Monopoly within OL communites

I have been thinking about writing this post for a while, but I think it’s time.
1- Other language moderators, editors, and subbers with multiple accounts.
2- Other Language moderators that pretend they are good but have their “chief” editor do all the work and construct the document while all they do is sit back and relax.
3- Old people (not age wise but time here on viki old) protecting abusers because “poor thing was sick and in the hospital and that’s why she had to abandon the series for months”.
4- Protecting abusers because “you should have talked to X person before reporting them to viki”.
5- Creating exclusive groups with “trusted” people and not including anyone else that’s not from the clique.
6- Other language moderators leaving series abandoned for months and asking for new one. Ah and don’t you dare to go complain to someone because some people will turn you into the bad guy and the moderator with the unfinished series will suddenly be the good guy because they did not mean it.
7- Other language moderators with empty documents that use the excuse of “the document is under construction” and you get to the end of the series, and it’s the same excuse and the same three words as vocab. Ah… and let’s not forget the empty page for treatment between characters. If you’re lucky, you will get a link to MDL to figure out who is who.

Why are people so obsessed with having high ranking roles here on viki? Isn’t ridiculous to throw tantrums because another moderator is getting series and you’re not? And the issue is not the complaining because sometimes there is dirty play between Channel Managers and Other Language moderators, the issue is that said moderators only make it an issue when they don’t get the series, however, they never made it an issue when they were the ones getting all the series.

They go around claiming they are “experienced” because they have high numbers. But when you check their work? LOL.

It’s scary to think that, at least for Spanish and now with the whole academy thing, many of these people will use that as an excuse to get rid of the moderators they don’t like, monopolize the Spanish community, and only have the people they want in moderation roles.

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@eternallyrose

Totally agree with you and is nothing new, and nothing that will be done to stop it. These controlling issues have been here for years and years. Since 2013 I have seen this going on.

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When the world of your community is full of cliques and people who monopolize projects, it can feel very stifling, as if you don’t have air to breathe. I understand your frustration, which has been expressed by many people here From what I’ve been hearing and reading over the years, this is true for many - probably all? - language communities.

See, Viki is no different than the outside world. And, although it’s volunteer-based, the dynamics and the way people behave is the same as they behave in most other workplaces. The lazy ones and the hard-working ones, the ones who will take all the credit while someone else does the hard work (university professors and people in the science field do that a lot!), the ones who suck up and attach themselves to the leaders and become their “court”, the behind-the-scenes and under-the-table collaboration deals and “one hand washes another” (Italian saying) which routinely happen in business environments but not only - what in China is called “guanshi” (relationship).
If those things happen in the outside world, why wouldn’t they happen on Viki? It’s disappointing, I know, upsetting and sometimes heart-breaking. But it’s not surprising, that’s what I’m saying.

Point n.1, users with multiple accounts is difficult to tackle. It’s the Internet, and unless Viki starts asking for proof of identity such as your personal ID, there is no way of knowing who a person is. I might tell everybody I’m a middle-aged Italian-Greek lady, but how do you know I’m not a Thai 13-year old just pretending? The Internet is a wonderful thing but it also allows for a lot of role-playing and using it for dishonest things.

I did abandon a series because I was seriously sick for months. But before leaving, I suggested one of my best subbers as moderator in my place, and the Chief editor also did my general English editor duties instead of me. I also notified another project I was on so they could find someone. But even if it had been a situation where I couldn’t communicate to tell them I’ll be gone for a while, these people would still have filled in my position.
So yes, personal emergencies do happen, they can happen to any of us, but they cannot be used as an excuse: the place has to be filled (temporarily or not) by someone else. Viki has the structure to do so: the CM can appoint another mod or editor etc and if it is the CM who goes missing in action, the moderators can write to Viki to appoint someone else in that place.

Moderators who don’t prepare their spreadsheets properly and don’t update them are the ones who typically have too many projects. Now the limit is five projects, but they might have many others in other roles (editors, subbers, maybe even CM). Obviously they cannot keep track of all of them. They leave them unedited for months and sometimes they don’t even watch them.
And many lack the knowledge of how to tell whether the characters are using formal language or not towards one another (it’s simple, really, I have detailed the trick to it - for Korean - in a post here in Discussions).

The number of projects should be monitored more closely, but there are so many parameters that it’s difficult to make a rule that will cover everything. Even the 5-drama rule is not perfect.
Because it puts on the same level a 12-episode drama with a 30-episode or more drama.
Because sometimes you have a drama but you cannot work on it because the English team proceeds very slowly, or it has even stalled because the Translation Editor has left and a new one cannot be found. This happens very often, unfortunately. I am in such a situation with a drama I have. It’s taking up one slot, I want to work on it but I cannot.
Also, currently, a film takes a slot exactly in the same way that a drama does. Of course that slot can be very quickly vacated. But what if the film taking up your last slot hasn’t been uploaded yet, and in these days you want to compete for the moderator position of a drama you desire very much? This film could mean that the CM won’t be able to add you - and you cannot tell them to wait because the drama starts in a couple of days and you perhaps don’t know when the film will be uploaded and the spot will be emptied.
These variables make it difficult to effectively sort the hoarding problem, although a step in the right direction has been made.

So, how to deal with the feeling of helplessness and upset over unfair dealings? I really don’t have any advice, except to take a bit of distance, see things from a wider perspective and not obsess over Viki too much.
Yes, it is painful to let go, especially for those of us who have given time and energy and passion to this.
However, there are surely many other areas in your life where you can feel valued, where you can flourish and show the world your unique talents and achievements.
Think that those people who act in this despicable way probably have nothing else to show in their outside life, they feel so powerless that they have to at least derive satisfaction from power games in a volunteer subtiting community. Pathetic, isn’t it? They are to be pitied, not worth of your anger.

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:pensive: A key part of the root of the problem.

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All I have to say is that it’s a pity, but our hands are tied. As irmar said, they are not worth our anger.

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I agree with everything you’ve said. Wow, your words were wise. However, I think that people with common sense could at least evaluate the people who are or have been part of the team. I think it’s the moderator’s role, not just to release episodes for subtitling or editing projects, but to check who’s been on the project the most, if the editors are also making their roles in the project flow, to communicate the positive or negative points to CM. That’s good management, that’s what shows quality in this activity, even if it’s VOLUNTARY. I joined the team as a volunteer because as a spectator many projects fall short. So when I understood the flow, and when I discovered the particularities of the things that happen at VIKI, I understood why so many things went wrong. There are people here, even very highly regarded ones, who take on more than 6 projects a month (as moderator, editor and CM) and end up monopolizing the projects, especially those that are already coming with subtitles. Then they edit up to 5 episodes and forget it, the editing is no longer done. Indignation on the part of those who really do it, losing projects to these people. Viki was supposed to be something enjoyable, I like being here as a volunteer, I just don’t think it’s right that all these things happen and nobody does anything about it. This is worthy of a drama, all that’s missing is the director.

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And no matter how many qualified people in a community apply for a project the same thing is always going to happen, as the other comments say I also agree with everything said in the thread, as a subber, editor and as a OL moderator you can observe all that as soon as you get to a community.

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I think that every moderator knows exactly who is doing what in the project, who are the ones that are consistent and punctual and who are the slackers or those who may not be lazy but they are just not good. So yes, we do evaluate, and we have mental (or written) lists.
For instance, at the end of the drama, I make a list of how many parts each person translated. And people with less than 100 subs in a 16-episode drama don’t make it to the final credits. They also don’t get into my next team. Unless, of course, they had some problem (related to health, family, work, exams or whatever) and they messaged me to let me know that they won’t be able to be present.

However, if we are talking of OL teams (and this thread is about OL communities), I don’t see why an OL moderator should go to the CM to inform them that So-and-so Spanish subber is a slacker or that her grammar is bad. What can the CM do with that information? The moderator, yes, needs that information so that s/he knows not to accept a bad subber in their team next time, and also give a negative opinion when other moderators write to ask about that subber. But the CM? The CM does not recruit OL subbers, only OL mods.

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I wrote this thinking about the following scenario: Indeed, the Community Manager (CM) doesn’t recruit subbers, but a subber tries their first time to be a moderator, and the CM has never heard of this subber. Perhaps the CM conducts some research on the person, or it’s simply more convenient to choose someone they already know. Another point is that there are moderators like you who are responsible and conduct the evaluation I mentioned, but there are also people who don’t, and, in fact, handle things in any way.
So, I just think there needs to be a reorganization regarding the entire management process. Your points were well articulated in the previous post, and I liked it. I just think there need to be some changes.

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So the CM should keep a file with information on subbers of every language just in case they try to become moderators in the future? It is possibe, of course, but not very practical, not to mention lots of work and I don’t know how many would do it. I have a list of OL mods I’ve worked with, with notes about each, how was the collaboration (because who can remember everything from memory?!), and it’s already a chore, I am not always updating it. I know, bad of me, but how many more hours does doing this need? I just write of the very bad experiences, people who have dragged for months, or disappeared etc. And I mark the very good ones too :slight_smile:

Typically CMs, when they have a moderator request by someone they don’t know, ask other trusted moderators of the same language. But what they hear about the candidate may be tainted by jealousy or prejudice, or the moderators don’t want a new one to take their slot.

P.S. Moderators don’t really need to struggle a lot for doing evaluations, the actions of each subber are there in front of their eyes! So even if you’re the laziest mod ever, even if you think that counting parts and subs for each person is too much work, even then you have an impression of who is a good team member and who isn’t. Trust me on that! They know. If they choose to take them again despite all, it is probably because they are their friends or minions, not because of ignorance. So the reality is actually worse than what you think.

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eternallyrose
They go around claiming they are “experienced” because they have high numbers. But when you check their work? LOL

Hope you are doing well,and I’m just passing by to see if you have any New updates, and I will also like to know if things for you have changed for the better or they still the same way?

Have a blessed day.