Thread: Professionalism Badge for wesbite?

I just had this thought... what if there was a "badge" kind of like a simple graphic that we bellydancers can add to our website. It would say something like "Professionalism in Bellydance Pledge" and link to a page with a list of things the dancer pledges to do. Everything from "show up on time" to "charge a faire price" to "wear a professional costume". The idea is that every Jo Public who visits will see the badge and if they shop around they may see the same badge displayed on a few of the local dancer's websites. Perhaps this will help spread a subtle message - that all professional dancers adhere to the same standards. Perhaps they will think twice about expecting a professional to charge $25 for an hour of dancing, and see that there really is something more to it that a cute girl in a genie costume. I know I can't expect a simple graphic to make miracles, but baby steps right? Or am I overestimating what the average person will take into consideration when hiring a dancer? (wouldn't be the first time!)

No one has any thoughts on this?

We played with the idea at our Dutch Bellydance Union a couple of years ago but discarded the idea because you need a system behind the logo to guarantee the quality of the dancer. Such a system/organization means taking a stance in what you perceive as quality, how to measure quality (are dancers with bad technique but who turn up on time allowed to use the badge?) and how to maintain quality (what happens if people slack off after receiving the badge?). It also raises questions about the organization who created the badge: on what grounds are they allowed to decide who is a professional and who isn't? We chose to focus on education instead of certification as it is less controversial and easier to handle.

Such a logo would probably only be recognized in the belly dance world, and the general consensus is that if you want to know what a professional dancer is like, you go out, meet her and form your own opinion. We're a small country

I had thought of that, regulation of the standards that is. For this it would really just be a pledge. Obviously anyone can put a graphic on their site and say they will do this or that and then not do it, but they can also put up a whole website making themselves seem like the best thing since hummus. The idea for me was really just to present the notion of what a professional dancer is to Joe Public, and maybe help spread awareness a little bit. I am hoping that if someone visits belly dancer's websites and sees "Oh, a lot of them are part of xyz organization" or "wow they all have this badge on their site that says they will uphold themselves to a set of standards" they will think a little more about how seriously we take our art and it's not just throwing on a cheap costume, grabbing the boombox and shimmying to a Shakira CD.

I know unions and things have generally failed miserably because this business is so hard to regulate (and distribution of power to regulate is a bit sketchy too) but what about something that's a simpler approach?

I dunno. Just thinking out loud here.

I think this has a lot of the same overlapping problems as certification. Who decides? Who enforces? At least with certification, there is the assumption that some teacher of established quality is vouching for this dancer. If it's a voluntary, opt-in system, how does this guarantee anything, especially if the organizing body has no means to enforce whether its criteria for posting your graphic are being put into practice?

What public-relations campaign is going to tell the world about the worth of this? There are already organizations like MECDA and IAMED, but who recognizes them outside of the dance community? How will the public know the difference between your graphic and one some dancer just makes up to prove she is a "Five-Star-Certified Dancer of Merit" in an organization where she's the only member? For this to have meaning, dancers and the GP both have to value it.

All good points, Tourbeau

I actually think it might work - like you said, it's just a "pledge" to act professionally, not a set of requirements that need to be enforced by some sort of governing body. I think we can all agree on certain things that make someone a "professional" (eg: showing up on time, charging fees appropriate for one's area, clear and timely communication with the client before the gig, professional (ie: neat and appropriate) appearance, etc). By "pledging" to uphold these basic standards, the real benefit would be in directing the client a website where professional standards are laid out - so that the CLIENT understands that this IS a profession to be taken seriously.

And the whole question of who would regulate it is kind of moot - if you "pledge" to communicate with a client, and you don't, the client knows you aren't a "professional" because they've seen what a professional does, and you haven't done it.

I like it. I think it has a lot less problems than the idea of a certification process.

I actually think it might work - like you said, it's just a "pledge" to act professionally, not a set of requirements that need to be enforced by some sort of governing body. I think we can all agree on certain things that make someone a "professional" (eg: showing up on time, charging fees appropriate for one's area, clear and timely communication with the client before the gig, professional (ie: neat and appropriate) appearance, etc). By "pledging" to uphold these basic standards, the real benefit would be in directing the client a website where professional standards are laid out - so that the CLIENT understands that this IS a profession to be taken seriously.

And the whole question of who would regulate it is kind of moot - if you "pledge" to communicate with a client, and you don't, the client knows you aren't a "professional" because they've seen what a professional does, and you haven't done it.

I like it. I think it has a lot less problems than the idea of a certification process.

I think this actually describes my idea better than I did!

Originally Posted by dima

I think this actually describes my idea better than I did!

So...how would it start? Voting on the top things that all professionals can easily agree to?

Badges? We don't need no stinkin' badges!

Sorry, someone had to!

This actually might be a good idea if you could prevent it from becoming "diluted". Therein lies the rub...

And if you think about it, how many dancers toss around the word "professional" when in fact they aren't? Having a badge on their website may not prove they are any more professional, but if the customer sees the badge and clicks through they will get a page educating them on what a professional dancer's standards are. So I guess it's a subtle way to educate people who are shopping for a good dancer. If the pledge says something like "I will wear a professional costume" and then the dancer shows up in a genie costume the customer may go "hey... I saw that costume at Walmart in the Halloween section. This dancer isn't really professional!" because they were educated on what to look for.

Of course the site would also have to have a disclaimer. Something like "we do no regulate who takes the pledge, rather we provide you with the knowledge you need to recognize a professional dancer from a non-professional. If a dancer is displaying our badge on her website she is making a promise to uphold all of these standards for her clients, so you know what to expect when dealing with a dancer who claims to be a professional."

And I think all of the standards would be very simple. Things like:
-I will be an experienced dancer with years of training and practice.
-I will continue my training through classes, workshops, videos, and practice.
-I will do everything in my power to arrive at the event at the scheduled time.
-I will charge a fair price for my services.
-I will not charge less than the minimum going rate for a dancer in my area.
-I will wear a professional costume that is fitted properly and is in good condition.
-I will have appropriately done makeup, hair, nails, etc.
-I will provide family friendly entertainment.
etc.

Obviously a lot of these can be in the eye of the beholder, but it's a starting point. Perhaps each pledge item can have a brief description explaining the need for that item and what the client should look for. So for example:

-I will not charge less than the minimum going rate for a dancer in my area.
The minimum rate for a professional level dancer in your area is the starting rate for all professional dancers. More experienced dancers will typically charge more than this rate. If a dancer is charging less than the going rate, it's likely that she is doing so because she lacks the experience of a true professional level dancer and doesn't feel she is good enough to charge the minimum rate.

Good stuff.... but who is The Dancer who hosts that main website that everybody else links to? Just noting that someone will have to volunteer.

I already pass around the link to Samira Shuruk's 'fair rates' page like it's fat-free candy and haven't received any complaints, but when a link results in a huge amount of web traffic, it can turn into a difficult thing to host/maintain.

Originally Posted by dima

...Of course the site would also have to have a disclaimer. Something like "we do no regulate who takes the pledge, rather we provide you with the knowledge you need to recognize a professional dancer from a non-professional. If a dancer is displaying our badge on her website she is making a promise to uphold all of these standards for her clients, so you know what to expect when dealing with a dancer who claims to be a professional."...[/I]

Yes, there would have to be a disclaimer. But the wording at the end, the way I'm reading it anyway, might give someone the impression that the ones who *claim* to do all these things actually DO them and are professional.
Maybe something like:
"Te do no regulate who takes the pledge, rather we provide you with the knowledge you need to recognize a professional dancer from a non-professional. If a dancer is displaying our badge on her website she is making a promise to uphold all of these standards for her clients, so both the client and the dancer are making the performance agreement with full understanding of professional standards."
(or something like that)

Oh, and "I will charge a fair price for my services."
We've SEEN that some people think $25 is a "fair price". I would re-word it to say
"I will charge a business sustaining price appropriate for the event and for my experience level as a performer." I think "appropriate" can't be twisted the same way "fair" can be.

Originally Posted by Teophania

Good stuff.... but who is The Dancer who hosts that main website that everybody else links to? Just noting that someone will have to volunteer.
I already pass around the link to Samira Shuruk's 'fair rates' page like it's fat-free candy and haven't received any complaints, but when a link results in a huge amount of web traffic, it can turn into a difficult thing to host/maintain.

:) Thanks so much Teophania. It's not a problem... the belly dance world doesn't create THAT much traffic.
I would consider the possibility of hosting it, if it came to it.
BUT- what if a dancer did not uphold the things she promises on a regular basis? THAT would be a problem. I think the disclaimer would have to be VERY strong in order for it not to reflect badly on the hosting dancer.
I think there would actually have to be some sort or "qualifying factors"... a dancer must provide a picture in professional costume at a gig (even in changing room is fine) holding a business card up... or something. There's no judgement in that- but that shows investment in business cards, actually performing somewhere and that she's not "performing" in a hipscarf.

Perhaps the site can also give tips on how to spot a professional dancer vs a non-professional. It can give an idea on how much training and experience the dancer should have, how much she should be charging, what her costumes should be like (with pictures to help the client see the difference) what to look for on her bio etc. The idea is that the site would help make the client so informed on how to choose a pro that a non-pro dancer would only make it obvious they aren't up to par.

A few will slip by, as always, but there is only so much you can do. And if the client is better educated, maybe they will be able to recognize that dancer was obviously not a pro like they claimed.

I think these are all great ideas. I really do think something like this could work. We just need someone to volunteer to maintain the site! Someone with actual knowlege of websites, unlike myself.