New articles and content fees

[laprincess31]

I received a response from Angela at Writers Weekly!


Angelasaid, "I wrote an article yesterday that gives this outfit a negative mention and I put a link to the forum you noted in the article. It'll run in tomorrow's issue of WritersWeekly.com".


Hehehe I can not wait to read her article! [img]smileys/smiley36.gif[/img][img]smileys/smiley4.gif[/img]

[dpenna]

I also put a post about this on my writer's blog - even though I haven't been posting there, I had to mention it!

Diane

[swan480]

Originally Posted by TemlynWriting

As a writer and editor I see MANY more glaring errors throughout John's message than I see in yours. I really wonder what kind of "editors" they have working for them.

I also find it disturbing that he chooses to use direct insults, calling your typing childish and such. It's one thing for someone such as yourself to write an e-mail with the tone you did, but it's completely unprofessional for him to respond with the like. A better business practice would be for him to simply respond with something like "I am sorry you feel this way, but this is how we conduct business," rather than insulting inquirers as he does.

This truly is a disturbing business practice.

From what I've seen and heard, it's usually these types of places that respond with stinging insults when you inform them that you don't work for so little (or, in this case, that you don't pay someone for the privelege to work). Read Writer's Weekly's first article on these article mill sites. As the author says, the people who run these things are characteristically uncivilized. And the way they usually go about insulting a writer with the guts to turn them down is to insult the writer's ability to write...as if the writer really needs their opinion, if they have the self confidence toturn them down in the first place!

[CDBContent]

A few observations...



(1) The Lawrence article you reference is chock full of the kind
of attitude we tend to despise when it comes from buyers.
Referring to those who operate in lower-paying markets as "cheeseball
bottom feeders," detailing her sarcastic and obnoxious replies to those
she felt didn't offer enough for her services, etc. If someone
who happens to make an offer that is beneath your bottom line is
"uncivilized," what does that make someone who calls the buyer names
and mocks them with not-quite-funny emailed insults. If, as
writers, we believe we should be treated respectfully, we probably
ought to avoid poor behavior ourselves.



(2) The problem with the current Articles & Content situation
is not their pay rate. That may have been a problem for some
people, and those who found the rate disagreeable surely didn't write
for them. The problems seem to center upon mismanagement and the
new decision to require writers to pay a fee to participate.
Personally, I find both of these things to be HUGE negatives and reason
enough to avoid A&C. However, the price issue is something I
think can be better left to individual providers to consider.
Some can make that kind of work a lucrative part of their overall
writing business plan. Others will sprint away as fast as they
can. To each his or her own.



If A&C was organized, paid on time, and was friendly, professional
and respectful to writers I think they could do just fine. I
don't think it's all about the rate--the rate didn't dissuade some
people here from writing for them at one point or another. Their
problems seem to go well beyond rate.

[lpelham]

Originally Posted by dpenna

Actually, that doesn't sound bad for blogging. When I type about something I'm interested in, I can type 300 words in less than 10 minutes. Of course it all depends on what type of writing is expected - researched or not. I think something happened with Families.com though, that made a bunch of their first wave of bloggers quit. I forget what it was, though.

Diane

I enjoy writing for Families.com. I think the first wave lost four bloggers, but I am not sure whether it was because they just got bored, couldn't write or what. The community manager is very nice and responds to all emails and I think they are currently planning on the second phase of bloggers. As for research, of course, you have to know what you are talking about, but depending on the subject, sometimes you can just write the blog (I did one about my grandmother's potato salad in about 5 minutes).


Libby

[janeted]

http://forums.digitalpoint.com/showthread.php?t=18696

It looks as though they tried to sell the website once and failed. You guys
were right as they are from another country, I love how he changed his name
from "Vera" to "John" though. LOL

Thank you for saving me $10

[traces2757]

Actually, thecompany did used to belong to a woman named Vera, who had to sell it because of pressing family issues. John and Emma bought it about a year or so ago. Vera and John are not the same person.

[Brandi]

As I understand it, the article was much better under Vera's direction.