There are four separate ways to react to a story, and they do genuinely
different things. Mixing them up is the usual source of confusion.
Stars — the rating
On a story page, tap a star from 1 to 5. The hint above them reads
"Tap a star to rate this story."
- Your own rating is shown back to you afterwards, and you can change it
by tapping a different star. - Clear rating removes it entirely.
- You have to be signed in.
- You cannot rate your own story. The stars are replaced with a note
saying so.
Ratings are anonymous to other readers: the story shows an average, not
who gave what.
The heart — favourites
The heart at the top of a story page saves it to
/profile/favorites. It is a bookmark, not a
verdict — you can favourite something you have not rated and rate
something you have not favourited.
There is no limit, and favourites follow your account to every device.
See Favourites and follows.
Chapter ratings
On a story with several chapters, the reader offers a rating for the
chapter you are in, separately from the story as a whole. Use it
when one chapter stood out — good or bad — without changing your verdict
on the whole book.
Likes on comments
Comments carry their own like. That is a reaction to what somebody
wrote, not to the story. See
Comments and replies.
There are no written reviews
This surprises people, so it is worth saying plainly: OutaStory has no
review feature. You cannot write a review of a story, and no page
shows one.
If you want to say something about a story in words, leave a
comment. Authors read them, and other readers see them.
A number you may see labelled as a review count on a story is the count
of ratings, not of written reviews.
Why the buttons are sometimes missing
- You are signed out. Rating, favouriting and commenting all need an
account; you will be offered a sign-in instead. - It is your own story. Authors cannot rate or review their own
work. - Your account is a young reader's account. Rating, favouriting and
following are switched off for the youngest age band. See
Parental controls
overview.
Changing your mind
Everything here is reversible. Change a star, clear a rating, un-favourite,
un-like. Nothing you do is announced to the author as a change, and
nothing is permanent.