Ok so you’ve got your HIT designed and your instructions are clear. What if no one does your HIT? How do you know “if you build it they will come?”
There are many variables that determine if Workers will complete your HITs but the 2 most important ones are pay and reputation. The pay piece is pretty obvious:
Pay well - Don’t be fooled into underpaying Workers by comparing your HITs to low priced HITs that aren’t being completed.
Pay fairly – Don’t reject an Assignment unless you’re SURE it’s the Worker who is wrong.
Pay quickly – If you approve or reject Assignments once a week, Workers may do a few HITs and then wait to see if they are paid before doing more. This is especially true if you’re a new Requester and haven’t established your reputation yet.
Regardless of how well you pay, your reputation as a Requester will have a significant impact on how quickly your HITs are done. Workers will be cautious and not risk their reputation (i.e. their approval rate) until they know they can trust you. This is especially true when you’re using Mechanical Turk Masters as Masters are typically the most sought after Workers and can choose which HITs to do.
Often times when a new Requester publishes HITs, Workers will ask each other about the Requester -- does he reject a lot of HITs? how quickly does he approve HITS? Many Workers participate in an online forum called TurkerNation. The forum has a section called “Requesters Hall of Fame/Shame” in which they discuss their experiences with various Requesters. It's the surest way to learn if Workers find your HITs confusing or think you’re not paying appropriately or have heard you are rejecting a lot of HITs unfairly.
Workers swarm to the Requesters they trust. Managing your reputation with Workers is a key to getting your HITs done faster.
-- Sharon
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