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Slightly Used Cake posted:S'cool Boot you fleshed it out way better than I did. It's coincidence aside from the weekday stuff (which is basically just the common pattern). I only know about Fridays because I just had to ask about them.  And since it's a new page: really, though, let them know if you have another work schedule* that you need to adhere to, and what deadlines you can and can't handle. Sally's pretty good about remembering that kind of thing, and she'll adhere to it. For instance - for a time, my computer could not deal with video files in InqScribe because it was a geriatric by computer standards, so I asked to be given audio only. It wasn't until I said 'hey give me more video, I'm all good now!' that they gave me video work. * EDIT: For instance, I signed an agreement with New Job that basically says I am on call always for them (which makes sense, since they're health care/hospice based), and they are my primary employer. I can't take time off to work with DT, so I need to know the ins and outs of how things are scheduled. Old Boot fucked around with this message at 04:21 on May 21, 2014 |
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May 21, 2014 04:16
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For a small example to Zorblack, here are my work received and due dates so far: Received Thursday 3:30pm, due Friday 8pm. Received Friday 11:30pm, due Monday 12pm. (x2) Received Monday 10:01pm, due Wednesday 12pm. (All times EST; DT will give you times in PST so be sure you exchange that for your time zone if you aren't PST) Definitely doable. If you've got a pedal a 20 minute piece shouldn't take too long. I've been trying to finish any work I've got shortly after waking up and being done before lunch, except for that Thursday one where I had more than enough time in the afternoon to work on it and get it done pretty much starting as soon as I got the email.
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May 21, 2014 04:48
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Yeah, you definitely want to make any of your freelance gigs aware of your work situation. Ideally, if you decide to do this for a living and not just for supplemental income, you're going to end up juggling multiple clients, and making them aware of that is important. Unfortunately, DT's work sign-up system isn't very conducive to juggling multiple clients, since you have to sign up for work in advance, but they're largely the exception and not the rule, I find. Once you've got more experience, you'll be working more with clients that ping you when work comes in, and you can accept or reject based on your workload at the moment. As for me, I may have just made a terrible mistake. One of my old clients who dropped off the map shot me an email, asking me if I'd like to come back; because she pays by the page (and a decent rate) I accepted without really considering the rest of my workload. It's going to be interesting juggling three transcription clients at once (and two writing gigs, and search engine work), but it should be nice in terms of being able to be picky about work. (Also, she may, and I stress may be looking for more transcribers this summer, and I told her I could probably send some decent candidates her way. It's a good gig, pays $1.50 per page, and usually works out to $1-$1.50 per minute given the types of files she handles. If she does decide to take on more fresh blood, I'll let you guys know so you can apply.) kazmeyer fucked around with this message at 05:29 on May 21, 2014 |
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May 21, 2014 04:59
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Kaz...do you sleep?
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May 21, 2014 06:42
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Funnily enough, I've got a funky sleep disorder. It's called non-24 or free-running disorder; my natural circadian rhythms aren't synced up to the normal day-night schedule like all you normal folks. Once I started freelancing, I was able to indulge it, and I find that my natural "day" tends to be somewhere between 26 and 32 hours. So during a month, I usually swap between being up days and nights at least once. It's weird as gently caress, and I'm kind of fortunate that I'm a crabby hermit so it doesn't affect my (non-existent) social life all that much. But it's cool now that I've learned how to drop off and sleep under just about any light and noise conditions imaginable, and during my nocturnal phase I absolutely love driving down to the Hardees by the interstate at 6:00 AM, sitting in the parking lot sipping orange juice and watching everyone else commute.  As for managing the gigs, though, I try to spread my time around as much as possible. Both of the writing gigs are completely voluntary, in that I can go months without claiming an assignment and it's not a major issue. The other gigs I try to split my time up as evenly as possible, with priority, of course, going to the jobs that pay better or work I really don't mind. I do this because when I first started out, my first client gave me about a full-time job worth of work every month, and then bailed on an invoice leaving me completely high and dry and scrambling to make up the income. When I preach diversification, it's from hard-won experience and it's something I really take seriously. And I'm constantly trolling for other gigs, too. I find something that pays better than the least-lucrative job I've got, and I phase that client out of the rotation. Of course, I try to maintain good relations so that when a new gig falls through -- and it does happen on occasion -- I can pivot back and refill my dance card. kazmeyer fucked around with this message at 06:56 on May 21, 2014 |
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May 21, 2014 06:54
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Looks like I'm done working for DT. Never really was able to request more than an hour or so a week and have been busy the past couple weeks. I'm guessing I was replaced by a new hire.
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May 21, 2014 19:23
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I just bought an Infinity Play IN-USB-1 USB pedal on ebay for pretty cheap so I'm gonna try doing this stuff to make some money on the side. At worst I'm out 25 bucks so no big. I work much better under deadlines than with open-ended poo poo so I think this might be something I can do fairly proficiently. We'll see.
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May 21, 2014 19:50
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Just had an article sent back for revision by some huge cockhole on Zerys. I obviously didn't give him what he wanted, but I couldn't remotely see what it was he wanted and how I had failed to provide it. Given how rude he was in the message to me I just declined to revise it, it was decently paying but gently caress redoing the whole article like he suggested if he's going to be an asslord.
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May 21, 2014 20:32
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Mister Adequate posted:Just had an article sent back for revision by some huge cockhole on Zerys. I obviously didn't give him what he wanted, but I couldn't remotely see what it was he wanted and how I had failed to provide it. Given how rude he was in the message to me I just declined to revise it, it was decently paying but gently caress redoing the whole article like he suggested if he's going to be an asslord. What did he say?
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May 21, 2014 21:16
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Nitrousoxide posted:What did he say? "Fluff that to be removed completely." He had highlighted my entire introductory paragraph. If I took that out there would be no introduction of any sort. I could have made it leaner I'm sure, but if I don't have an introduction it's going to be a bad article "I was hoping for an article as the title states "how to develop ideas". This article is written what to do with an idea which is not the point of topic." "I am not sure if this article is worth trying to save or if it should be completely re-written to the specific topic. As stated in the notes I want an article that explains "how to develop online business ideas" and not what to do with an idea." I had written about... how to develop your idea. Look at competitors, research the field, look at target demographics to see if there will be enough customers for it to be viable, that sort of thing. Well I guess it's not really rude in retrospect but the complete absence of even "Hi Mr Adequate" or a "Thanks" anywhere coupled with the fact that (at least as far as I can see) I did exactly what he asked for, wound me up. I guess maybe what he actually wanted was how to come up with an idea in the first place? Rather than "developing" an idea, which to me would mean taking what you've got in mind and, well, developing it. If he'd just explained as much I'd have happily redone the article, but if he's going to give unclear instructions and then get snippy with me about it, gently caress that noise.Whatever, I need to get over it rather than pissing and moaning. Just wanted to vent!
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May 21, 2014 23:58
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I just got my rating & acceptance from TB (4 stars, yet I had been so worried about being rejected that I waited like 6 months to apply). The entire process took about 30 hours start-to-finish. If you're thinking of applying, don't be like me and spend an hour drafting the perfect 500-word article to submit before even starting the application. They want between 150 - 250 words on one of four topics: Sightseeing in your hometown Best party spots in your town Your favorite brand Objective description of a technical item
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May 22, 2014 01:20
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Mister Adequate posted:"Fluff that to be removed completely." He had highlighted my entire introductory paragraph. If I took that out there would be no introduction of any sort. I could have made it leaner I'm sure, but if I don't have an introduction it's going to be a bad article I must be odd in that I don't appreciate a bunch of niceties and fluff from clients. Just tell me what you fuckin' want. HVAC clients have become more lenient and approving stuff faster lately on Zerys. Almost to 4.5 oh my gosh.
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May 22, 2014 01:31
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Does Zerys hire outside of the states? Doesn't say anywhere on their website and I wouldn't want to apply only to find out they don't.
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May 22, 2014 04:34
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blueblaze posted:Does Zerys hire outside of the states? Doesn't say anywhere on their website and I wouldn't want to apply only to find out they don't. They do, I'm in the UK. thylacine, I suppose it's because other clients tend to always include greetings and stuff that this guy felt more harsh than perhaps he was. Though I'm not sure I'd count "Hi $CHARNAME" and "Thanks, $CLIENTNAME" as all that onerous an amount of fluff to wade though.
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May 22, 2014 04:41
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thylacine posted:Almost to 4.5 oh my gosh. I made it to 4.5 on Zerys the other day and the amount/pay of jobs I'm seeing has changed very little.  I'm kind of disappointed, won't lie. Might just be the categories I've picked.
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May 22, 2014 10:25
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All of my articles have been accepted to WritersDomain so far! Not that I've written many. Picking a keyword seems to be the hardest part for me. There are a shitton of them and it seems like I haven't the slightest idea what to write about 90% of them. Possibly it will get easier to bullshit my way through with time.
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May 22, 2014 12:45
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KentuckyFriedBonBon posted:All of my articles have been accepted to WritersDomain so far! Not that I've written many. Picking a keyword seems to be the hardest part for me. There are a shitton of them and it seems like I haven't the slightest idea what to write about 90% of them. Possibly it will get easier to bullshit my way through with time. Having a ton of keywords has actually been great for me. I pretty much write about whatever I want, and I can find a keyword that fits the article which is great. When they had the 200 word $3.30 articles, and you could write 500 a month, they would be snapped up so quickly that you just sort of had to make due with what you had. If you need ideas, just type the keyword into any of these sites. http://goarticles.com/ http://www.articlecity.com/ http://www.articlealley.com/ http://ezinearticles.com/
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May 22, 2014 13:20
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I'm sure I posted this before, but this is the video I always point people at when they ask me about life as a freelancer. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HBV2swjhQm0
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May 23, 2014 04:32
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I'm cool with just going with most of my weird revision requests, but man. I just got dinged for not being specific enough with the statement, "There are many different kinds of [x], depending on your needs." Even though that was immediately followed by a list of examples. It's... literally just a list of my introductory sentences, complaining that they do not in and of themselves contain the content of the following paragraph. I mean, I'll find a way to fix it, but...
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May 23, 2014 15:38
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KentuckyFriedBonBon posted:I'm cool with just going with most of my weird revision requests, but man. I just got dinged for not being specific enough with the statement, "There are many different kinds of [x], depending on your needs." Even though that was immediately followed by a list of examples. It's... literally just a list of my introductory sentences, complaining that they do not in and of themselves contain the content of the following paragraph. I mean, I'll find a way to fix it, but... Sometimes you just get an idiot reviewer. I almost guarantee if you simply reword the sentence it will pass when the next reviewer sees it.
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May 23, 2014 15:41
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Earlier today I'm pretty sure I kept getting the same reviewer, and probably should have just dropped the whole thing, but instead I got mad and rewrote a serviceable article about how copy paper works into an impassioned defense of copy paper as a concept. Somewhere out there is a WritersDomain reviewer who thinks I have very strong opinions about copy paper. Yup, they accepted it after I moved some words around and added a few "for instance"s.
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May 23, 2014 15:51
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E: The client contacted TB directly and asked them to expedite the review process so that they could continue to send me work. Now I really wish I had set my direct order price as soon as I signed up, I don't know if I can get away with raising it now. E2: The client is showering me with 4's but the TB reviewers are tearing me apart. I'll be lucky to come out of this at 3 stars, much less retain my initial 4 star rating. I suck. titties fucked around with this message at 19:04 on May 23, 2014 |
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May 23, 2014 17:18
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Knightmare posted:I got the same email after the same kind of wait. Let us know about the new test, I haven't done it either and have to go research the proper "it's" again before I try. Alright to answer my own question on Writer's Domain, the test is pretty much the same as the last one but the sample articles are 400 word articles on generic topics. I did acupunture, where the article I did in October last year was more specific like lawn care in Utah. You're encouraged to do a niche spin on the keyword, which is why I wrote about laser acupuncture, because lasers are rad.
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May 24, 2014 00:47
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Knightmare posted:Alright to answer my own question on Writer's Domain, the test is pretty much the same as the last one but the sample articles are 400 word articles on generic topics. I did acupunture, where the article I did in October last year was more specific like lawn care in Utah. You're encouraged to do a niche spin on the keyword, which is why I wrote about laser acupuncture, because lasers are rad. Thanks for the info - I actually haven't gotten around to redoing the writing sample yet. I did retake the grammar test, though... it didn't look any different from what I remembered, but it also didn't tell me how I did (I'm pretty sure the last one did?). Mostly commas and words that people confuse for each other (its/it's, advice/advise, etc).
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May 24, 2014 02:03
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I didn't even remember what the last test was like, I took it so long ago, so I didn't really have any basis of comparison when I retook it. I picked acupuncture, too, though! They're way more lax on the writing sample than they are on the actual articles.
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May 24, 2014 12:32
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Hey, nerds. I want to make money! From home! Online! I've sent an application to Daily Transcriptions and am waiting to hear word back. I've been working as a TTY Operator for a couple months, and have what I'd like to think is a reasonably fast and accurate typing speed, as well as a sleep schedule that's well-disposed towards freelance work. (Which is a polite way of saying that I stay up until what-the-gently caress in the morning on a daily basis long after everyone else is in bed.) From what I've seen, my work as a TTY Operator was pretty similar to what's going to be expected of me here, but is there anything else I should know going in? EDIT: I should say that, ideally, I'd like to make this my primary source of income, as I have some personal issues that make holding down a regularly-scheduled job very difficult, and this seems a good combination of flexible schedule, decent pay, and application of skills I've already cultivated. VVV: I've got a Turtle Beach headset for gaming, but the wire's been chewed through from when my dog was a teething puppy, so I'll have to make do with high volume and only decent headphones until I get them fixed. girl dick energy fucked around with this message at 00:43 on May 25, 2014 |
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May 24, 2014 21:08
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The DT team will happily answer any questions for you, but basically all you need is a keyboard, the ability to listen well, a tolerance for highly variable qualities of the footage you get and highly variable rulesets for any given project, a good sound system preferably with real good headphones of some kind, and some way to control the media, such as a footpedal. Beyond that, if you make it in (Which seems mostly dependent on doing the test as close to 100% accurate, both to what's said and to their style, as possible), they'll give you work.
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May 25, 2014 00:12
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I just realized I have been poring over files, counting every uh and "I" four stuttering times in a row. If we're going for 99% accuracy on a 30 minute file, I could technically skip 30 seconds of tape and meet that level. Does this mean I shouldn't kill myself counting two versus three "I think"s to start a sentence as long as it is formatted well and spelling error-free? How accurate is too accurate to kill myself over (meaning 2.5 to 3.5 hours for a half hour of tape that is not dense in dialogue)?
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May 25, 2014 01:18
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poo poo, if anything, I've been having an easier time with full verbatim than clean verbatim or paraphrased, since I don't have to argue with myself as to what does or doesn't count as a stutter or other misstep. If QC has a problem with what you're putting out, they'll contact you about it.
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May 25, 2014 02:10
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Well, generally speaking you're not going to get yelled at if, say, the guy said "I" five times in a row and you only got down four. Most QC I've found is pretty lenient when you get a tape and the subject is stuttering like Porky Pig, and an indication of a stutter or stammer is more important than actually getting every single syllable. But more accuracy is always better than less, and if you're cutting corners throughout a transcript they'll notice it.
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May 25, 2014 02:31
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kazmeyer posted:Well, generally speaking you're not going to get yelled at if, say, the guy said "I" five times in a row and you only got down four. Most QC I've found is pretty lenient when you get a tape and the subject is stuttering like Porky Pig, and an indication of a stutter or stammer is more important than actually getting every single syllable. But more accuracy is always better than less, and if you're cutting corners throughout a transcript they'll notice it. True story, especially on the first few pages. I had a girl check out on four minutes of dialogue on the third page today. General rule of thumb for DT QC is we're supposed to do first three pages, one or two pages in the middly bits depending on length, and the last page. I'm an rear end in a top hat so I actually pull a couple of paragraphs here and there throughout the middle and the last page. Generally if we're talking four stutters versus five, yeah I'd just correct it, but if I see a lot of missed words, mishears, or, "I'm just going to type whatever I drat well please" it's going back. And for those waiting to hear back, we've cleared a big chunk of tests this week. I did four checks myself, so I imagine people will be hearing this week. Poison Mushroom, tell us of this TTY you speak of and how one becomes one of those shiny operators? Edit: Because apparently I can't read. Slightly Used Cake fucked around with this message at 05:18 on May 25, 2014 |
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May 25, 2014 03:44
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Slightly Used Cake posted:Zorblack, tell us of this TTY you speak of and how one becomes one of those shiny operators? Assuming there's one near you, they're usually almost always hiring, and you just go in, and take a test showing you can type ~70 WPM while listening to someone speaking. It's both easier and harder than this, so far since A) they talk slower since they know you're live, and B) it's an actual person (and people are kind of dicks). The hours are both flexible (in time-of-day) and completely inflexible (in that you have a schedule of days you work, which often includes every other weekend, and that's it). It's also a job where you have to be in there, though, and they're kinda strict about cell phones and such.
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May 25, 2014 04:15
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Poison Mushroom posted:but the midwest, especially Maryland I'm not trying to be a dick, but could you clarify for the purposes of the thread what the midwest of America is to you? I just mean, could you name a few states that you know have a lot of call centers, so people know they might be near one.
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May 25, 2014 19:28
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Dear DT newbies, I just need to know something for my own peace of mind. when you're being brought on, how well is the calendar system and stuff explained to you? Is there some way in which we can explain it better?
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May 25, 2014 20:45
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When I was brought in a couple weeks back I was given the login and such for the calender and told to ignore the boxes themselves, since they didn't mean anything beyond "a day", just click them and put times in. I had to ask as to whether the time I put in was how much time I was available on a given day, or if it was how much footage I was available for (It turned out to be how much footage). I had to click around to figure out that I could sign on for upcoming weeks as well as the current week. I'd imagine some people might have heard "ignore the boxes" and thought "don't click the boxes", or didn't do things like explore around the calender's features to figure out that they could be available for more than just the listed X days of a week, or ask questions regarding the exact nature of the calender. But I make a point to try to get things as clear as possible since I treat the gig as a professional job, regardless of if my status is "employed" or "contracted".
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May 25, 2014 21:44
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Slightly Used Cake posted:Dear DT newbies, I was just told to log in and put time in. I have my user name and password, and it said that I am to put in how many minutes of tape I'm requesting. It didn't say you were supposed to double click the boxes, it didn't say hoe to put time in, it said to ignore the times on the boxes. Essentially, I had absolutely zero real idea and hopefully I'm doing it right. I don't even know how to let anyone know what time I can actually work on stuff, so I put in for very small amounts of tape Tuesday and Thursday, with a larger amount on Saturday in the hopes that I get it early in the morning? I have a gmail address that starts with Nath and I'm on google talk/hangouts if you have any specific questions. Edit: I also never got any indication that double spacing after a period is a thing. Double edit: Don't go out and move a bunch of horses around for awhile after submitting a file. Now I need a shower and a set of revisions! Zorblack fucked around with this message at 00:33 on May 26, 2014 |
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May 25, 2014 23:55
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Ugh, up until now all my articles were getting approved within an hour, but now I've had things waiting for a couple of days. I'm assuming this is pretty normal? It's hard not to feel worried.
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May 26, 2014 16:21
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KentuckyFriedBonBon posted:Ugh, up until now all my articles were getting approved within an hour, but now I've had things waiting for a couple of days. I'm assuming this is pretty normal? It's hard not to feel worried. This happens a lot on weekends for me. And since it's a holiday weekend I imagine that's contributing. That said I don't have any personal experience with WritersDomain (that's the one you said you are using, right?) but with Zerys, weekends are slooooow.
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May 26, 2014 16:39
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Yeah I'm on WritersDoman, and that's a good point - I completely spaced that today was a holiday. That probably explains it, now I feel silly. I imagine I'll be less paranoid about screwing up a good thing after I've been at it a while longer.
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May 26, 2014 17:13
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| # ? May 12, 2024 23:41 |
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At WD, reviewers have the option of coming in on Holidays. But it also depends on what you are writing. If you are using the Get Next Standard Article button, it should be put to the front of the queue. If it is from the browse articles section, it could take a long time or it could be reviewed instantly depending on what due date you selected and how full their queue is. You also could have written an article, and then the client put their work on hold, so their articles are not in the queue available to reviewers. I had one sit for 1 1/2 months like that at the most singled out extreme case during extreme craziness with the new format. I then had one go out for revisions, submitted the revision, and it sat in the queue for almost a month for the same reason. But their internal goal is that your articles will be reviewed in two weeks, and just because they are super fast now, don't expect them to always be that way. I don't use the GNA button, and I have 1 pending from 5/21, 2 from 5/22, 1 from 5/24, 5/25, and 5/26. And then about 16 approved all within that 6 day time frame as well. A LOT of people will write those lovely topics about rotary lube pumps or whatever, because they need their money now, and desperate to hit that Pay Me Now button every day. Use GNA if you want faster reviews. Astro7x fucked around with this message at 22:56 on May 26, 2014 |
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May 26, 2014 22:54
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