| Pages in topic: < [1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15] > | Let's improve ProZ.com! (Three things I would do to improve ProZ.com if I were in charge.) Thread poster: Henry Dotterer
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| Mind the apostrophe | Sep 29, 2006 |
One of the beers I've had tonight may have been bad, but have a look at the top left corner: "The translators workplace." Any apostrophe missing there?
Yours sincerely non-native speaker.
| | | | Marta Fernandez-Suarez (X) 
United Kingdom
Local time: 21:06
English to Spanish
Three things
- As others have said: I would definitively include language variety in Kudoz and in Jobs (EN-UK, EN-US, ES-AR, and so on). In Kudoz, the person would get exactly the answer s/he needs; in jobs, we would receive only the notifications for our variety. Proz would be definitively more practical and user friendly with this change
- (a great idea suggested by a colleague) I would make it easier to find things in Forums. A good addition would be to make subsecti... See more Three things
- As others have said: I would definitively include language variety in Kudoz and in Jobs (EN-UK, EN-US, ES-AR, and so on). In Kudoz, the person would get exactly the answer s/he needs; in jobs, we would receive only the notifications for our variety. Proz would be definitively more practical and user friendly with this change
- (a great idea suggested by a colleague) I would make it easier to find things in Forums. A good addition would be to make subsections in the Non-English Forums (ie: a subdivision called "resources in the web" which on its turn could be divided into several sections like "monolingual dictionaries in Russian", "bilingual non-technical dictionaries in pairs..." and so on)
- I would allow just three Kudoz answers a day for everyone (I know it is strick, but I believe it would work wonders)
Thanks for the thread
Regards
Marta
[Edited at 2006-09-29 21:23] ▲ Collapse
| | | | | Quick answer to Andreas | Sep 30, 2006 |
Andreas Baranowski wrote:
One of the beers I've had tonight may have been bad, but have a look at the top left corner: "The translators workplace." Any apostrophe missing there?
This comment has been made to our programmers and, if I remember correctly, the explanation was related to search engines, because they don't like apostrophes.
Claudia
| | | | | Try to explain this to an end client or a proofreader | Sep 30, 2006 |
Claudia Iglesias wrote:
....the explanation was related to search engines, because they don't like apostrophes.
Claudia
Sorry if my comment sounds rude, but to me this sounds like a bad joke in the context of a website of "language professionals".
IMO this should be a "NoNo".
Kind regards
Siegfried
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| My 3 suggestions | Sep 30, 2006 |
Henry wrote: Dear members, In recent weeks, ProZ.com has come under criticism from valued members and site users. In the interest of better serving you as a community, we hereby give you the reigns: if you were in charge of ProZ.com for a week, what three concrete actions would you take? Once we have heard from a sufficient number of members (initially) and site users (thereafter), we will compile the results, publish an action plan, and implement. Thanks in advance for your participation! Ground rules for this topic:
1. Members only (for a while)
After a period in which suggestions were taken from members only, we now open the topic up for input from any site user.
2. One post per member.
We'd like to get input from many different people, so please make your three suggestions in just one post and then let others have the floor. If you have never before posted, please consider posting in this thread! (If you want to change something after you have posted, feel free to edit.)
3. 250 words or less.
Please try to list your top three actions in 250 or fewer words. Make sure your action items are concise, concrete things that we can act on. I look forward to your suggestions. Thanks in advance! Henry (218 words)
My 3 suggestions:
1 organise WEBINARS on main topics, and at different levels (i.e., medical translators, webpage hints, etc). These are very useful tools to get to members, and they can act as a "barometer of users satisfaction".
2 Ask people who post jobs to give feedback (i.e., why a translator was not chosen, etc.). Otherwise, members will not know how to improve specialisation/bidding, etc.
3 Stop people who post jobs to aks for free test translations: we are professional translators, we do not need to prove our ability. Also, in the past, I found out that our test translation was used as part of a job!!!!!!
Many thanks for giving us the chance to say our opinion.
Stefania Williams
| | | | Zhuoqi Mills (X)
United Kingdom
Local time: 21:06
English to Chinese
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| It isn't broken, so why fix it? | Sep 30, 2006 |
Hello,
I joined ProZ.com to get translation jobs. Pure and simple. Just that. I venture to suggest that this applies to 90% of others also.
I got what I was looking for. The website gave me much needed exposure so that agencies left, right and centre signed me up and queues started to form at my door. Nowadays I work all day, nearly every day, receiving a good rate with hardly any need to ever respond to job postings. Much of this is due to ProZ and I would like to take this o... See more Hello,
I joined ProZ.com to get translation jobs. Pure and simple. Just that. I venture to suggest that this applies to 90% of others also.
I got what I was looking for. The website gave me much needed exposure so that agencies left, right and centre signed me up and queues started to form at my door. Nowadays I work all day, nearly every day, receiving a good rate with hardly any need to ever respond to job postings. Much of this is due to ProZ and I would like to take this opportunity to thank you very much!
Now to my point - I got to this position because the website works. It works the way it is now. So why tinker with it? You will never be able to please everybody. Whatever changes you make are sure to upset some people. Why not just leave well enough alone?
It is my conviction that most of those valued and successful translators who fail to renew membership do so simply because they no longer need the service. They have outgrown it. I will be renewing my membership when it runs out...but will I in 2 years, or 3? I doubt it!
Don't try to fix what isn't broken, people. Just pat yourselves on the back for a job well done and carry on doing the excellent work.
Thanks again.
Z M ▲ Collapse
| | | | Robert Forstag
United States
Local time: 16:06
Spanish to English
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| Keeping priorities straight: An open letter to Henry | Sep 30, 2006 |
Apologies for the second entry, but I just want to urge you not to get lost in relatively minor matters that would require relatively major efforts, such as reforming the Kudoz system. I myself have suggested that the system could use some tinkering. Many others think that it is in need of drastic revamping. Yet I cannot imagine that anyone would seriously argue that this is the most pressing issue that needs to be addressed on this site.
The Kudoz system, for all of its flaws, is f... See more Apologies for the second entry, but I just want to urge you not to get lost in relatively minor matters that would require relatively major efforts, such as reforming the Kudoz system. I myself have suggested that the system could use some tinkering. Many others think that it is in need of drastic revamping. Yet I cannot imagine that anyone would seriously argue that this is the most pressing issue that needs to be addressed on this site.
The Kudoz system, for all of its flaws, is functional. Since there are far more important issues to deal with, I would say 'let it be' for now and come back to it another time.
Far more important (to my mind, and to that of many other freelancers, judging from the contributions to this thread) is making the site more "freelancer-friendly" by connecting freelancers with direct clients. Right now, the Jobs Board more often than not functions as a broker for sweatshop labor. Posted job offers stipulating that payment will be no more than 0.05 euros a word (often after 90 days), and sometimes demanding a lengthy translation sample to boot, do not--I repeat DO NOT--promote the interests of freelance translators.
What will promote the interests of freelance translators is connecting them with direct clients. The future health and vitality of this site is, in my view, dependent upon fostering these connections. I have made some specific suggestions in this regard in my previous post. There are no doubt other and better ideas for accomplishing this same result. Why don't we start *that* discussion?
One thing you might want to think of along these lines is charging a small commission on jobs that freelancers secure with *direct clients* through this site. I myself would rather pay proz.com a small override for a well-paid job than fight with other freelancers over the meager gruel currently ladeled out on the Jobs Board.
Of course, another option would be to choose to mainly serve the interests of outsourcers and the marketers of translation software. Yet I predict that choosing this retrograde path will spell the doom of this site, and soon reduce it to the irrelevancy of other translation websites.
You are at a crossroads. I do not underestimate the difficulty of the decisions you are now facing. Here's hoping that you will choose wisely, so that those of us who care about this site can continue to contribute to it and receive benefit from it.
Robert Forstag
[Edited at 2006-09-30 17:42] ▲ Collapse
| | | | David Russi
United States
Local time: 14:06
English to Spanish
+ ...
One thing you might want to think of along these lines is charging a small commission on jobs that freelancers secure with *direct clients* through this site. I myself would rather pay proz.com a small override for a well-paid job than fight with other freelancers over the meager gruel currently ladeled out on the Jobs Board.
And hopefully we won't hear the usual stock "you have to specialize and fill in every single field in your profile" answer. What professional with more than a ... See more One thing you might want to think of along these lines is charging a small commission on jobs that freelancers secure with *direct clients* through this site. I myself would rather pay proz.com a small override for a well-paid job than fight with other freelancers over the meager gruel currently ladeled out on the Jobs Board.
And hopefully we won't hear the usual stock "you have to specialize and fill in every single field in your profile" answer. What professional with more than a couple of years of experience has not specialized? ▲ Collapse
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lexical
Spain
Local time: 22:06
Portuguese to English
| Already taken care of | Oct 2, 2006 |
[quote]gianfranco wrote:
1.VID
I would welcome a campaign to expand the number of members with Verified Identity (VID) up to the limit of making it almost a strict requirement to do business in ProZ.com.
An equivalent VID scheme would be also useful for outsourcers and companies, to demonstrate that their business entity is registered and legitimate.
2.CODE OF CONDUCT
I would welcome a Code of Conduct (CC), in two versions, one for outsourcers and one for translators, made available and signed voluntarily (accepted online by VID members and VID businesses) to publicly announce their acceptance and willingness to comply with the basic rules of an ethical workplace.
All members with the CC logo would earn the trust of their business partners but, in case of documented breaches or in case of a single very severe breach of the rules, they would lose the privilege to sport this logo or even be expelled from the site, according to the specific case.
The result would be to create an atmosphere of trust when dealing will CC colleagues or CC companies and the CC logo would become a visible sign of being trustfully and reliable (or the logo would disappear).
I would put in evidence the date when the CC started for each member and the longer they participate the higher would become the trust they have demonstrated to deserve.
Gianfranco
(2 suggestions, 232 words)
[Edited at 2006-09-18 08:10] 1. There's no need in Europe for an expanded Proz VID scheme when anyone can check the tax and registration credentials of an EU freelance or outsourcer through the EC's VIES system, which has got to be more reliable than anything Proz can come up with.
2. A code of conduct is only as good as its enforcement. Subscribing to a code of conduct and displaying a logo on your home page doesn't prevent people from breaching it. And people who haven't signed such a thing are not necessarily unprincipled - I'd be offended if someone asked me to sign a statement saying that I pledged to behave responsibly and professionally towards my clients. It shouldn't be necessary - and if it is, you're on a losing wicket.
| | | | lexical
Spain
Local time: 22:06
Portuguese to English
| more "shareholder" control | Oct 2, 2006 |
[quote]Michele Johnson wrote:
1) Henry, you often point out that this is a commercial venture. As a paying member and hence a sort of "shareholder," I'd be very interested in knowing more about how my fees are being spent. How efficiently are revenues being used? What percentage goes to overhead? How much is earmarked for programming/development? This kind of transparency would be very useful to me in deciding whether to renew my paid membership.
It is the community of Prozzers that makes this site what it is, not just the business model (admirable as that is). As an internet 'pure play', it's different from say Amazon in that almost all the 'offer' is provided by users not by the 'owners' - without the contribution of users to Kudos, the Forums, etc, it would be a mere shadow of its present self.
I suggest that paying members (and I am not one) should have their membership fees progressively converted into shares in a new Proz company so that they had a real vote in the future direction of this community.
| | | | | KudoZ points reform | Oct 3, 2006 |
I thought why not simplify the system of KudoZ points, and count as a point simply one "agree" vote a member receives from his/her collegues?
In this way:
* Even if you did not get the most votes for your answer, you still get some credit; thus the system of points will better reflect the expertise/recognition a member has.
* The measure of expertise becomes more objective.
* Calculation of points is done completely automatically, on-the-fly, which relieves the one... See more I thought why not simplify the system of KudoZ points, and count as a point simply one "agree" vote a member receives from his/her collegues?
In this way:
* Even if you did not get the most votes for your answer, you still get some credit; thus the system of points will better reflect the expertise/recognition a member has.
* The measure of expertise becomes more objective.
* Calculation of points is done completely automatically, on-the-fly, which relieves the one whoever assigns the points from this duty and eliminates the possibility that your answer is overlooked.
The points could also be deducted if one gets a "disagree" to his/her answer. The votes (both "agree" and "disagree") could further be weighted in proportion to the level of expertise of the voter (reflected in the voter's points) and the total number of answers given. ▲ Collapse
| | | | | 3 Little Details | Oct 3, 2006 |
You know the site must be pretty good when all I have to comment on are these 3 points:
1. Profile page: revert back to the old profile page where the presentation is so much more elegant, succinct, etc. So much has been said on this already in the related forum topic.
2. Availability: right now marking one's availability is a tedious task of clicking off box after box for each day of the month. Other similar websites (e.g. [...removed...]) allow you to set availabili... See more You know the site must be pretty good when all I have to comment on are these 3 points:
1. Profile page: revert back to the old profile page where the presentation is so much more elegant, succinct, etc. So much has been said on this already in the related forum topic.
2. Availability: right now marking one's availability is a tedious task of clicking off box after box for each day of the month. Other similar websites (e.g. [...removed...]) allow you to set availability for a span of time, not just each day.
3. General Fields: it's not uncommon for Kudoz askers to post questions with the category field "Other." When you answer these, it really doesn't say a lot on your KudoZ profile about what your expertise is. Maybe expanding the number of General Fields would help in this, so most specific fields have a match in the general fields category.
Thanks very much for letting us speak our minds! ▲ Collapse
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isoyo
Local time: 05:06
English to Japanese
in addition to Quoting Deadline & Delivery Deadline, the Date of Availability of documents would be great because then translators could schedule ahead of time.
| | | | | Update - we'll come back with action plans soon | Oct 3, 2006 |
Hi all,
This is a great thread. Thanks again to all those who have participated. We have spent countless hours analysing all of this internally, and discussing the best possible approach to further aligning ProZ.com with your needs. I am are sure that this exercise will result in a better ProZ.com for all.
Enrique and I will soon begin making some posts. First, we will give an overview and some context, then we will post action plans for various site areas, in order of ... See more Hi all,
This is a great thread. Thanks again to all those who have participated. We have spent countless hours analysing all of this internally, and discussing the best possible approach to further aligning ProZ.com with your needs. I am are sure that this exercise will result in a better ProZ.com for all.
Enrique and I will soon begin making some posts. First, we will give an overview and some context, then we will post action plans for various site areas, in order of the priority that you have placed on them (in this thread, and in past feedback.)
Thank you for your patience. ▲ Collapse
| | | | | Fields/project history | Oct 4, 2006 |
1. Fields: In order for e.g. the "freelancer search" function to work, it is important that outsourcers and freelancers has the same conception of the fields. Does everyone understand the difference between e.g. the "computer (general)" field and "IT (information technology)" field? If not, these field should be merged. I would also suggest writing more detailed explanations in parenthesis after the field.
2. Project history (profile): There should be some kind of function showing p... See more 1. Fields: In order for e.g. the "freelancer search" function to work, it is important that outsourcers and freelancers has the same conception of the fields. Does everyone understand the difference between e.g. the "computer (general)" field and "IT (information technology)" field? If not, these field should be merged. I would also suggest writing more detailed explanations in parenthesis after the field.
2. Project history (profile): There should be some kind of function showing projects according to size, field, language combination etc. etc.
3. Timeline - project history (profile): The timeline should only state e.g. "Jul to Aug" instead of (as it is now) (Jul 31 to Aug 31). ▲ Collapse
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