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

  • From: eric troup <yakkoman@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
  • To: bksvol-discuss@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
  • Date: Wed, 16 Apr 2008 23:38:38 +0100

Just for the record, Shelley, I meant no disrespect when I said that about common courtesy. Your scans haven't ever given me any problems.


I do know that once when I hadn't read a book I submitted, I ws notified that the bottom line of each page was garbled. <heavy sigh> You can imagine how much fun that was to fix.


On 16 Apr 2008, at 21:38, Shelley L. Rhodes wrote:

In my case, I do read most of the books I submit, but not all of them.

When I do a book and ask someone here to validate it, if for example it is a
wishlist book that I don't particularly want to read, then I put it up
without reading it entirely. I will spot check it, and review it, to make
sure it does make sense, but won't read it.

I do read and edit books I want to read, and have scanned for me, and
Bookshare too.

Shelley L. Rhodes M.A., VRT, CTVI
and Guinevere, Golden lady Guide
juddysbuddy@xxxxxxxxxxxx
Guide Dogs For the Blind Inc.
Graduate Alumni Association Board
www.guidedogs.com

More than Any other time, When i hold a beloved book in my hand, my
limitations fall from me, my spirit is free.
- Helen Keller

----- Original Message -----
From: "Curtis Delzer" <curtis@xxxxxxxxxx>
To: <bksvol-discuss@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Sent: Wednesday, April 16, 2008 4:19 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

To unsubscribe from this list send a blank Email to
bksvol-discuss-request@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
put the word 'unsubscribe' by itself in the subject line. To get a list of
available commands, put the word 'help' by itself in the subject line.

To unsubscribe from this list send a blank Email to
bksvol-discuss-request@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
put the word 'unsubscribe' by itself in the subject line. To get a list of
available commands, put the word 'help' by itself in the subject line.



--
No virus found in this incoming message.
Checked by AVG.
Version: 7.5.519 / Virus Database: 269.22.13/1377 - Release Date: 4/14/2008
9:26 AM



To unsubscribe from this list send a blank Email to
bksvol-discuss-request@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
put the word 'unsubscribe' by itself in the subject line. To get a list of available commands, put the word 'help' by itself in the subject line.


To unsubscribe from this list send a blank Email to
bksvol-discuss-request@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
put the word 'unsubscribe' by itself in the subject line.  To get a list of 
available commands, put the word 'help' by itself in the subject line.

Other related posts: