I noted previously that I’ve just joined Interactive Voices as a member of their talent roster. Until recently, the only Internet based audition service I was a member of was Voice123.com; which I’ve posted about several times before.
One thing I noticed right away about Interactive Voices that I really liked was the feedback system. At this writing, I haven’t been a member there long enough to get any feedback yet, still it’s nice to know they collect feedback and that the information is shared publicly. I immediately wished that Voice123.com had something similar. And, now I’ve learned that they do, but it’s not visible.
Evidently what happens is that feedback is given by the client after reviewing a submitted demo. There is some kind of a rating system from poor to very good. So, after a talent submits a demo (even a custom demo), the client gives a feedback rating to that talent and his or her demo. But, neither the talent nor the public can see that feedback.
What I propose to Voice123.com is that they change their feedback system so that everyone can see the ratings. As paying members, we should receive the feedback information that our demos generate. It should not be some exclusive secret kept from the public and certainly not from paying talent.
The best on-line feedback systems are those used by sites like Amazon.com, eBay.com or NewEgg.com. There, each person who provides feedback is identified, the rating (individual and cumulative) is visible to everyone, room for comments are provided and on eBay.com, you can even post a response to what you might see as an unfair rating.
As a client of both of Voice123.com and Interactive Voices, it’s interesting to see those things that I prefer at each site. For example, I very much like being able to see how many other auditions have been submitted for a given job when I log in to Voice123.com to respond to an audition opportunity. If the budget isn’t that great or my interest isn’t that high, I can skip the audition if there are already 200 auditions listed. With Interactive Voices, one is left in the dark.
Voice123.com ought to, at minimum, provide us with some way to see our feedback. This is part of the process of working as a professional, being given access to information that can help us improve our work and our business. But in any case, I’m willing to risk negative feedback in order to have the opportunity to audition for paying work.