This is it.

Day 0.

This is when I can actually say: The Open Mic is working! It’s not open to the public, though.

There is a lot of work to be done here. But the very first draft of this amazing platform looks impressive to say the least.

As you could have guessed this is the Developer Diary. This is something that I need in order to keep track of all the changes and the evolution of The Open Mic as a platform.

If you’re reading this then it either means that you have a beta access or you’re probably reading this after the launch of The Open Mic. Or maybe you’re a ninja and somehow managed to sneak in 🙂

Either way this whole series of posts would probably look like some ramblings of the mad scientist, but if you’d like to take a look at the development process – read on!

The Idea Behind The Open Mic

The Open Mic was born as an idea of bringing the brightest minds of this industry together (and by this industry I mean translation industry).

There is such a massive knowledge gap. Thousands of people feeling lost or having no sense of direction.

There are hundreds if not thousands of blogs about translation industry. Yet, there is no solidarity among translators. There is no… unity.

The Open Mic is about giving you the power to speak and be heard.

Add something valuable to the conversation.

Share your thoughts about our industry and help us improve it together.

This is where you can learn something and improve your translation business or you can share your wisdom and help thousands of people who are just starting out in this profession.

It’s all about collaboration and talking about the things that matter.

The goal of The Open Mic is to shape up the future of translation industry.

Improve the image of our profession and help each and every translator out there develop the much-needed business skills.

It’s all about learning and giving back.

Why Do You Call It The Open Mic?

I don’t know.

For some reason, it just clicks with me on some internal level.

Maybe it’s because I once tried to be a stand-up comedian. And this whole other part of my life still haunts me.

Or maybe it’s because I feel like this name captures the core values of The Open Mic: honesty, freedom of speech, transparency and knowledge-sharing.

How Does It Work?

The Open Mic is the first blogging platform with a social twist designed specifically for translators. It is also a very powerful and vibrant community.

The core functionality is the ability to publish new stories and blog posts using the user-friendly Publishing Tool.

In order to publish your stories, you’ll need to Sign Up for a free account.

Your account looks like something you would expect a translator’s account would look on your average translation portal.

The only difference is: it’s stunningly beautiful and user-friendly.

This is was my personal vision: creating a platform that looks as modern as possible offering a unique user experience both for translators and potential clients that might stumble upon your awesome profile.

So It’s Just About Sharing The Knowledge?

Yes! Knowledge-sharing is the essence of The Open Mic.

This is basically its core functionality.

The idea is to gather as many stories, blog posts, videos, podcast, thoughts, ideas about our industry in one place as humanly possible.

And it’s all up to you.

You’re the community members and you will decide how The Open Mic looks and feels.

You can publish your stories.

You can manage, edit and delete your stories anytime.

You can even save your blog posts as drafts.

Everything you publish will show up in the corresponding category. The top stories of the past 24 hours will show up in the menu section called Trending Today.

Your story can even get featured! Meaning everyone will be able to see it in the slider on the home page!

And That’s Just The Tip Of The Iceberg

Like I said, it’s a blogging platform with a social twist and that twist is simply mind-blowing. You’ll be able to create beautiful profiles and improve your online visibility.

Choose your languages, your fields of expertise, upload your avatar and even a CV.

You can choose who will be able to see your profile. You can set your rates.

Feeling a tiny bit anti-social? Not a problem. You can hide your profile any time.

You can follow other members of our community, you can even send direct messages to you colleagues or reply to messages of potential clients.

Participate in forum discussions!

You can also invite your clients to join The Open Mic and leave you a five-star review (which would help you rank higher).

You’ve Said The Word “Clients” Like Several Times, Does It Mean There Will Be Job Posting Functionality And Whatnot?

The Open Mic was designed for seasoned translators who would like to share knowledge and tips with their peers.

It is also designed for newbie translators who want to learn and excel at something.

Those people who’re willing to keep an open mind and try something new. People who want to improve their skills (be it translation, marketing or business skills).

I’m sure there will be plenty of information about all sorts of topics and everyone will be able to find something for themselves.

Since The Open Mic is a community that will be growing exponentially, I have no doubts that it might potentially attract clients (both agencies and direct clients and companies).

But I don’t want to go down that job-posting road.

Because we already have plenty of platforms that foster price-based competition among translators.

And it just doesn’t feel right.

Instead, I’ll give you the ability to decide whether The Open Mic worth your time.

You can spend a few minutes and design a professionally looking profile that would wow your clients.

Or you can ignore this extra feature altogether.

Like I said, you can even hide your profile if you don’t want any potential clients contacting you (which is kind of weird, but I’m cool with it, no pressure, really).

What makes The Open Mic unique is that it’s absolutely free. There are no membership fees. Your ranking will only depend on how much time you’re willing to invest into your profile.

I find this kind of approach very refreshing.

Did You Just Win A Lottery Or Something? How Come Its Free?

Because you deserve it.

Because it’s the right thing to do.

Because all of my favorite websites and apps are free.

Because I believe in this project with all my heart.

I’m taking all of my saving and investing into The Open Mic because I think that this platform is here to stay.

I might ask for your help in the future, but for now I just want to focus on building something that could actually be useful to a lot of people and can improve our industry.

I could have gone to Kickstarter or tried finding angel investors. But I didn’t.

Maybe I’m a little bit old-fashioned, but I always thought that the most beautiful things in this world were created with a help of faith, passion, hard work and just a few dollars in your pocket.

That’s why I don’t believe in creating paywalls. Because knowledge is the most powerful thing in the world. And we need a place like this where we can share our thoughts, share our experience, share our knowledge. Freely.

That’s why the fate of The Open Mic will be entirely in your hands.

But something tells me it’s in good hands.