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Poll: Which method do you prefer to improve your directory ranking position in your language pair?
Thread poster: ProZ.com Staff
Kay-Viktor Stegemann
Kay-Viktor Stegemann
Germany
Local time: 11:08
English to German
In memoriam
Not caring about ranking ... Apr 20, 2021

I do care about my ranking, at least sometimes. On the other hand, it might be a good idea to put those people up in the directory who do not care about their ranking

Anyway, the poll question implies that WWAs or forum participation have any influence on the ranking position right now. They have not. At this time, the deciding factors about your directory ranking are paid membership and Kudoz points. Period.


P.L.F. Persio
Maria Teresa Borges de Almeida
Christopher Schröder
MollyRose
 
Edith van der Have
Edith van der Have
Netherlands
Local time: 11:08
Member (2016)
English to Dutch
+ ...
Blackmail? Apr 20, 2021

The best way to rise up the rankings is to pay for membership. That’ll put you above freeloaders like me however green and useless you are and however many people I’ve helped out of trouble on KudoZ over the years.

Presumably that kind of blackmail is the only way of getting people to pay for membership.

The current system is misrepresentative, unfair and wrong.

ProZ is a business like any other: they deliver a useful service to many, need money for development and maintenance of the platform and want to make money on top of that. What's wrong with that? Paying members make this possible; non-paying members can still enjoy many benefits totally free of charge. As for me, I find paying for my ProZ membership a sound business decision, which has gained me a lot of interesting, well-paying clients over the years. But I'm sure that even with a free membership, it's possible to find good clients here. I outsource work occasionally, and I look in the non-paying member list (if I write to people myself) or enable non-paying members to contact me (if I publish a job ad), because there are many interesting colleagues to be found over there as well.

[Edited at 2021-04-20 15:11 GMT]


Maria Teresa Borges de Almeida
Christopher Schröder
P.L.F. Persio
Jorge Payan
Tanja Oresnik
Katarzyna Skroban
Yetta Jensen Bogarde
 
Christopher Schröder
Christopher Schröder
United Kingdom
Member (2011)
Swedish to English
+ ...
The commercial model Apr 20, 2021

Edith van der Have wrote:
ProZ is a business like any other: they deliver a useful service to many, need money for development and maintenance of the platform and want to make money on top of that. What's wrong with that? Paying members make this possible

You’re right. But it’s a shame it isn’t a non-profit thing. It probably comes across as such to outsiders, which is why the rankings are misrepresentative.

Ultimately it is just an old-school forum with a few extras that could be funded through unobtrusive advertising. Then it would be by translators, for translators, with no question marks over whether it does in fact have translators’ interests at heart.

Aren’t the moderators unpaid volunteers anyway?

But I’m beginning to sound like one of those bitter, ranty chaps on here, and that wasn’t my aim. It was just an off-the-cuff observation...


Hauke Christian
 
Vanda Nissen
Vanda Nissen  Identity Verified
Australia
Local time: 20:08
Member (2008)
English to Russian
+ ...
I've stopped checking my ranking a while ago Apr 21, 2021

I also doubt that participation in the Forums has anything to do with your ranking. Kudoz points are relevant as well as WWA entries, however your specialisation is the most important thing.

P.L.F. Persio
 
Edith van der Have
Edith van der Have
Netherlands
Local time: 11:08
Member (2016)
English to Dutch
+ ...
Why non-profit? Apr 21, 2021

Chris S wrote:
You’re right. But it’s a shame it isn’t a non-profit thing. It probably comes across as such to outsiders, which is why the rankings are misrepresentative.

Most translation agencies will see immediately that ProZ is a business for profit, and many translators probably do as well. In any case, I don't care they are; they have brought me a lot of profit over the years, so much that their subscription fee is next to nothing in comparison


Liena Vijupe
Christopher Schröder
Katarzyna Skroban
Yetta Jensen Bogarde
Maria da Glória Teixeira
 
Samuel Murray
Samuel Murray  Identity Verified
Netherlands
Local time: 11:08
Member (2006)
English to Afrikaans
+ ...
Paid membership and KudoZ points Apr 21, 2021

Tilak Raj wrote:
"Which method do you prefer to improve your directory ranking position in your language pair?"


As others have already said: there are only two ways to improve one's directory ranking at ProZ.com: first, you must buy paid membership, and secondly you must answer KudoZ questions and get points for it. Forum participation, awards, nativeness, WWAs and Blue Board participation, profile completeness etc. all have zero effect on your directory ranking. If you wish to improve your directory ranking, then it is against the rules to collude with one or more other translators to post unnecessary questions on KudoZ and then award points to each other deliberately (although I don't see how ProZ.com could detect this if it were to happen).

The current directory ranking system on ProZ.com favours old members over new members. We keep telling new users that most jobs that they get via ProZ.com will be from people visiting their profile page, but let's face it: if you've registered with ProZ.com after about 2005, your page is at a permanent disadvantage.


Christopher Schröder
Korana Lasić
 
Maria Teresa Borges de Almeida
Maria Teresa Borges de Almeida  Identity Verified
Portugal
Local time: 10:08
Member (2007)
English to Portuguese
+ ...
@All + site staff Apr 21, 2021

Isn’t each poll suggestion vetted by site staff? As this question is clearly wrong how come it wasn’t corrected by site staff?

Christopher Schröder
Yetta Jensen Bogarde
Muriel Vasconcellos
Bajram Djambazi
 
Robert Rietvelt
Robert Rietvelt  Identity Verified
Local time: 11:08
Member (2006)
Spanish to Dutch
+ ...
Which method do you prefer to improve your directory ranking position Apr 21, 2021

Actually none, I just let it live its own life.

expressisverbis
Christopher Schröder
Maria Teresa Borges de Almeida
Thayenga
Yetta Jensen Bogarde
MollyRose
 
Philip Lees
Philip Lees  Identity Verified
Greece
Local time: 12:08
Greek to English
Not exactly wrong Apr 21, 2021

Teresa Borges wrote:

Isn’t each poll suggestion vetted by site staff? As this question is clearly wrong how come it wasn’t corrected by site staff?


It is misleading, but not exactly wrong. Some people might prefer methods that don't actually work.



Liena Vijupe
Christopher Schröder
 
Liena Vijupe
Liena Vijupe  Identity Verified
Latvia
Local time: 12:08
Member (2014)
French to Latvian
+ ...
Freedom of speech? Apr 21, 2021

Teresa Borges wrote:

Isn’t each poll suggestion vetted by site staff? As this question is clearly wrong how come it wasn’t corrected by site staff?


I believe they only check whether a suggestion is not against the general rules and guidelines (obviously offensive, representing a certain ideology etc.). This question may be wrong, but there is nothing wrong with the question itself. I would find it strange if they corrected it, although a note from the staff would have been useful.


Philip Lees
Thayenga
 
Maria Teresa Borges de Almeida
Maria Teresa Borges de Almeida  Identity Verified
Portugal
Local time: 10:08
Member (2007)
English to Portuguese
+ ...
Freedom of speech? Maybe... Apr 21, 2021

Liena Vijupe wrote:

Teresa Borges wrote:

Isn’t each poll suggestion vetted by site staff? As this question is clearly wrong how come it wasn’t corrected by site staff?


I believe they only check whether a suggestion is not against the general rules and guidelines (obviously offensive, representing a certain ideology etc.). This question may be wrong, but there is nothing wrong with the question itself. I would find it strange if they corrected it, although a note from the staff would have been useful.


Over the years, I’ve suggested a few Quick Poll questions, some never saw the light of the day, two were posted (https://www.proz.com/polls/18805 and https://www.proz.com/polls/13724), the first one with small changes to the wording made by site staff (the options “I don’t know” and “Other” were added).


Muriel Vasconcellos
 
Barbara Cochran, MFA
Barbara Cochran, MFA  Identity Verified
United States
Local time: 06:08
Spanish to English
+ ...
Why Should Any Translator Really Care... Apr 21, 2021

...about her/his rating on translators' websites if she/he is usually too busy with translation work to look it up or even think about it that much? No prospective client of any kind has ever asked me to divulge such information, although in one case, mine is readily available/visible. The client, in the case of a literary project, might instead just ask me for a sample, which I gladly supply, whether it's an excerpt from something I have already created, or if they agree to pay me for one that ... See more
...about her/his rating on translators' websites if she/he is usually too busy with translation work to look it up or even think about it that much? No prospective client of any kind has ever asked me to divulge such information, although in one case, mine is readily available/visible. The client, in the case of a literary project, might instead just ask me for a sample, which I gladly supply, whether it's an excerpt from something I have already created, or if they agree to pay me for one that is of specific pertinence to their project. Anyway, I think academic ratings are much more important for literary translators than the ratings that appear on systems like the one that this website has come up with, where most of the users have other specializations. Anyway, I am quite pleased that proz has allowed me to create a beautiful page as a part of their pool of literary translators, because it's quite possible that some prospective clients may have contacted me based on what they saw of me there.

[Edited at 2021-04-21 13:28 GMT]

[Edited at 2021-04-21 23:36 GMT]
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Yetta Jensen Bogarde
Christopher Schröder
Josephine Cassar
Gibril Koroma
 
matt robinson
matt robinson  Identity Verified
Spain
Local time: 11:08
Member (2010)
Spanish to English
What difference does it really make? Apr 21, 2021

I would be very surprised if clients are using directory ranking in order to make decisions regarding the translators they wish to work with; at most I think it would be a very marginal part of the selection process.
As it stands, and as has already been stated, payment and Kudos are the only ways to improve your ranking.
I pay because I think the site is a valuable resource, not to improve my ranking. I would continue to pay if Kudos were removed, or the ranking system were remove
... See more
I would be very surprised if clients are using directory ranking in order to make decisions regarding the translators they wish to work with; at most I think it would be a very marginal part of the selection process.
As it stands, and as has already been stated, payment and Kudos are the only ways to improve your ranking.
I pay because I think the site is a valuable resource, not to improve my ranking. I would continue to pay if Kudos were removed, or the ranking system were removed. Translation can be a solitary means of earning a living, and it provides a form of connection with others, even if it is not on the scale of traditional workplace relations.
I answer and ask Kudos questions because I sometimes need help, and I don't mind helping others out when I can. I also find Kudos interesting, in that questions often arise in fields that are not my own, and I gain an insight into the work of others ( I don't usually answer those!)
As for the poll questions, some can seem strange or irrelevant, but when there is no change of question for weeks on end I find myself looking to see if it has changed, so I guess I must like the idea in some way.
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Maria Teresa Borges de Almeida
Philip Lees
expressisverbis
Christopher Schröder
Robert Rietvelt
Gibril Koroma
 
Christine Andersen
Christine Andersen  Identity Verified
Denmark
Local time: 11:08
Member (2003)
Danish to English
+ ...
There's no such thing as a free dinner Apr 21, 2021

[quote]Chris S wrote:

... But it’s a shame it isn’t a non-profit thing. It probably comes across as such to outsiders, which is why the rankings are misrepresentative.

Ultimately it is just an old-school forum with a few extras that could be funded through unobtrusive advertising. Then it would be by translators, for translators, with no question marks over whether it does in fact have translators’ interests at heart.

Aren’t the moderators unpaid volunteers anyway?
...


I prefer the business model. You can criticise it, and on Proz.com you will probably be told that the majority like it the way it is! Not always, however. I have actually had a suggestion implemented, and I am not the only one.
In fact quite a lot of hard work goes on to keep the site up and running, and it is only fair to pay a realistic salary to real professionals. Otherwise all the services and features, conferences, trainings etc. etc. would not be possible.

I attended a very interesting conference where the main proposal was to drop the voluntary moderators. Many people were quite upset, and Henry was persuaded to bear with them, but on a time-limited basis. A handful of the original pioneers are still moderators, including the very first moderator of all, and a number of others have been moderators for many years. I felt it was more than I was able to do properly, so when my term expired, I did not volunteer again. Men greetings, respect, and my sincere thanks to those who are (still) active moderators!

I regard ranking as a necessary evil!
Out of the options, I voted for Kudoz, because it is actually quite civilized and useful in my language pairs. However, leaders are exposed to ALL outsourcers who use the directories, and the ones who actually send me jobs are few and far between these days.
Nevertheless, over the years, a lot of good clients have found me through the directory, and with the other activities, especially the powwows, my subscription has been worth every cent.

Samuel Murray wrote

The current directory ranking system on ProZ.com favours old members over new members. We keep telling new users that most jobs that they get via ProZ.com will be from people visiting their profile page, but let's face it: if you've registered with ProZ.com after about 2005, your page is at a permanent disadvantage.


Here I agree. Should there be some cut-off as far as ranking is concerned, a bit like the Blue Board?
KudoZ already registers recent leaders - the last 3 months, the last 12 months and all time.
Perhaps activity in the last twelve months should be used for ranking, so that the directories are not hopelessly dominated by all-time points grabbers from a period when Kudoz was a lot more active, and it was easier to gain points.



[Edited at 2021-04-21 23:30 GMT]


P.L.F. Persio
Christopher Schröder
Korana Lasić
 
Muriel Vasconcellos
Muriel Vasconcellos  Identity Verified
United States
Local time: 03:08
Member (2003)
Spanish to English
+ ...
Why I participate in KudoZ Apr 22, 2021

This may be off-topic, but I never thought of participating in KudoZ as a means of rising in the Directory. I do it because I use the site when I need answers myself and I want to pay it forward. I also enjoy the discussions with colleagues and learning new terms.

I have been paying dues since 2003 because the site has been helpful to me in a variety of ways and I understand that it costs money to keep it going.

[Edited at 2021-04-22 06:28 GMT]


Christopher Schröder
Noni Gilbert Riley
Christine Andersen
Maria Teresa Borges de Almeida
Josephine Cassar
Philip Lees
MollyRose
 
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Poll: Which method do you prefer to improve your directory ranking position in your language pair?






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