Tracking of Posted Stories

[HppyHrryHrdn]

Question for the story writers on the site. Do any of you track views and replies to stories on a daily or weekly basis? Or am I the only strange one in the bunch that does this?  I've been doing it for the past year (I can tell you the number of view of each story on a given day) to find out what people like to read and what they don't.

Like I can say without a doubt if your goal is views don't put it in "Sex Stories by Members", do up it under "Incest Stories". (Evidently people like the kink a lot more than straight up sex)    It helps in knowing when to end something, also. Alex is going to die soon

I guess I'm asking to make sure I haven't completely lost it. So how about it story writers?

[Clitical Thinking]

Alex is going to die soon

[MintJulie]

Question for the story writers on the site. Do any of you track views and replies to stories on a daily or weekly basis? Or am I the only strange one in the bunch that does this?  I've been doing it for the past year (I can tell you the number of view of each story on a given day) to find out what people like to read and what they don't.

Like I can say without a doubt if your goal is views don't put it in "Sex Stories by Members", do up it under "Incest Stories". (Evidently people like the kink a lot more than straight up sex)    It helps in knowing when to end something, also. Alex is going to die soon

I guess I'm asking to make sure I haven't completely lost it. So how about it story writers?

I don't track my own story views or anybody else's.   But, I do track overall views as a moderator. I can say that people with links (in their signatures) to their stories (in the Author Directory) have had an uptick in views of all their stories.   A link in your signature means a very good possibility of a reader seeing it after completing a story, and if they liked your story, they click the link leading to your author directory list.

If you need help setting it up, I'm happy to help.
Start here http://www.kristensboard.com/forums/index.php?topic=72854.0
and PM me with any other help you need.

[HppyHrryHrdn]

MJ,
Thanks for the idea and I went ahead and did that in the signature line. But  I was wondering if anyone else uses data collected to steer their stories. The last post in "The companion" as CT said turned up the kink. It wasn't a completely data-driven kink because if people aren't opening the story in the first place they wouldn't know about it. (plus it had to fit the story) But it was somewhat data-oriented. Kind of a test if you will.  Anyway thanks for the info on the signature line.

[Clitical Thinking]

While it's not absolutely necessary for a story to have kink to be interesting, no doubt stories posted in places like Incest and UA are going to get more views than those in Sex Stories. With that in mind, I reckon the story tags could also play a role, like if you were to add 'beast' to the Companion. It was only a small part of Chapter 10, but it would still be interesting to know how many people who didn't even click on the story before were suddenly compelled by the new story tag to check out the story. Of the latter group, how many read through all the chapters and also ended up liking the story for the other elements, and how many only read through a few chapters or even paragraphs before realizing 'beast' wasn't a central part of the story and then giving up.

[HppyHrryHrdn]

Reviving an old post about a year later.  It has given me another year of collecting information on views of stories not just on this site but one other. (Mainly tracking Red Dick there). What I've found is there seems to be a drop off point. I know people here write shorter stories, but there are a few exceptions.  I would be interested if those people (DiscipleN being one) have the same experience. I have found chapter 2 through ~6 tends to have the most immediate views. And then they trail off pretty quickly but remain for a while. (This could be due to being bumped up to the top of the list under the thread.)  But page ~175 or chapter 15 even the initial views are much less.
So like this post do people just get tired of reading and go onto other quick hitting stories.  I know on longer ones you have to keep track of the characters and sometimes have to go back and refresh your memory of who they are.  And that can get in the way of a quick stroke. Or is it something else?  I am going to repeat this experiment, (Not on a sister) with No Doors.  In a couple of months I let anyone interested know the results.

@CT going to try an experiment with your supposition also when I post “The Companion” on the other site after doing the one with “No Doors”

[Hilda]

I have found chapter 2 through ~6 tends to have the most immediate views. And then they trail off pretty quickly but remain for a while. (This could be due to being bumped up to the top of the list under the thread.)  But page ~175 or chapter 15 even the initial views are much less.

I suspect that eye fatigue may be one factor discouraging readers. The discussion board topic format may be another.

I look forward to reading the results of your experiment.

[HppyHrryHrdn]

Back in May, I told Hilda I was doing an experiment with the story "No Doors,"  and  "Red Dick" On another site. Well, I am pretty much done with it.

What I found is pretty much what I expected. Now I  understand this is a sample size of two sites and two stories.  So don't go off on sample size and the such. I know I would need to have more sites and time to get a definitive answer. ( I did true publishable research in a previous life.) 

And as PornHubby said know your audience.  Well, evidently porn readers are basically the same everywhere.

Here is what I noticed.  Each chapter of a story tends to lose the same percentage of readers, throughout the story, until you get to a baseline. And the baseline moves.  In "No Doors" it was about 1500 readers or 7.5%. Once there it stayed fairly consistent.  For "Red Dick" was slightly higher at 2000 readers or 10%. The 2.5 % difference could be based on the subject matter. 
The same could be said here.. Only the starting and ending numbers are different the percentages are about the same.

So, Hilda, that is what I found. Kind of interesting but not earth-shattering.  I may try again when I put the finished first book of "The Companion" there since I will have all the data from here.

Happy Harry Hardon

[Midras]

Having recently posted several stories I expected that for the  number of viewers I would get some replies. yet only 1. Without replies positive or negative it is difficult to decide which direction go with a story, if its continued, or for new themes.
I try to cover several themes in a series to cover all tastes, but feedback would be welcome.

Of course maybe everyones typing hand is busy elsewhere 😆  and they dont want to get their keyboard sticky

[EnabranTain]

Having recently posted several stories I expected that for the  number of viewers I would get some replies. yet only 1. Without replies positive or negative it is difficult to decide which direction go with a story, if its continued, or for new themes.
I try to cover several themes in a series to cover all tastes, but feedback would be welcome.

Of course maybe everyones typing hand is busy elsewhere 😆  and they dont want to get their keyboard sticky

This is always something of an issue, not getting a lot of feedback even though there's a good number of views. It's hard to say what's going on exactly. Either people are glancing at the post and not really reading it, or they didn't like it enough to comment, or (and what I personally feel is most likely) people may enjoy the story just fine, but they're not comfortable commenting on it. I think there's a lot of readers who lurk, enjoy the stuff on sites like this, but are afraid to actively participate due to the taboo nature of it all.

The views count is also not a great stat for understanding how many different viewers there may be. One person coming back to the story several times will register as multiple views.

[HppyHrryHrdn]

Midras and Enabrantain,

 I have been on the site for a good while. Some time back someone I think it was Meatbot told me to adjust my expectations. Comments are not very common. I did try with one story to add a pole thinking it would give me an idea if people like it by a single click. It was nice and easy.  You can go back to "The Companion" and look how well that worked out.  So as I have also been told write what you like and don't worry about the rest.  I collect the data of views more as a view into the audience than as a reflection of my work.  (On other sites that have rating systems most of my stories rate as fairly good)  But here you get the rare gem of a real review that is well thought out. But you have to do a lot of digging (posting). 
Keep writing and posting here or other sites. You will get your following.

[EnabranTain]

Midras and Enabrantain,

... write what you like and don't worry about the rest. ...

This is my philosophy. I do aim to make it enjoyable for other readers and once in a while I get positive feedback, which is gratifying, but I don't take a lack of comments as a negative.

[Pornhubby]

We have over 29,000 registered users. And there’s only about 20 or so members that regularly post. The vast majority of KB users are “lurkers.” They get online, find some fap material, have an O, and leave.

The members who do post, have all been here a very long time, and after reading thousands of stories, nobody is inclined for intellectual literary discourse, or writing reviews. Truth of the matter is, I spend very little time in the story sub-forums. It’s just that, after being a moderator for 10 years who was required to read everything, I don’t get very excited about very much.

And I agree with everything Harry said. I think some of the things he mentioned are things that I told him, back when he expressed similar frustrations.

Kurt Vonnegut famously said, “The arts are not a way to make a living. They are a very human way of making life more bearable. Practicing an art, no matter how well or badly, is a way to make your soul grow, for heaven’s sake. Sing in the shower. Dance to the radio. Tell stories. Write a poem to a friend, even a lousy poem. Do it as well as you possible can. You will get an enormous reward. You will have created something.” So art is not for the audience. It is for the artist. “Freeing yourself of the good opinions of others,” is how Maslow defined self enlightenment.

[Vela Nanashi]

To answer the question if I do any tracking of views, no not really, I may check on the stories every so often early, and then a maybe a few more times, over the months and years If I go visit the sub forum they are posted in and get curious at the time, but I do not write any kind of log.

[HistBuff]

I am learning to write stories I enjoy without worrying about the feedback or lack of. I first started as a non-consensual writer on RU because I have those sorts of fantasies and I was fed up with these mainstream movies that will tease my cock with close-call situations. I started writing the kind of scenes I wanted to see, which were not that rare in war and action movies back when I was growing up (1980's and there were a brazillion movies from the 1970s such as Death Wish, where you see a strong scene of graphic undressing that really stuck with me, since I was 13 when I first rented that movie on VCR).

So yes, write what you like and enjoy yourself. I'm having tons of fun with my current story. I hope you do too. If many readers are getting hard/wet over my stories without my knowledge, then I'll accept my lack of omniscience as part of my mortal condition. Trying to be omniscient is called hybris and you never win.

[MintJulie]

Truth of the matter is, I spend very little time in the story sub-forums. It’s just that, after being a moderator for 10 years who was required to read everything, I don’t get very excited about very much.

Similarly to PH, I spend very little time in the stories.  As a moderator I will go in and look at the story, read the first few paragraphs to see if there might be concern (under 13 or in wrong category). I will continue reading if the story appeals to me.  Sometimes it does, sometimes it doesn't.  Regardless, It doesn't matter if I like it. 
Did you enjoy creating it, is all that matters.  And I hope you realize that many of the lurkers got off on it.