Not One Lead Since I Expressed Dislike of Tagging

Lance Blair · Posted: Thu Jun 12, 2008, 22:22 (GMT) Post subject:

I see what you're saying Lee. I had decided not to renew because the leads are soooo bad - largely from seekers from whom I would not answer a call or reply to an email, then at the last minute I thought "Oh, what the heck, I'll give it another whirl since they're supposed to be tweaking the service further this year". Mind you, I actually like SmartCast.

The tagging system in and of itself is hopefully helpful, and benign and innocuous at worst. However I can't believe that they introduced it without the ability to edit unwanted tags. That is what ruined my confidence in the service, not the idea of tagging itself which I find to be amateurish. With the vast number of wannabees on v123 that don't know what a pop filter is, I don't want any of them commenting on anybody's voice. They simply are not qualified.

And no, I didn't tag any of the 50 demos. If had, I would have tagged 46 as "terrible, unproffessional" two as "competent, friendly" and two as "assured, dynamic". As I wrote before, I only listened to the demos to get a feel for why the quality seekers are leaving v123 which is my main issue. The tagging is just more evidence of the amateurish nature of the site. It's geared for amateurs. Good for them.

Maxine Dunn · **Voice Talent** Joined: 25 Apr 2004 Posts: 675

Hi Lance,

Please accept my apologies for misconstruing the amount of time you spent on listening to demos.... When I saw the "50 demos," I thought, Wow, if they're all a minute or more long...that’s a lotta demo listening!

It didn't occur to me that you could also of course just blaze right through them and not listen to them all.

I'm sorry that you haven't had a good experience with V123 ~ it must be supremely frustrating...and even if you do discontinue your membership, I really hope you'll continue to post on the Savvy boards because your posts are always valuable and most interesting to read.

(And Lee, that's one of my favorite Monty Python quotes of all time. Just cracks me up each time I hear it...)

- Max

Diane Havens · **Voice Talent** Joined: 09 Jun 2006 Posts: 1281

It took me about 4.5 minutes to listen to the first few seconds of some demos. Just out of curiosity -- after all, it's nice to know exactly what one is complaining about. And since it was my final day at 123... for the sentimental value.

But you know, to do it properly WOULD take some time. The serious demos, I mean. Listen to the whole thing, give it some thought, come up with a good word that might be searchable. Think of three of them. Man, that's work. It's important to each person, because these are the only words that will be used in the search eventually.

Do you think everyone who tagged did that?

Allison Scussel · **Voice Talent** Joined: 25 Apr 2007 Posts: 928

I just want to thank Larry for giving us some insight about tagging from a voice seekers POV. Is it really the end of the world? Maybe, maybe not. Time will tell to see how this system effects V123 subsribers. My leads haven't been effected. Making time to audition is another issue, but that's a personal challenge for me and not a V123 problem.

I continue to wish everyone the best of luck with their VO auditions. May the best actor win the best job.

~Ally~

JC Haze · **Voice Talent** Joined: 10 Aug 2007 Posts: 86

And Diane...
I know I'm kinda newbie here...but...May I say, even though you're taking a haitus from 123, I hope to still read your pithy comments in SAVVY! Or we'll all really miss you!

Diane Havens · **Voice Talent** Joined: 09 Jun 2006 Posts: 1281

I appreciate your saying that, JC. Thank you.

I don't connect the two, so I don't feel it should stop my posting here. Why would I ever leave such a treasure trove of knowledgeable, entertaining colleagues, most of whom have never met, yet care so much about each other?

It would take more than this to shut me up.

JC Haze · **Voice Talent** Joined: 10 Aug 2007 Posts: 86