https://www.webnovel.com/book/yue-of-the-moonlight_19723577105050105
I'll contribute this one. One of the tope FL novels in powerstones right now that could not be a more obvious botter. 10 chapters, 23k views, and 633 power stones.
Botted novels.
I have nothing to contribute as I am nobody in this WSA competition. But as somebody that went through a seriously demotivating WPC 166 that ended few days ago, botters competing is indeed a major problem. I almost stopped writing the moment I noticed that the book with less half of what I written is standing on top of me and was getting more votes that I supposed to be (my book has 2k collections, and I was begging my readers daily to try my new book that time).
Although results may not be decided by the powerstones alone, the publicity is what counts. I believe nobody want their subsequent readers and reading experience to be spoiled before moving on to the next work that authors like us use our blood, sweat, and time to write it up and posted them hoping our readers will like it.
I hope Webnovel will do something about this too. Let fairness and the spirit of competition return again as we battle fairly. And readers. I believe all of you can feel it if the book written by your beloved author is through his heart or not. Do keep supporting us as we make you more interesting stories.
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I am seriously discouraged by botters, both for Competitions (especially Spirity) and for Win-Win. I will not name names, but I was invited to join a 1000 alt-account author discord group in which the authors (I don't know how many in total) would buy each other's 1 coin privilege and so get banner ads for all their books.
This means that books like mine which are growing naturally have less ad space to be considered for, lose chances at promotions, and look like they aren't performing as well as they are.
I also see books that climb ranking lists in jumps--they have 4 PS for a few hours at the beginning of weekly reset, then suddenly, in forty minutes, they have over 100 PS.
These authors are cheating readers out of finding truly good books, and cheating authors who are playing by the rules out of opportunities to see their books grow. I find it very discouraging.
Botting still happens? Damn. If a peep gotta bot, at least make the story good.
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Automated botting is close to impossible thanks to the captcha locked in the registration page. But, I wonder who had that time to leisure over this thing. haha
Man, even if they somehow get first place in the rankings due to the power stones they receive, it's not gonna do them any good as all winners are decided by the quality and content of their novel.
But it is still a pain in the ass that these botters are getting power stones from thin air while those who are working hard are getting them from valid readers.
It's reasonable if they have a loyal fanbase like JKS because he's the only person I can think of. Anyway, I think this bot problem should be dealt with by webnovel editors.
Hmm... I was gonna end this with a joke but I'm completely empty...
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Veronica8 Yeah its been like that for a while. People with 100 priv readers used to get a weekly feature but they cancelled that due to how many people were priv trading with alts.
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Well, some of these novels are being featured "pirate Harem system" is weekly featured right now, getting a lot of leverage (I thought only contracted novels should, but it only proves we know nothing.)
Other author mentioned here have several books with reasonable success and a fan base. I think it's perfectly reasonable to reach a certain number of votes if you ask your readers to support you for a while putting their votes in a single novel.
Just to remember it's not against the rules to rally people outside the usual WN readers. I for myself went to all my hobby groups and rallied people that might support my novel.
Some new authors bring their fanbase from their original platforms, and so on.
The editors often recommend paying ads out of your pocket (well, I have mixed feelings about it if it's a contracted novel).
So, though some issues mentioned here are real, I'd tread carefully since you can start a witch's trial based on superficial consideration.
Here's the truth: webnovel doesn't care about bots or privilege swaps. It's the unfortunate truth. As long as their pockets are full of $$ webnovel won't do anything.
I was wondering in my first contest that I entered how some books had so many votes already and the contest had just started. Now, I know.
That is also really sad. Why can't everyone just keep a level field and play nice?
I was wondering in my first contest that I entered how some books had so many votes already and the contest had just started. Now, I know.
That is also really sad. Why can't everyone just keep a level field and play nice?
darcyjog Because they are afraid that their novel won't do well without cheating. Don't worry about it too much though. Just watch as their novel doesn't get any actual readers and laugh at them.
https://m.webnovel.com/book/digging-to-survive-i-can-see-hints_19581889005681105
This novel is a VICTIM of botting it got wipe out by thrash novel with bare translation and mistaken copies of other novels.
I as readers though that this website was going to put not the so called public opinion which is based on paid transactions hidden deals and more on quality. Let me remind you that this website is for a lack of better word a repackaging of the flood of endless novels produced in Asia, most of what we get were indeed the leftover or the most populars ones who are looking for more money.
I won't be surprised if this thread gets buried, deleted or put invisible for other users to not see it.
Zero_Things I will laugh if that happens. However, it is frustrating and almost disheartening when you are trying to get your story be viewed naturally by others and the bots stories push you out of the way. I decided to take a break from the contests, but I'm still thinking about writing for the Spirited contest. But even that is starting to lose some spark for me.....
darcyjog I didn't bot in a comp and still got a gold. The editors are looking at content when they judge. But I think for Spirity it would harder to see who used botting to get ahead early, then that got them the exposure they needed to pull real readers. That's what worries me--not that real books wo'nt get noticed at all, but that botted books take up time and space that stop good books from getting noticed early. In the end, a botted book makes no money so won't stick around a long time. it's when good content is botted as well that there's aproblem.
TheEruditeReader
This novel is an mtl, is low in quality for a translated work (because it is mtl) and a trial read.
In what way is it a victim of botting?
There is a lot of baseless accusations against Webnovel in your response and even more superstition. Your statements on how novels are chosen is also the same, and incorrect. Novels which are popular and as such, a better chance on an international market, are chosen for vote. Which gets decided upon is the ones which earn the company the most because that is how business works. You take the highest paying work, irregardless of what profession you are in. I've never seen one plumber or electrician working for free before.
I was surprised when I first found out about this. If Webnovel actually took this issue seriously, win-win and competitions can raise their value back up to how it was in the beginning.
As it is now? Very few care since the results will speak for themselves. Now, older top authors are using their own accumulated fanbase to sustain their newer novels since these randos keep botting.
To be clear the only thing of value WN provides in exchange for taking your IP and 50% of your earnings is advertising your novel on their platform and sometimes out of it.
If the advertising is no longer achievable and one has to do the work themselves, what is the point of signing?
I blame the company for their negligence and look down on those who lie to themselves that what they're doing is only fair since they are floundering.
darcyjog That is indeed true.
As a slightly affected victim of the botters, I hate to say that I am currently demotivated to continue writing my story at all. As a patient of OCD syndrome, I tend to have this suspicion towards people that cheat because I takes a lot of time to really check on others.
Hate to say that except myself in the WPC #166, almost the other top stories there is botting. How do I notice that? By checking on their number of votes after 00:00am sharp everyday of course. Up until now, the one who's been taking the first spot before the end of that WPC contest is still botting right now with a 20 to 30 votes increase the moment a new day started.
Furthermore, if you check on his vote page clearly, all those so called Daoist fanbase of his, are a single powerstone voters with two to three days gap in between when the account is registered. Hell, I even suspect that half of his collections fanbase were all fake alts used to increase his own view count per day.
I felt sorry for the readers. First they had to give my book a chance to skim through my hardly passable english, and then have to be conned by a book where viewcounts and powerstone votes were literally botted to increase the position of his novel. Even if his piece of work is better than me, that's still bought, not earned.
At the end of the day, maybe people would say his book is better, this and that, but what else?
There's three damage have been done here.
Me as an author, was despirited, and might stopped.
Readers, who was eager to keep on reading, was corrupted. This is even before we say if the botter are going to stop in between or not.
Thirdly, who knows what will happen next to the webnovel. Cheaters are like bad apples inside a crate. One piece of shit is all it needs to turn the entire crate into a chaotic place. By that time a solution has to be done... It would be like zombie infestation everywhere.
Just my one cent feeling.