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Poll: Do you use the availability calendar in your ProZ.com profile? Thread poster: ProZ.com Staff
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This forum topic is for the discussion of the poll question "Do you use the availability calendar in your ProZ.com profile?".
This poll was originally submitted by Lise Smidth. View the poll results »
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Mary Worby 
United Kingdom
Local time: 17:50
German to English
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| Yes, but ... | Jan 26, 2010 |
... I don't always remember to update it, especially when busy! But thanks for the reminder!
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Sheila Wilson
Spain
Local time: 17:50
Member (2007)
English
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| Suggestion for ProZ enhancement | Jan 26, 2010 |
Mary Worby wrote:
... I don't always remember to update it, especially when busy! But thanks for the reminder!
Exactly what I was about to say!
Maybe that's one for the ProZ team: daily/weekly/monthly (as selected) email with a direct link to the calendar. I think if I received regular reminders I'd keep it more or less up to date.
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seems like many outsourcers don't pay attention to it.
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| Same as Mary: when I remember! | Jan 26, 2010 |
I don't think it makes much difference. I have received inquiries when my days were red. I think it's noticed more by us that by potential clients.
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Interlangue (X)
Angola
Local time: 18:50
English to French
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Yasutomo Kanazawa wrote:
seems like many outsourcers don't pay attention to it.
I seldom forget to update it but still get offers once in a while...
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| I'm updating, however, it should be more easily and independently accessible | Jan 26, 2010 |
Personally, I want the calendar to be independently accessible to all outsourcers and colleagues, I mean, apart from our profile content which is for now the only portal they can check up, resulting in a bit of inconvenience for everybody to leverage the tool to indicate availability (!!)
[Edited at 2010-01-26 08:56 GMT]
Well, what I presumed as potenial viewers of our calendars are principally our existing clients - agencies we've already established working co... See more Personally, I want the calendar to be independently accessible to all outsourcers and colleagues, I mean, apart from our profile content which is for now the only portal they can check up, resulting in a bit of inconvenience for everybody to leverage the tool to indicate availability (!!)
[Edited at 2010-01-26 08:56 GMT]
Well, what I presumed as potenial viewers of our calendars are principally our existing clients - agencies we've already established working collaboration for fairly a long period of time. So it should not be necessarily a marketing tool to appeal to new potential clients. For that matter, I personally feel it's sometimes annoying to receive in-coming emails of unattractive requirements while I'm totally busy and have not a moment to look at them...that's the point I emphasize.
Just only tedious of answering all detailed mails when I know they would better search for any ones alternative at times. So I believe it's a merit that our clients are kept informed of our up-to-date availabilities. Potential clients is another matter. It does not always take that long to make brief responses.
[Edited at 2010-01-26 20:27 GMT] ▲ Collapse
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Simon Bruni
United Kingdom
Local time: 17:50
Member (2009)
Spanish to English
| available = unwanted | Jan 26, 2010 |
I've always thought showing a lot of availability could be interpreted in the wrong way, i.e. it means your services are not in demand.
Likewise, marking the calendar as busy could dissuade potential clients from contacting you when, although you may be unable to do the project they have at that time, this initial contact could lead to jobs in the future.
Pointless feature if you ask me.
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| With Simon Bruni... | Jan 26, 2010 |
I do not either want to prevent potential clients from contacting me, even if I am not available for a few days. - So I just do not use the calendar...
If it was possible to remove it from my profile I'd immediately get rid of it.
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John Cutler
Spain
Local time: 18:50
Spanish to English
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| My thoughts too | Jan 26, 2010 |
Simon Bruni wrote:
I've always thought showing a lot of availability could be interpreted in the wrong way, i.e. it means your services are not in demand.
Likewise, marking the calendar as busy could dissuade potential clients from contacting you when, although you may be unable to do the project they have at that time, this initial contact could lead to jobs in the future.
Pointless feature if you ask me.
I've always thought the same. If I were an outsourcer too much green would make me wonder and too much red would put me off.
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Andrea Teltemann wrote:
If it was possible to remove it from my profile I'd immediately get rid of it. You can chose to make it visible or not.
As for me, I love the calendar. I don't think it is of any use for my clients, I've never heard that any of them had a look at my calendar, but I find it useful for myself, it gives me a good overview of the coming work.
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| More efficient communication with current clients | Jan 26, 2010 |
I update my calendar daily, since a number of my clients reserve time in advance. I know that at least 3 of my regular clients check my calendar before calling me because they know it's accurate, and one has even said that they check it every day in case time opens up in my schedule unexpectedly - good motivation for me to keep using it!
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| Does anyone check it? | Jan 26, 2010 |
I don't use the calendar and wonder if any outsourcers make use of it.
The system I use is to invite customers to add me to their skype contacts. I keep my 'mood' setting on that updated saying that I am accepting work, or the date I am next available. Though I'm not sure how much that is made use of either!
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Simon Bruni wrote:
I've always thought showing a lot of availability could be interpreted in the wrong way, i.e. it means your services are not in demand.
Likewise, marking the calendar as busy could dissuade potential clients from contacting you when, although you may be unable to do the project they have at that time, this initial contact could lead to jobs in the future.
Pointless feature if you ask me.
same idea here
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Jessica Noyes
United States
Local time: 12:50
Member
Spanish to English
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| I use it, but it needs one more feature | Jan 26, 2010 |
I keep mine carefully updated. I believe outsources using the directory can sort by whether or not the person they seek is "available" that day. In my case, the outsources who use it seem to be the ones looking at my profile for the first time. They don't know me, but don't bother making contact if they know I am busy.
The feature it needs is a place where you can indicate your personal code for managing your calendar. I think some people keep it green when they are available by phone... See more I keep mine carefully updated. I believe outsources using the directory can sort by whether or not the person they seek is "available" that day. In my case, the outsources who use it seem to be the ones looking at my profile for the first time. They don't know me, but don't bother making contact if they know I am busy.
The feature it needs is a place where you can indicate your personal code for managing your calendar. I think some people keep it green when they are available by phone; others (like me) on whether they have time to do work. I would like a little box where I could put in my own tag-line, such as: Green=available for 2000 words, yellow 1000, etc. Others could of course put in another explanatory note. The check boxes under the calendar, about words per day or working hours, are not useful to me at all, as they don't fit the way I do things. ▲ Collapse
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