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I can say there are times when that honestly does bother me, as a writer and a reader. What bothers me more, are the stories that have a high number of hits but hardly any reviews at all...and, I hate to say it, but stories that are pwop that get dozens of reviews just for that fact alone, vs the stories that try to have a decent plot and are executed fairly well. Sometimes it seems like authors will include a sex scene just to get more reviews and hits for their story (this goes for published works too), and those that may not choose to include such a thing (or touch upon them very lightly) are over looked. Sure, the title of this community might be called AFF for a reason, but there are other adult themes outside of sex. I don't mean to sound like I have a problem with the people who choose to write about pwop, or sex in general (I do it too), it's just a personal peeve when sometimes, all a long and 'intricate' story has going for it are the sex scenes.

I think it depends on perspective. There are many variations. Are you just sharing your hobby with your close friends? Do you just want an outlet for plot bunnies that won't get out of your head? Are you attempting to achieve something in particular? Are you attempting to hone your skills? If so, what area? How lofty are your goals? Let's say that there is a guy who merely wants to get a reaction out of his friends. He posts a story, not really caring about quality, asks his friends to read, rate, and review. His friends don't want to alienate him and it isn't any skin off their back to give him glowing marks. Heck, some of them have probably never read fan fiction before and may not read his story at all. And, he doesn't care one way or another. Let's say that you have a young female that wants to see a particular plot written and no one else is doing it, and she can't talk anyone into it. She goes out on a limb and does it herself, even knowing that her writing is subpar. That takes courage and her friends are going to cheer her on because they know her purpose, which isn't to be an example of high literary standards. They are less likely to give a constructive critique for fear of hurting her feelings, and will review based on her efforts to actually get the story written and posted. For them, that's an achievement. Other youngsters only do it to be popular with their friends, or to be able to say that they did something bold and brave. It's a toy for them, nothing real serious. Many who have been in fan fiction for years see it as a whole community, whereas the examples above see a small sandbox in a playground. They have a small corner and aren't really concerned about the rest. It's just them and their friends. If someone else wants to pop in, the more the merrier. It isn't a competition, or a regiment for improvement. Then there are other motives/perspective. I can't speak for others, but I can speak for myself. When I started, it was just me. I'd never done anything online and hadn't even heard of instant messengers. Had it not been for my daughter, I wouldn't have even known that I could write and post on fan fiction sites. Once informed, I just wanted to see if I could regain the vocabulary and grammar skills I'd lost when cat scratch fever gave me seizures and took away my ability to read and write for two years. At the time, I was alone in a comfortable little corner and had no desire to be exposed to a competition in popularity. I wanted constructive criticism and a way in which to determine whether or not my skills were improving. This system does not take into account what is said on a review board, or what a fic rating is set to be; it's pure numbers--reviews divided by hits. I wanted to be realistic. These were my motives. I ignored the stories who drew ridiculously large numbers because of smut. I was fair and acknowledged that my percentages would never reach those who had an established following or who were exceptionally talented. My goal wasn't to have the best numbers, but to do better than mediocre. I had to account for the years a fic had been up because it garners hits just from people checking for updates, just like all do. There is also the number of chapters, the way in which a fic is written (cliffies, polls, etc.), how often it updates. All those things make a discernible impact. Rates change when population and rules change. Reviews took a big hit when the security program was put in place and they still aren't at prior levels. Hence, a newer story will naturally have a lower rating than a comparable very old one. Different fandoms, genres, categories will have different rates. Different sites will have different rates. On the very outer fringes, you have trolls, with many accounts, who write and review their own stories, start fake flame wars between their different sock puppets, which raises review numbers. Don't ask me why this is done. Probably for the sheer entertainment value of snaring an unaware outsider. If you guys can track IP's now, there's a good chance that it doesn't go on as much. What you really need to do is decide what 'you' want out of fan fiction. Constructive critiques are usually far and few between. They are very helpful gems, but the desire for them shouldn't preclude simple encouraging comments. Both have value, especially to the person writing them. If you want more feedback on your own writing, there is no reason you can't ask your readers to come to the forums and answer specific questions for you concerning what you are wanting to achieve with your story and whether or not you are accomplishing that. Start a thread and leave them a link to the thread. Hm, I like that idea. It might help pick up traffic on the forums. I'll ask DG what she thinks. Some authors use Formspring to communicate with their readers. If readers get comfortable with you on a one-on-one basis, they're more likely to point out grammatical errors and plot holes. They'll probably be more likely to rib you for late updates, too. Overall though, don't stress yourself out over inflated numbers on stories that lack constructive critiques. They don't have a bearing on your work and are no reflection on you or your work. If what you want is high numbers, knock yourself out with writing smut stories. I'd get too bored with that though. I'll read a story with low ratings just to see if it is as bad as the marks show because trolls can cause a lot of damage. Just because a person doesn't have the highest ranking doesn't mean they aren't producing great work. Different people just have different tastes. OMG! I actually bought a hardback in Walden Books and it turned out to be full of grammatical, punctuation, and spelling errors. On top of that, the book was almost all dialogue and sex--terribly unbalanced, and didn't further the plot of the series at all. We're talking published materials here. It's not content that sells a work as much as it is good salesmenship and a willingness to hack and slaughter your writing at a publisher's request. Fan fiction isn't usually about someone's livelihood, but if you want a large following, you have to know what they like and you need to be willing to give it to them--without maiming them. LOL It's good practice, writing for the masses, a good place to find out what does and doesn't work. But, you need to recognize when something doesn't apply to that experience--the anomalies--and just ignore them.