| Pages in topic: < [1 2] | "Job poster has restricted access to paying members"--explanation? Thread poster: Dinorah Maria Tijerino-Acosta
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| Greed vs. improvement | Jun 26, 2003 |
The way this platform has developed over the last couple of months, I'm just glad I didn't prolong my Platinum membership. I'd be ashamed to finance such a system and help satisfy the greed of the few at the expense of the many. You'd really think there is enough exploitation going on in our branch...
| | | | two2tango 
Argentina
Local time: 17:29
Member
English to Spanish
+ ...
| Just an option | Jun 26, 2003 |
mk_lab wrote:
Customers would be happy of this choice! Now our professionalism depends on paying/non-paying status. Congratulations!
Customers should have no reason to complain, since this is an option they can use or leave unused.
Enrique
| | | | Anne Seerup
Ireland
Local time: 21:29
English to Danish
+ ...
| I am so angry!! | Jun 26, 2003 |
I happen to have paid for a premium membership while it still existed - which means I am a paying member, but now I don't have access to the jobs either...feel cheated. I was going to upgrade my membership to platinum once it expires..can I not at least have the benefits until then.. GRRR
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| Limitations are good for translators, too (as well as clients and ProZ.com) | Jun 26, 2003 |
Gabriele Zöttl wrote:
The way this platform has developed over the last couple of months, I'm just glad I didn't prolong my Platinum membership. I'd be ashamed to finance such a system and help satisfy the greed of the few at the expense of the many...
If you were a client, you might not feel that way. Clients have unfortunately become accustomed to bids in the wrong language pairs, stock spams from would-be agencies and invitations from competing sites. This has been discussed in the forums previously.
What we have done here is give clients a way to say "I don't want to hear from just anyone who finds my posting while browsing the web." The fact that some clients are taking advantage of that option, with no economic incentive (laws of suppply and demand say it should *raise* the average bid price) confirms that it was necessary. The fact that not just anyone walking down the street can bid is good for ProZ.com, that's true, but it is also good for clients, and perhaps above all, it is good for serious translators--like yourself.
| | | | Yelena.
United Kingdom
Local time: 21:29
English to Russian
+ ...
| not a solution | Jun 26, 2003 |
Henry wrote:
Clients have unfortunately become accustomed to bids in the wrong language pairs, stock spams from would-be agencies and invitations from competing sites. This has been discussed in the forums previously.
Unfortunately, clients will still get unsolicited emails and spam as some translators get hold of their email addresses and contact them directly.
I myself posted a job yesterday and got lots of emails from people offering their services NOT RELATED TO THE PROJECT I POSTED. It's very irritating, but I don’t think that restricted bidding will solve the problem.
| | | | Uldis Liepkalns
Latvia
Local time: 23:29
Member (2003)
English to Latvian
+ ...
| These are harsh und unfair words | Jun 26, 2003 |
I do not see any greed anywhere on this site, except maybe on part of people, who expect others, e.g., site staff to work for free and upkeep this wonderful site at their own expense, so these particular members can get profit (namely- help and jobs- which CONSTITUTES profit) for nothing.
Uldis
Gabriele Zöttl wrote:
The way this platform has developed over the last couple of months, I'm just glad I didn't prolong my Platinum membership. I'd be ashamed to finance such a system and help satisfy the greed of the few at the expense of the many. You'd really think there is enough exploitation going on in our branch...
[Edited at 2003-06-26 15:12]
[Edited at 2003-06-26 22:01]
| | | | Nikita Kobrin
Lithuania
Local time: 23:29
Member (2010)
English to Russian
+ ...
| Restricted access is quite annoying | Jun 26, 2003 |
Something similar is practised by [...another site...]: they send you an e-mail notification about a new job posted at their website in your language pair, then you can click on the link and go there to see the description of the project. Everything is fine until you want to contact the job poster for quoting. All you can see instead of contact details or a contact link is the following notification: "In order to view this user's contact information, you must purchase full membership."
... See more Something similar is practised by [...another site...]: they send you an e-mail notification about a new job posted at their website in your language pair, then you can click on the link and go there to see the description of the project. Everything is fine until you want to contact the job poster for quoting. All you can see instead of contact details or a contact link is the following notification: "In order to view this user's contact information, you must purchase full membership."
Do you want to know the result? I don't visit that site anymore. Even when I get notifications for my pair.
I understand that the ProZ staff work hard and should be remunerated but I'm afraid it's not the best way to make us upgrade from iron to platinum. There're better ways to make us pay: for example we could pay a commission to the site for the jobs we obtain via it.
Regards,
Nikita Kobrin
[Edited at 2003-07-02 08:38] ▲ Collapse
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| Thanks - I had forgotten premium members | Jun 29, 2003 |
Anne Seerup wrote:
I happen to have paid for a premium membership while it still existed - which means I am a paying member, but now I don't have access to the jobs either...feel cheated. I was going to upgrade my membership to platinum once it expires..can I not at least have the benefits until then.. GRRR
Thanks, Anne. Not too many Premium members remain, and I had forgotten them. We have decided to bump Premium members up to platinum for the remainder of their terms.
Sorry for the oversight.
| | | | | To pay or not to pay? | Jul 1, 2003 |
To pay or not to pay? - That is the dilema that every person needs to solve individualy. Of course, if you pay, you simply expect something in return. Don't you?
I am supposed to renew my membership soon and I am considering if it is worth it. Actually, I think that the Platinum members should get more benefits.
I don't mind paying, I know this site needs support, and I don't think many of us can volunteer much, most of us do this for money. It's our profession. The same thing with... See more To pay or not to pay? - That is the dilema that every person needs to solve individualy. Of course, if you pay, you simply expect something in return. Don't you?
I am supposed to renew my membership soon and I am considering if it is worth it. Actually, I think that the Platinum members should get more benefits.
I don't mind paying, I know this site needs support, and I don't think many of us can volunteer much, most of us do this for money. It's our profession. The same thing with the Proz people. Sad, but true - we all need money, and we all try to get the most for our money. Don't we?
And another thought: if you are living in some countries where the Proz membership might seem a bit to high, you might have an advantage of lower costs of living, and then you can probably charge a bit less for your translation - and get more jobs! Isn't that right?
Anyway, good luck to everybody in reaching that decision, and let it be the right one for you - whatever it is. ▲ Collapse
| | | | Edward Potter
Spain
Local time: 22:29
Member (2003)
Spanish to English
+ ...
| Platinum bidding option | Jul 2, 2003 |
I posted my first job under the new restrictive system and it worked great. My job was urgent and I needed to find several translators fast. I restricted bidding to non-paying members for 12 hours and ended up getting the job under control quickly. Also, I ended up using a couple of non-paying translators who replied after the 12 hour restriction that I chose.
I did receive one sarcastic message from a non-payer telling me how wrong I was for choosing to restrict access (i.e. tel... See more I posted my first job under the new restrictive system and it worked great. My job was urgent and I needed to find several translators fast. I restricted bidding to non-paying members for 12 hours and ended up getting the job under control quickly. Also, I ended up using a couple of non-paying translators who replied after the 12 hour restriction that I chose.
I did receive one sarcastic message from a non-payer telling me how wrong I was for choosing to restrict access (i.e. telling me how to run my business). Great. I may have used this translator and found out later, rather than sooner, that this person was unprofessional.
A translator who pays for membership to professional associations and websites just gives me one more reason to trust in that person's seriousness.
Edward Potter ▲ Collapse
| | | | Parrot
Spain
Local time: 22:29
Spanish to English
+ ...
| How fair is it? | Jul 2, 2003 |
You may remember the public complaint of one outsourcer who specified a software and found - at deadline time - that his translator was still in the process of borrowing it.
I worked for another outsourcer who put a team together, only to find that one of the components was second-language non-native translating A>B. The proofreader stayed up for 48 hours on a weekend and the project was moved back as much. How fair do you find that?
Both outsourcers (and the proofreade... See more You may remember the public complaint of one outsourcer who specified a software and found - at deadline time - that his translator was still in the process of borrowing it.
I worked for another outsourcer who put a team together, only to find that one of the components was second-language non-native translating A>B. The proofreader stayed up for 48 hours on a weekend and the project was moved back as much. How fair do you find that?
Both outsourcers (and the proofreader) were paying members, and one of them had a BB rating of straight 5s - nothing to laugh at or risk lightly.
This is not to say that all Platinum members are better than guest members, but the fact that one pays for better exposure (and other things like software) and backs his profile with reliable information (not just to fish jobs for some presumed second-tier marketplace willing to assume second-tier risks for second-tier prices) DOES help the other half of the market in making critical decisions. "Targeting" can work in favour of translators, in favour of outsourcers, or in favour of some translators and some outsourcers. Unless I'm mistaken, this was the idea.
All those new icons in the profile pages have a meaning. In the long run, Platinum is only ONE deciding factor. ▲ Collapse
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T_Herrmann (X)
Local time: 22:29
German to English
+ ...
Parrot wrote:
(not just to fish jobs for some presumed second-tier marketplace willing to assume second-tier risks for second-tier prices)
Having just separated from a internationally active multi-billion dollar corp. after 7 yrs. (which highly appreciated my services as full-time employed translator and project manager) I have to tell you that you've really made me feel welcome. I am glad that "not all" Platinum members are better than me. But of course, after giving up such an employment to deal with the risks of working on my own bill, how could you possibly know if I am serious about my job? Maybe we're all just fishing...?
| | | | Parrot
Spain
Local time: 22:29
Spanish to English
+ ...
You're certainly welcome, T_Hermann - we look forward to knowing more about you.
But some places would insist you throw back the small fry in the interests of repopulation...
| | | | | why still no client preferences shown in notification emails? | Aug 6, 2003 |
On July 26, a ProZ newsletter said:
"(4) Clients give platinum-only option.
Earlier this month, certain preferences were made available to job posters. Clients may, at their own discretion, limit their job postings by certain criteria, including membership level, country, tools, etc. Some
clients are choosing to be contacted only by paying members. Others open up the jobs to non-paying members after a certain period of time has elapsed.
If you are not... See more On July 26, a ProZ newsletter said:
"(4) Clients give platinum-only option.
Earlier this month, certain preferences were made available to job posters. Clients may, at their own discretion, limit their job postings by certain criteria, including membership level, country, tools, etc. Some
clients are choosing to be contacted only by paying members. Others open up the jobs to non-paying members after a certain period of time has elapsed.
If you are not a platinum member, you will notice indications of these client preferences on job pages and in job notification emails."
This last bit is not the case. I just received a job notification which I'm quoting in its entirety:
"New job posting on ProZ.com:
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English to Danish
Title: English-Danish
Posted by (company): European Translation Centre Ltd
Posted by (name): Joachim Koehler
URL: http://www.proz.com/job/40841
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Do not reply to this email. Go to the URL."
There is no mention that the job poster had restricted quoting to platinum members for 24 hours or so.
If you (Henry et al) think I'll log on to ProZ, see this information, and instantly be suckered into upgrading, you are very much mistaken. I just get mad for having my time wasted.
Please show some respect for serious non-paying members. Another way you could do this is would be to show non-paying members straight away when clients search with specific keywords and no platinum members meet the requirements.
Feeling bullied, but hoping this is just an oversight,
Mads
Nikita Kobrin wrote:
Something similar is practised by her site...]: they send you an e-mail notification about a new job posted at their website in your language pair, then you can click on the link and go there to see the description of the project. Everything is fine until you want to contact the job poster for quoting. All you can see instead of contact details or a contact link is the following notification: "In order to view this user's contact information, you must purchase full membership."
Do you want to know the result? I don't visit that site anymore. Even when I get notifications for my pair. ▲ Collapse
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