Bad Rating Sucks. But was it really a troll?

[AkalE]

I've come across quite a few amazing stories on this site. But sure enough there are a couple of 0.5 and 1 star rating here and there. It doesn't put me off even a bit. Heck, I would rather read a story with a 3-star average than one 5-star rating. Infact I am generally more inclined to read a story with more ratings, even if it is poorly rated, than one that has no ratings at all.

I get it that criticism is hard to take, I tried writing a story some time back as well. It became evident by the feedback really quick that I am better at writing reports than fictions. But I did not think they are haters or that they are trolls.

But I see a lot of authors complain about the rating system, and sure there are trolls that needs to be handled. As far as I know the site moderator is quite responsive to any reports. My problem is with authors that cannot seem to fathom the possibility that their work was somehow, somewhere lacking. That there could be something that needs to be fixed.

I am really glad for the amazing content that the internet has made so readily available. I have probably read more webfics than traditional novels in the last two-years. But the difference in quality is undeniable. Even between two new webfic authors. There is a definite observable difference between someone who has edited their works and revised before publishing and someone who has not. You can even make out whether the author's proficient and knowledge in the language as well.

The point is this: Authors put a lot of time and effort into their work. But that does not mean it is perfect. As such not every 1-star rating might be from a hater or a troll.

 

[Assurbanipal_II]

Since when can I give 0.5 on scribble? O.o

PS. Still of the opinion authors should get inside in who gave the ratings. I am still interested in which demographics give me poor ratings and why.

 

[Discount_Blade]

I have very few ratings on mine, which makes me more nervous than the bad ratings.

I say this because of my own mentality. If I don't rate something, it's for two reasons. Either it was so uninteresting that I couldn't be bothered to go beyond chapter 2 or 3, I normally don't rate or make any comment at all. The only other reason I don't rate something is it was good, and I recognize it is good, but there is some aspect of it that I am heavily biased against beyond all doubts or chances of reconciliation. When and if I recognize that bias, I then avoid rating because I know my rating will be biased and unfair, based more on an emotional response than what the fiction is actually worth.

So, following my own logic, a lack of ratings is scarier to me than a bunch of bad ratings.

I normally rate things if I really liked it, or really hated it. I teeter on both extremities of the spectrum, and for me, something must be one or the other for me to rate it. The meh stories, or like I said, those that fit my two previous criteria, don't get ratings from me at all. That's more or less my system for rating.

 

[Kaguro]

There for sure are people who legitimately rate as 1 star. As an author it definitely hurts to see, and I feel like a lot of times people see it as an overly harsh 'I disagree' button, but I realize not everything I write is going to be someone else's cup of tea. In some cases they just really hated the tea.

 

[AkalE]

Since when can I give 0.5 on scribble? O.o

PS. Still of the opinion authors should get inside in who gave the ratings. I am still interested in which demographics give me poor ratings and why.

Noo!! Is the 0.5 thing at least true for RR?

A collective demographic on who reads the story doesn't sound bad. Like the one YouTube has.

 

[BenJepheneT]

this is a very bad; probably heresy; type of opinion, but I feel like we should be equating random 5 stars with 1 star drive bys. just as blindly condemning a story without reason is bad, blindly praising it isn't much far from it as well. of course, just as OP stated, some of them may within reason, but to me, unless it's a 4 or a 3, it's best if you attach a note as to why you think this is perfect or trash on a URL link

 

[XianPiete]

Having posted my works on multiple sites I found that I got the least usable reader feedback from here. I also found that I got a lot more negative reactions to my works by posting unpopular messages in the forum than I did from posting chapters. Even my older one-shot works that hadn't seen the front page in months would be targeted. As BenJepheneT posted above, people who enjoyed the work would just rubber-stamp it as perfect with a 5, and then people who disliked it for whatever reason would just throw out one star to counterbalance all the five stars. It's just not as useful.

 

[AkalE]

I got a lot more negative reactions to my works by posting unpopular messages in the forum than I did from posting chapters.

Didn't know that was happening. But that's quite a shitty thing to happen.

 

[MoodyJockey]

Having posted my works on multiple sites I found that I got the least usable reader feedback from here.

I just started writing but I kinda understand what you mean. The very first rating I got for my story was a 1 star. When I got it I wasn't even upset because I don't know why the person gave me that score. It kinda like someone telling you that your story is bad but then just leave without telling what was so bad about it

 

[Arkus86]

Myself, I try to rate stories honestly how I feel about them, and if I'm unsure or feel too biased about it, I avoid rating it altogether.
I think the only time I used a 1-star rating on SH was on a story written in English so broken, it was impossible to understand. Which I also mentioned in a rewiev, to warn other potential readers and so the author might realise what is wrong with it.

 

[yansusustories]

My problem is with authors that cannot seem to fathom the possibility that their work was somehow, somewhere lacking. That there could be something that needs to be fixed.

What I can't fathom is that that's not even necessarily the case. The story could even be good from whatever objective standpoint you want to apply. Case in point: I had one of my short stories professionally edited once. Quite a few readers hated the thing, told me - not verbatim - it's unintelligible garbage which nobody could follow or understand or just had question marks above their heads and didn't even know what to say and maybe asked a few questions in the hope of clearing that up. Can't say I'm super surprised since the story was about a madman who was having hallucinations for half of the story.

A 1*-rating to me just means that somebody didn't like the story which ... is pretty normal? Like, I'd give Harry Potter 3* which lots of people would probably want to kill me for but to me, that series was just never more than an okay-ish read regardless of how much it was edited before the publication. So IMO, it's not about any objective standard (we're not literature critics, after all, and even those are incredibly biased if you listen for a while) but just about how much people like it which is very subjective.

 

[Saileri]

I just got my first 2* amongst the previous 14 5*. Does it hurt? Eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeh, I guess not? I've expected a lot more lower ratings due to my extensively wordy style (and the fact that in 7 chapters of a smut novel there was no fucking), so I guess I'm kinda ready for the flame?

Does it make me sad or start over-worrying what have I done wrong? Nah, fuck no. There was not a single comment, either constructively explaining what faults they see in my work or just pure hate/flame ones, so what do I have to care? All the other 15 ppl who rated higher seem to enjoy it right?

As long as it just comes as silent, ninja ratings without any input I don't really plan on reconsidering what I wrote. Waste of time. I'd rather have more fun writing further and getting in touch with all those pplz who comment.

Would I report to Tony if suddenly more than 2-3 one stars appeared in the span of an hour or two? Most likely yes, since if there's a possibility for him to check and judge, why not. But if it comes with time, I have nothing to do with it ¯\_( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)_/¯

And oooooooooooooooh boy, if I ever land in Trending by some accident, that will be a fuckin storm of low ratings, I tell you.