The question now is do I upgrade or not? If I do upgrade am I going to receive more work or not? Thread poster: Linda Young (X)
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Linda Young (X)
Local time: 08:26
French to English
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The last couple of job postings have been closed to "platinum members only" seems a bit strange. Firstly we have not been warned of this change and secondly it is not very democratic. I have been a "guest member" of Proz for approx.2 years now, and have totally appreciated the help I have received, loved the forums etc. But I have never actually received a job through Proz. So I have not become a platinum member because I have not thought it viably financial. So now, I think I am being forc... See more The last couple of job postings have been closed to "platinum members only" seems a bit strange. Firstly we have not been warned of this change and secondly it is not very democratic. I have been a "guest member" of Proz for approx.2 years now, and have totally appreciated the help I have received, loved the forums etc. But I have never actually received a job through Proz. So I have not become a platinum member because I have not thought it viably financial. So now, I think I am being forced to upgrade due to the fact that new jobs are only open to platinum members. This is fine except that for example a certain posting was supposed to be open for lower class proz members from 9.50 pm and and 23.48 pm the bidding had not opened. The the question now is do I upgrade or not? If I do upgrade am I going to receive more work or not?
Any ideas would be appreciated!!!!
Regards
Linda ▲ Collapse
| | | | | It's difficult to answer | Jun 28, 2003 |
You ask several questions, I'm going to try to answer to just the main one.
First of all, I think the better thing to do is to look for old threads about this, putting "Platinum membership" in the search box at the bottom left. You'll see lots of opinions given before this new feature.
When I discovered ProZ I wondered if it would be useful becoming Platinum, and I wrote to several Platinum members to ask them (I didn't even think about asking it in the forums, I don't ... See more You ask several questions, I'm going to try to answer to just the main one.
First of all, I think the better thing to do is to look for old threads about this, putting "Platinum membership" in the search box at the bottom left. You'll see lots of opinions given before this new feature.
When I discovered ProZ I wondered if it would be useful becoming Platinum, and I wrote to several Platinum members to ask them (I didn't even think about asking it in the forums, I don't know why). And the answer I got was "visibility". You'll be in the first page. I waited until I could pay for it, and during that time I worked hard answering KudoZ and earning BrowniZ.
And when I paid for my membership, taking advantage of both, my BrowniZ and a special offer, I was in the first page, but also the KudoZ helped to be in a better position.
I got several jobs from bids, but I've got much more from people met in KudoZ. And I've never had a client who tells me "I chose you because your Platinum membership or your KudoZ", so I don't know the answer to your question.
But I see all that as an investment. I decided to invest in Proz money (membership) and time (KudoZ) and this has been really fruitbearing for me.
It's clear for me that if I had waited until now to become Platinum, this new feature would have convinced me.
But now I'm a ProZ moderator, and it often happens that when I say something in favor of ProZ I'm told that I say that just because I'm a mod. So you're free to believe it or not.
[Edited at 2003-06-28 00:19] ▲ Collapse
| | | | Heinrich Pesch 
Finland
Local time: 09:26
Member (2003)
Finnish to German
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| Best return for your money | Jun 28, 2003 |
Proz platinum memebership is a better investment than other of the like. Befor I knew about Proz I joined Trally.com, but only few jobs are offered there. Also Aquarius in half dead compared to Proz.
For me most useful membership is after all the German Truu-list, because a lot of customers contacted m through that. The only job I got through bidding came from Translatorscafe.com, though I'm no paying member there.
But only at Proz you find a lively discussion forum.
Find ou... See more Proz platinum memebership is a better investment than other of the like. Befor I knew about Proz I joined Trally.com, but only few jobs are offered there. Also Aquarius in half dead compared to Proz.
For me most useful membership is after all the German Truu-list, because a lot of customers contacted m through that. The only job I got through bidding came from Translatorscafe.com, though I'm no paying member there.
But only at Proz you find a lively discussion forum.
Find out, where your potential customers search for translators and join that list! ▲ Collapse
| | | | ncfialho (X)
Local time: 07:26
German to Portuguese
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| If everybody would upgrade... | Jun 28, 2003 |
it would not take long and we (or the client) would be at the same point which has been the reason to install this service....lots and lots of bid's....
If you, like you said :
...have never actually received a job through Proz. So I have not become a platinum member because I have not thought it viably financial.
why should you receive job's now...of course it is always good be Platinum and one day when the right offer (Wordfast+Platinum ... See more
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Ralf Lemster
Germany
Local time: 08:26
English to German
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| ProZ.com is a business | Jun 28, 2003 |
Linda,
May I add a few notes here.
The last couple of job postings have been closed to "platinum members only" seems a bit strange.
If a job is "Platinum-only", that's because the outsourcer chose to open it to Platinum members only. Note that outsourcers have a choice, and may also decide to open a job to non-Platinum members after a certain time period has elapsed. Have a look at the Job Posting Form.
Firstly we have not been warned of this change and secondly it is not very democratic.
True - the advance information could have been better. But the issue whether or not that's a "democratic" move is irrelevant - ProZ.com is a business that needs money to pay for staff and infrastructure, plus a profit on the owner's investment.
So now, I think I am being forced to upgrade due to the fact that new jobs are only open to platinum members.
You're not forced - whether or not to upgrade is entirely your decision. Try to see it this way: you say yourself you have benefitted - why not make sure this platform keeps running?
Best regards, Ralf
| | | | Jana Teteris
United Kingdom
Local time: 07:26
Latvian to English
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| The reason I upgraded | Jun 28, 2003 |
Looking back, my main reason for upgrading to platinum membership was to have unlimited access to the Blue Board.
As regards jobs, I can't say I've noticed a marked increase as a Platinum member, but then again, as a freelancer one cannot rely solely on one source of employment. Having said that, I've received a fair number of enquiries and jobs both as a Guest member and a Platinum member (and, let's face it, there are very few job postings on proz.com in my language pairs!)
... See more Looking back, my main reason for upgrading to platinum membership was to have unlimited access to the Blue Board.
As regards jobs, I can't say I've noticed a marked increase as a Platinum member, but then again, as a freelancer one cannot rely solely on one source of employment. Having said that, I've received a fair number of enquiries and jobs both as a Guest member and a Platinum member (and, let's face it, there are very few job postings on proz.com in my language pairs!)
IMHO, the proz.com site is very user-friendly and personally I've found many of the discussion topics and advice very useful.
As Ralf points out, if you enjoy the site and find it useful, why not play your part in ensuring that the site keeps running?
[Edited at 2003-06-28 11:41] ▲ Collapse
| | | | | Agree with Heinrich | Jun 28, 2003 |
I agree with Heinrich.
I have tried several of the others and was disappointed with some and very miffed with others. GoTranslators does not cost anything, but I have not had a single job from them yet. Well, at least it did not flatten my wallten. Aquarius costs plenty but I have received only a limited no. of jobs.
Also,everything is up front, clear and fair at ProZ. With Aquarius, they tell you that you have 12 hours to accept a job, but then way before that time is up... See more I agree with Heinrich.
I have tried several of the others and was disappointed with some and very miffed with others. GoTranslators does not cost anything, but I have not had a single job from them yet. Well, at least it did not flatten my wallten. Aquarius costs plenty but I have received only a limited no. of jobs.
Also,everything is up front, clear and fair at ProZ. With Aquarius, they tell you that you have 12 hours to accept a job, but then way before that time is up, they awarded the job to someone else because they are afraid that you could not do it. Hello, then why DO you give 12 hours to accept the job. Furthermore, if a job is open for quoting until a certain time and a certain date, they grant it to someone long before the time and date has passed.
All in all, I have benefited a lot from ProZ so I decided that I needed to lend my financial support to it. And at the time that I was a guest member, I felt that it was fair for Platinum members to have more benefits than non-paying members. And, yes, to run the site costs money, so that it can continue.
I think that you will greatly benefit from becoming a Platinum member. My suggestion: Why don't you try it for 6 months or so? I think that you can have a membership for less than a year at a time. And you can participate with Browniz so that later you may can part of your fee paid with Broniz points.
Good luck and many happy jobs in return!
Lucinda ▲ Collapse
| | | | Rick Henry
United States
Local time: 01:26
Italian to English
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| Getting more work is the WORST reason to upgrade. | Jun 28, 2003 |
Yes, the title was meant to grab your attention, not burst any bubble of hope you have for more work. You may very well get more work as a result of going platinum, but that shouldn't be your reason for upgrading.
This site provides plenty of other reasons to give your support. Kudoz is one area. I don't do all that much answering anymore, but believe me, I use it daily for reference (kudoz quality remarks aside, I don't think anybody will argue that it's a great resource). The forums... See more Yes, the title was meant to grab your attention, not burst any bubble of hope you have for more work. You may very well get more work as a result of going platinum, but that shouldn't be your reason for upgrading.
This site provides plenty of other reasons to give your support. Kudoz is one area. I don't do all that much answering anymore, but believe me, I use it daily for reference (kudoz quality remarks aside, I don't think anybody will argue that it's a great resource). The forums are another area. Have any doubts about your CAT software? I'm betting you'll find someone who's had the same problem in the forums with an answer to your problem. Same goes for just about any other problem a translator faces... how to handle non-payers, invoicing, marketing, etc.
The number one reason for me to upgrade was marketability. There are other sites out there that you can register/financially support, but I truly believe that you'll find no other with as much market exposure as proz.com (although I'm sure you'll find others that same the same of site nnn, but for my market, proz.com gives me the most bang for the buck). I'm a freelancer. That means I spend at 35-40 percent of my time marketing my services. It's an ongoing thing. I've gained some valuable repeat clients from proz.com. And it really hasn't come from bidding on jobs. It's come from the client being able to do a search on a specific language pair and specialty. Then they can contact me directly with an inquiry.
Bottom line, I look at it as a business expense (my own), just as I look at purchasing business cards.
R.
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Mats Wiman
Sweden
Local time: 08:26
Member (2000)
German to Swedish
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In memoriam
is the most intelligent way to find an answer.
To be added: There are so many other reasons to support the site.
Mats Wiman
| | | | | What you see is what you get | Jun 29, 2003 |
I have been with Proz for a short while and have gone Platinum very early. Proz is the only translator service I pay for, because what you see is what you get. Others say: Pay first and then we show you ...
some even only inform you about a job in your language pair, but which job this is can only be seen by paying members. I think Proz offers quite a good deal of community, information and business for non-paying members, and I thought this very fair. And because I like that, I decided to... See more I have been with Proz for a short while and have gone Platinum very early. Proz is the only translator service I pay for, because what you see is what you get. Others say: Pay first and then we show you ...
some even only inform you about a job in your language pair, but which job this is can only be seen by paying members. I think Proz offers quite a good deal of community, information and business for non-paying members, and I thought this very fair. And because I like that, I decided to become Platinum to support the site. Maybe some of the job posters think similarly.
By the way: I have not received a single job through Proz up to now, but I like the place to meet with other translators. Getting jobs is not getting easier by becoming Platinum.
Good luck,
Claudia ▲ Collapse
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) arrives in my mailbox and I have the money of course....(60 days payment terms seem to get *normal) then I will upgrade...but not because I think I will get a job...you get job's because you do a good marketing for yourself, maybe create a nice homepage..... (I dont have one either
, but it will come...)
IN 2 years no job, woulkd not make me upgrade now...there would be other reasons, maybe earlier ( I am guest memebr since March 03)
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