Forum / Attracting readers to stories already posted

Ann Bogle
Jan 30, 06:47am

As I mentioned on the thread about the fav system, I have posted 55 stories and poems -- pieces -- since joining Fictionaut in July 2009. Fifty-five sounds like a lot and is a lot (unless we're talking about number of words in a story, then it is not a lot). I'd like to take a break from posting, but I would welcome new readers to the stories currently available. Does anyone have ideas about how to attract readers to back issues, so to speak? I plan to keep commenting on stories. That is probably one way. Any others?

Matthew A. Hamilton
Jan 30, 01:27pm

This is a great idea. I have slacked off posting stories as well. I am only posting the stories I write for 52/250 and stories published in other e-zines.

I have not been reading as much either. Starting today, I only plan to read two stories (more if they are flash or micro) a weekend.

And Anne, I have read many stories from you, but not all 55. You not posting for awhile will help be catch up with your work.

Bill Yarrow
Jan 30, 03:07pm

Ann, I think this is a very good idea.

An explanation for those new to Fictionaut:

To see stories or poems previously published on Fictionaut, click on the writer's hyperlinked name. The author's stories or poems (fifty max) will be listed in rough order of the faves/comments/views received.

If an author has a story that does not appear on the list, he or she would have to republish it to Fictionaut in order for Fictionaut readers to be able to see it again.

"how to attract readers to back issues"
Not sure beyond what you suggested.
What about republishing an old piece? Would that work?

David Ackley
Jan 30, 03:16pm

Republishing sounds like a way as Bill suggests. You might need to retitle it( even slightly) to get it listed as new.

Ann Bogle
Jan 30, 04:41pm

Bill, good pointers to newcomers. I discovered that the five stories of 55 that do not appear on my profile page list are still in the system, available, if one knows the titles of them. I listed the five missing titles as a comment to my profile page.

David, I'll give it a little thought. I might resubmit a story to the board. I've seen it work well for a few writers. I could see doing that if I had changed the story, revised or updated it and wanted the readers to consider the revision, too. I tend to note on the story page when I'm changing something, what, and when. Very often the first slew of readers have read a story in a slightly earlier version and then due to their readings or to my reconsiderations of it I change something, note it.

Thanks, Matthew. The 52/250 stories are so fun to write and belong right here.

Ann Bogle
Jan 31, 12:34pm

There was a little alarm a while ago -- don't mean to mix my threads here -- when certain Fictionauts reported receiving requests for fav-swaps. In fact, that was noted at Facebook. Okay, not that, but something I see as different: I welcome requests to read writers' work. I may need a nudge. I have been very busy reading and editing magazine submissions. I see Fictionaut as my favorite online writing community and want to participate in some way I find as exciting as when I discovered the site and began to post, to grow the excitement in new ways.

Susan Tepper
Jan 31, 01:46pm

I have to say that I have never rec'd an invite to swap faves. I would not appreciate that at all.
When I first came on this site last year (my first writers networking site ever) I knew nobody here. I had come in through a google thing I found, and I simply filled out a form that asked about my writer background. So I came here "cold."
And so I just started reading, all sorts of writers, and faved what I liked. Period. I got to notice a lot of great work and as a result some of those writers were published in the Istanbul Lit Review by me & Gloria Mindock.
I still read writers I don't know all the time. I prefer to start reading Recent Stories as oppossed to the Recommended Page. I read those, too, but usually after scanning the new stuff.
Bill Lantry was an unknown (to me) writer that I found on Recent Stories and I think I was his first comment on his first story. It was just sitting there, kind of lonely, and I read it and thought: Wow, this is a great story.

Ann Bogle
Jan 31, 07:41pm

Tags! But do they work? Does anyone search stories by tag? Can one? When I search the texts of stories, the server chokes.

Groups: are they serving to keep us aware of stories in the archives? Has group participation dropped off? Most of the action seems centered on the main page and the blog where most everything is "new." What about past forum topics -- is there a way to search those?

. . .

Susan, Fictionaut is my only writing "networking" site (with photos of us, etc.) and ways to comment in real-time that is interactive. Before that, I participated in listservs -- I still do, occasionally. Before Fictionaut, there was very little for fiction community and networking (not only meaning "for getting published" but for other reasons for exchange as well) equal to what existed for poetry. Further, creative nonfiction, a pair of words that together gives me pause, is even less developed on the web and in the world (not the writers or writing of it so much as it as a community -- it seems like a polka, beer and brats community). But I veer off topic!

. . .

Ann Bogle
Feb 01, 12:42am

A suggestion from J. Mykell Collinz: read from others' fav lists to find stories you may have missed. Great idea.

Ann Bogle
Feb 01, 12:14pm

I tested this on a Frank Hinton story I had previously fav'd, and it works: un-fav then re-fav, comment again, too. That brings the story up out of the archive to the main page where newcomers and people who might have missed seeing it when it was new can read it. I feel I have a new tool. This process moves the story down on one's fav list to the latest fav'd.

-- a feature on the site for random story might be fun. On page one or two. A button: random story. To let chance decide.

Ann Bogle
Feb 02, 01:21am

Fictionaut Selects, inaugurated today. Thanks, Marcelle and Jane and the others for this new feature.

Linda Simoni-Wastila
Feb 02, 02:36am

Love the Selects -- just printed out to read tonight. Gorgeous little chaplet. Peace...

James Lloyd Davis
Feb 02, 12:12pm

I had not thought of Fictionaut as an online magazine, but more as an online community of writers. Maybe that's a somewhat naive misconception. Now, with Selects, Fn has it's own publication. Radically alters the perspective, the concept, I think.

At least ... for me it does.

Pamela J. Parker
Feb 11, 04:46am

Earlier in the thread their were comments about requests to fave stories -- that happened to me and turned me off of Fictionaut for a while. I don't trust the faves now.... but, since they're all subjective -- and your fave might not be my fave -- I'm going to try again! (I've also been slow to realize that flash is not my personal favorite form and there's so much of it on Fictionaut. Is there an easy way to find stories longer than 1500 words?)

David Ackley
Feb 11, 03:11pm

Pamela,

There's a group called The Longer Story which offers shelter and nourishment to those orphans.

Jürgen Fauth
Feb 11, 03:13pm

This is a question dear to my heart -- we have over 7,500 stories on Fictionaut now, and I'm very interested in finding new ways to highlight them.

I very much like the idea of a "random story" link, and I'll see if we can include it in the next iteration of the site. Groups are also supposed to offer a way to discover stories you may have missed on the front page, along with the favorite lists of people whose taste you trust.

I'm not a fan of requests to swap faves since it comes awfully close to "gaming" the system. Requests to read are a different matter.

Ann, I didn't realize that the list of stories on your profile page cuts off after 50. It sounds like you found a work-around by posting the links yourself, but this is something that needs fixing.

Finally, I'm also wary of deleting and reposting stories to get them attention. Unless it's a revision, this is also a way of gaming the system -- and you also lose all your comments and faves by deleting the old version.

Stephen Carter
Feb 11, 04:15pm

The faves have always seemed slightly political to me. I've noticed there are a few posters who will get 10 faves no matter what they post and that it usually happens within an hour of posting it.

I think views/reads tell the real story.

I can read someones story and choose to fave or not fave, comment or not comment, for any number of reasons that may or may not have anything to do with the writing itself...but (at least as far as i know) i cannot conceal the fact that i've clicked on a story.

My only story here, which was accepted for publication unsolicited by a pretty decent print journal out of Chicago, only has 11 faves. But it has 1050 or so views, making it the 5th or 6th most read piece on Fictionaut. So go figure.

I don't really have any suggestions for Ann's original question, but i do think the fave system may be misleading. Regardless of whether you're pro or anti-fave, we can all surely agree they are completely subjective, and that there might be a more objective way to 'rank' stories.

Just an idea, but maybe people could be issued a finite number of faves...say 5 or 10 a month. That might encourage people to distribute their faves a bit more judiciously.

Pamela J. Parker
Feb 11, 04:52pm

I agree - the fave system is misleading and does smack of politics and back-slapping. Love the idea of a limit per month. Would love an open discussion about the arm-pulling that I know I'm not the only one to have experienced. I know from a Facebk discussion posted by another Fictionaut author that this happens - an overly-aggressive type of "you fave mine, I'll fave yours," feeling. UGH.

Matt Potter
Feb 11, 06:01pm

Food always attracts people.

Linda Simoni-Wastila
Feb 11, 10:49pm

As does free drinks.

I have a spanking new box of chardonnay ;^0

peace...

M
Feb 12, 10:30pm

I don't think faves necessarily always have to do with publishability or a piece's merit in the artistic sense.

Highly faved pieces are not faved just because of politics, though I can see politics entering in when it comes to the reasons why some pieces are viewed more than others. But overall, I think, these stories have hit a certain engaged segment of the audience with a certain thing that's going to inspire a response. And the pieces with a large number of faves most likely have artistic merit. I would assume, however, that what most serious writers on the site are interested in is publication and to me that might be a little more reliable indicator of merit, though of course, not always.

I do think it reasonable to assume that writers who read others' work and comment on others' work are going to get at least some attention. That's human nature, I think.

I don't want anyone limiting my stars. I like giving out lots of stars and if I had all the time in the world, I'd read all the stories I could and give out tons more. But I never give a star unless I've read a piece. Why would I do that? Giving out stars without a reason for doing this is a blow to one's personal integrity. I think writers are generally people of integrity though none of us is perfect.

OK, how bought that chardonnay and that food. I'm ready to read and give out more stars.

M
Feb 12, 10:38pm

I meant to say, of course, just to clarify, I have to like a piece to give it a fave. I am aware that there are times someone else may see what I faved. I think that keeps us honest. I can't give positive reviews to things I don't like. Just can't do it.
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