Hi, this is my first post and I hope it doesn’t overlap others. I know there is some discussion going on about the review system in [What Features Would You Like to See on THS?]
but I haven’t seen anything related to the differences in the categories for HO and sitters. I guess, as the category system for owners was implemented more recently, the wording came out different.
Anyway, I feel there are categories that should be on both sides. As it is now, there’s only one category shared and it is referred to differently; for HOs the label is “cleanliness” and for sitters “clean and tidy”.
In the case of sitters, which was categorized earlier, the labels seem to refer to the people and come mostly in the form of adjectives (organised, reliable, self-sufficient, clean and tidy) In the case of HOs the categories seem more general and are phrased as nouns (communication, hospitality, cleanliness, pet behaviour and accuracy of listing)
In my opinion, the wording should be consistent for both sides and there should be more shared categories. Communication, organization and reliability should be for both parties. Tidiness should also be added to cleanliness on the owners’ side.
I’m not so sure about the relevance of hospitality as this varies so much across cultures, but I definitely would like to see a category related to some sort of welcome guide, if it was shared at all and if it was in a timely manner. I think “accuracy of listing” does not cover all the relevant information that should be shared and agreed way before the sitting actually takes place. I think it would also be a good idea if when confirming a sitting, owners were prompted to share the guide and perhaps be advised about some short of time frame. And I agree with the suggestion of some members that every category should allow for description, not just the star rating. Particularly the WG category would really require written information about accuracy, timing, updates, last minutes requests etc.
I would like to know how both HOs and sitters feel about these differences in categorization and if it would be worth to add as a suggestion on the megathread.
Are you an Owner, a Sitter, or Both?
How long have you been participating on THS?
There are myriad opinions on this topic. There is not one right answer. We have come a very long way to even be able to rate Owners in any categories. It is a huge WIN for Sitters.
Fine tuning will come with time.
Your focus on the Welcome Guide is interesting. I think the Welcome Guide falls mainly under Communication. The “Pet Behavior” rating can also be influenced by the information provided (or not disclosed) in the Welcome Guide. I can also see that a Sitter might downgrade “Accuracy of listing” if there is a difference between the Welcome Guide and reality in various facets of the Sit.
So you can see that there are lots of layers.
You can say as much as you want in your review. You can even address each category in your review if you want.
I am a sitter and joined THS in January 2023, so I am aware of (as I mentioned in my OP) and have experienced the recent introduction of categories in the review for owners. I have also experienced the discussions and introduction of the blind review system.
I apologize for not being able to find exactly the subject of this discussion amongst”the myriad opinions”. I now feel perhaps I don’t have enough seniority to start a new thread and should just be patient for fine tuning to eventually arrive. I hope moderators can link this thread to the right one.
In the meantime, having no expectations at all of a
I would like to know how the members of this forum ( both HO and sitters) feel about the differences I have pointed out.
I am also aware that I can write as much as I like about any topic (covered or not covered in the categories) but I feel that we could help improve the review system and, in the long run, get better matches if both HO and sitters are prompted to write more factual, specific information that can be relevant for our choices.
The introduction of blind reviews is quite recent, before that, people talked about retaliatory reviews, but most of us still feel that giving less than 5 stars may not be fair. That’s why I think the words in the review are important and should be encouraged. The introduction of minimum amount of characters seems to go in that direction.
I consider the timeliness of getting the Welcome Guide when I am rating “communication” as a sitter.
I don’t like the “clean and tidy” category name. Clean and tidy are 2 very different things.
I agree that every category should permit a description in addition to a star rating. I would go further and require a description, especially if giving less than 5 stars. It is frustrating when I see less than 5 stars in a category with no reason given. I shouldn’t have to guess what the HO found lacking. Maybe their idea of cleanliness is different to mine.
I don’t think public reviews require any additional categories. Possibly private feedback surveys might, and I wish THS would consider some way to get honest feedback to both sitters and hosts possibly anonymously. But I don’t think either potential hosts or potential sitters need information at that granular a level belore accepting a sitter or applying to a sit. I also think there is an inherent difference between the roles, so the wording is going to be different, but there are probably categories like: communication where it could be the same.
The host categories are new and I think they are a bit better because they are new and some thought went into them. “Hospitality” is good to have as a host category but I don’t see this applying as a sitter category. I think “pet care” is obviously a category that sitters should be rated on. While “accuracy of listing” whether it applies to the pet care or the house are both clearly host categories. There’s currently another thread about “Self-sufficiency” for sitters which seems nebulous and open to interpretation. So I would say there should be some kind of rubric for people to follow about what the categories mean.
@Newpetlover: post your little heart out!
That’s what I mean. I prefer it that way for both parties. For example, we are reviewing the state of cleanliness of the house as it is when we receive it, no matter whether we are sitters or HO, rather than assessing inherent qualities of the person (in this case, the sitter), whether they are “clean& tidy “ or not.
Of course. What I mean is that communication, reliability and organization is important on both sides.
I also wish there was an honest way and I feel it should be public. It would be really helpful to improve matches. That’s why I’m suggesting to encourage writing specific reviews.
When I choose a hotel or AirB&B, I search for specific words like “wifi”,“transport”, “airport”, “mattress”, “clean”… and what people say about this is more important to me that the rating they give, For example, in “location” if I am looking for something near the airport and accessible by public transport, that is a good location for me.
Here, in THS, we see all kinds of opinions about almost all categories. There’s a thread about cleanliness and another about self sufficiency and we see people standards and expectations are different. Some sitters find HO explanations tedious and prefer to go by “common sense”. Some people are intimidated by high standards of cleanliness and tidiness. I always prefer more and more specific, public information about everything and anything.
Thank you! 
Good idea!