On December 5, 2017, we launched our brand new reputation algorithm!
Please read this Q&A carefully because it answers 98.31% of the questions you might have about the new reputation algorithm.
What is a reputation score?
The crowdspring reputation score measures the quality of work submitted by a creative, and calculates a score on a scale of 0 to 100.
A score below 70 is poor, a score between 70 and 80 is average, a score between 80 and 90 is above average, and a score of 90+ reflects creatives who've earned the highest honors based on the quality of their work.
To be eligible to take part in PLATINUM projects, creatives must have a reputation score of 80 or higher when they first submit a design to that project. If their reputation falls slightly below 80 while they are already participating in a PLATINUM project, they will still be able to participate in that project but will not be able to participate in new PLATINUM projects until their score returns to 80 or above.
To be eligible to participate in ELITE projects, creatives must have a reputation score of 90 or higher when they first submit a design to an ELITE project (assuming they have one of the three slots). If their reputation falls slightly below 90 while they are already participating in an ELITE project, they will still be able to participate in that project but will not be able to participate in new ELITE projects until their score returns to 90 or above.
Where does your reputation score show on the site?
The reputation score appears in your profile, in Explore, and may also appear in other places where clients see your usernames. The best place to check it is in your profile.
How often is your reputation adjusted?
We adjust the reputation scores for all active creatives multiple times per week. So don't panic if you win a project, for example, and the score doesn't adjust right away. We look at many factors when we compute the reputation score and for this reason, we don't make immediate adjustments.
How is reputation measured for creatives who are new to crowdspring?
When a new creative joins the crowdspring community, we automatically assign them a provisional reputation score of 70. That score does not change for the first 30 days but we monitor the creative's work and on the 31st day, start calculating their actual reputation score. Reputation will rise or fall based on the overall quality of the work.
Reputation scores are updated every few days.
Creatives can improve their reputations by, among other things, submitting high-quality designs, receiving high scores and reviews from clients, winning projects, and avoiding receiving low scores (so please think twice before submitting entries that don't reflect your best work).
Why did crowdspring implement the new reputation algorithm?
Our old algorithm did a reasonably good job taking into account many different factors. But over the years, we've been experimenting with different variations and testing new reputation models. We found that we can make significant improvements in how we measure the quality of work in design and naming projects, especially in communicating the quality of the work clients can expect from a creative. It was also important for us to be able to properly qualify our community so that we can permit the best creatives to participate in Platinum and Elite projects.
What factors does the new reputation algorithm consider?
We won't share every detail of how the new reputation algorithm works, but at a high level, it looks at the quality of your work.
High scores, wins, offers, good ratings in wrapups - those are all strong, positive factors that will improve your reputation. On the other hand, low ratings, IP violations, and other actions that reflect poor quality will decrease your reputation.
We look at your entire history on crowdspring and also look at a snapshot of your recent work - BOTH are important in calculating the reputation score. This means that you should take time and think about each of your submissions and be sure that it reflects your very best work.
Is your reputation affected if a client removes your entry from consideration?
No. We know that clients will often remove entries from consideration in order to reduce "noise" in their project and focus on a smaller number of entries. If an entry is removed from consideration, this does not affect your reputation score.
Your legacy reputation score has changed. Why?
As we wrote above, the old reputation algorithm was good, but we saw ways to significantly improve it. When we launched our new site at the end of August, 2017, we froze everyone's reputation scores (based on the old algorithm) and have not updated any of them until December 5, 2017. During that time, we were working to finalize the new reputation algorithm. As a result, now that we're again updating reputation scores, most of you will see changes to your score. This is because we now look at some new factors, no longer look at factors that used to be important, and because you've been submitting entries, receiving scores, winning projects, etc. We take into account all of your activity on crowdspring.
When we update the scores to the new reputation, some people will see only small changes. Others will see very significant changes. Going forward, your reputation should gradually adjust up or down, based on the quality of your work in projects on crowdspring.
I was a Platinum or Elite designer under the old algorithm but now my level has changed. Why did this happen?
The new reputation algorithm doesn't measure the same things we measured with the old reputation algorithm. Many factors that used to be important are no longer measured because we concluded that they were not relevant to quality. Continue to do good work and you'll see your reputation improve.
Do clients have reputation scores?
We don't measure clients' reputations in the same way we measure reputations of creatives. For clients, we provide other stats (how many projects they've posted, how much total they've spent, how active they've been with feedback and scoring, etc.) to help you evaluate whether to participate in specific projects.
Should I contact the crowdspring support team with questions about my reputation score?
No. This FAQ addresses the important questions about your score. The support team won't be able to share any additional details and contacting them will only make it more difficult for the support team to help you, other creatives, and clients, on other issues.