Going into this assignment, I was anxious. Despite our training, I felt unprepared for the experience of live group-data entry, so I spectated a core data entry shift the day before I volunteered. Even though I did not contribute to the session, the sense of community that permeates the Covid Tracking Project was apparent. Lighthearted introductory questions posed by the shift lead in the #data-entry Slack channel took my mind off the seriousness of the data this project collects, easing the tension I felt. I watched data entry veterans joke with one another, adding to the expansive collection of custom Slack reaction emojis. Hannah Hoffman reached out to me, and another shift spectator to let us know that we could ask her any questions throughout the shift. I did not have any questions at the time, but I found her assistance during my data entry shift incredibly helpful.<\/p>\n
My data entry shift was not without its hiccups, but with the guidance of the double-checking crew and Hannah Hoffman I was afforded deeper insight into the efficacy of the tracking project\u2019s checking processes. First, I was tagged in Slack by a double checker who reminded me to update the Local Time column for my first state (MD). Until I had been tagged by a double checker, I did not understand why in the #data-entry channel checkers conferred in state-specific posts, particularly when the channel\u2019s Shift Bot provided a forum for general inquiry. I appreciated the opportunity to discuss my error within a state-specific post, because the feedback I received was easy to follow in Slack\u2019s Thread sidebar. I should also note that my double checker was incredibly supportive, and she gave me positive affirmation when I confirmed my correction.<\/p>\n
An interesting mistake that I made might be an opportunity to clarify the project\u2019s data entry instructions. I was given feedback that, for a cell that required calculation, the expectation was that I enter the equation that made up the cell\u2019s value. Instead, I had been using my computer\u2019s calculator and writing in my calculated values into their cells. I can appreciate why the Covid Tracking Project follows these protocols however, it is not clear from the section of the data entry instructions that discusses \u201ccalculated\u201d cells that this is the expectation. I would suggest in section 8 of the checker instructions, either edit sub-section d or add another sub-section, that makes clear that calculated values should show the values that make up the calculated value, not just to \u201ctype all data by hand\u201d.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Going into this assignment, I was anxious. Despite our training, I felt unprepared for the experience of live group-data entry, so I spectated a core data entry shift the day before I volunteered. Even though I did not contribute to the session, the sense of community that permeates the Covid Tracking Project was apparent. Lighthearted […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":8,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"\n