[JoeActor]

Hello all,

Here's an update from Voice123 on the rating system: Voice123 Ratings FAQ

Remember when Juan posted this message on Aug 2nd:

Thank you everyone for your feedback. We are listening to all of your comments, and although the new rating system will take a few months to be developed, small issues will be addressed earlier. For this particular topic, the interface where the voice seeker provides the rating will change. We expect this to be ready by the end of next week.

It was my understanding that they were going to rework the way Ratings are done, but this looks to me like the same old information, posted in a shiny new FAQ. I've posted the sections below for easy review. The bolding is mine, and I will leave it to you to draw your own conclusions from the material...

What is the objective of the rating system?
* The main objective of the rating system is to allow voice seekers to keep track of the auditions and proposals that they like the most for any given project. Voice123 then allows voice seekers to sort through the auditions and proposals they have received, by the rating they provided, so that they can quickly access the ones they gave a high rating. We also tell voice seekers that the rating they provide will be used for statistical purposes to help us improve the industry. Mostly, the rating a voice seeker provides is comprehensive and legitimate. It takes into account the demos or auditions they are listening to, how it applies to the project description, as well as the quoted price and the remarks provided by the talents or voice producers. Some talents and voice producers have asked why we don't allow the voice seeker to rate each audition or proposal in several areas or in different ways. We do it this way because the main objective of the rating system is for voice seekers to sort their auditions and we want to keep it simple. If we provide too many questions or options, most voice seekers would not use the feature.

How can I see the ratings I have received?
* You can observe the ratings you have received in your "Audition Outbox." To access it, please make sure you are signed into Voice123. Please note that not all voice seekers rate the auditions that are submitted to them. As such, you may see that some auditions have been opened, yet they have not been rated.

What can I do with the information received from the rating system?
* You can evaluate your experience. After you have received several ratings, you can infer what audition and business techniques work best for you, this will assist you in getting better ratings. You can also evaluate what types of projects were best suited for you.

How does Voice123 SmartCast use the ratings?
* Voice123 SmartCast uses many factors to determine which voice talents and producers are invited first to audition to each project. The ratings received by each voice talent and producer are one of many factors. Voice123 SmartCast gives preference to voice talents and producers that constantly get ratings above the average. If the voice seeker rates your audition or proposal with the worst possible rating - "Never again," SmartCast won't invite you again to projects posted by this voice seeker.

Can the rating system be abused?
* We have implemented several tools to detect abuse of the system. Ratings that don't seem to be legitimate will not be taken into consideration by SmartCast. We have also implemented statistical analysis techniques to take into account that some voice seekers may be too tough when rating auditions or proposals.

What can I do if I got a bad rating?
* Don't worry! It is not the end of your career! You should begin to take note, if you constantly get ratings below average. Step out of your voice talent or producer shoes and take a look at your rating from the seeker's point of view (Maybe your quotes are very high or very low? Was the sound quality really your best? Maybe this is just a mistake? Should I even worry about this or just move on?). Be the pro you know you can be, and see if you can figure out why this is happening. If you usually get ratings above average, one or two bad ratings will NOT hurt your rating history significantly.

My conclusions about the Rating System:
Nothing has changed.
Nothing will be changed.
Seekers will continue to believe the rating system is mainly for them.
SmartCast will use the information to rank us, the Talent.
Bad ratings are our own fault, and it's up to us to "figure out why this is happening".

Happy Tuesday Morning,
Joe J Thomas
www.JoeActor.com