't want to read about her anymore.

You could've just said that Solo Leveling is rated high by a lot of people.

 

[DireBadger]

At one point in time, He Who Fights With Monsters was making around 20k a month on sales due to its high popularity. But to me, it is one of the shittiest LitRPG's I've EVER had the displeasure of reading. While I had MANY gripes, the biggest was the MC himself. I DESPISED HIM, and this is coming from someone who enjoys many genre's that get a less than accepted welcome elsewhere....

I PUSHED myself through the first 2 books and half of the 3rd, and I couldn't finish the 3rd. It was awful. I pushed because sometimes, stories take a while to get going and I find myself enjoying it a lot later on in. Not so with HWFWM....

Yet it is STILL considered one of the best. The amount of times I've seen it compared to The Wandering Inn...

Admittedly, I haven't read all of The Wandering Inn, but it was still a hell of a lot better to me. I got tired of Ryoka or whatever her name was in The Wandering Inn during that Arc where she insisted on never using The System to gain power, "she wanted to gain power her own way..." which is just pointless infantile pride. I still couldn't understand her weird beef with something that is pretty much EVERYWHERE and integrated into daily life. Just baffling. I quit TWI because Ryoka was one of the MC's and I just didn't want to read about her anymore.

Oh ughh, and that stupid story that was basically 'groundhog day' on a magical world? I think that thing is STILL on RR's 'most popular' list, and it was painfully awful to read.

 

[RepresentingWrath]

It's funny that he has a "disliked" tab on his reading list but no "liked" tab; it's like he knew he wouldn't need it.

 

[ElenaV]

I have to agree with every point from FRWriter. When I checked your profile, I was blasted with the 1*ratings spree. Your post, looks like the cry of an entitled petulant child who screamed because they didn't receive the new iPhone for Christmas. Look mommy, I punched the wimpy kid ten times but then he slapped me, I am hurting.

Would be poetic justice if some staff member actually took all your troll ratings and turned it into a five star.

 

[IMWPersonal]

A ton of people don't think about a story as 3/4 stars, they just think of it as good or bad. Hence the overwhelming amount of 5 or 1 stars.

It isn’t even so much that as it is them removing any negative ratings they can. In my experience, if the writing is actually good, the random (as in only rates but doesn't read) negative ratings will be outpaced by the positive ones.

 

[Juia_Darkcrest]

What is with writers and blocking people solely to protect their ratings? We all know that some users are just toxic and blocking them is something you should do but that’s not what I’m referring to.

I’m referring to the writers that receive 1 or 2 star ratings, that then block the person who gave the rating. I only bring this up because I’ve seen over a dozen writers make comments about, and even recommend, doing this.

I’ve also noticed that nearly every high ranking story has an overwhelming amount of 5 star reviews and close to zero 3 & 4 star reviews which is statistically improbable to say the least.
Some will say they have high ratings because the story is good, which is true for many. But If you have hundreds of ratings there, statistically, shouldn’t be 90% 5 star and 5% of 1 & 2 star ratings. Solely for the fact that the novel is reaching everyone, not just the people who like that type of content.

Do you guys have any thoughts on this? Do you see it as something that should be encouraged or something that is unethical?

Haha its very simple really.

If what I am reading doesn't catch my attention in the first couple chapters, I drop it and move on.

Why would I or anyone read 100+ chapters of hot garbage to give it a bad review.

You can see how many negative reviews you may have just by seeing how many people dropped your writing imo.

 

[IMWPersonal]

There's a reason Steam just has thumbs up and thumbs down. Deep introspection is way too much to ask for in a YouTube culture that thinks 'the boys', 'the Mandalorian', and 'Game of Thrones' are anything but crap.

However, your statistical judgement is flawed. You forget about the fact that people SEARCH OUT the stuff they want to see. People don't give ratings when they read a boring blurb; they simply don't bother reading it. In fact, they usually won't rate anything that has not made a deep impression on them, because of the simple time investment. Literally, the 'recently updated' list on the main page is utterly and completely useless and outdated, because around prime time books spam off the bottom of the list in literally seconds.

How long is it going to take you to read a book with 467 chapters? If you can't read it all, how can you possibly rate it fairly? That's why the 'star' system is such a poor idea compared to thumbs-up and thumbs-down and ratings for why.

The main issue with people reading and then not rating is that you have to have it in a reading list, something people won’t bother doing if they won’t read it again. Easily fixed by requiring a certain number of uploads read rather than needing it on a list.

 

[Gray_Mann]

You could've just said that Solo Leveling is rated high by a lot of people.

Yeah that would have been simpler wouldn't it? It wasn't a bad story, it wasn't a great story. It was just...okay?

Your account is also just 4 days old

Lol. Funny stuff right there.

I think that thing is STILL on RR's 'most popular' list, and it was painfully awful to read.

Last I checked yep, HWFWM is still there.

 

[IMWPersonal]

Your profile has like 90 to 95% 1-star ratings. I don't see a single rating above three stars, despite adding like 100 stories to your reading lists. That borders on harassment & trolling. Why do you keep reading stories on this site if you hate every single last one? Your name probably spreads from author to author, thus explaining why you are blocked by so many people.

Blocking, after receiving a 1-star rating, is strange. Do they check out who recently read their story? Only people who have just started out do that and don't have a large readership, pay that much attention, and those are the people who are genuinely hurt and frustrated to receive a terrible rating like that. I guess they preemptively block you because they see that your average rating is like 1.1 stars or something like that. Might as well prevent you from sabotaging another one of their stories.

I agree with every single one of your points, and on paper, you are in the right, but if I see your spread of reviews, all these arguments go down the drain. It feels almost like a cry for help. Are you dissatisfied with your life and need to let off steam? I am not saying this to hurt you, but I am genuinely stumped. How could you do that to a hundred authors? You are like a 1-star bot. Might as well drop it without destroying their ratings, especially since you hate everything. It's not like you paid money for it and need to warn others. A casual 1-star review might ruin the day of another author, who just wants to improve. I see no Review, just cold and hard 1-star reviews.


Might as well pick every single story you rated 1 star and give them a 5-star just to balance out your trolling spree.

Edit: Your account is also just 4 days old. Please lift my confusion. What are you doing?!

I am reading stuff, and then rating based on Plot, Characters, Setting, Grammar, and Writing style. If they do one of them to an ok level (ex: Grammar being around the level required for passing required schooling) then I do half a star. If they do it to a “good” level (ex: Grammar varies depending on the character) then I give a full star. Seeing as this doesn’t have half star ratings I usually round down (most of the 1 star reviews are really 1.5).

 

[Anonjohn20]

He's a new member too. He joined just to speedrun giving as many bad ratings as he could. ?

 

[IMWPersonal]

It's funny that he has a "disliked" tab on his reading list but no "liked" tab; it's like he knew he wouldn't need it.

I haven’t found a finished story that I liked. If I find one I’ll probably make a “Favorites” tab.

I have to agree with every point from FRWriter. When I checked your profile, I was blasted with the 1*ratings spree. Your post, looks like the cry of an entitled petulant child who screamed because they didn't receive the new iPhone for Christmas. Look mommy, I punched the wimpy kid ten times but then he slapped me, I am hurting.

Would be poetic justice if some staff member actually took all your troll ratings and turned it into a five star.

Dude, unfounded personal attacks on a random person from the internet says more about your own situation than it does what you’re commenting on.

Haha it’s very simple really.

If what I am reading doesn't catch my attention in the first couple chapters, I drop it and move on.

Why would I or anyone read 100+ chapters of hot garbage to give it a bad review.

You can see how many negative reviews you may have just by seeing how many people dropped your writing imo.

You could just read the 5-10 chapters and then give it a rating.
And that doesn't really help, the “Dropped” statistic only shows those who have put it into a library labeled “Dropped”. If I am reading it correctly.