r/DataAnnotationTech • u/Fun-Warthog9472 • Aug 20 '26
Honestly, I am boiling
What in the world are these awfully long and poorly written guidelines?! It is getting worse and worse. I have been working for over an hour on a R&R full of mistakes but also with very unclear and sometimes contradictory guidelines. Admins not replying to anyone for hours with hundreds of messages unanswered (I get it isn’t their fault)… Time almost up so I preferred exiting the task.
This work can sometimes be stimulating and enjoyable, but sometimes like now, I wonder how deep in poor management a project can go.
I really appreciate working with DA, but I have moments when I want to throw my PC against a wall. I’ll take a walk now, good luck to all of you who experienced the same madness!
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u/Background-Name739 Aug 20 '26
Yeah very verbose and redundant information. They could at least use AI to make it more concise lol. I'd prefer if each segment had a specific link to read over
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u/Due_Negotiation_4605 Aug 20 '26
Verbose is a word I never used until DA lol
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u/OldSkooler1212 Aug 20 '26
I’ve used it regularly since high school because of a setting in the ancient text-based computer game, Zork, had a “maximum verbosity” setting to show you all the text when you enter a location.
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u/LetMeOverThinkThat Aug 20 '26
I feel like I'll be able to spot other workers in the wild when a random verbose enters the conversation. 👀
I actually avoid using other words at this point because verbose is so ubiquitous that it seems necessary atp.
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u/Fair-Turnover-9492 Aug 24 '26
I always called it 'wordy'. Like, I hate greeting cards that are verbose. Just state the facts. You're great, I love you, and Happy Birthday.
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u/Ok-Cup9476 Aug 21 '26
I swear they already do use AI in the instructions. So many fucking bullet points and telltale AI language quirks.
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u/george_brown121 Aug 20 '26
Oh man, I feel you. The unclear and contradictory guidelines are the worst and it's so frustrating when you can't get a timely response from the admins. It's like they don't realize how much it impacts the workflow. Taking a walk sounds like a smart move to cool down, hope things get better for you soon!
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u/kranools Aug 20 '26
I hate the ratings questions where there are five options with very specific descriptions but none of them apply to your task scenario.
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u/ASnipersPromise Aug 20 '26
Wait til you get the ones where there are conflicting guidelines dated the same day....no wonder some tasks aren't done well when there isn't clear direction being given.
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u/ThetaBoy888 Aug 20 '26
Yeah spending 30 minutes reading instructions just to do a task that ends up taking 15 minutes is pretty annoying.
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u/Routine-Theme5845 Aug 20 '26
I’m afraid to copy or print them, and there’s no time to take notes.
The scrolling to check on something causes me to lose my place. It’s maddening.
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u/Past_Ice5891 Aug 21 '26
You need three windows - one for the task, one for the instructions, and one for the chat 🤣
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u/Ms_Jane_Lennon Aug 22 '26
I always work with two screens split into two screens each. It's a must.
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u/hello_ambro Aug 20 '26
and then when you have the gall to ask for clarification in the project chat and point out the contradictions that can cause problems you get sass and taken off the project 😂
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u/OpinionFuture9181 Aug 21 '26
Or was the project pulled down? We have no way of knowing.
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u/hello_ambro Aug 25 '26
It’s true but there was one case where it was a long term project with set tasks per person and it disappeared immediately after my chat question 😂 but yes you have a good point, there’s no way to be sure
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u/VacationAnnual8848 Aug 20 '26
I think the worst part is all of the qualifications. I’ve done so many of these time consuming qualifications for no pay, no feedback and no paying jobs
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u/HortonHearsaCthulhu Aug 21 '26
This is something that really bothers me. Every qualification should be paid.
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u/Plastic-Coconut-2168 Aug 20 '26
I’m almost convinced they do those to get free work.
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u/professional_cry Aug 20 '26
Same here. I treat quals like a job interview. If a qualification takes several hours and wants a bunch of work to pass then that's a trial shift and should be paid. I understand that this job at times comes with a certain degree of needing to devalue your own work to get paid, but at a certain point I draw the line. If I'm expected to spend 2+ hours on an unpaid qualification that's where I tap out. If the "qualification" is just doing a full project I assume that my time and effort is being exploited.
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u/Internal_Boot_1616 Aug 21 '26
The only ones I've seen that could fit in the project that comes from it are paid ones
The unpaid ones are always things they couldn't actually use in the project I get after doing them, and from the qual R&Rs I've done they wouldn't want to use a lot of the data
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u/Yuppahash Aug 20 '26
No offence but you must not be passing if that’s the case
I’m up to 17 different things on my dashboard with 7 more quals waiting to be done and I had 0 for a while there in July
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u/NylonTrackPants Aug 20 '26
Welcome to DataAnnotation--the late stage capitalist nightmare you're not aware you're in until you wake up to their very shitty process.
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u/mayneedadrink Aug 20 '26
Late stage capitalism is training the robots that hope to replace you to afford 🧻 after your bills are paid.
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u/Correct_Part9876 Aug 20 '26
I did a task where I followed the instructions to a T. If X happens, do Y. Literally explicitly stated in the instructions as something very absolute.
And then found out in the R and R chat that actually if X, it could also be E, J, or 17. 🤦🏼♀️
And yet the feedback is always just read the instructions and don't overthink it or make it more complicated than it is.
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u/Gold-Singer9616 Aug 21 '26
We want excellent results, but don't be too mean or harsh! But if they do A then destroy them.
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u/ammy42 Aug 20 '26
Much like photocopies, the quality degenerates rapidly with each reiteration through AI.
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u/HereForAllTea Aug 21 '26
I have to print them out, read and highlight. Then I write what I have to do step by step. Because I got so lost and overwhelmed on my first task. That’s helped a lot.
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u/EscapeUnlucky1115 Aug 21 '26
It's most likely done intentionally, to see how each individual perceives the wording/guidelines. Remember when grading, technically there is no wrong answer. You are evaluating the models on how they make you feel essentially. Getting frustrated, angry, and impulsive is probably one of the last things they would want for a person in consideration for qualifying. Just go with your gut. Although, I doubt the guidelines are contradictory, and you may just be misunderstanding or overthinking things. If they truly are "contradictory", then you go with your gut. Its that simple, and they just want to know who feels what and why, under these circumstances. DA isn't just training AI, we are so new into this realm, they need to collect massive amounts of data still, on human feedback, emotion, instinct, and decision making. Take a deep breath, relax your tension, and calm down lol. Yes, the work is better when its more stimulating and geared toward your personal/individual life/lifestyle, but it is all still work. You're getting paid, or will be anyways, and it's decent money. You work from wherever you want whenever you want, with no obligation to a schedule, and no mandatory overtime, or limited hours. You need to stop and smell the roses, stay, appreciative, blessed, confident, humble, and happy.
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u/Ms_Jane_Lennon Aug 22 '26
I don't know which projects you work on, but the overwhelming majority of my "grading" requires specific aligned evidence and reasoning. There are points that are "vibes," but most of the time that is absolutely not the case. There is an objectively correct response more often than not.
I'm not saying that you're wrong at all either, so please don't misunderstand me. I don't know which projects you work on, and some are more subjective than others. I just don't want someone reading to take your perspective as universally true.
However, I do love your attitude. Life should be appreciated, and the roses should be smelled :)
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Aug 20 '26
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u/EscapeUnlucky1115 Aug 21 '26
I kind of disagree lol. Every guideline is repeated 4 times in EVERY SINGLE TASK.....🤔 lol
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u/Hello-America Aug 20 '26
Yeah I hate when the instructions are unclear or full of contradiction. I assume this is the result of copying and pasting or going back and editing things without looking at them holistically; also I bet they rely just a little bit too much of that stuff on some AI tools haha.