Welcome! I have created this blog so Experts that use Expert Connect through Ancestry.com will have an outlet for new ideas, issues or just venting. I have asked for this type of capability for the current system on Ancestry.com but all I get is "It has been forwarded to our developers"...
I ask that you keep on topic. I will keep moderation of posts to a minimum, with exception given to vulgar, off-topic or mean-spirited comments.
Let me hear from you! I know I have a lot to say,
Josh, AncestorStalker.com
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Hi Josh, I'm also an "Expert" on EC, and while I love it, it has some issues I'm not happy about, either. Here's what I recently posted on one of the EC blogs... It's currently "awaiting moderation", and I don't think it's been posted to their blog:
ReplyDelete""As an Expert, I am frequently invited to bid on projects. I take the time to look over the project, and sometimes spend a 1/2 hour or more checking the info the potential client has posted. I then ask a clarifying question, to get more info to determine if I can in fact bid on the project. And then the potential client does not bother to answer. So, my suggestion is really two-fold:
1. Please encourage the clients to reply to those of us who take the time to look into bidding on their project. Answer the Experts’ questions, so we can determine if we can work on your project.
2. Institute a time limit for the project to be bid upon, say 2 weeks– starting from the time the client sends out the invitations. I’ve had potential projects open for 2 or 3 months, because the client doesn’t bother to respond. A 2 week period seems adequate for the client to review the bids, then choose the researcher. If the client doesn’t choose someone after 2 weeks, the Experts who were sent invitations should get an email saying the project has closed. Leaving us wondering about the project is not a good use of time.""
Donna,
ReplyDeleteI totally agree. I finally gave up posting comments to the potential clients on the message board because maybe only 10% of them respond. I was left wondering if...
1. They never received an email stating they had a message.
2. They were confused about what they should do.
3. They feel they shouldn't have to expand on their information?
I mean, what is the deal?
I asked EC if they could have a clearer guideline for the client who is submitting a project. In other words, tell them they HAVE to provide the ancestors name, date and location of birth or don't expect results.
And yes, these projects need to disappear after at most a month if the client has not chosen a provider. It's no big deal to restart a new project if something came up in their lives.
Hi Todd,
ReplyDeleteYeah, I also wonder if the client's email settings send the Ancestry notifications to the spam folder. The issue with the clients not responding has happened so many times that I think the clients just don't bother to respond because it's too much of a bother. We're the "Experts", after all, and we should just be able to click a button and have their entire pedigree available to them for $50. Every couple of weeks, I go through the "To Do" list to cull out the deadwood-- #1 go to the potential projects, #2 check the status to see if it's been awarded to someone... if not, #3 I click the "Reject Project" button and send a message to the client, saying I was unable to bid on their project due to lack of info, etc.... then just delete the deadwood. Yeesh, what a pain !
Hey guys. I have seen this with about 1/2 of the projects I would inquire on in the past...they don't respond at all.
ReplyDeleteI have the feeling some clients create a project just to see what it is about...testing the waters...and just leave it. I don't think there is a good way for Ancestry to force them to answer questions.
I agree that projects should be closed after a certain amount of time. In fact I think the EC staff stated that fact. If you watch the total projects daily, you'll see them decrease somewhat but I think the effort is lax.