beta reader spreadsheet: does it get used?

[kate_nepveu]

Hi all,

I usually do a Google form + spreadsheet so that people can offer to be beta readers (last year's).

I would love it if you would let me know if you actually use this to look for betas? I'm putting a poll at the end of this entry for DW users, to make it easier to respond, but comments are very welcome as well.

(It's not that much work for me, thanks to the joy of forms, but I hate to think of people doing signups for no reason?)

Edit: if people have contacted you because they saw you on the spreadsheet, feel free to count that as a "yes"; sorry I forgot to include that in the poll!

Edit^2: it does seem that people use it, yay! I shall continue it this year, then. Other feedback also welcomed, thanks so much.

Poll #24630

Open to: Registered Users, detailed results viewable to: All, participants: 93

View Respondents

Have you actually used the spreadsheet to look for a beta reader?

View Answers

Yes, it's great.
40 (43.0%)

I didn't know it existed, but I will if it exists in the future.
36 (38.7%)

I don't (or wouldn't) find it useful.
17 (18.3%)

Comments

[kate_nepveu]

I don't know how to use pivot tables, alas! Is this something you'd be interested in looking into using last year's spreadsheet data? I can usually cargo-cult my way into updating something once I have an example set up.

The types of editing are very interesting, thanks! That many gradations are probably more than are needed for most Yuletide purposes, but the question of sensitivity reading is one I need to give serious thought to.

As for the acknowledging as a beta reader, I've always had that conversation with writers I've beta'ed for, and I'm reluctant to overload the spreadsheet--which, as you say, is definitely unwieldy though I do my best! But I will mull it over.