VOF Listeners Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

This FAQ has been created to provide answers to the many questions we will face as Listeners over the next month or so. Just like the Applicants, we are on our own journey on the frontiers of new media. As we have asked them to embrace web 2.0, so, too, are we embracing web 2.0 for the evaluation process.

We will be continuously updating this FAQ over the four weeks, so come back often!

Someone has already commented and reviewed the assignment. Should I still leave a comment?

Yes, you should! We have tried to make sure each assignment has two reviewers, so as to give more feedback and more connectivity among the community.

Should we let our applicants know that we are evaluating them in our comments to their assignment?

Yes, please introduce yourself. We want this process to be as transparent as possible. Plus, you will likely make a new, and possibly, life-long friend!

Do we offer praise and constructive criticism here or elsewhere?
Please provide your feedback in the comments section. Here is some starter dough to get you started:
\"I really loved the way you....\"
\"I was inspired by...\"
\"I was moved when...\"
\"I find myself longing for...\"
\"I had a hard/challenging time with....\"
\"I was not sure if you meant this.... or this...\" \"I would love to know more\"

Most importantly, use your authentic voice. There is no right or wrong. There is only learning along the way. If you feel uncomfortable living criticisms, it is ok to only leave good love! However, feeling uncomfortable is part of this journey. Many of the applicants have had to confront their fears by sharing the voice, and we too face that challenge. Relax, share your voice, and communicate directly...the Applicants will appreciate it.

I am noticing a lot of punctuation and grammar mistakes in my assignments. Is this important?
With joy we emphatically state NO! Put away your red pens! At this stage of the journey, we ask Listeners to focus on drawing out the true voices and leadership of each individual and not worry so much about punctuation and grammar.

This does not imply that you should rate every assignment as a \"5\" just to be nice. Rather, we encourage you to gently point out when an Applicant has not followed the rules. To ask clarifying questions if something is confusing. To let an Applicant know how you felt after reading their post. The most important role we play is reflecting back to the Applicants how a piece landed for us.

This nuance is important because our Applicants comes from such a wide-variety of backgrounds and standards of education. It has taken courage for many of them to post their words in such a public forum. We want to build on that courage over the next four weeks.

Why do you keep calling us Listeners? Aren't we reading and evaluating writing assignments? Where does the listening come in?

On one hand, reading and evaluating writing assignments is exactly what we are doing. On the other hand - the hand that we do not use as much and so it might feel awkward - our primary mandate as evaluators is to witness, affirm and support the VOICES of the Applicants, in the myriad of forms VOICE will show up.

Have the Applicants seen the evaluation form?

The Applicants have not seen the actual form, although they have received information about the evaluation criteria. We plan on re-posting this criteria when we send out a reminder for week two.

Question 6 asks about Leadership, but I can't find their activity! What do I do with that question?

We will be re-wording the question for Weeks 2 through 4 to make it more clear. What we really want to know is: does the VOICE demonstrate leadership potential? When you read the assignment do you feel stirred, and inspired? Does this sound like a voice that could motivate a community to work toward change? For the first week, the question was more about tangible evidence of leadership, but now it is asking about a feeling of leadership that you feel when reading.

How do I know which Applicants I am going to Listen to?

Every Wednesday over the next four weeks you will receive a group of assignments to read and evaluate by email. When you are ready, simply open this spreadsheet and follow the instructions. Each Listener will be reviewing a different set of Applicants each week.

How many Applicants will I be be evaluating?
We anticipate that each Listener will be evaluating between 4 and 10 Applicants per week, unless you have worked out other arrangements. If you signed up for a specific week/s, you will only be included in that week's list of assignments.

How do I find an Applicant's assignment and other activity?
The easiest way to find an Applicant's assignment is to follow the links we have provided. This will take you to their submitted assignment.

The assignment is in a language that I can't read! What do I do?
Applicants may write in their native tongue provided their language is represented in our translation tool. To use the translation tool, locate the \"Translate Page\" box on the top right of the page, find their language in the drop-down menu.

If you are not sure what language they wrote in or are experiencing other challenges, please contact scott (at) worldpulse (dot) com and explain the specific situation. We will come to a solution that works for everyone!

How do I count the words in an assignment?
Highlight and copy the text of the assignment. Paste into the box on www.wordcounttool.com for an instant number!

How do I evaluate the assignment?
To evaluate the assignment, simply follow the link to our Evaluation Form, which is powered by GoogleDocs. In the spirit of Web 2.0, we are harnessing this technology to compile all of our Listeners hard work. You will simply answer the questions on that form and hit \"Submit\" for each assignment you are reviewing. We will receive the information immediately.

I followed the link to the form, but I can't view it! How do I access it?
You were sent a username and password via email. If you cannot access this information, please contact scott (at) worldpulse (dot) com

This seems complicated. Tell me more about about the form.
The first section of the form asks you to provide basic data about yourself and the Applicant being reviewed. You should have received this information. If not, please contact scott (at) worldpulse (dot) com

Questions 1 and 2 ask about the completeness of the assignment. If you are unsure of what the assignment was, please consult the VOF Group page: http://www.worldpulse.com/pulsewire/groups/3740 If you are still unsure, please don't hesitate to ask.

Questions 3 through 6 ask you to rank the applicant's work using a 1 to 5 rating scale, with \"5\" being the most positive ranking. Please contact us if you want help getting comfortable with the question criteria or rankings.

Finally, Question 7 asks you to provide an overall assessment of the Applicant's work.

Applicant's scores will be averaged over the course of the four week Application phase. The top Applicants will then embark on a four-month \"virtual\" journey on the frontiers of new media and women's empowerment.

Question 8 is a clever way of asking you to leave a comment on the entries you read. One of the most important roles you are playing is as a witness and supporter of their words. We want every applicant to know their voice has been heard!

Please make a comment on their VOF journal entry. We recommend the following format:

This is what I loved about your story....
I would have loved to have seen more of/more about.....

Again, our aim is to support and encourage voices, please keep in mind many are new to this, a full critique is not essentatial, but any advice you can give to better follow instructions and increase the scores on Questions 2-7 in following weeks is very helpful! Please contact scott (at) worldpulse (dot) com if you feel uncomfortable or are for any reason unable to post a comment.

Can I finish an Evaluation that I have started at a later time?
If you walk away from an evaluation form in progress, leave the browser window open. Unfortunately, if you close the form before hitting \"Submit\" we will not receive your information, and the assignment will not be evaluated.

Who do I contact if I have questions about the form, if I made a mistake, or if I am unsure of something?
If you accidentally submit information on the form that is wrong, incomplete or needs to be changed, or if you encounter technical issues, contact our data volunteer Mike Alfoni at mike (dot) alfoni (at) gmail (dot) com

For all other questions, please feel free to review the VOF Listeners Group journal for more information. Post your question, or contact Scott Beck at scott (at) worldpulse (dot) com

When are my evaluations due?
Your evaluations for the week (read the entry, submit evaluation form, post your comment) are expected to be finished the Wednesday after you have received them. This gives you about one full week to complete them, on your own schedule.

What if I can't get to all of the Applicants that I've been assigned to review?
If you anticipate being too busy for the work-load in a given week, please contact us as soon as possible so that we can adjust accordingly as quickly as possible.

What makes World Pulse so great?
Volunteers, like you! Thank you!