So much for V123 understanding our complaints about ratings

[AlexisAdair]

In spite of Alex's personal promise that they were developing a new feedback and rating system, this customer service resources entry about Ratings was updated August 10:

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.

I can think of at least 8 different things wrong with that, but it's 3:00 a.m. and I'll just have to tear it apart later...

[JoeActor]

Alexis,

Not surprising in the least.

I'm betting that keywords will be turned on again soon, without any changes. They may already be on, and we're just not permitted to see them. After all, they're assigned by v123 staff, so neither the seekers or talent needs to see them.

Consider this: 2 of the largest underpinnings of SmartCast are currently non-funtional (Ratings and Keywords). What's left that's unique to SmartCast? Only the "Proprietary Factors" remain, so, Magic, basically. It's selecting talent based on round-robin, or how much you submit, or who-knows-what.

The car's on fire and the mechanics are busy polishing the hubcaps. I can't believe anyone thanks them anymore. "Gee, thanks a lot for adding that DELETE button - really saves me time deleting all of the closed leads I've been sent!"

Promises, PR, Insults, and Outright Lies... With a business plan like that, we don't have to lift a finger - Karma will do the job quite nicely!

Vaguely interested,
Joe J Thomas
www.JoeActor.com

[Lee Gordon]

Originally Posted by AlexisAdair

I can think of at least 8 different things wrong with that, but it's 3:00 a.m. and I'll just have to tear it apart later...

Well, the main thing that's wrong with it is you can't have one rating system for both the seeker's internal use in ranking specific leads for a specific job and for overall assessment of the relative proficiency of all available talents. If both of those functions need to exist, they need to be handled with separate systems.

I can imagine a scenario in which a voice seeker has listened to 50 demos and has narrowed his choices down to five and must now determine the final order of finish. Just to remind himself who's who, he gives the winner a 5, the runner-up a 4, the next guy a 3, the next guy a 2, and the 5th best demo a 1. All others get no ratings at all. In this situation, the 3rd, 4th, and 5th best candiates get severly penalized while there are no negative repercussions at all for the maybe 10-15 guys at the bottom of the heap who might be better suited to persue a career other than voiceovers.

[AlexisAdair]

Excellent example!!!

And yet V123 refuses to even explain to seekers how their ratings will be used, much less modify the system.

What a joke.

Oh, well, I have to work on that "letting it go" stuff you guys were talking about in that other thread...

:\ :roll:

[dnegrey]

Lee brought up a really good point with seekers using a descending number system to track their leads... it prompts me to share a story with you all ...

I got a "bad" rating from a voice seeker on V123. I wondered why, so I managed to track down who I believed was the company who gave it to me. I sent an email asking if they were in fact the company I was seeking. Their response was to PHONE me! They identified themselves as the correct company, and asked why I sent them the email.

I asked, why did I receive a "bad" rating from them on my audition? Was it truly bad? They told me that they didn't believe they gave me, or anyone else for that matter, a "bad" rating. They said they use the system for keeping track of applicants who best suited that particular job! This lead us into a detailed conversation wherein I explained my understanding of how the rating system worked - as explained to me by members of the staff at V123. They were surprised to learn how ratings factor into a talent's getting or not getting leads because of SmartCast. They also told me they couldn't believe talent was actually able to read their "ratings"; they said they were lead to believe that those "ratings" were for personal use in order to assist in keeping track of talent submissions.

Dear reader, you may be getting a sense of how this particular voice seeker was learning things about SmartCast they didn't enjoy hearing. Imagine, then, how shocked they were when I mentioned that we, as talents, were able to rate their job posting! After I told him this was the case, there was a 10-second pause on the phone before I heard the reply, "Really?"

Granted, this is only one episode among many. But when Lee mentioned, "... the 3rd, 4th, and 5th best candiates get severly penalized ..." he was clearly on target with respect to my personal experience with this particular voice seeker.

It would be interesting to read other's similar experiences.

[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

[Grant Holmes]

You guys can vote like I did.

Canceled my subscription and asked for a refund.

Of course, I have yet to hear back from them. I am NOT surprised.

[Amanda Geyer]

Originally Posted by Grant Holmes

Canceled my subscription and asked for a refund.

That'd be nice, if they honored it. Because I paid premium on the day CrapCast went live, I am ineligible for a refund. So sayeth them, and it's too bleepin' expensive for me to get official about it.

But there is no way that I am forking over another bleepin' penny to those liars next year.

[Grant Holmes]

Ask your credit card company about disputing the charge.

[Amanda Geyer]

PayPal, and it's been over 31 days. I'm just screwed, so I'm using them anyways. And stating quite firmly that it's not worth $295, when someone asks it of me.