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My pet peeve is clients who request an exact word count. Just 300 words, 400 words whatever. Not 300-350, 400-500, exactly xxx words. What would happen if I went over the word count and let the client have the extra words for free? Time is precious and I would rather give away words for free than spend time reducing the word count to an exact number.

added by: author Writer Guy on 04/16/2011 - 04.24

1. I would like to see the jobs that specify UK English, British Australian, English, etc. segregated so I don't have to waste my time opening each one only to find out it has that requirement.

2. Speaking of time.... it takes sooooo long to open and exit an item that I dread coming over here to see what's available. Maybe there could be a preview option that could help rule out tasks without being so cumbersome.

3. Sometimes it takes way too long to get approval. When there's a batch of similar items, I hesitate to do to many of them for fear that I haven't properly read the client's mind. The last thing I want is to come back a week later and have to waste my time accommodating someone with expectations that were not stated in the instructions.

Faster approval response would help reduce the risk I face as an author.

4. Perhaps a client response time should be required as part of each listing too. For example, when it's getting close to payout time, it would be beneficial for me to focus on the jobs that would be quickly approved rather than risk waiting days upon days hoping that the client will take action.

5. I've been there with Writer Guy. Who knows if the exact word count means that they will reject it if it goes over? This is symptomatic of something to which I have already alluded: too much is left up to conjecture. I am not a mind reader and similarly, I do not appreciate the significant amount of risk I assume every time I do work here.

added by: author San on 04/16/2011 - 08.02

I have a direct order client who prefers a certain style and we have developed a very good working relationship, however, I believe that because of that I'll never be able to rise above 4 stars.
Is there any other way to make it to level 5?
Thank you for the open forum feedback and the opportunity to connect with the editors.
Best Regards to you.

added by: author A-037200 on 04/16/2011 - 09.50

I'd like to hear more about TB's grading process and how it works. Do the editors just skim each article and look for major errors or do they check each line carefully? Does each editor read a group of articles from the same writer or do they get one article from one writer so they don't get tired of reading the same writing style?

I understand my grading process question might be business information that you want to keep confidential. As an alternate question, you could introduce the editorial team to us and just say one of their likes/dislikes or something like that.

added by: author A-044867 on 04/16/2011 - 09.56

I agree with you as exact number of words take up precious time. Another question is sometimes the directions are not clear and getting an e-mail from the client takes too long or never comes. When the article is due in 24 hours especially over the weekend I have to turn it in before it's clarified which is a reflection on my rating. Can this be changed?

added by: author A-030495 on 04/16/2011 - 11.41

Another way to look at this is to consider that if you had a word range of, say 350-400 words, and your article was only 398 words, you would be leaving two words' worth of money on the table.

added by: author A-048997 on 04/16/2011 - 11.48

Many times I would like to take an assignment but the client wants the article written by someone who can write in British or Aussie slang. Have you considered pointing out to potential clients that you only accept writers from the United States? I can't imagine there are that many dual citizens writing for Textbroker. It seems like these clients are destined to be an unsatisfied. Judging by the language in the instructions, I'd say they've rejected quite a few articles or at least had to request many rewrites.

added by: author A-053116 on 04/16/2011 - 01.22

I have gone over on a few occasions. Just a few words, but I agreed that it wasn't worth the time to keep trying to reduce it when i thought it was perfect. They were accepted without comment. So I guess it was okay?

added by: author Patty29 on 04/16/2011 - 01.28

Does the client's rating affect your score?

For example, suppose I break every rule about commas, semicolons, and underwater bears. However, the client gives me full excellent ratings in all categories.

Would you highlight the errors, but give a me higher score? How much does the client's satisfaction play into your overall rating?

added by: author JohnB on 04/16/2011 - 01.56

Hey Wroter Guy,
Word-shaving is an essential tool for penning effectual minimalist prose, especially when dealing with press releases and other spatial domain-related articles. It’s a good idea to practice this discipline, yet it may a better idea to avoid these types of assignments altogether. I know. Pet peeves are pet peeves and you’re not alone on this topic. Clients who request exact word counts are revealing more about their idiosyncrasies than anything else. As authors, we may want to look at ourselves before getting irritated with those who are indirectly signing our checks.

Peace

added by: author A-047696 on 04/16/2011 - 02.05

Quick question - are ratings to instructions anonymous?

added by: author sunwriter on 04/16/2011 - 02.34

There was one assignment I did not take as they were looking for a very casual style. Much of the writing I have done in the past has used sentence fragments for effect. Like this. Make a point. If this style is desired by the client, will it lower our rating as an author?

added by: author MaryE on 04/16/2011 - 07.57

I have gone over the word count on a few occasions by a word or two, with no problem what so ever.

added by: author Yazz on 04/16/2011 - 08.40

I know the answer to that one - Yes, they are. The rating is only between you and the client. I asked last week!

I'd like to know if we could see what the screen looks like on the client's side, before and after an article is submitted. Not for nothing, but I think some clients try to get 2 articles by asking for a renovation. And I'm just curious.

added by: author LizG on 04/16/2011 - 08.48

I thought it was stated clearly that if they ask for 400 words on the dot, that is a minimum. I just try to go around 400. If I give 'em 410, whatever. I just wouldn't want to go way over the limit, or I am just working for free.
As for Aussie and UK English, I just don't touch them. Even though I am pretty familiar with it, I am bound to forget some random UK spelling or whatever. Not sure who does those here.

added by: author A-053148 on 04/16/2011 - 11.23

I get how Toast Broken relates to Textbroker but what do Underwater Bears relate to? They sound like cool creatures, but do they have professional writing skills and, if so, where do they snag their water-resistant laptops?

Thanks!

added by: author Gabriella on 04/16/2011 - 11.33

Textbroker said that our ratings on client instructions show up as an overall average; however, if you take the article and give them a bad score, won't they figure out you gave them that score? I'm wondering then, do they see the rating on the article instructions right away, or AFTER they accept the article?

JohnB, client rating has absolutely ZERO effect on TB ratings, thank goodness! Some clients will give lousy ratings to great articles. TB's ratings are completely independent of client ratings.

added by: author EditingMom on 04/17/2011 - 03.37

I don't have many questions to ask the editor, because I'm a fairly good writer...IF I know exactly what the client wants. I absolutely agree with the other authors of the frustration trying to read clients' minds.

The thing is, I've been on both sides: an author AND a client. I've learned, as a client I must be specific or I won't get what I want.

Too often, I see assignments that say "Write me 10 articles on black kittens that are 350 - 400 words long" without any mention of specifics such as voice or dialect.

Do they want the voice to be formal as in a Newsweek article? Or informal for a blog? Should it be slightly formal such as a salesperson talking to a potential client? Or should sound like a friend talking to another friend? Do they want 'spicy' language? Do they want it to be funny?

I personally believe the form clients must fill out is too short to give authors any real information. I propose a drop down box with voice and some examples so clients know what they will get -- and another drop down for dialect information.

Yes, the clients will spend the first month after this change whining about how it sucks to fill out all this info. BUT when they start getting exactly what they want on the first iteration, they will come back for more and rave about the good results they receive from textbroker.

added by: author A-066180 on 04/17/2011 - 05.37

I would appreciate any thing that gets money in my pocket sooner. Also, bring more clients into the system! Same as always. Make sure that you auto approve jobs 72 hours later so that I can receive the payment on the next payday as soon as possible. Thank you very much.

added by: author ryan444123 on 04/18/2011 - 12.09

My question concerns revision. It is very annoying to do a revision and then be asked to do three or four more! One revision is enough. Clients need to be more specific with their instructions. It would be nice to develop a new rule; One revision only and then let TB decide if article is approved.

added by: author Suzie Q on 04/18/2011 - 06.56

I got pretty discouraged here because I would turn in an article based on the specifications given, then was asked to rewrite with specifications that weren't included in the original order. After that happened a couple of times, I quit. It just doesn't make monetary sense to spend time rewriting. Before that, I was having fun and making a little money. I just wonder if we have any recourse other than just rewriting. Can we protest? Does anyone protest? How does Textbroker resolve conflicts?

added by: author A-007099 on 04/18/2011 - 10.38

I too would like to see the articles which are to be written in UK English, Australian dialect, etc listed separately in the assignment list. It is very time consuming and disappointing to read through article requests to only find out near the end that the request is for a specific language.

Also, it would be nice for clients to respond to an author's email more quickly. There are times when I have a question for a client before I can write the article but the deadline is just about up before I even get an answer. I usually just go back and decline the article request if it's a major question or just submit what I have already done. Is there a deadline for clients to respond to author questions?

added by: author A-056574 on 04/19/2011 - 02.55

I have a question about the general TB grading process. I am actually a teacher and do very much appreciate this aspect here. When I started working here I started out at a level 4. As my articles have come back from the TB graders, my rating has remained at a level 4 (truthfully, I didn't know until now what the process was or that it was even possible to move up to 5).

But, I have noticed that along with occassional minor missing or wanted commas, I have gotten comments saying that the article was level 5 work and that I deserved a 5...yet, each time, they gave the grade of 4.

For the first time, this week, I had one article come back with 2 minor mistakes pointed out...I'm still not convinced they were mistakes, they referred to word choice and redundancy, which is what the client asked for...but anyway...that article was the first one I've ever had that came back graded at a level 3. When it was averaged with all of the level 4 articles, my overall average still came out to a level 4.


But, it made me wonder something. If you can lower individual articles when grading, why, if an article deserves a level 5 (which is what the graders have written on mine) why isn't it given the 5? I understand averaging them, but if you are going to average a lower grade in, why wouldn't level 5 work be graded as such?

added by: author Mindy F on 04/20/2011 - 03.36

Just one more quick thing....

After reading over the new rules for earning and keeping a level 5 rating, it made me wonder a bit about the process. I saw that several other writers were concerned about the rule stating that once you move to a 5, the only way to stay there is to be mistake free. Many writers are concerned, me included, about a stupid mistake being the reason for demotion back to level 4.

So, I'm suggesting a sort of compromise on this one. What if, as you grade the assignments, you continued to average the ratings? Because some writers have written hundreds of articles here and others only a handful, maybe you could average the work monthly?

But, in any case, perhaps in exchange for a more lenient process of holding the professional standing, what if you paid out on each article based on the grade it gets? If a level 5 writer turns in work that only earns a level 4 grade, then level 4 pay is what that one article deserves. Maybe doing this, with a 3 strikes and you're out rule, or something, would feel more "fair".

added by: author Mindy F on 04/20/2011 - 03.49

I go over on word count almost all the time, and have never had
any problems.

My only comment is to please keep the orders coming, TextBroker!

added by: author JMCM on 04/21/2011 - 09.04

Hello editors!
My question is about DirectOrders. I had a client send me a DirectOrder with a 24 hr deadline, but I had a question about their instructions. I emailed them before I accepted the article, but they did not write me back within the 24 hrs. The article is still sitting there three days later, but they have still not written me back. So my question is: how long do I have to accept a DirectOrder before it expires? Do they ever expire?

I am also curious about the underwater bears...

Thank you!

added by: author Imara6mara on 04/23/2011 - 02.31

Hi everyone,
Im new to textbroker and i am confused by how much i am getting paid for an article, the way that the amount is written out dosnt seem to add up...for instance if you did an article tht paid $5 a word for a 700 word article why is it showing in my account as 5.00$ or it says you cant ask for a payrequest until there is a minimum of $10...can someone help me out here cuz i know after all my work i dnt just have $5 in my account....

added by: author WrdLovr31 on 04/27/2011 - 01.12

Hi WrdLovr31,

Welcome! I believe that the rates per word are (in cents) 0.7 (2 stars), 1.0 (3), 1.4 (4), and 5.0 (5). As such, depending on your current rating/level, a 700 word article would range anywhere from $4.90 (2 stars) to $35 (5 stars).

Hope that is helpful!

added by: author A-014480 on 04/30/2011 - 12.46

I routinely do articles requesting UK or Australian English, and have never been asked for a re-write or received a rejection. And, yes, I have found that sentence fragments do affect your evaluation, even if they are suitable for the assignment.

added by: author A-049147 on 04/30/2011 - 10.58

The auto-acceptance time is kind of a mess. I understand that things have been backed up, but is it really necessary to give clients three days? Which is actually four, given the slowness of auto-accept. We have a day to write most articles. Clients have other tasks to attend, I'm sure, but shouldn't it be more equal?

If they need an article written in a day, then they should have to approve it within 24 hours of submission. If they allow three days, then they have more time to approve. Set an upper limit of three days, maximum, and at most, on a 24-hour assignment, give them an extra 12 hours for timezone differences. Having to wait four days for approval is problematic. I know that any amounts not approved give a head start on the next payout, but never knowing what will clear and what won't, for such a significant number of days leading up to a payout, is problematic.

Also, regarding evaluations: The proofreading test requires that all correct answers be selected, however incorrect they may appear. It doesn't seem that editors follow this rule, however, in evaluations. There are subjective comments and times when something is technically correct, yet still marked wrong. There is also inconsistency. Expecting absolute perfection from writers for level 5, while not providing it from the evaluating editors isn't right. It also seems like a few scattered, misplaced commas are more important than actual writing content.

added by: author bets on 04/30/2011 - 03.12

I recently took the proof reading test. Unfortunately, I only answered 80 percent correctly. I do not know what I answered incorrectly. When I asked if I could find out, I was told no. You cannot learn from a mistake if you do not know what mistakes you made. Mistakes are teaching tools. I think it would be very helpful to TB and myself to know what mistakes were made. After all, higher pay for me means higher pay for TB.

Will you consider changing your policy so that the test taker knows what mistakes they made?

Thanks for the opportunity to ask the question.

added by: author K9 PALACE on 04/30/2011 - 04.21

I have another one, related to re-work requests.

I get tee-ed off when you follow every single instruction provided by the client and then I get a change request saying something like, "please rewrite so that this makes sense."

Do you know what I think happens a lot? They order one job, copy it (i.e. for use), reject it and then wait for the revision to come in. Do that three or four times and they have three for the price of one. Heck, they might even reject it in the end and not have to pay a dime.

After all, they all know that we are afraid to have an official "rejection" on our record

Sure, I know that that's against the terms of service, but they know that violations are going to be hard to prove. Besides, TB gets their revenue from the client, so they will probably be reluctant to give one the boot.

Of course, there's a problem with asking a writer to have it make sense because (1) making sense is quite obviously in the mind of the beholder and (2) with some of the keywords they use, it is impossible to make everything make sense.

FINALLY, I think there needs to be a rating system for clients. If someone has had a hellacious experience with a client, I want to know about it before that client ends up wasting my time too.

Knowing that they are getting rated, clients got rated might also pressure them into acting like civilized human beings rather than irrational childish tyrants.

added by: author San on 04/30/2011 - 05.33

Many client and instructions are far from perfect, but if we are too hard on clients there will be no clients.

Just a thought.

added by: author A-047080 on 04/30/2011 - 10.20

I am new and still trying to understand the TB process. I have been at level 3 consistently for some time now what can I do to improve my articles to make it to level 4?

added by: author A-055682 on 05/01/2011 - 12.50

I have been stuck on a star 3 rating - and there are VERY FEW articles to select from. Unclear instructions include: when looking at the article on Passion Flower, it specified 6 written articles with the keywords in each of them. Is this supposed to mean 6 articles about the subject into one article????????? Confusing!!!

added by: author A-035041 on 05/02/2011 - 02.11

New here so the answer to my question may be common knowledge to others.

I have yet to write for this site because there are so few orders that are at my rating that match my areas of expertise/interest.

It seems that it would only benefit the client and TB alike if higher rated authors had the opportunity to write at a lower rating if that author chose to do so.

So far I have seen the orders at or one below my rating.

It would be nice if authors had the choice.

added by: author A-068497 on 05/03/2011 - 02.59

What are the Editors' opinions (or opinion if there is a consensus) of singular "they"? Despite long-standing, widespread usage, many people deny its validity and I've had English teachers and the like tell me it's absolutely incorrect, so I'd like to know what to expect here.

added by: author Jack on 05/04/2011 - 09.32

I like the way I can search for only the orders that came in today. However, the results are for every classification. Am I ignoring an obvious method for seeing only one classification of articles in the search results?

added by: author GlennRay on 05/05/2011 - 04.29

What;s the difference between level 3 and level 4?

added by: author Geo_lang on 07/29/2011 - 08.56