Before Sending a Correction...

Some of you complained about quiz players who send wrong or too hasty correction notes.
I could say the same of several quiz authors, though. They BELIEVE they are right, so they don't even check the suggested corrections, or they verify them using simply the same inaccurate sources they employed to write their quizzes.
In all this time on Funtrivia, I have sent dozens of correction notes. Always justified, always polite, always with the best of intentions.
Some authors thanked me and made the changes, some corrected the inaccuracies without a word, some totally ignored my notes. Once in a while, i. e. on those rare occasions I felt patient, I sent a second note, and the authors finally amended the mistakes. They didn't even think of thanking me, as if they were doing ME a favour. I am still wondering why I bothered. LOL
In my opinion, players who send correction notes are mostly in good faith, so it is useless to complain. On the contrary, it is an act of common courtesy to thank them for investing time and energy for us, and, if we believe they are incorrect, to explain them the reasons.
It is an ethical question, too. We have a moral responsibility for what we publish: articles, books, or quizzes. We do write for an audience, and then we ignore it?
I am a journalist, and I am used to taking seriously the reactions of the readers to my articles. All messages get a civilised answer from me, even the angry (and the stupid) ones. Are quizzes really something different?

Ciao :-)
Mirella

Arlesienne, with over 50 quizzes online, I get quite a few correction notices. With each correction, I research the correct answer. In some cases, I'm correct. I tell the person why I'm correct, politely and I thank them for taking my quiz.

If I find that they're correct, I reply to them, thanking them for seeing the mistake and letting me know. I tell them that I changed it to the correct answer, and thank them for playing my quiz.

If I find that they're not right but the question is a bit ambiguous, I thank them and change the question (or whatever needs changed) and tell them what I've changed.

When I send a correction notice, I tell them specifically what's wrong and why it's wrong. Most of the time, I've researched the right answer, so I know it-in which case I tell them what the right answer is (usually in spelling). I hardly ever get a thank-you.

Morrigan

Just an addition to the discussion about getting answers to your corrections. One thing to remember is that many authors no longer visit the site. This means that editors must make any needed changes, if they can find enough information.

I usually take care of the corrections for my categories, I look at them on average twice a week. This morning I have dealt with well over 100 correction notes, both justified and complete nonsense, and I'm not done yet. This is not unusual. I know that, strictly speaking, I should send all of those players a note, but, realistically, I'm just not up to it.

Chances are very good that when you do not get a reply to your note, the author is off site, and it is a poor, eye-strained, overworked editor making the changes. (Feeling sorry for me yet?)

Even when authors do continue to visit and contribute to the site, archived quizzes cannot be amended by the original author. In these cases, all the author can do is note whether or not they agree with the correction, and their reasons.
I've sent hundreds of correction notes, mostly for typos or spelling errors, and rarely receive a reply. This doesn't bother me at all, and I never go back to the quiz to check whether or not my correction has been actioned.

What a heartbreaking destiny, Agony! Thank goodness, I always have a good stock of Kleenex, and use a waterproof mascara. :-)
I must confess, I didn't know editors took care of correction notices too. It sounds enervating, and you have all my sympathy. Maybe you could create an "anti-badge" for players who send wrong corrections. The first "anti-badge" after five notes, then after ten, etc.
Aramis, I don't send a correction, then check hourly if the mistake has been amended, impatiently tapping my fingers on the keyboard.
I notice that my suggestions have been ignored, when I play Global Challenge, for example, and I see a mistake reappearing again and again. Or, in a couple of cases, because I accidentally took the same quiz twice.
I have neither the time nor the energy to jump on the correction button as soon as I see a typo. I mostly send correction notices on major factual mistakes, or spelling mistakes concerning my "mother tongues", Italian and German.
I have never lost my sleep because my notes had no effect, or because I received no reply. In some cases, though, I was really surprised, and curious to know the reason.
Thanks, Agony, for letting me know at least one reason. From now on, I'll always blame you. LOL

Ciao :-)
Mirella

One thing I have noticed about sending corrections from questions appearing in the global challenge, is that you might want to take a look at the actual quiz it came from first. I have seen corrections that needed to be made in the question, only to find that it had already been corrected in the quiz itself, and probably just hadn't updated in the challenge yet. Now, I always play the original quiz before sending a correction notice on questions from the challenge.

Who said anything about 'checking hourly' or 'impatiently tapping the keyboard'. You've just completed the quiz, and see the correction and rating sections, so what 'time and energy are involved? It takes seconds to send a simple correction, and thus improve the quiz, so why not do it? If there are several typos and spelling errors, then it's even more important to submit corrections.

One of the things you have to remember about changes to the Global challenge is that the question pool is only refreshed periodically. So even after the change has been made to the quiz that the question came from, it might still take a while for the change to make it to the cache where the questions for the challenge are kept.

"Checking every hour" and "impatiently tapping the keyboard", were intentional exaggerations, and humourously meant. Sorry about that, Aramis.
That was just my strange way to say: "I don't care that much if the mistakes I pointed out are amended or not, and I never go back and check, exactly like you."
Of course corrections are important! Did I say anything else? On the contrary: corrections, compliments, criticisms, all forms of direct communication with an "audience", are fundamental, in my opinion.
When I notice a mistake in a quiz, though, especially a factual one, I never trust my memory, and to avoid bothering the authors (and the editors, as I know now) with a wrong correction, I do first an accurate research. That takes time, and I don't always have it.

Ciao :-)
Mirella

Apology accepted Mirella, and no hard feelings! As you'd addressed me specifically in your post, I'd took it your comments were directed at me rather than being general.
I consider the sending of accurate correction notices to be a service both to funtrivia and to the quiz author involved. Spelling and punctuation errors, including typos, are wrong and do nothing for the benefit or reputation of the site or the individual author. There is no shame in having a minor error pointed out, and I received one myself only last week. I'd referred in the notes of one question to the 1930's and 1940's, and a player had pointed out the apostrophes were incorrect, and should have read 1930s and 1940s. I thanked the player, and told them I agreed with the correction, but as the quiz was archived, couldn't alter it myself. I informed the category editor, who then made the correction, and sent me a note to let me know.
I've sent correction notes for spelling errors on quizzes which have been played over 1,000 times, so obviously it's not an important issue to most players, but if I see something wrong it just seems sensible and courteous to politely report it!

How does one submit a correction to a game question? I don't see any author's names in the WordWizard game as there are in the quizzes. Here's the, ahem, offender:



1 a person who causes trouble by speaking indiscretely.

laser beam
loud-mouth
lustwort
lecanomancy
legement
lampyridae

It's just a misspelling, but I believe spelling counts, especially in a game about words.

Thanks!

edit: I think I posted this in the wrong place. Just now realized Quizzyland is separate from the others. But I'll leave it here just in case someone has an answer...

Annastrophic, there's a thread in the Feedback forum where Word Wizard corrections can be posted. Here it is.

Since the Word Wizard is constructed in a different way from Quizzyland, there are no authors or editors as such. Terry plans to go through periodically and fix the problems that have been flagged in the above thread. It may take a while for the issue to be corrected, but it will be done!

Thank you for the link and explanation, oh most-beautiful-of-phrases-in-English.

Just a note to say that I'm one of those annoying people who sends out correction notices. I always check my facts as well as I can before I send the notice (which sometimes causes problems because the correction page doesn't include the question I'm working on and I forget the question and/or answers before I get it sent), and usually I don't hear anything back. I try to be as nice as possible, especially when it's a minor error like spelling. I didn't know the editors review the corrections as well, although I have gotten one question back from an editor when the author was long gone, so I'll say "thanks" to all you editors who do that (usually) thankless task.

Now to the purpose of my note: Perhaps it would be possible to include a comment box at the end of a quiz to go along with the rating, in case no particular question needs correction, but the quiz-taker would like to make some further comment on one question or the whole quiz. Some kind of lesser level of comment than a correction, like a question or compliment, to go with individual questions would also be useful, and that could travel with the question into the Hourly and Global quizzes. *Take Quiz* *Send Correction* *Send Comment/Question* That would also prevent a random comment from taking a question off-line until it's answered, yes?

You can always send a note about he quiz in the 'send a compliment' box - it doesn't necessarily have to be a compliment.

Quizzes are never taken offline automatically - an editor reviews every correction.

We used to have a "Send Comment" box, but too many people were using it to send corrections. This was a problem because editors didn't see the notes that were sent as comments.

Also, please remember the editors do not take quizzes offline for just any reason - if there are typos, we generally try to fix those rather than take the quiz offline. If it's something we can quickly find out is right/wrong, we may do that as well.

Here are some of the problems I've found in questions:

Some answers are regionalized, but posted as universal. Equine-related questions are good examples.

Choice of wording could be better. One recent question asked about marinade, but the "correct" answer was actually a dip.

Typographical errors change the meanings of the questions. In one question, typing "knees" vice "knee" made the correct answer physically impossible.

If you run across equine answers with such quizzes, please submit a correction notice! Such quizzes are usually old; I've been very strict for awhile that country-specific questions need to be indicated.

Maybe I've been lucky; with the exception of the feedback at submission stage from the editors (may their tribe increase) I have only received one correction notice; and the person querying it based their answer on what they had been told by a third party.

I tried to send a correction for a crossword but it came up as no quid chosen. Is there something I'm missing?

No, there's a problem there that Terry will need to fix. It's on his list.

Meantime, if you send a note to a crossword editor (being very specific about which puzzle and the nature of the error) we'll make sure any necessary change is made. You can send that note to me, if you like. If it isn't in my area, I'll pass it on to the correct person.

Thanks for the information.

I think that before sending a correction you should look it up on google to make sure that you're correction is in fact, correct.

I have just recently started submitting quizzes, and find that I quite enjoy writing them. I now have a few on-line and have received a couple of correction notices, and I imagine I will receive a few more. What I have noticed, on the first correction notice I responded right away to the sender. The next correction notice The sender of it was right so I made the corrections before responding to the sender. When I went back the next day to send them a note the notice was gone, so I could not reply. I think that if the note itself were to remain in your mail-box until you delete it, it would be much easier to respond.

The notes are cleared when the editor marks your quiz as corrected. We really don't have any way to leave them in your mailbox.

I have a file on my computer where I keep all FT correspondence that I may have a future need for. This is also a great way to keep your compliments, so they don't jam up the mailbox but you can remember who sent you a note on your last quiz, and keep and eye out for their next one.

That is such a great idea, thanks I'm going to try that.

I've been spending the morning checking correction notes, and found a few things reoccurring, that I'd like to remind everybody about.

First is - did you read the whole question, including the clue? For several of the correction notes I've seen today, the author clearly states an important aspect of the question in the clue. The players who sent off notes had plainly not read this, or they would not have made the mistakes that they did.

Second, and this is mostly relevant to tournament play - did you read the quiz title, and make note of which category the quiz was in? If the quiz is in the Literature category, then it just does not matter what happens in the movie. If the quiz is in Movies, then who cares what happened in the Broadway show? Be alert.

As for the quiz title, there is often very essential information there - you ignore it at your peril.

We endeavour to make sure all quizzes are fair and correct, but it's up to you to make use of all of the available information.

Interesting thread. Like HairyBear, I'm one of those annoying people who sends correction notices. Usually I can tell if they're simple typos or serious factual/stylistic errors. And I DO do my research first--anyone who's done a lot of research for anything knows that several different sources can provide just as many different facts. It can be confusing! (Especially when it comes to the Internet. Guess I'm still a 'find a traditionally published source' sorta person... ).

But I would expect the same courtesy (i.e., pointing out a correction) on any quiz I've written. Also, I don't mind discussions about them, if they're done in a friendly, rational way.

In fact, on a recent quiz I got a compliment with a correction included (spelling of an English city). Went to look for the error and couldn't find it. My husband couldn't find it. I emailed the 'corrector' of my dilemma and, sure enough, he couldn't fiind it again either. It's much funnier than it sounds, and we all laughed about it.

I always try to be polite and also compliment the quiz maker if I send a correction. I'm a born cynic, but in these cases, that will get you nowhere!

And, yes, thank you editors for your hard work. I've worked several times with one editor in particular that is very good, understanding and thorough. You probably know who you are (and NO, I'm not buttering anyone up! ). I didn't realize editors also reviewed corrections. Bravo!

Keep up the good work. Everyone. Oh, and sorry for being so long-winded!

Cheers!

woboogie

A pet peeve of mine is what ladymacb alluded to. People sending correction notes when the explanation for what they think is an error is clearly shown in the interesting info, if they read it.

I can understand that frustration. I think the interesting info is the best part of quizzes. But that's just me.

woboogie

As a general rule, I'll review any correction notice I get and, if the player is correct, I'll thank them for pointing out the error and for taking the quiz. If I feel the player is incorrect, I'll explain to them why I think that, cite any supporting materials to indicate my research, and thank them for taking the quiz.

Getting an inaccurate correction notice can be a pain if the other person insists, despite your best efforts, that you're wrong. But the way I look at it, if someone feels that I'm off base and can show me that, it makes me a better quiz writer.

cag1970, couldn't agree more. I had one today that both I and the editor missed. A couple of hundred players also either didn't spot it or couldn't be bothered to send a correction. I'd rather get one early than later.

I'm with you there mike - I once had a correction for a question that had been online over a year, played by over 200 people, and by myself about 6 times, and we still all missed an error! It was one of those "doh!" moments.

I have been guilty of ignoring a minor error on the grounds that it was petty, or that surely the writer would know about it by now? Not always! When I have done so, I've had replies that said "Oops... thank you ... didn't see that!"

At the other end of the scale, I had one correction notice for my one and only quiz, that said what I'd written was wrong, but didn't offer any information or resources to back it up, or suggest a better way of phrasing the question. Dealing with that was a bit like nailing a jelly to the wall.

If I send a correction notice, I will always back it up with what I think is the right phrase or spelling, and usually a reference of some sort to corroborate it. I don't think it's polite to tell a quiz author this is wrong but you need to work out why.

And now I shall be grateful for advice, please - I don't know the best place to post this.

I've just done today's brain twist:
http://www.funtrivia.com/trivia-quiz/BrainTeasers/Anagram-Quiz-239192.html
Quiz - Anagram Quiz
There was no guide to the order required, so I put them in the same order as the clues, and got the words right, but marked wrong for being in the "wrong" order.

Then I checked back to the original quiz, and read the rubric. A whole chunk of it had been removed for the Brain Twist:
"Make sure that the answers are in the order that makes sense, which is not necessarily the order given."
What a difference that would have made if I'd seen it first!

So I missed out on today's Brain Twist points, and hope it's OK for me to express my disappointment here.

Lesley, I would suggest posting it as a new thread, and title it something like:

GC: Brain Twist: Suggested improvement

and suggest that the full rubic is included in the GC. However, the GC seems to be working off a very old database, so it's possible that it does include the full rubic from the time when the quiz was written

That happened to me too, Lesley. I wasn't very happy.

I agree with Lesley and Maggie - today's Twister was very confusing. First one I've missed this G/C, I suspect quite a few other people's jaws dropped when the answers page came up.

Well they certainly weren't when I played otherwise I would have known what to do!

There's no way to go back into the Brain Twist to check, but I also don't remember seeing that last sentence about what order to put the words.

The problem is for a question like "Annul daze caused by ambrosia". An answer that put the synonym for daze before the synonym for ambrosia was marked wrong. I believe most anagram quizzes allow the words in any order.

Hmm. Maybe it was really quickly changed to include all the instruction? I know for sure the line about putting them in the order that makes sense was there when I played, because I read this thread first before I went to play, so I made a point of looking at the introduction.

Yes, I saw the correction notices coming in for that one and added a note. I wasn't aware the database updated to reflect that, so it's a good thing to know.

Yes! The wording, not the information, is a problem I encounter several times a week playing the Daily Email Quiz, and it is almost always a sports question. And it is beginning to happen on the Knockout too.

Often the sport is not named in the question or only an acronym is used, but the acronym is not one that is solely applicable to the sport the author is thinking of.

Today there was a scoring question about the "AFL". I have no idea which "AFL" was meant, but it clearly was not the American Football League given the answer used terms not even used in American football - regardless of the league. Maybe Australian Football League? Still could not figure it out, even with the answer!

Whoever the Sports editors are, can you please see that questions specifically indicate the sport? I am tired of ruining otherwise perfect scores because of the question's lack of clarity.

If you try and submit a sport single question, there's a big red message asking you to specify the sport that the question is about. I would imagine this reflects the guidelines for full sport quizzes as well.

That would imply that the questions you keep seeing are quite old, and were written before those guidelines were made. Therefore, the only way they will be changed is if you send a correction report (if you weren't doing so already).

But in Knockout, if you have no idea what sport the question is asking about, your opponent probably doesn't either. That makes it fair and even.

Each individual question in a full sports quiz won't necessarily give what sport is bring asked about or totally spell out the name of the league if the entire quiz is about the same topic. The quiz title and subcategory which is displayed in most if not all games can often give you the context info you need.

It's displayed for all games.

Recently I remember a question in the Global Challenge which asked what team a player was on. It came from a quiz in the NBA 2000-01 subcategory of NBA By Season, but all that was provided was "Basketball : NBA By Season". Neither the question nor the quiz title mentioned the year, and you can't get the quiz's introductory text. http://www.funtrivia.com/trivia-quiz/Sports/Players-and-Their-Teams-24664.html was the quiz. It's true that Damon Stoudamire never played for the three incorrect answers, however (and I still would have had a 25% chance of getting right if I had the year). I vaguely remember encountering the same issue for an Olympics question.

It appears this is only an issue for the special (sub)categories. It appears it shows the second most specific subcategory. For example, I did the People Themed E-K set, and two questions were in the "Hanks, Tom" and "Ford, Harrison" subcats, and it showed "People Themed E-K" as the subcategory. Another question was in the "Hitchcock Taglines" subcat, and it showed "Hitchcock, Alfred".

The regular categories properly show the most specific subcat as far as I can tell.