Why LJ Guests Freak Me Out

[avocado_love]

While I'm sitting here watching Harry Potter and The Sourcerer's Stone (Awful movie, by the way. I still don't know why I've watched it more times than I can count), I was thinking about LJ Guests and the possible implications of it.

I have no real opinion on LJ Guests, other than a slightly sick feeling I get in my chest when I think someone's watching me and I don't know it. I'm not someone to really look closely at stats, either on this website or on fanfiction.net. There are some, I know, who watch their hit-count on fanfiction.net, and have a sort of mathematical formula vs how many reviews they've gotten to see what what works and what doesn't and... ugh. That just sounds like SO MUCH needless angst.

Maybe I just don't want to even confront that sinking feeling all writers get when a fic doesn't do as well as they expected. I so don't even want to know if, like, 100 people are viewing something but only 2.5 average review's. What can you even do about it? Guilt your readers into reviewing at the end? That's tacky. Sit there and try to second guess why such and such reader didn't comment even if I can see they've viewed it four times? Also not my style.

Don't get me wrong. I'm happy about reviews and comments. (Even that one Anon who insists on simply writing "Good job" on every chapter of Another Brother. I'm still waiting for the day when (s)he replies "Bad job". Lol.). I would just rather not stress about my hit/review ratio, or how many people from USA are reading In His Shoes vs Belgium. I don't see it as anything more than spinning my tires over something I have zero control of.

So what do you think? Do you use LJ Guests/Fanfiction traffic stats? If you do, what value, if any, do you get out of it? Am I missing something here?

Comments

[sableambiguity.livejournal.com]

I actually didn't even know that LJ did a "stat" option until a friend of mine told me. Then I checked it out... and made the (unfortunate?) discovery that a person who has given me a lot of grief in the past was visiting my journal repeatedly.
_{For what purpose I don't know, as they never commented and they don't care for A:tLA which is all my journal really consists of...}

Honestly, I'm not sure now whether I would have rather never discovered that, or whether I'm thankful that I did so I could put a stop to it. In that respect, it did have an actual value--to me. But I don't use it to track reviews versus hits or anything of that sort (and I don't do that on ffdotnet either). Comments are a sort of writer's validation, but if you enjoy writing, you'll do it even if you get zero comments (or I would), so I don't see much of a point. P:

[beckyh2112.livejournal.com]

you'll do it even if you get zero comments (or I would)

I wouldn't. Or, more specifically, I wouldn't write Avatar fanfiction. I'd focus solely on the original stuff I can sell.

[sableambiguity.livejournal.com]

To each their own. Fanfiction is a variety of fanservice, so I can see why comments/reviews - presumably from other fans - would be fuel to continue.

I personally don't write as often as some of the other writers (you included) in fandom, so if/when I actually do, it's because I really, really want to--and when that's the case, I don't care if people comment. I upload it publicly because I hope others will read and enjoy it, but their input is simply a squee-worthy bonus for me. (:

[avocado-love.livejournal.com]

Yeah I could imagine if there were people online you were worried about, it would alert you to friend-lock your posts or whatever.

Comments are a sort of writer's validation, but if you enjoy writing, you'll do it even if you get zero comments (or I would), so I don't see much of a point. P:

And yeah, this. I guess I just don't understand the mentality of driving yourself nuts, though, if people get a low hit/review ratio.

[sableambiguity.livejournal.com]

I don't really get it either, but that could just be from the writer who rarely if ever gets reviews no matter how many hits she gets. xP

[dark-puck.livejournal.com]

if you enjoy writing, you'll do it even if you get zero comments

Actually, getting zero comments tends to discourage me when I write. I start doubting my ability as a writer.

[avocado-love.livejournal.com]

*hugs* You're not a bad writer, dear. It's happened to me before and while I admit it's a little bit of a mind-fuck, if you're confident in your story you gotta find the inner will somewhere and plow on.

[sableambiguity.livejournal.com]

Coming from someone who gets few reviews any way you slice it, things always seem to balance out in the end. I'll do something that leaves me discouraged, but then something else will come through more successfully than I ever anticipated. It's all about sticking to it if it's something you love doing, really. :3

I've read some of your stuff, and you're definitely not a bad writer by any stretch. Frankly, you would have figured that out a loooong time ago were it the case.

[beckyh2112.livejournal.com]

LJ Guests feature is opt-out, you know. Profile > Settings > Privacy if you want to turn it off.

Me, I like stats. I don't really do much with them, but I like having the numbers on hand to play with. Don't really look at hit counts, myself, since it's frankly not all that interesting.

On FF.Net, I like to play with reviews vs. favorites vs. added to C2s. It's interesting to see what draws the comments and what draws the favorites. (So far, my highest amount of reviews is on a piece of gen I wrote for the Transformers 2007 movie two years ago. It still gets reviews every now and then. Did something right there. <3)

On LJ, I mostly forget about the Guests feature. But when I remember it, I like to poke at it to see who is looking at my journal. Sometimes the answers are bizarre. (When the only thing we have in common is the interest in writing... How did you find me and what drew your attention?) I kind of wish My Guests would let me see what specific entries people are looking at. I can make some educated guesses - the bunch of new people coming in today after 10:00am, for instance, were there for the fic I posted.

I like knowing things. So having stats to play with is fun. Though, like I said, hit counts are pretty boring. Maybe if I had ads, I'd care, but I don't and I don't.

[avocado-love.livejournal.com]

Oh thanks! Yeah, I turned myself off when the feature first came out.

I'll admit, it is a little fun to see how older stories collect reviews slowly. The number sneak up on me. :D

I guess some part of me really dislikes the feeling of being tracked. For instance, maybe I want to re-read your excellent Jeong Jeong fic that's a personal favorite of mine. I don't want you frowning over the My Guest's and wondering why I keep visiting. ('Cause I reviewed once, I'm not going to review every time I re-read a fic.)

[beckyh2112.livejournal.com]

Opting out of My Guests means you aren't tracked as a visible person. ;-)

Now, personally, the only time I care about why a person isn't commenting is when I wrote something especially for them (like on a request meme or a general gift). Otherwise, I tend to be very "live and let live" about commenting. (Since I almost never comment at all.)

Now I know other people aren't like this, so I can get the fear.

[avocado-love.livejournal.com]

Yeah, but does the IP address still show up? Or is it just marked as 'guest'?

[beckyh2112.livejournal.com]

*checks* It's just marked as "Invisible Guest" with a date stamp of their visit.

[danel4d.livejournal.com]

... Invisible guests? That just sounds *creepy*.

[beckyh2112.livejournal.com]

... Why? They are someone who does not want to be seen, hence invisible, and they're visiting your livejournal, hence guest.

It's late and I should learn to proofread my comments

[strawberryburst.livejournal.com]

LJ Guests kind of creeps me out on my personal journal. I turned it on just for shits and grins for a short while and the amount of people going there made me so glad I have it locked ^^;

As for ff.net, I kind of like the stats. There's one fic that I'm a bit worried on since I haven't received a single review. However, the stats show that people are reading (and that there are a few watching it or have it faved) so I guess it's good in that it prevents me from just dropping the story all together due to lack of interest?

Still, it's disappointing to see how many people read vs the amount who review/watch/fave. It makes you wonder if you're doing something wrong and since they aren't saying anything...

Ugh. Pros and cons, I guess XD

Re: It's late and I should learn to proofread my comments

[beckyh2112.livejournal.com]

More likely, it's not "doing something wrong", it's them not having the energy/time to comment.

I tend to use a Favorite as a generic "I like this!" when I have nothing else to say about a thing. And usually when I'm reading something by a stranger, I have nothing else to say. Concrit a stranger? Not a chance would I open myself to the chance of that kind of unpleasantness.

It takes something that really impresses me to get me to comment. And even then, I might rave about something to my friends but if I am dead tired when I finish reading it, I'm more likely to close the tab than to comment.

Amount of hits vs. amount of comments is not worth looking at because you can't know what's making people choose not to comment. It could be anything from a flaw in your presentation that causes them to go in expecting something you aren't providing to them being tired and sick to the stars being aligned and summoning Cthulhu.

Re: It's late and I should learn to proofread my comments

[inamac.livejournal.com]

I rarely read anything on ff.net, but I recently was recced something very good, and intended to leave a comment - but was put off by the terms of the response text, which seems to insist on readers leaving 'positive feedback and helpful analysis' - and the phrase 'great fic, I really enjoyed it' didn't seem to fulfil this criteria.

As you say - easier to tab back than concrit a stranger. A lot of good writers must be missing out on squee.

Re: It's late and I should learn to proofread my comments

[avocado-love.livejournal.com]

Still, it's disappointing to see how many people read vs the amount who review/watch/fave. It makes you wonder if you're doing something wrong and since they aren't saying anything...

Yeah, and you can second-guess yourself into insanity pretty quickly. It may not be you at all. There are hundreds of reasons why people won't comment, and most of them have little to do with you at all. Another reason not to pay too much attention to them.

[ladysorka]

One thing you have to remember about hits/reviews ratios is how many people these days open a page into a tab and then leave it there for months on end before they finally get around to reading it (or closing it). Which means that every time they open their browser, you get a hit.

[avocado-love.livejournal.com]

Yes. Exactly. Plus, if you have a multi-chapter fic the numbers will be hella skewed on the fist chapter because it's what everyone clicks on to get to jump to the most recent. So on top of everything else, the stats sometimes aren't even accurate. Another reason I don't pay much attention to them.

[spark-force.livejournal.com]

I love, love, love looking at my stats, and tracking how many hits I get, and everything. I was thrilled when lj introduced the stats page because dude! people were actually reading my entries! and I have PROOF!

I guess it's because I consider hits nearly as good as reviews, so no matter what, it's an ego boost? And favorites (on ff.net) are even better. I never obsess over why a ton of people are reading something but not replying, because, well, I've done the same thing many a time and I really can't blame them.

It's also interesting to go-- hmm, I just got an influx of new hits on X date, but it's not because of anything I did myself; did I get recced somewhere? And then I try to track it down. I had this happen on one of my stories, but I can't for the life of me figure out where the hits are coming from. So every once in a while I try to track that source down. It's like a mystery!

The location stats are just an interesting side note-- hey, someone from Liechtenstein just read my story!-- I can't see why anyone would even bother stressing over it.

[avocado-love.livejournal.com]

Hmmm. You know, I approve of your more positive spin on stats. I think I may try to see things from that POV rather than just ignore them all together. ;D

And *grin* that always makes me hugely curious, too. I have one Harry Potter fic that randomly gets favorited by people in bunches. I may not look at the stats often, but I'm alerted by ff.net when people fav my stuff or review. Anyway, suddenly out of the blue two or three people will favorite this 2 year old fic on the same day and I'm like... what the heck? It always makes me wonder. I've never been able to track it down. How do you track yours?

[wee-em-cee.livejournal.com]

As you (or perhaps someone else, can't remember) said above, I've opted out of the feature because I really don't like the idea of being tracked. If I want to lurk, which I often do, I want to lurk unnoticed! That's the point of lurking! Haha. I'm vaguely curious as to who reads my journal, but not enough to give up the ability to creep unobserved.

(Also, hi! I friended you recently because of your ATLA stuff ^_^)

[alexb49.livejournal.com]

I'm fascinated by the country of origin data on ff.net. I sort of started looking at it with writing Basic since it had more unintentionally insulting implications if I characterized something poorly. Sometimes I get the urge to do a shout out (wut up my Estonian peeps) but don't want it to seem creepy even if I'm just doing it for a laugh.

As a new writer I like feedback and try to encourage critique since I don't know what the hell I'm doing. I try to remind folks that I have a tough skin so people who don't like something can feel free to let me have it without making me wibble which I think is a real worry for a lot of people (both giving and getting comments). A low hit rate makes me consider if I've taken a misstep.

What's also been fascinating is seeing the ebb and flow to any given day of the week.

It's good to have this dialogue just to make people aware that unless you're surfing in porn mode you are being watched by somebody.

[tehlobster.livejournal.com]

Whoa! LJ has a stats feature! My first reaction was, "Hells yeah!"

I just like to know I'm still being noticed. My stats just showed that 404 people checked me out on the 10th, for instance, which was pretty wtf! But the guests feature tells me that people are actually reading my Sims story even if the only person commenting is one of my best friends who isn't even in that fandom. :P

On FF.N I'll check out my stats every so often - I like seeing my stories have been added to C2's, for instance. I also recently saw one had been removed from one, but then found out the C2 it had been in was deleted or something. I'm just nosy. But I will admit it's nice to see my first story ever is still getting hits (at least email tells me about the faves). I will admit I've wondered for ages why my two most visited stories are my M-rated Kataang and my one Maiko fic. I can't fault their tasts but damn, imo those fics suck. It's sad to see my more recent and better efforts are just lost in the general disinterest of the dying fandom. *pokes Tokka 50 sentences*

It boils down to being a nosy attention whore, I think. :P

[beckyh2112.livejournal.com]

It's sad to see my more recent and better efforts are just lost in the general disinterest of the dying fandom.

Having been in dying fandoms - this fandom is pretty damn lively for a dying one. It may not be at the levels it was at when the show was running, but it's still plenty active.

[crystaldrake.livejournal.com]

I was interested in the LJ stat feature for about five minutes until I realize the features that interest me I needed to be a paid member. I find the only feature I can use "my guest" a tad creepy ...

When I was more active on ff.net I was interested in the stats more. I found the country feature fascinating when I saw that my worst witch fics had more UK, Canada people reading than US. I eventually got annoyed with the stats on ff.net after I seen people use them for bragging rights.

[sharkflip.livejournal.com]

I use fanfiction stats out of curiosity. I like estimating about how many readers I have and about how fast they typically read my chapters so that I can space updates accordingly (on those very rare occasions when I have more than one chapter ready).

I like seeing the patterns, like how Tuesday night is a surprisingly popular night to read fanfiction. It also gives me a thrill to see how many people are reading. The review number is way, way lower, but I'm such a lousy and inconsistent reviewer that it's kind of trivial to feel annoyed that more people don't comment.

I haven't gotten any negative comments about any of my stories yet (!), so I figure that probably most everyone reading is enjoying, which is satisfying.

[yukinoomoni.livejournal.com]

I do not use this weird thing. I prefer to be invisible and Cullen around my favourite authors (because you can't have it on and be invisible). Plus, I really don't care if anyone reads my journal; I mostly write it for myself, and on occasion write posts for others. I just find it miraculous that people WANT to read my angst.

As for fanfiction hits, I used to care? I dunno. You know that I've gone through alot of writer-depression in the past year and a half, but lately, the hits don't matter to me too much. Nor to the reviews, although they ARE quite awesome and give me happies. I just like the fact that I'm writing, I'm doing something, I'm making a story and I'm keen on finishing it (I'm mostly talking about The Silk Fan here, since I don't really have any other major projects) because I want to, not because someone says I should. The review-pandering hurts my small brains, really.

Besides, people are shy; sometimes they just don't know what to say.

[nafaililiana.livejournal.com]

The only thing I care about is the quality reviews. I think only once I looked at the stats when I was baffled at getting 1 review for a story I had wrote and then peeked to see if people were even READING it. They were, so it made me relax a bit. But yea, what boosts my confidence (and ego) is when I get reviewers to actually SAY something...like more than 5 sentences. THEN i feel accomplished.

[engelen.livejournal.com]

I used to care A LOT about DA stats, but then I got confident in my art adndiscovered that pageviews =/= skill