Pages in topic: < [1 2 3] | Does the Blue Board effectively help translators? Thread poster: Anne Pinaglia
| Tom in London United Kingdom Local time: 16:12 Member (2008) Italian to English
... you don't like the proposal. Why not? | | | Giles Watson Italy Local time: 17:12 Italian to English In memoriam It's not the proposal | Apr 23, 2014 |
In principle, I'm in favour of any change that makes more - accurate, relevant - information available to all parties in any transaction. It's simply that the mechanism you envisage is not watertight. It might be good enough for the stated purpose but there again it might not. | | | Non-payment is an issue but not the only one | Apr 23, 2014 |
Sheila Wilson wrote: I think it would be a shame to see the BB just used for (non-)payment I second that. I posited as much yesterday. | | | Another possibility would be anonymous posting | Apr 23, 2014 |
Just brain-storming at this point, but obviously anonymous posting on the Blue Board would be another possibility, and would solve the biggest problem with the Blue Board, which is that agencies can see who gave them poor ratings (and presumably stop sending them work if they give a bad review). The ability to post anonymously could be limited to Proz paying members (freelancers only, no agencies, to avoid unscrupulous agencies posting negative reviews on other agencies' Blue Boards). ... See more Just brain-storming at this point, but obviously anonymous posting on the Blue Board would be another possibility, and would solve the biggest problem with the Blue Board, which is that agencies can see who gave them poor ratings (and presumably stop sending them work if they give a bad review). The ability to post anonymously could be limited to Proz paying members (freelancers only, no agencies, to avoid unscrupulous agencies posting negative reviews on other agencies' Blue Boards). This system would be a lot like Yelp's I believe. Interestingly enough, Yelp is dealing with (see links below) an ongoing case regarding its responsibility for anonymous posts made on its platform that unjustly harm the interests of reviewed businesses. I'm sure this is one reason why Proz wouldn't switch to anonymous posting in the immediate future. http://www.businessinsider.com/hadeed-negative-yelp-reviews-lawsuit-2014-1 http://finance.yahoo.com/news/yelp-drops-ftc-complaints-lawsuit-160020399.html;_ylt=A0SO8xfy91dTNGoAC6FXNyoA;_ylu=X3oDMTByaDNhc2JxBHNlYwNzcgRwb3MDMQRjb2xvA2dxMQR2dGlkAw-- ▲ Collapse | |
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Aye, mebbe, mebbe | Apr 23, 2014 |
Giles Watson wrote: Charlie Bavington wrote: If the second column is blank, payment still awaited. ... the translator has forgotten to update the post and a good payer has been misrepresented. I admit I tend to work on the assumption that these discussions are about negative BB entries. I admit too that I am one of those who tends to lend more weight to the negative BB entries; if I see too many, I scout around elsewhere and see what I can see, and if a firm has an apparently unblemished BB record, especially a lengthy one, I assume they have coerced translators into amending previously negative entries. Any BB entry is kinda lose-lose for me; if it's bad, I won't work with you, if it's good, I won't trust you. Hence I suspect in the back of my mind is an assumption "BB = trouble", the question is merely what kind of trouble Tom's right, of course, you could technically set up any configuration of reminders your heart desired, but development work like that just makes the already small chance of any change infinitesimal. So yes, on reflection, for something as important as this, a field of some kind where a user actively confirms non-payment, rather than it being implied, is probably the sensible approach to those who adopt a more even-handed to the BB than me | | | Tom in London United Kingdom Local time: 16:12 Member (2008) Italian to English Oh, I wouldn't say so | Apr 24, 2014 |
Charlie Bavington wrote: ...........but development work like that just makes the already small chance of any change infinitesimal..... I don't know about that Charlie. I get the impression that Proz is always conscious of the importance of innovating/refreshing the way the website works, so I wouldn't rule out the possibility of changes being made, so long as "change" = "improvement". In the specific case of the Blue Board I'm sure it hasn't escaped their notice at Proz that there seems to be an undercurrent of dissatisfaction, or rather a conviction that it could be made better. However you're right about the onerous development work that would be entailed by this; the Proz website and the algorhythms/code that power it must be incredibly complicated. I imagine that making even one small change would be like removing one brick from the wall of a castle. THe whole thing might come crashing down....
[Edited at 2014-04-24 08:53 GMT] | | | BB's fundamental flaw... | Apr 24, 2014 |
it's clear, isn't it? The criterium is the LWA, or "Likelihood of Working Again". So a 5 or a 4 don't mean much because some colleagues don't mind if an agency pays late or pays little... they are still prepared to work for them, especially if they get a lot of work. The whole system is bent and if radical changes are not introduced, it will stay this way. I agree that more fields are necessary to pin down and clarify the translator-client relationship. In the present state, it's pretty useless.... See more it's clear, isn't it? The criterium is the LWA, or "Likelihood of Working Again". So a 5 or a 4 don't mean much because some colleagues don't mind if an agency pays late or pays little... they are still prepared to work for them, especially if they get a lot of work. The whole system is bent and if radical changes are not introduced, it will stay this way. I agree that more fields are necessary to pin down and clarify the translator-client relationship. In the present state, it's pretty useless. What's good for you might not be good for me... ▲ Collapse | | | Late payment issue is overrated | Apr 24, 2014 |
As much as it may aggravate some peers, I don't penalize customers on the BB purely because of payment delays. My cash flow easily affords me this leniency. What matters is whether the customer is competitive with my other customers. I can easily tolerate a 60-day or even 90-day payment as long as the work goes quickly and the payrate is adequate. So, Giovanni, you're right. Your measure of a good customer is not the same as mine. It will never be exactly the same for any two given ... See more As much as it may aggravate some peers, I don't penalize customers on the BB purely because of payment delays. My cash flow easily affords me this leniency. What matters is whether the customer is competitive with my other customers. I can easily tolerate a 60-day or even 90-day payment as long as the work goes quickly and the payrate is adequate. So, Giovanni, you're right. Your measure of a good customer is not the same as mine. It will never be exactly the same for any two given people. But what on earth ever is? P.S. Obviously, I've had a few customers who #never# paid. That's very different. ▲ Collapse | |
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slight confusion... | Apr 24, 2014 |
by late payment, I meant "overdue"... if you agree 60 or 90 days and the client sticks to it, then fine... if he pays late, beyond the agreed date, then I have some beef with it... | | |
To me and to me only, that makes very little difference. I rarely keep track of how late a customer paid. As long as they do eventually. | | | Anne Pinaglia Netherlands Local time: 17:12 Italian to English + ... TOPIC STARTER Is Proz hesitant due to agency participation? | Apr 24, 2014 |
Seeing as though the reason why translators join Proz is to connect with agencies/outsourcers (as well as other translators), do you think that Proz is hesitant to revise the Blue Board in fear that said agencies/outsourcers will move to other platforms due to "realistic" feedback? Personally I feel that this is the main reason why the Blue Board has not evolved much. | | | Tom in London United Kingdom Local time: 16:12 Member (2008) Italian to English Late OK but never? | Apr 24, 2014 |
Mikhail Kropotov wrote: To me and to me only, that makes very little difference. I rarely keep track of how late a customer paid. As long as they do eventually. Late payers are a problem, but the real problem is NON-PAYERS, for which I have found the BlueBoard very useful, 2 or 3 times, used with a little bit of skill, in convincing them that paying me was their best option. | | | Pages in topic: < [1 2 3] | To report site rules violations or get help, contact a site moderator: You can also contact site staff by submitting a support request » Does the Blue Board effectively help translators? Protemos translation business management system | Create your account in minutes, and start working! 3-month trial for agencies, and free for freelancers!
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