1 - Blue Board: General

1.1 - What is the Blue Board?

We'll explain in a roundabout way. First of all, any ProZ.com user can enter a number from 1 to 5 corresponding to his or her likelihood of working again (LWA) with a given outsourcer (ie. client or translation company/agency). By way of explanation, the user can also enter a line of text along with the number. In response, the outsourcer may enter a line of text of his/her/its own.

The Blue Board is the complete, searchable database of the records containing these entries and replies, along with outsourcer coordinates.

1.2 - Glossary of Blue Board terms...

Outsourcer: An umbrella term that includes agencies, companies, clients and any other entity or person that buys translation services. The Blue Board is a database of outsourcers accompanied by service provider entries.

Entry: A service provider makes an "entry" to the Blue Board expressing his or her likelihood of working again with a given outsourcer. (Terms like "rating", "review", etc., are misleading and should be avoided.)

LWA: LWA is short for a service provider's self-expressed "likelihood of working again" with a given outsourcer. It is a number from 1 (very unlikely to work again) to 5 (very likely to work again).

Comment: An entry consists of an LWA (required) and a comment (optional). Comments should be limited in scope to explanation/grounds for the LWA; they may not include general statements concerning an outsourcer.

Reply: When an entry is made, the corresponding outsourcer is given an opportunity to make a one-line "reply."

Like comments by service providers, replies from outsourcers must be restricted to the independent experience. Personal remarks in comments or replies are not acceptable and will be removed by the site staff upon request.

Poster: A service provider or outsourcer who makes an entry or reply.

Average entry level: Aggregate figure representing the average LWA expressed for a single outsourcer by service providers

Record: A page of entries/LWA's made concerning a single outsourcer. Records are accessible using URLs of this format: http://www.proz.com/bb/#

1.3 - What are the conditions for making an entry concerning your likelihood of working again with an outsourcer?

In order to ensure the goal of the Blue Board, a set of Blue Board rules has been created. Use of the Blue Board that may violate any of these rules as well as ProZ.com general rules is not allowed.

You may only make entries for clients with whom you have worked on a project and to whom you have delivered work on time and without complaints related to quality. You may not make entries solely on the basis of negotiations, test translations, or other preliminary interactions.

If you have worked on a project with a client but were late or otherwise negligent in delivering work, you may not make an entry for that client. The Blue Board may not be used to threaten outsourcers.

'Self-entries' by outsourcers (or by users representing an outsourcer) are not permitted.

Comments accompanying LWA entries should limit themselves to expressing your Likelihood of Working Again with the outsourcer for whom you are making the entry.

You may make one entry per outsourcer per year--provided that you have worked for the outsourcer again before adding an additional entry.

LWA entries which are made and prove to be in violation of Blue Board rule 2 or Blue Board rule 6 will be removed by site staff. Users who make repeated LWA entries which violate these rules may at site staff's discretion find their use of the LWA system temporarily or permanently blocked.

1.4 - How reliable is the Blue Board?

The entries posted here are not confirmed in any way, and represent the opinions only of those making entries. Things to consider when evaluating entries: activity levels, identity verification status, membership levels, registration numbers and other characteristics of posters.

Do not rely solely on entries posted. You are encouraged to form your own opinions concerning outsourcers from your experiences in working with, or negotiating with, outsourcers personally.

1.5 - Where can I manage LWA feedback?

You can see information on LWA entries received, requested and given, and request new LWA entries from service providers on the LWA Feedback management page.

You can also view LWA statistics of outsourcers ranked by average LWA and the number of entries received, compiled from information on the Blue Board considering entries over the last 12 months and from all time.

1.6 - What is the ProZ.com termination policy?

The staff of ProZ.com, the company providing the technology for this site, has established a policy for the termination of offending outsourcers to enhance the site is used as a place for language companies and language service providers to meet and engage in good-faith transactions.

ProZ.com termination policy can be found here.

1.7 - What does the message This outsourcer has been banned from posting jobs at ProZ.com mean?

As per ProZ.com termination policy, if a total of three non-payment complaints regarding a single outsourcer have been received from unrelated sources, the issue will be brought to ProZ.com staff for review. At its sole discretion, ProZ.com staff may then choose to suspend or revoke the outsourcer's right to use ProZ.com. This note refers to that suspension.

1.8 - What does the " ... " mean in the comment area for some LWA entries on the Blue Board?

A " ... " in the comment section indicates that no comment has been entered by the poster of the entry. Note that if this is the case you will only see " ... " in the comment section, as opposed to, for example, "Great terms, professional ... would work with them again", which would have been entered by the service provider.

2 - For service providers

2.1 - How can I see other users' entries concerning their likelihood of working again with a particular client?

"Blue Board" is one of the options under the "Jobs" tab in the main menu. The Blue Board is also accessible by typing this URL directly: http://www.proz.com/blueboard

Once you are at the Blue Board, you can search outsourcers by name and location and even save your search parameters for future reference.

Members are also given the option to sort search results alphabetically or by LWA average.

2.2 - How much does it cost to access Blue Board records?

Paying members of ProZ.com have unlimited access to all records in the Blue Board. Non-members may gain permanent access to a single outsourcer's record by making a one-time payment of either $0.50 or 50 browniz points.

2.3 - I am not a (paying) member of ProZ.com... can I still see Blue Board records?

Yes. Log in and click on the name of the outsourcer whose Blue Board record you wish to see. You will be prompted to make a payment of browniz points or cash.

2.4 - I am not a (paying) member of ProZ.com... can I still make Blue Board entries?

Yes.

2.5 - I would like to ask others to make entries concerning a particular outsourcer. How do I do that?

If the outsourcer is already listed, click "Call for entries" from the outsourcer's record page. This will cause a request for entries to be published on the ProZ.com home page. In addition, an email will be sent to all those who have subscribed to such requests.

If the outsourcer you are interested in is not yet listed, adding it will cause the notification to be sent automatically. You may add an outsourcer whether or not you are a member. Note that only one "call for entries" is allowed per outsourcer, per month.

2.6 - Can I be notified of new LWA entries submitted for a particular outsourcer?

Yes. To receive notifications for new LWA entries posted in a Blue Board record of any particular outsourcer, just click on "Track outsourcer" in the box to the right of their Blue Board record.

You can turn tracking off by clicking on "Stop tracking" in the same box to the right of the Blue Board record.

2.7 - How can I make an entry for an outsourcer that is not listed on the Blue Board?

If you would like to make an entry for an outsourcer that is not yet listed on the Blue Board, you may add the details yourself from the "Add Outsourcer" tab. Make sure to add comprehensive details, to avoid confusion.

2.8 - Can I make an entry for an outsourcer if my only experience with them is with a test translation?

No. You may have come to some conclusions about an outsourcer based on a test translation, negotiations or other preliminary interactions. However, based on our experiences, we decided that the Blue Board would be provided only for expressing one's likelihood of working *again* for specific outsourcers. In other words, you have to have at least begun a "real world" project for any outsourcer for whom you make an entry.

2.9 - Can I make more than one entry per outsourcer?

Yes, you may make one entry per outsourcer per year--provided that you have worked for the outsourcer again before adding an additional entry. You may not make multiple entries on the basis of a single experience.

2.10 - I made an entry and it hasn't appeared yet.

Blue Board entries require vetting. This is usually done within 12 hours of the entry being posted. You may also want to check the spelling. Sometimes Blue Board entries are rejected from the database because of the characters used: double quotes in your comment are not allowed. You may need to remove the double quotes and use single quotes for the entry to go visible. If your comment hasn't appeared after a 24-hour period, please contact site staff via a support request.

2.11 - How may I edit my LWA entry?

You may edit your entry by clicking on the edit link on the right side of your entry, however, this will only be available before an outsourcer has replied and if your entry is less than a year old. However, any changes are subject to approval by site staff or moderators.

Once a reply has been entered by an outsourcer, you many not edit your entry.

2.12 - How do I remove an LWA entry on a Blue Board record?

You may request removal of an LWA entry you have made at any time. If the entry has been replied to by the outsourcer, both parties must be in agreement for removal to take place. Once both parties have established this agreement on their own, they must each submit a support request for removal.


Note: If you have submitted a valid LWA entry (you delivered commissioned work on time, and without quality complaints), and the reply you receive alleges that this is not the case, you should contest the reply. Submit a support request with the link to the Blue Board record in question and any relevant details. Note that both you and the outsourcer may be asked to substantiate the situation. If the reply is found to be invalid, it will be removed.

Outsourcers may also contest LWA entries which do not meet the conditions for valid LWA entries in a similar fashion.

If there is any evidence that an entry or reply by an outsourcer or service provider has broken a site rule or has been determined to be unlawful, the entry/response may be hidden or deleted by staff.

2.13 - Where can I see Outsourcers with excellent Blue Board feedback?

The Blue Board statistics page shows the top Blue Board outsourcers, ranked by their average LWA feedback rating. Outsourcers with open non-payment issues or with an average LWA feedback below 4.50 are excluded.

Results are shown by both all time and last 12 months. Each set of results is divided in two, based on the number of entries received.

Within each table, outsourcers are ranked by their average LWA and then by amount of entries. If two outsourcers are tied on both numbers, the most recently created Blue Board page will be shown first.

2.14 - Where can I see a list of outsourcers looking for applications from translators and/or interpreters?

You will find a list of outsourcers that are looking for applications from translators and/or interpretersin the Applications page.

Note that only the outsourcers you qualify to apply will be shown.

To submit your application, just click on Apply now and complete the application form.

2.15 - Where can I see information on the jobs posted by a Blue Board outsourcer?

You can see a list of Classic and Connect jobs posted by any Blue Board outsourcer just by clicking on More info » in the "Past job postings" box to the right of the Blue Board record.

Open jobs will show in yellow while jobs that have already been closed will be shown in light green.

2.16 - I submitted an LWA entry for an outsourcer and it is no longer visible. Why?

If you submitted an entry for an outsourcer that was visible for some time and that is no longer visible it is possible that your entry was contested by the outsourcer. Note that in cases in which an entry is contested, the entry is made invisible by staff until the issue has been clarified.

If you are sure your entry is in line with Blue Board rules, and it is being contested by the outsourcer, please submit a support request with all relevant evidence (email correspondence, PO, etc.).

Also note that entries may disappear from public view when a 'request for edit' has been made. If you requested your entry to be edited, it will remain hidden until moderators or staff re-approve such entry.

3 - For outsourcers

3.1 - How do I get my business listed on the Blue Board?

The outsourcers listed in the Blue Board get there because a ProZ.com user posted them. Any registered user can do it; if you outsource translation work, you are welcome to post your own business for service providers to make entries on. (Users who subscribe to the Blue Board will be invited to make entries with regard to their likelihood of working again with your business.)

Here is where you can add that info: add outsourcer page

3.2 - How can I change the contact data listed for my business in the Blue Board?

Changes to outsourcer contact data shown on the Blue Board can be made by site staff only. To request corrections to the data, submit a support request.

3.3 - How can I edit the information on my Blue Board record?

If the contact information for you or your company's Blue Board record has changed, you can have this edited by contacting site staff via support request. Be sure to provide the complete information you wish to update, along with the page url to your Blue Board record.

3.4 - Can I add information about my company to my Blue Board record?

Yes. Outsourcers with a high LWA average can post public notes to provide Blue Board record visitors with useful and/or important information regarding their business.

To add a note to your record, visit the Applications section and click on "Outsourcers Control Center" in the box to the left. This will lead you to the "Application management" form and will allow you to enter additional information about your agency/company that will be later displayed on your Blue Board record.

3.5 - I would like certain contact information removed from the Blue Board.

ProZ.com respects your privacy. If you prefer that certain contact information be removed from public view, please submit a support request explaining what you would like removed, and why. We will consider your request.

Note that certain minimum contact details are required to post jobs via ProZ.com, and these requirements will not be waived. (See Jobs FAQ.)

3.6 - Can I remove my Blue Board record?

As Blue Board rules state, Blue Board records remain in place for at least six months following any form of outsourcing activity. Requests from outsourcers to have certain contact details removed from the Blue Board will be considered when specific reasons are given. However, in most cases, such requests will not be considered until at least six months have passed after the date of last known outsourcing activity.

3.7 - Will I be notified of new LWA entries posted in my Blue Board record?

Yes. A notification will be sent to the email address specified as the contact email address in the Blue Board record every time an entry is posted.

In the same way, if a non-payment report is made together with an entry submitted, a notification informing about this complaint and the procedure to follow will also be sent to the email address associated with the Blue Board record.

3.8 - A service provider has commented on his/her likelihood of working again with my business. Can I respond?

Yes. You can post a reply to a service provider's LWA comment directly from your Blue Board record. Note that replies to LWA entries, just as LWA entries, are subject to staff or moderator approval.

Please submit a support request if you believe the conditions for making an entry have not been met (for example, if a person who has not worked for you has made an entry.)

If there seems to have been a misunderstanding, outsourcers are encouraged to communicate directly with those making entries. However, making threats or exerting pressure on a ProZ.com user to cause him or her to change his or her "likelihood of working again" with your business is prohibited, and may result in your right to use ProZ.com being restricted.

Like service provider comments, your responses must be restricted to the work relationship and likelihood of working again. Personal remarks from service providers and outsourcers are not acceptable and will be removed by the site staff upon request.

3.9 - My company has a great Blue Board page. How can I display this in my profile?

Profile owners who have "Likelihood of working again" (LWA) feedback in their Blue Board pages can show the corresponding statistics in the top-right area of the profile.

The Blue Board is a tool of benefit to both service providers and outsourcers. Outsourcers who are listed and have received positive entries report a higher degree of trust and shortened project launch cycles among those service providers who reference the Blue Board.

Members and other users (like the one displayed below) having both Blue Board page (feedback from service providers) and WWA entries (feedback from outsourcers) can display both in their profiles, with WWA on the left and LWA on the right.

There are three options for the visibility of the LWA information:

a) Invisible to all, including the profile owner:

This is the default condition. The profile owners will see only a "Show LWA options" button that will allow them to move into the next visibility condition.

The owner will see:




b) Visible only to profile owner:

After clicking on the "Show LWA options" button, the LWA statistics will become visible to the profile owner, who will be able to return to the former (invisible) status or to make this feature visible also to visitors.

The owner will see:




In these two cases, visitors to the profile will see no LWA-related information:




c) Visible to all:

When the owner clicks on the "Show to all" button, the LWA statistics will be shown to all visitors.

In this case the profile owner will see:




And a visitor to the profile will see:




The link indicating the amount of entries will take visitors to the corresponding Blue Board page, while the "Make a LWA entry" link will give them direct access to the form where they will be able to leave an entry for that particular outsourcer.

3.10 - I have been affiliated to an outsourcer I am not related with. What should I do?

If your profile has been affiliated with an outsourcer you are not related to, please submit a support request to ask for the removal of such affiliation.

Have in mind that profiles are affiliated with Blue Board records on the basis of jobs posted by the profile in the name of a given outsourcer, among other activity.

3.11 - A service provider has posted a non-payment complaint in my Blue Board record. What should I do?

If a service provider has posted a non-payment complaint in your Blue Board record and this issue has already been resolved, instruct the service provider to contact staff via support request to confirm payment has been made so that the issue can be marked as resolved.

If the issue has not been resolved, please do so. Remember that Job posting rules state that payment commitments must be upheld. Once the issue has been resolved, ask the service provider to contact staff to confirm the situation.

Finally, if non-payment derives from quality issues with the job delivered by the service provider or with a late delivery of the project, please contact site staff via support request and provide the email correspondence in which the service provider has been notified of the issue. Please note that the correspondence should be provided in .eml or .msg formats to allow ProZ.com to authenticate it (those formats preserve all the original encoding in the headers). If you are unsure how obtain files in those formats, you will find a handy description here.