The Public Appriaser Help Topics
 Using The Wheel |
Changing Account Settings |
Submitting Articles |
Submitting Categories |
Appraising Articles |
Accessing Demographics |
Buy Appraisal Certificate |
Accessing Certificates |
Managing CE Requests |
Using The Wheel
Changing Account Settings
Submitting Articles
Submitting Categories
Appraising Articles
Accessing Demographics
Buy Appraisal Certificate
Accessing Certificates
Managing CE Requests
- APPRAISAL SYSTEM
- DEFINITIONS
- MY ACCOUNT
- POINTS-CREDIT SYSTEM
- REGISTRATION PAGE
- SEARCH FEATURE
- SUBMIT ARTICLE FOR APPRAISAL
- TOP TEN
- UPLOADED ARTICLES
- USER RANK
APPRAISAL SYSTEM
The TPA (The Public Appraiser) is an online rating system designed for appraising and providing public opinion on any and all things of any perceived value. The general public is allowed to score and provide opinions on any and all articles already loaded into the system. All loaded articles stem from four top tier categories namely; All Things Living, past & present; Goods, Services & Stuff of Any Kind, past & present; Technology, past, present & future, &, Art & Artistic Creations, past present & future.
The first step in the process for appraising (subsequent to logging-in) an article begins with selecting from one of the four top tier categories located initially on the home page. Doing so takes you to the page for that specific category which then displays the category wheel which is loaded with the first level subcategories beginning with the letter A. From here you can easily navigate to any and all other subcategories from A to Z alphabetically. Hovering over a category within the wheel will display all categories beneath the level selected via drop down menus down to the lowest level sub-categories available. Selecting and clicking on one of the lower level sub-categories will reveal the “Select Article for Appraisal” window. This window displays all articles (under the “Active Appraisals” tab) within your selected category that are currently active within the system and available to be appraised. Once a decision has been made to choose an article to be appraised – clicking on it takes you to the “Appraise Article” page.
The appraisal page is now displayed upon your screen. You should see the picture/s of the article you will be appraising along with a brief description of the article and an area under the header “Appraisal Criteria”. It is here that you decide on a scale of 1 to 10 how your article ranks in each of the criteria presented. Once all your selections are made, click on submit appraisal to complete the process (notice that your points total will be amended as appropriate in your Account Status and Purchase Credits page).
Within one, three or seven days (depending which appraisal period was chosen by the article owner), the rank status and overall score of the article will be revealed to the article owner (see submit article for appraisal). The final results are also available to the general public through using the browse feature. In the event the article has obtained a top 10. 20, or 30 status, the results will be published for all to see in the Top 10 Articles page.
When logged into the system for the first time, the user will find that whenever attempting his/her first appraisal the system will upload a onetime Mandatory Appraisal, which occurs only once daily. The user is obligated to appraise this article before being able to navigate the system freely from this point forward. The Mandatory Appraisal was put in place to provide a fair and balanced or more simply stated, an equitable distribution of appraisals for all articles within the system including those articles which may typically draw the least amount of attention.
Most articles (but not necessarily all) will also contain a box provision for allowing the user to provide a monetary estimate of value for the article being displayed. The value entered into this box is not necessarily a reflection of the overall appraisal score the user has just attributed to the article but, his or her best educated guess. This educated guess would based on either what someone would be willing to pay for this article or on the users inherent knowledge of this particular article from being an industry insider/expert or through having a vested interest in these particular articles. It is advisable that you, as the appraiser spend some time carefully reading the article description provided by the owner in order that you may make the most informed decision as possible with regards to the Monetary amount assigned.
Once all monetary values have been submitted and the articles appraisal time frame has expired – the system which continuously runs calculations in real time provides a final value which is displayed within the History page under the column “Monetary Appraisal”. This final monetary value is not just simply an average score but accounts for extremes that would skew the score in one direction or another making the end result less reliable.
Special Notes:
- It is the expectation of The TPA website that the users provide honest and thoughtful appraisals both monetary and through the rating system since those of us submitting articles should be allowed to have the same expectation of obtaining the best most useful information from the general public.
- When choosing to appraise an article for the very first time after logging on to the system, a random article will appear up for appraisal. All articles subsequent to this first article are your choice. The system is set up in this manner to allow all users submitting articles fair and equitable consideration.
The Random Appraisal button can be found within the top level category pages on the left hand side left of the Category Control Wheel. When selecting this button a random article that’s up for appraisal is loaded onto the screen.
For each of the four Top Level Categories: All Things Living, Technology, Goods & Services, and Art & Artistic Creations the TPA is equipped with an index which works on multiple levels. Each of the aforementioned categories is associated with a control wheel which is divided into 10 segments. When first loaded, the segments within this wheel display an alphabetized list of whatever category that was loaded in the system that begins with the letter A. For example, if “Animals” has been entered into the system as a second tier category, underneath the Top Level Category “All Things Living” then, Animals will appear within the control wheel when first displayed because the system will default the first page to all categories beginning with the letter “A”. When other letters such as “B, C, D, etc… are selected from the alphabet above the control wheel (while still within the Top Level Category – All Things Living) then, the control wheel will display the second tier categories associated with these letters in alphabetical order loaded within the system.
Now returning to our example of Animals – if next we hover on this category you will see a drop down list displaying in alphabetical order all categories loaded beneath it. Clicking on the category Animals will subsequently load the control wheel with an alphabetized listing of all categories beginning with the letter “A”. Clicking on any of the categories displayed underneath the category Animals will display that category with an alphabetized list of all the subsequently associated categories and so on. The alphabet above the control wheel always works on whatever level or category the user is currently in. So beneath the category “Animal” perhaps we pick “Amphibians” – the above alphabet will now display any amphibians associated with all letters of the alphabet from A to Z. Underneath “Amphibians” we now select “Frogs” - the above alphabet will now display any frogs associated with all letters of the alphabet from A to Z and so on. In the event that the user wishes to return to a previously chosen higher level category – just above the alphabet is a bread crumb or, trail of all previously chosen categories. Clicking on anyone of the previously viewed categories will return the user to that category and its associated control wheel contents.
Ultimately, when drilling down through the categories, the end goal for the user is to arrive at the point where the “Select Article for Appraisal” page is displayed. At this point all the articles of interest to the user that are up for appraisal (as well as previously appraised articles, by the user) are being shown.
Category Summaries for all four categories can be found on most TPA web pages. The summaries are essentially a drop down list displaying the following:
- Categories total within the system for the selected Top Level
- Total number of Categories added for the day
- Active appraisals for the day
- Appraisals completed and closed for the day
When in the process of submitting an article for appraisal, if it’s discovered that the subcategory doesn’t currently exist, you, the user are permitted to add one with the permission of the TPA authorities. The first step in the process is to navigate to one of the four main category pages and select the “Enter New Sub-category/s” button located on the left hand side of the web page. A pop up box appears with the name of the top level category embedded in the first position. The box prompts you to choose from one of the nearest higher level categories that best fits your article. By clicking on this category automatically populates the second position. You can continue in this fashion until you reach the final level sub-category before entering your new level. This is where you type in your new sub-category manually. At this point you can continue to manually type in additional sub-categories beneath this one or, select complete if you are finished. Complete prompts a second box to appear which contains a list of all the sub-categories selected within your list inclusive of any new ones added. This next step is crucial and the user needs to verify that this is exactly where he/she wishes his/her article to appear, and that all the new sub-category spellings are correct. Once done, you should see a system prompt that says “Is this the correct subcategory”. If correct select “Yes” to continue or “No” and choose the back button and correct the submissions you would like changed. Once accepted, the next step in the process is suggesting “Appraisal Criteria” which appears in the “Appraise Article” page of your newly authorized subcategory. When selecting criteria it is recommended that you familiarize yourself with other similar type criteria’s within parallel sub-categories as a starting point if the user isn’t expert in this category. Criteria can be based upon purely visual cues clearly evident within the photos submitted such as for example condition, make and model when perhaps rating a car or criteria such as, year, kilometers or production number which need to be embedded into the language of the article owners description. The first five criteria entries are mandatory and any additional criteria are at the discretion of the user. Once all your submissions have been made, select the “Enter New Subcategory Criteria” and the new page will be sent to TPA Authorities for final approval. Notification of whether or not your newly entered subcategory has been accepted is sent via e-mail.
If approval is granted, your new subcategory and appraisal criteria will be made available for all users to submit when submitting future articles for appraisal.
The history page is an account of all previous appraisals submitted within the system by you the user.
Two tabs exist - under the first tab “Appraisal History for…..” articles may be arranged by article, rank status, date of appraisal, or lower level sub-category. Data under the columns, rank, score and monetary appraisal are not populated for all active and ongoing appraisals. Once the appraisal time period has expired the final values appear. The value that appears for monetary appraisals is hyperlinked to a histogram which shows the distribution of all monetary values including outliers and median values. Demographic information can be accessed by clicking on the globe icon visible within the last column of the History page. Within this page you will be able to gain considerable insight into all aspects of the appraising public with regards to your article. Demographic information contains male vs. female distribution, average age and age range of the articles appraisers, appraiser category level, the country/city where the highest concentrations of voters were found and a final demographic which provides an idea of which job occupations or professions may or may not show interest in what you’ve posted.
Also featured within the Demographics page of your History section is a feature labeled as “Official TPA Certificate of Appraisal” underscored by a button labeled “Buy Now” and located in the upper right corner of the page. The TPA offers this added feature to all its users as an further benefit that permits you to print out an Official TPA Certificate of Appraisal verifying that the data compiled by the system is genuine and, belongs to the user who’s name is written on the certificate. Although the TPA does not lay claim that the value represented by this certificate can be taken as indisputable it does certify that the information contained within this web site is a genuine representation of the general public and professional appraisers opinion based assessment - derived from their inherent knowledge and specific level of expertise associated with the article/s that they have given their opinions on. A good principle to follow when considering the end result of a TPA Appraisal is that; Things are inevitably worth what people are willing to pay for them. TPA certificates can serve as the perfect guide for individuals seeking an estimated or ballpark value for items that may be sold at garage sales, auctions or when seeking an insurance value.
A record of all certificates purchased by the user can be found within the “Certificates” subsection of the “My Accounts” page (See My Accounts). Once purchased the certificate can be reprinted indefinitely but, will always display the original date of certification. A reappraisal will need to be done in order to obtain a more current date for any articles previously submitted.
Within the secondary tab of the History page, is a quick summary. The summary is compiled for each of the four Top Level Categories. All the top ranking articles that you’ve either appraised or, submitted articles for, that achieved rankings of the 1st, 2nd, or 3 orders, as well as - the total number of articles both submitted and appraised are listed here.
DEFINITIONS
The act of judging the value, condition, or importance of something : the act of appraising something: something that states an opinion about the value, condition, or importance of something
Category Experts (CE) Level 1 & 2 are essentially identical regarding their inherent knowledge base or degree of expertise.
I’m a Category Expert in accordance with the definition as set forth below and further validated by the information submitted within the registration pages of this web site. As such I am awarded additional points over and above all non Expert Appraisers within the TPA (valid as currency within the frame work of this website) for any transactions where points are awarded.
I’m a Category Expert in accordance with the definition as set forth below and further validated by the information submitted within the registration pages of this web site. However – in agreeing to become a CE Level 2 - I am agreeing to become the custodian or category moderator on those categories which fall within my level of expertise. As such I will bear the duty of scrutinizing any and all new category and associated criteria additions that fall under my jurisdiction. For this duty I will have unequivocal free use of the TPA system by being afforded free credits to use as I see fit. Credits will be allocated to my account on a recurring monthly basis.
An expert is someone widely recognized as a reliable source of techinque or skill whose faculty for judging or deciding rightly, justly, or wisely is accorded authority and status by peers or the public in a specific well-distinguished domain. An expert, more generally, is a person with extensive knowledge or ability based on research, experience, or occupation and in a particular area of study. Experts are called in for advice on their respective subject, but they do not always agree on the particulars of a field of study. An expert can be believed, by virtue of credential, training, education, profession, publication or experience, to have special knowledge of a subject beyond that of the average person, sufficient that others may officially (and legally) rely upon the individual's opinion. Historically, an expert was referred to as a sage (Sophos). The individual was usually a profound thinker distinguished for wisdom and sound judgement.
Experts have a prolonged or intense experience through practice and education in a particular field. In specific fields, the definition of expert is well established by consensus and therefore it is not always necessary for individuals to have a professional or academic qualification for them to be accepted as an expert. In this respect, a shepherd with 50 years of experience tending flocks would be widely recognized as having complete expertise in the use and training of sheep dogs and the care of sheep. Another example from computer science is that an expert system may be taught by a human and thereafter considered an expert, often outperforming human beings at particular tasks. In law, an expert witness must be recognized by arguement and authority.
MY ACCOUNT
Account Status is a quick summary of the following user information;
- User rank: Public Appraiser Level 1, 2, or Category Expert Level 1, 2
- Total points remaining
- Total credits remaining
- Total Appraisals completed by you
- Total articles submitted by you
- Total categories submitted by you
The information reflected within this tab of your”My Account” page is a direct reflection of the information you submitted during the registration process. If at any time this information needs to change, the option to edit is provided. The “Edit” link is located on the upper right hand side of the same page.
Rank status displays the user’s ranking within the system. The status line – Currently Ranking - will reflect whether the user is Public Appraiser Level 1, 2, or Category Expert (CE) level 1, 2
For all Public Appraiser Level 1 users only – the rank status page shows a running counter which counts backwards from 1000 to 0 every time the user appraises an article. Once the counter reaches zero the Level 1 user will automatically advance to Level 2 and as the result, begin accruing point in accordance with this level (See Points).
Category Experts (See definitions) who feature the CE Avatar within their Rank Status page have an additional link labeled “Category Expert Settings”. Clicking on this link leads to the “Category Expert Management Page”. Within this page the CE is permitted to include categories from those within the pre-existing TPA 4 top levels within his/her listed expert categories. In the event the category of expertise to be added doesn’t exist, the CE is required to add it by clicking on the “Click Here” link, and proceed with the “Enter New Sub-Category” process (see help section of the same name).
Additionally, specific provisions have been included within this same page that allows the CE to make available, their name and contact information to the general public - if they so choose. This information would appear concurrently in the “Category Expert” page accessed via the “Category Expert” link located just beneath the Top Level Category links along the top of each TPA web page and, also within the demographic pages of user articles whose articles, have been appraised by the CE.
Optionally, e-mail notification is available to the CE regarding any categories that come up for appraisal that are within his or her category of expertise. This is accomplished by selecting “Yes Please” to the “Send me e-mail notifications when new articles are posted matching my expertise” statement within the Category Expert Management Page. The default is set to “No Thanks”
Under the Certificates tab is a History of all “Certificates of Appraisals” previously purchased. The number of certificates purchased is the first thing listed. Next are the details of the actual certificates purchased. Details include; The Date of Purchase; Certificate Number (a unique identifier); Article Number(system information); Article Name; and lastly, a “Print Now” option. Any certificates previously purchased can be printed as many times as the user wishes at no extra charge. Certificates of articles previously appraised can be purchased by selecting the “Buy Now” option located within the Demographics section of the “History Page” (see History Page).
POINTS/CREDIT SYSTEM
The TPA is devised so that the acquisition of points is gained through appraising articles. The more articles appraised, the more points accrued. Points are accumulated in accordance with the user Rank (see Rank). Three levels of ranking exist; Public Appraiser Level 1, Public Appraiser Level 2, and Professional Appraiser (Level 3). Points in combination with credits (see Credits), a 50/50 split is what’s necessary to use in order to permit the user to post an article for appraisal. For example, articles have the option to choose a 1, 3 or 7 day block time. When posting for a 1 day block, the user is required to use 5 points and 1 credit for a total of 10 points/credits overall. When posting for a 3 day block, the user is required to use 10 points and 2 credits for a total of 20 points/credits overall. For a 7 day posting, 15 points and 3 credits for a total of 30 points/credits total are required. It must be noted that articles submitted for appraisal cannot be based upon the submission of points alone. Points must always be submitted in combination with credits in an equal split of 50/50.
Points are accrued based upon the amount of appraisals the user completes and his/her level of expertise as follows:
Accrual Rate
- Public Appraiser Level 1 – 1 Appraisal = 1 Point
- Public Appraiser Level 2 – 1 Appraisal = 3 Points
- Professional Appraiser – 1 Appraisal = 5 Points
Credits must be purchased online using either Visa or MasterCard via PayPal. Credits are necessary when posting articles for appraisal. In combination with points, credits are what enable the user to submit an article for appraisal (see Points). Unlike points however 100% of the credits can be used towards submitting an article for appraisal. For example, if the user wishes to submit an article for appraisal for a 3 day block, he/she may use either 5 points and 1 credit or alternatively – 2 credits. With 7 day blocks similarly, the user can choose to use either 15 points in combination with 3 credits or, 5 credits total.
Credits Summary
Credits are purchased as follows:
- 20 Credits = $10.00
- 35 Credits = $15.00
- 60 Credits = $25.00
Credits/Points Equivalency
Points and credits have an equivalency as follows:
- 5 Points = 1 Credit
Submitting Articles For Appraisal
In order to submit an article for appraisal the user must submit credits or credits in combination with points. In addition, the duration of an appraisal has an impact on how many credits or points/credits are used for submitting an article. The submissions and credits/points combinations work as follow:
- 1DAY Appraisal (10 Points Overall)
- 5 Points + 1 Credit
OR
2 Credits
- 3 DAY Appraisal (20 Points Overall)
- 10 Points + 2 Credits
OR
3 Credits (5Free Points)
- 7 DAY Appraisal (30 Points Overall)
- 15 Points + 3 Credits
OR
5 Credits (5 Free Points)
REGISTRATION PAGE
The registration page is critical to providing the TPA database with the information it needs, to provide you - the user, with all the demographic details summarized within the History Page for your Uploaded Articles. Needless to say filling this page out as accurately as possible is vital to the overall integrity and validity of the system information.
All new subscribers not Professional Appraisers are defaulted into a Public Appraiser Level 1 category.
Professional Appraisers are required to submit a more detailed registration form inclusive of the following information:
- Category of expertise
- Auctions attended
- Shows & awards
- Accreditations/credentials
- Supporting/relevant websites
- Testimonial (from show officials or peers within the industry)
In addition to submitting the information as detailed above, a secondary page is provided whereby the Professional Appraiser is required to specify his or her category/s of expertise. This is key because it is reflective of the Professional Appraisers particular specializations and will be reflected in the Professional user’s point’s accrual rate (see Points). A selection is initially made from the top 4 category drop down list provided. Next – and after clicking on the green arrow provided, the Professional chooses from the pre-existing list of categories - now displayed, that best reflects his or her specializations and selects “Update”. In the event his/her category isn’t available from the list provided then, the Professional has a space provided for “Suggested Categories of Expertise” (located immediately below drop down list) which can be filled in and added later after registration in the Pro-users My Account Page (See Rank Status tab – choose Pro-Appraiser Settings). From here the Pro can then select and add the new categories to his/her list of expert categories.
SEARCH FEATURE
The TPA search feature appears as a small magnifying glass icon in the upper right hand side of the web site beneath the username. Searches are specific to the four Top Level Categories. Searches will turn up any information relating to user name, articles, and top level subcategories. Articles are hyperlinked and as such can be directly accessed by clicking on them.
SUBMIT ARTICLE FOR APPRAISAL - Uploading Articles
A maximum of ten articles can be submitted for the purposes of being appraised and subsequently will appear within the users Uploaded Articles page. Once one of the ten articles up for appraisal has had its appraisal time period expire - another article can take its place. The first step in submitting an article for appraisal is to click on the “Submit Article for Appraisal” button located in the left hand column of one of the four main category wheel pages. The “Submit Article for Appraisal” page should now be in full view. At the top of the page the four category buttons are displayed. The category that is to contain your article is to be selected. Next is submitting an article name. Try to use something unique, avoid using something that may draw confusion through similarity with other article names that may come up in searches. The next step is the most critical and requires some contemplation by the user. In order to get the best result for your article when being appraised by the general public, you need to know exactly what sub-category you’re submitting it too. You have to keep in mind that you’re article is being ranked and scored against other similar articles within the sub-category selected. There’s no point in putting a tube T.V. within the sub-category of flat screens. This doesn’t make common sense because we’re not rating apples against apples but rather apples against oranges. They’re both fruit but they’re not the same. Always try submitting your article into the lowest level sub-category that best reflects it and, if you feel that this category doesn’t exist then – create a new sub-category.
The description box is equally important in that it contains information that may be relevant to scoring the criteria that’s non visual. For instance if scoring an antique car the year, make and model as well as thecondition and total kilometers are all factors contributing to its rank in comparison with other similar cars within its sub-category. When considering appraising an article, if any information relevant to the criteria for this article is lacking and a score cannot be assigned the user is justified in choosing a one, the lowest value available.
The appraisal start date is set to a default of midnight plus one minute on the day the article is being submitted and, running for a time period of 1 day. The duration of the appraisal (appraisal block time) is dependent upon the credit assignment (see credits) and once the “Proceed” button is selected a pop up box appears prompting the user to chose from between 1, 3, and 7 day duration options – appraisal block times. Durations once selected are final.
The appraisal block time feature is an extension of the date feature and allows the user to select from between 1, 3, and 7 days for the duration of their appraisal. Each block has its own advantages. The 1 day block time provides a quick turnaround and a snap shot of what the viewing public thinks of your article. 3 days is a more reliable measure and provides for a better demographic baseline. 7 days gives the broadest comparison baseline as it allows, over the course of time, for a greater viewing audience exposure and for a greater number of entrants to submit their articles which will be used as a point of comparison against yours.. In addition the demographic information is by far the most extensive and the most reliable measure of the articles overall appeal and general audience acceptance. The credit allocation for each block time is lowest for the 1 day and increases incrementally as it approaches the 3 and 7 day block times (see credits).
The time and date of the appraisal can be changed (as well as the photo assignments) through the Uploaded Articles – User Article Management Page any number of times up until the user selects “Go Live” which at this point, no further changes can be submitted and the appraisal time period is now scheduled to commence. Within your Uploaded Articles page under the “Status” column you should notice your appraisal is now in progress.
Regarding photo assignments each individual article is permitted a number of different views and angles that form the truest representation of the article. It is recommended that articles small enough to be manipulated by hand be photographed on a white surface in order to eliminate any confusion/ambiguity of the prominent features with the background. Antique articles or any valuables that are displaying any prominent features such as the name and date of the manufacturer need to be isolated and captured in the photographs. In addition, any other unique identifiers including the name of the designer, creator, painter, sculptor or any distinguishing features whatsoever, that may provide clues to the true nature of the article, need to be included with absolute clarity. By doing so, in combination with a detailed article text description, will provide the best opportunity for the general public and professional appraisers (approved by the TPA) to provide a high ranking or best possible monetary appraisal.
Once your photos have been accepted and your appraisal time period has commenced you will be able to see your article underneath the sub-category you’ve chosen.
TOP TEN
A listing for the Top Ten ranked articles will be posted for each of the four main categories at the end of each month. A distinction will be made between all those articles posted for a 3 day time frame versus those posted for the longer 7 day time frame. To make this determination the information is based upon the highest average number achieved on a scale of 1 to 10 as voted by you the general public in combination with the total volume of appraisals submitted. For example, an article rating 8.5 on a scale of 1 to 10 that received 10 appraisals would rank lower than a similar article which also ranked 8.5 but received more than 10 appraisal overall.
Results are also posted for the next highest 10 articles listed under the “20” tab and the next 10 highest after that listed under the “30” tab.
UPLOADED ARTICLES
Once your articles have been uploaded, you will be able to track their progress in the “Uploaded Articles” page. A maximum of ten active articles can be uploaded at any one time. Only once one of the 10 articles have expired can you reload a replacement. Your article’s status appears on the right hand side column and states one of the following; In Progress, Up for Approval, Pending Appraisal and Complete. When the status states “In Progress” the information under the column – Score is live and will display any changes in your articles performance in real time as the voting public submits their appraisals during the time frame you’ve selected. Up for Approval means your articles pictures are currently being screened by TPA authorities and once approved the status will change to Pending Appraisal if your article still requires you to select a time period or In Progress if an appraisal time frame was selected. Complete is self explanatory as the appraisal time frame has expired and all the data relevant to your article is finalized and will be displayed within the History page. In the event that your article has not been approved the status will show in red “Rejected, Edit and Resubmit”.
The information contained under the date column displays either the default date set by the system or the alternative date chosen by you. The remaining two columns are the Category and the Article columns. The Category column displays the icon for the top level category and the article column displays your uploaded article and article name. The article photo is underlined by two hyperlinks in brackets; (View) and (Edit). Selecting View allows you to see the way your uploaded article appears by the general viewing public. Edit is available up until and only if the article has not been selected to “Go Live”. Prior to Go Live selecting Edit will take you to the article User Management Page and allows the user to make any changes associated with; Time/Date of appraisal, Photo Uploading, and Description Text.
Note that the “Go Live” feature is not available until the user first uploads a photo.
USER RANK
Three levels of user rank exist; Public Appraiser Level 1, Public Appraiser Level 2, and Category Expert. The advantage of this being that a higher level of rank is allotted more points (see points system) per appraisal than a lower ranking individual.
All first time users begin as level one users, with the exception of Category Experts who have been authenticated as legitimate Category Experts in their field of interest. Category Experts are assessed as such via information submitted through their registration process and subsequent to the TPA Authorities assessment (see Registration Page). Category Experts have an advantage over the lower level user via sake of their expertise. A Category Expert will be expert in specific categories however, not all categories. For example – a Category Expert who has expertise in the category of antique furniture but has none in the category of automobiles would not be allotted the same amount of points in judging both categories. Nevertheless the Category Expert via sake of their profession would most likely be a better judge of appraising articles than the average user thus; his/her points accrual in those categories other than the ones within their category of expertise are given level 2 status. All user articles submitted for appraisal will display within their history page the specific demographics that have ranked their articles including, how many Level 1, Level 2, and Category Experts have contributed to the end result among other things.
For a definition of "Category Experts" please see the section of same name.
Users beginning at level 1 can be advanced to level 2 by building their appraisal count. Once a level 1 user has achieved a count of 1,000 appraisals then he/she will automatically advance to level 2 (See “My Account” page “Rank Status” tab).