[bksvol-discuss] Re: see long synopsis a waste and frustrating

  • From: "Jill O'Connell" <jillocon@xxxxxxxxxx>
  • To: <bksvol-discuss@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
  • Date: Wed, 16 Apr 2008 10:14:17 -0700

Devorah, I'm sure you will get a lot of response to this question since it is one we have been agonizing over on this list for a long time. When people sign up to submit or validate, they give Bookshare certain information. If they choose to simply be listed as a Bookshare volunteer, then we have no way of knowing who they are. Of course, Bookshare has to know but they don't tell the rest of us and that's why many of us no longer volunteer to validate a book unless the submitter's name is given. HTH. Jill ----- Original Message ----- From: "Devorah Greenstein" <DGreenstein@xxxxxxx> 

To: <bksvol-discuss@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Sent: Wednesday, April 16, 2008 9:42 AM
Subject: [bksvol-discuss] Re: see long synopsis a waste and frustrating



I'm puzzled. Doesn't the Bookshare computer have people's names attached
to each book as it goes through the process and gets put into the
collection? I mean, someone (some computer) knows that I've validated a
particular book because I get reminders and a thank you at the end.
Can't we offer feedback to people who submit and validate books ? Or set
standards? What are "the old rules"? If Curtis reads a book that is
missing pages or is not up to snuff, is there an evaluation form or
something that he can give to someone so that the book is reviewed and
improved? Or does it just stay in circulation as is?

I know I'm a newby, but I also know that when I'm reading a print book
(I'm sighted) and it's missing pages (which just happened to me in a
hardcover fantasy book, and they were critical pages) well I get really
mad. So I'm sympathizing with Curtis.

Devorah

-----Original Message-----
From: bksvol-discuss-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
[mailto:bksvol-discuss-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf Of Jill O'Connell
Sent: Wednesday, April 16, 2008 10:34 AM
To: bksvol-discuss@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: [bksvol-discuss] Re: see long synopsis a waste and frustrating

I'm glad you ranted so now I don't have to. My feeling is that these
scanners are not on this list, possibly started scanning when
Bookshare's
standards were so low and have not bothered to read the submitting
updates.
What's even worse is if a validator working under the old rules gets one
of
these books; then a truly poor product results. Jill
----- Original Message ----- From: "Curtis Delzer" <curtis@xxxxxxxxxx> 
To: <bksvol-discuss@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Sent: Wednesday, April 16, 2008 1:19 AM
Subject: [bksvol-discuss] Re: see long synopsis a waste and frustrating



I might add, though reluctantly, I have downloaded books lately where

the

person who scanned the book did not read it, or if did, ignored a

plethora

of errors and then called the scan " excellent, almost no errors." I
wonder
how ... or why ... that happens? Any book I have sent I have read
thoroughly
from cover to cover, and exhumed as many obvious errors or missing

pages

or
missing words ... as possible. It's frustrating when, particularly

when

it's
a book I truly like and want to finish, to have all kinds of errors

which

continue to continue without knowing what the source was suppose to

be.

Reading a book by gathering it by context is no fun. :)

Sorry for my rant, however it seems to me that if books are to be
submitted,
then they should be submitted with the idea that as many errors as
possible
be handled by the original submitter, not the validator.
When both the submitter, and the validator are involved with

corrections,

many fewer errors are the result, but you can't start out with the

context

and expect much more than the hodge podge it began with.
Many times, scanners, as such, put in long descriptions, advertise on
these
lists, books they've sent but when I download ...

Curtis Delzer
----- Original Message ----- From: "Estelnalissi" <airadil@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> 
To: <bksvol-discuss@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Cc: <bookshare-discuss@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Sent: Monday, April 14, 2008 6:42 PM
Subject: [bksvol-discuss] see long synopsis a waste and frustrating


Dear Booksharian Friends,

Those words, "See long synopsis," which appeared on several titles on
Sunday's new books list frustrate and annoy me every time I read them.



From
yesterday's list I uploaded 6 books but none of my choices had those
dreaded
words in their descriptions.

Your valuable volunteer and staff efforts have given me so many

wonderful,

usually unexpected, books to read, I don't take time from my

volunteering

reading, and real life to look up titles that refer me to the long
synopsis.

I also don't punish myself either to make a point by failing to read

books

I
recognize that I like whose authors or titles I already know, just

because

the submittor and validator didn't take time to write any kind of

helpful

short synopsis for them. But, If I'm not familiar with the book, I

don't

bother to track down a long synopsis. If volunteers can't be bothered

to

write a helpful short synopsis, I conclude they don't care much about

that

book and don't waste unnecessary time finding out about it because I

think

it has a good chance of not being carefully prepared.

If a volunteer cares about a book, you'd think she or he would want

others

to benefit from their work. You'd think they would hope many readers

will

select their book and it will be widely read. Why put your own book in

the

seconds bin by not writing an inviting and/or informative short

synopsis

for
it? The short synopsis is the book's best publicity.

In other discussions some volunteers have used the excuse that they

can't

write a long synopsis because they haven't read the book. By my

personal

work standards That already shows a considerable amount of lack of

caring.

However given the volunteer isn't planning to read the book, this

excuse

still doesn't hold up. Why not formulate a short synopsis by

summarizing

that famous long synopsis to which they direct potential readers. It
wouldn't take too long to dash out some brief high points mentioned in



that
long synopsis. It's only 200 characters or less we're hoping for.

I'll always appreciate everyone's work and am not targeting an

individual

since I didn't look up any of these books to identify the volunteers

who

write "See long synopsis."  I wouldn't dream of trying to manipulate

the

volunteer community or the staff to weigh in on this issue or to

institute

major changes according to my personal guidelines and desires. It's my



hope
that expressing my opinion might result in some books in the future

being

given the more detailed short synopses they deserve. And if that

happens

or
not, at least I've expressed my feelings.

I assume all of us have the good of Bookshare at heart. I've written

this

pointed and fervent message from the perspective of both a volunteer

and a

reader who loves Bookshare. I'm stating my opinion to encourage

volunteers

to try a little harder to attract readers to their books and to make

book

browsing more satisfying to me.

Always with love,

Lissi

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