Only members can post in this forum | Pages in topic: [1 2 3 4 5] > | Renew or not renew Thread poster: Eugenio Garcia-Salmones
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In a few days my Proz membership ends. I have been a member for about ten years, but the current Proz dynamic is very narrow, it is offering cheap labour to industry, not skilled professionals. The offers of the last few years have been declining and turning more and more into MTPE junk jobs so I'm rethinking whether to spend those euros at Proz or somewhere else. Maybe this type of platform is dying. Anyway, I'm in the dilemma of holding on for another year to see where things go or break and l... See more In a few days my Proz membership ends. I have been a member for about ten years, but the current Proz dynamic is very narrow, it is offering cheap labour to industry, not skilled professionals. The offers of the last few years have been declining and turning more and more into MTPE junk jobs so I'm rethinking whether to spend those euros at Proz or somewhere else. Maybe this type of platform is dying. Anyway, I'm in the dilemma of holding on for another year to see where things go or break and look for a more modern alternative with less ties to the industry (miserable rates, MPTE, etc ...) that seems to be who guides the future of the platform.
Cordially ▲ Collapse
| | | | Samuel Murray 
Netherlands
Local time: 16:52
Member (2006)
English to Afrikaans
+ ...
Ask yourself what you get for your money. You don't often post in the forums, so paying $150 to skip the waiting period before your posts appear wouldn't seem worth it. You haven't really used KudoZ in the past decade, so paying $150 for extra questions doesn't seem worth it. The only two benefits for you from paying membership, really, is that your name appears higher in a directory search and that you have access to the actual comments that people make when posting on the Blue Board. Is th... See more Ask yourself what you get for your money. You don't often post in the forums, so paying $150 to skip the waiting period before your posts appear wouldn't seem worth it. You haven't really used KudoZ in the past decade, so paying $150 for extra questions doesn't seem worth it. The only two benefits for you from paying membership, really, is that your name appears higher in a directory search and that you have access to the actual comments that people make when posting on the Blue Board. Is that worth $150 for you? The Blue Board doesn't really help one to tell cheap agencies from well-paying ones, although it does help to weed out non-payers. ▲ Collapse
| | | | Anne Maclennan
Local time: 16:52
Member (2010)
German to English
+ ...
| What is omitted if you are not a paying member? | May 23 |
The thing that is useful in Proz is the Blue Board. Is that accessible as a non-paying member?
I too am counting the pennies and wondering if Proz membership is worth the cost.
Which services are not available to non-paying members? Which services do paying members receive in return for their fees?
| | | | Hayley Wakenshaw
United Kingdom
Local time: 15:52
Member (2018)
Dutch to English
| Still worth it for the Blue Board alone | May 23 |
Access to the Blue Board has not only generated sufficient income from new clients to justify the membership fee but has also helped me avoid losses from non-paying clients. It’s also helped me figure out which clients I want to work with. As a result, I enjoy collaboration with all my clients and they all pay on time.
Everything beyond that is a bonus.
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Joe France
United Kingdom
Local time: 15:52
German to English
+ ...
| You're not the only one | May 23 |
I entirely understand your point and I imagine I'll be asking myself the same questions when my renewal comes up later this year. I used to receive a good amount of work through ProZ, either through the jobs board or through the directory, but that isn't the case any more – as you say, the quality of job postings on here has deteriorated significantly to predominantly MTPE and AI-training projects.
Whenever I've engaged with staff about the direction of the site, I've run into a b... See more I entirely understand your point and I imagine I'll be asking myself the same questions when my renewal comes up later this year. I used to receive a good amount of work through ProZ, either through the jobs board or through the directory, but that isn't the case any more – as you say, the quality of job postings on here has deteriorated significantly to predominantly MTPE and AI-training projects.
Whenever I've engaged with staff about the direction of the site, I've run into a brick wall; ProZ seems to have chosen its course and a lot of its functionalities are either irrelevant to me or outdated. It's not a huge cost in the context of annual figures but it's also not nothing.
I'm not going to whine too much about the state of the industry, as everything has already been said elsewhere. Just wanted to chip in with a little more than the "Agree" button. As Samuel and Anne have said, draw up a cost/benefit list and see where you get. ▲ Collapse
| | | | | Another reason not to pay | May 23 |
Samuel Murray wrote:
You don't often post in the forums, so paying $150 to skip the waiting period before your posts appear wouldn't seem worth it.
Verified non-paying members don't get to wait either.
And don't forget, folks, you get free access to Pastey until the end of the year! Sit back, relax, and let the AI do the work!
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I paid for membership last year for the first time in a decade, pretty much for a bet. After all, it's only £100, less than a morning's work, how could you not earn that back in a year?
Eight(?) months on, I have earned a grand total £67 from clients contacting me through ProZ.
(I was also recently approached by the German company that's just gone under according to another thread today. I doubt the Blue Board would have warned me of this.)
As part of th... See more I paid for membership last year for the first time in a decade, pretty much for a bet. After all, it's only £100, less than a morning's work, how could you not earn that back in a year?
Eight(?) months on, I have earned a grand total £67 from clients contacting me through ProZ.
(I was also recently approached by the German company that's just gone under according to another thread today. I doubt the Blue Board would have warned me of this.)
As part of the experiment, I also lowered my rate to what I charged 20 years ago. I am near the top of the KudoZ rankings, and I don't believe that clients monitor forum posts.
While it's only one person in one language pair, this must say something about the state of ProZ/the market/the world. ▲ Collapse
| | | | Baran Keki
Türkiye
Local time: 18:52
Member
English to Turkish
| That's where you're wrong | May 23 |
Christopher Schröder wrote:
I don't believe that clients monitor forum posts.
That explains why you've earned a grand total of £67 from clients contacting you through ProZ.
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Baran Keki
Türkiye
Local time: 18:52
Member
English to Turkish
| Alternative pricing | May 23 |
I renewed my membership (regular membership) at the local price, which cost me like 60-70 USD. Maybe you can get a deal like that one?
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Baran Keki wrote:
Christopher Schröder wrote:
I don't believe that clients monitor forum posts.
That explains why you've earned a grand total of £67 from clients contacting you through ProZ.
You think it would have been even less without my priceless contributions here?
I reckon every one of my hilarious sarcy/snarky posts should be worth at least a penny.
| | | | Baran Keki
Türkiye
Local time: 18:52
Member
English to Turkish
| Reckon what you like | May 23 |
Christopher Schröder wrote:
I reckon every one of my hilarious sarcy/snarky posts should be worth at least a penny.
You certainly have a high opinion of yourself. Did you notice that the dude who broke the 100k record 2 years ago had a total of 4 or 5 forum posts? He buckled down, didn't complain about AI, kept schtum and had the final word! Clients like that sort of 'strong, silent types'. I bet Tom is raking in the dough right now or else shuffled off this mortal coil.
| | | | Lieven Malaise
Belgium
Local time: 16:52
Member (2020)
French to Dutch
+ ...
I've renewed my membership today because I'm mainly here for the fully functional BlueBoard and my project history for easy reference to work in the past (and for some fun in the forums).
This website is old-fashioned and the many bugs are annoying, but since I'm not here to find work or potential clients I can't really be bothered by it. Just like I can't be angry or frustrated about Proz's focus on AI. I just don't care. I'm not of the complaining type. If I'm unhappy about a serv... See more I've renewed my membership today because I'm mainly here for the fully functional BlueBoard and my project history for easy reference to work in the past (and for some fun in the forums).
This website is old-fashioned and the many bugs are annoying, but since I'm not here to find work or potential clients I can't really be bothered by it. Just like I can't be angry or frustrated about Proz's focus on AI. I just don't care. I'm not of the complaining type. If I'm unhappy about a service, I just abandon it without making too much of a fuss. ▲ Collapse
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Baran Keki wrote:
Christopher Schröder wrote:
I reckon every one of my hilarious sarcy/snarky posts should be worth at least a penny.
You certainly have a high opinion of yourself. Did you notice that the dude who broke the 100k record 2 years ago had a total of 4 or 5 forum posts? He buckled down, didn't complain about AI, kept schtum and had the final word! Clients like that sort of 'strong, silent types'. I bet Tom is raking in the dough right now or else shuffled off this mortal coil.
...in addition to the said above, one should beware of who agrees to your posts and if that could have an effect to your career too.
| | | | | Browniz points are still here and visible | May 23 |
If I remember well, a decision about their destination should have been taken within a short time. Eight years have passed since then and we never heard of them again.
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