I got an e-mail a couple of days ago, titled “Speak with the Viki team”, which went:
“Hi there!
We are on the lookout for contributors to speak with, to better understand your experiences, concerns, as well as ideas and suggestions relating to the recognition and rewards from Viki for your contributions, and achievements in the community.
With your help, we hope to deliver a better experience for our contributor community.
Our chat will be over Zoom, for around 1.15hrs, and as a thank you for your time and valuable inputs, you will receive a US $80 gift voucher after!
Keen to share your experiences and opinions?
Sign up via the button below to see if you qualify, and we will get in touch shortly after!”
I went to the Typeform page, and they asked me which roles I had taken on in the last 6 months. It said we could check more than one. So I checked them all (CM, language moderator, editor, subtitler) except segmenter.
Then they asked about my status, I replied “Gold QC”
And the reply:
" Thank you for your interest in participating!
We’re looking for a slightly different crowd to speak with at the moment. Do look out for more opportunities to participate in our research sessions!"
That got me curious. So why didn’t they say from the beginning that they were looking only for rookie subbers or for segmenters, or whatever it is?
And I must say I didn’t like the idea of the 80-dollar incentive. This means they will get applications from people are only interested in the money, although they don’t know anything about the situation, about our community’s problems people, and not those who are really concerned about the community, who know what to say or what they’re talking about.
I don’t want their crappy dollars. I want them to listen to our concerns and really listen to us! To those who have been there for years (at least 3-4 years of regular contribution) and have lived through the changes; those who have experience in all aspects of the volunteer community; those who have actually put their arses down and thought about how to make it better, who have written extensively and taken part in conversations and debates about it, who know what the issues are.
Some time ago, they had some survey (without reward) that was cut off in the same way (thank you, bye bye) for anyone who filled in that they lived in any place that was not the US. And just the fact that they specifically send those emails to certain people and not to everyone (or all gold QCs maybe), says enough. They want control over which opinions come to the surface. We are not all included.
Also, the fact that they insist on a video chat will scare some people away while it’s completely unnecessary to do it that way.
So, as far as Viki listens to the community at all, they listen to the chosen few or the part of the chosen few that actually shows up.
Whatever those “qualifications” are should just be transparent. They could have written from the start "we are looking for Americans/seggers/1st-generation volunteers/rookies/whatever. Or at the very least tell us why we don’t “qualify.” And then still, it’s unfair to everyone who is being excluded ánd it will make the end results heavily biased.
For me, the 80 dollars would not make the difference in whether I would participate or not. But it could be one of the reasons that not everyone gets an invitation (assuming Viki doesn’t have all the money in the world and they already spend so much on staff subbers). So just leave out the reward and let everyone who might have something to say about the matter and is willing to do so participate.
I think it’s nice that Viki want’s to or should I say realize that they need to speak to volunteers. We might never know how take part but for me it feels like a small step. For me money isn’t the thing, if it was I wouldn’t be a Viki volunteer and spend god knows how many hours a week translating (and sometimes adjusting or doing A&C).
I also did it. Similar to you, I checked every box but the segmenter one. Which seriously made me wonder what type of crowed they’re looking for? I was really looking forward to sharing some ideas and concerns I had with them, but apparently the roles I play and being a gold GC with experience are not enough.
I got curious and only checked the segmenter box the first time and got the message.
Then I went back and selected segmenter + subtitler, then I got Q2.
After that I got the message again
LOL You reminded me that I have not looked up my Viki mails since the last communication including 2 requests, and it took like half an eon, no it was a bit shorter, but well …
Guess what I found as an e-mail in my account?
Pay attention, so your belly button won’t fall off from laughing, here it comes.
We are thrilled to hear that you’re interested in joining our Viki Community!
You can check
And my reaction was?
I can’t image …
P.S. … and I just found out I even got this one double, maybe triple, haha, will keep you updated, if it’s more than these two.
They already did was it before 2020, I would need to check …
Contributor started having a good feeling after 2 or 3 video chat and then again silence … Which resulted again in some of the most passionate contributors leaving. End of sad story. No feedback after that … or not to my knowledge, could have landed somewhere, if someone knows?
But, in this case, based on the email, it would make no sense for them to talk to a newbie. The email said, “to better understand current perspectives, concerns…” Wouldn’t it make more sense to speak to older volunteers?
I would feel the same way if I hadn’t participated in such video conversations with Viki staff (in the summer of 2019, after the French community strike). They listened to us very nicely, shook their heads in agreement, asked us to send our proposals in writing, we did (the link to mine is still on my profile page), and then… what?
Same whenever a new person was hired to be the go-between from Viki to the community and back. We “briefed” the person on what is happening. (It also happened when brendas came.) But again… nothing. I don’t know what conversations have been taking place among the “higher-ups”, but there was nothing we saw as a result.
As lutra rightly pointed out:
The “funny”/not funny part is that they did make some changes over the years. Most of them unwelcome and/or irrelevant to us:
They changed the background, got rid of the episode pages, made some cosmetic changes here and there, added the editor role (nice but not of primary importance), added the annoying blue screen of death before each episode (to make us waste time when hopping from one episode to another), started censoring certain words in Discussions …
What should I remember? The inbox, which is, if possible, worse to organize than the previous one? The Project Finder with this new Project Manager that you have to visit regularly and none of the people whom I’ve asked (including me) does? The push to leave a review at the end of each episodes, even if it’s only the first one? The fact that they’re rewarding sub-whiners with pre-subs and punishing our volunteer translators and segmenters who are leaving Viki like autumn leaves in November?
In short, four years have passed since the meetings in July '19, and among the things they implemented there’s none of the crucial things we needed and asked for.
They think they can keep us happy with subathlons, badges and “rewards”. Come on! Are we children? Yes, it’s fun, but it doesn’t make us forget the really important stuff.
Every now and then there’s a survey with multiple choice questions, but both the questions and the results are… irrelevant and pointless!
The company has a very specific agenda, and they are going according to it - whatever it is. Saying that they want to hear from us sounds more and more like a joke.
(Still, because hope is the last goddess, I was willing to participate once more. Stupid me. )
Looks like that survey mail thing. Then you just filled it in and the next day you get the same mail again… Not that it ever helps.
I had video chats with Viki staff before but I left my camera off because I didn’t feel comfortable having it on. Which was always ok. Once I also asked if it just could be me typing because it was at the middle of the night which was also fine.
But I think that being part of the community team on Viki is the least favourite job. Since the old staff left like Mariko and Catchlight, Mariliam and a few more of which I cannot remember their names… It’s a coming and going of people. It looks as if every new staff starts at the community team and then move to an other position as fast as they can or run for it… kind off. I sometimes feel sorry for them.
The thing that bothers me alot right now is “adjust only” there are only two CS that I do that for otherwise I avoid them. I really hope that Viki focus on things like that. During my time although short in a way, I have already experienced more bugs than I really wanted to and some of them are really old (I know that because of the community). I might be naive but I sort of hope that the goal is to fix the problems, but if it is as many said before something that comes now and then and nothing changes then I don’t get it. I don’t need something that looks good I need things that work no matter what I’m doing (as a segger or subber).
I actually received it 3 times but i thought 1.15hrs is a long time to spare & didn’t care much about the money beside i filled EVERY survey they sent me & nothing happened . Anyway, from that thread, i’m glad i didn’t try this one lol.
