Quoted from Reef Dreamer As i have mentioned recently, one other site has promoted a culture of feedback and sharing but it doesn't work out that way. I have a script posted there but for the four reviews i have received i have provided around 25! Of those four reviews one gave me the lowest mark possible (wholly against every other review) and then had to admit they have never written script and had a "bad night!!" At least they apologised but alas they can't remove the review. Lucky me.

Ouch. Can't you contact a mod and have them fix that for you?
I mean, the reviewer admitted it was a mistake.
There must be something that can be done.

E.D.

Quoted from DarrenJamesSeeley Use caution! I read a sp there that had a writer who threw me a curve using the latest slug trends. INSIDE and OUTSIDE sort of stuff. Also be aware that beauty is in the eye of the beholder.

I hear you, loud and clear.
Believe me, I wasn't even being close to picky.

It was pretty irksome when the author lectured me on how to write proper critiques.
Apparently, he didn't think I should say much unless I had more good things to write.

I suppose these "Talent Bucks" make some folks feel entitled to what they want.
I'm sure the next round will be better.

I've had a couple reviews assigned, but they dropped after a couple days.
Haven't been able to get a single review in the first month.

Wouldn't mind scoring a free round of coverage from Scriptapalooza though.
We'll see!

E.D.

Progress Update:

This month has been filled with positive momentum on Talentville.

I think the ZP banner playhing all month helped my scripts get some attention.
ZP is poised to receive a "ranking" once the third assigned review comes in.
I also attached a "snippet" of paid coverage for the script.
I think that's a neat way to entice readers, they can check out that linked PDF.
A little bonus that tickles me is the script specfic avatars you can choose.

http://www.talentville.com/index.php?content=sub&id=1281

In addition to ZP, I uploaded a new draft of Lie Detector to the site.
That has already gotten enough assigned reviews to be ranked:

http://www.talentville.com/index.php?content=sub&id=1406

Debuting in the top 10% was pretty sweet.
And your score grows a bit depending on the number of assigned reviews you garner.
So, if the script maintains a quality score, it still naturally progresses its rank.
And I enjoyed finding an appropriate Lie Detector avatar as well.
The ranking system is pretty exciting for a stat guy like me.

Talentville does excel at how it's presents submissions to members.
However, their educational forums don't hold a candle to SS. Not even close, IMO.

Regards,
E.D.

Status Update:

Zombie Playground made the Weekly Top Ten list!

http://www.talentville.com/hof/1
(you may have to refresh the link to see the chart)

Hopefully this will lead to more citizens taking on assigned reviews.
If I can keep up the mojo, I could land $200 worth of free coverage for the script!
So, I need to try and be one of the top three scripts for the month of February.

Being a paid citizen is the way to go, IMO.
I bought in during a special sale, so it came out to $5 a month for me.
Picking my assignments has led to some pretty decent features to read.
I wish more of them were posted over here.
But our educational forums leave their site in the dust.

But I'm a sucker for those leader boards.
Which are a luxury a pay site like that can put out there.

Regards,
E.D.

It's been an interesting couple of weeks on the site.

The theme du jour seems to be... one of polarizing opposites.

Lie Detector is currently the number one ranked script on the site.
That is very nice, but there's a caveat...

Short scripts don't get any rewards for their ranking, unlike features.
So, the script can't even be posted on the weekly Top Ten lists, etc.
It's merely integrated into the overall ranking system.
So, I get no recognition/bonus links, like the feature scripts do.

Zombie Playground was progressing nicely, got up to 7th place.
Then someone that hates zombie movies was assigned my script.

Instead of opting out of the undesirable assignment (you can do that once a day)...
He chose to review my script and tell me why zombie movies all suck.
And say things like, "I try to offer constructive advice, but this script is beyond help."
It's offensive to put it in the same category as The Goonies, it's nothing like it, etc.
He went on to say it sorta works for what it is, but it's definitely not for him.

Now here's where the rub comes in...

He chose to rate my script (on a ten scale) as TWO.
Almost exclusively because he just doesn't like zombie movies.

That one decision, plummeted Zombie Playground from 7th to 90th (out of 190).
The script will NEVER RECOVER from that review and be Top Ten ranked. EVER.
Ten weeks of goodwill reviews and creating the special banner. ALL GONE.
It would take a mountain of stellar reviews to undo that number.

No development staffer will give a script a look after that toxic event on the site.
All this from a kid that is the "proud owner" of the 185th place script. *sigh*

I respect Mr. Cahan's efforts. The site's work in progress, but man, that hurt.
So, ZP got hosed and Lie Detector is #1, but no one knows it.

E.D.

Geez Brett!  not sure I like a system like that  where it only takes one person to dislike your work for it to be ” gone” Forever.

Cheer up, I'm sure something good will happen soon. You sure are working hard at it and it will pay off one day. I know it.

I used to hear about things like that happening at Trigger Street -- where one jealous (or whatever) reader could completely torpedo a script.

Then they developed a "Hall of Justice" or something where you could appeal a bad review, which I guess is OK in theory, but from what I understand it was a total cluster and made things even worse than before.

Sorry to hear you got shrapnel, though.

Only increases my confidence that Don's little "no-frills" site is really the way to go.

Not perfect, but the best of other less-than-perfect options.  Every layer of complexity tends to make things worse in an exponential fashion.

Hey Brett,

Sad news but something sounds similar..

Quoted from Reef Dreamer As i have mentioned recently, one other site has promoted a culture of feedback and sharing but it doesn't work out that way. I have a script posted there but for the four reviews i have received i have provided around 25! Of those four reviews one gave me the lowest mark possible (wholly against every other review) and then had to admit they have never written script and had a "bad night!!" At least they apologised but alas they can't remove the review. Lucky me.

The whole marking thing has its problems. If you know the writer i find a reluctance to mark at the appropriate level and even i find i give a better mark than perhaps i had in mind. The opposite can apply if someone has a dislike of another.

If annoymously then its a bit of a lottery. The MP way seems sound but part of that reason is that you have decent numbers to average things out. Tricky for features i would expect.

In the statistcial world they have many ways of calculating performance other than just an average. Excluding the top and bottom marks could equal things out for example.

Otherwise, well done on LD, i must take a look at the revsied script.

cheers

It sounds like a process that won't work well for scripts. To be fairly scored, scripts would need multiple reads, many reads really. How many people are going to read a feature? And how competent are the readers? Perhaps most important, how motivated?

I am guessing people that submit scripts are assigned reads in order to participate. With 200 scripts, how many people read ZP? Probably not many. That guy that gave the poor review may not have even really read the script. He had to give a review, so he did. He went in with an attitude, took a little glimpse, left a review. Not fair to the script, maybe you should pull it.

The only way I can conceive of a ranking like this to be remotely fair is to have a system where there is a panel of qualified readers and judges. And a panel like that won't work for free. Otherwise, the process is not only going to be unfair, but likely to be manipulated and even rigged.

Don't let it get you down. I do not believe in those type of rankings. SS reviews rock. No ranking.

Brett, seriously mate, you would be better off entering ZP into meaningful comps, not popularity contests.
I recall when people were raving about Circlejerk...sorry, Circalit, but that seemed to die in the arse, didn't it.

Quoted from Grandma Bear Geez Brett!  not sure I like a system like that  where it only takes one person to dislike your work for it to be ” gone” Forever. Cheer up, I'm sure something good will happen soon. You sure are working hard at it and it will pay off one day. I know it.

Yeah, "gone" as in I'll never place that script where it will get any recognition.
It's the fact they gave me 2's across the ranking board that killed the potential.

Thanks for the vote of confidence. I do feel like I'm getting closer.

I feel less upset about it now, but I'm no longer active on Talentville.
I can use my spec reading time better elsewhere... like here!

Though I have to admit...
There's some good spec features over there that aren't here.

Regards,
E.D.

Quoted from bert I used to hear about things like that happening at Trigger Street -- where one jealous (or whatever) reader could completely torpedo a script. Then they developed a "Hall of Justice" or something where you could appeal a bad review, which I guess is OK in theory, but from what I understand it was a total cluster and made things even worse than before. Sorry to hear you got shrapnel, though. Only increases my confidence that Don's little "no-frills" site is really the way to go. Not perfect, but the best of other less-than-perfect options.  Every layer of complexity tends to make things worse in an exponential fashion.

Yeah, I've heard mention of a "drop one review" that Talentville is considering.
But it doesn't change the fact that how much the honor system affects the ranking.
Or lack thereof, more specifically.

Talentville has bells and whistles, but they can get annoyingly loud at times.
In recent weeks, I read a dozen pretty solid spec features over there.
If we had those scripts here, then SS would be the all around champ.

All things considered, the less frills/rankings the better it seems.

Regards,
E.D.

Quoted from Reef Dreamer Hey Brett, Sad news but something sounds similar.. The whole marking thing has its problems. If you know the writer i find a reluctance to mark at the appropriate level and even i find i give a better mark than perhaps i had in mind. The opposite can apply if someone has a dislike of another. If annoymously then its a bit of a lottery. The MP way seems sound but part of that reason is that you have decent numbers to average things out. Tricky for features i would expect. In the statistcial world they have many ways of calculating performance other than just an average. Excluding the top and bottom marks could equal things out for example. Otherwise, well done on LD, i must take a look at the revsied script. cheers

Hey Reef!

Well, now i know how you feel.

Yeah, I did look into this reviewer's recent history.
The night before he blasted me, he got a scathing review on something of his.
Then he lambasted Zombie Playground the following morning.

Coincidence? Maybe, but it certainly begs the question though.

Regards,
E.D.