Anybody write or tried for Seed.com yet?

[lilairthepoet]

Just curious if anybody has tried AOL's new writing opportunity website: SEED.COM - Where Your Content Flourishes ?

I have submitted two articles and I am waiting for approval. It looks like they have great titles that are worth quite a bit, but I am waiting to see what it takes to get accepted ...

Let me know if anybody else has tried it

[gottaluv4]

I'm checking them out but I see in one of the articles that they require experts, I wonder how or what they decide as an expert. If they actually pay what the article is suggested to be worth it might be more lucrative than DS.

[Mrs.Mum]

Sadly, it looks like they only accept US writers, so I guess that'll be a 'no' for me. Hopefully it works out to be a good bet for those who are eligible though, good luck to all!

[lilredwriting]

So then theres this:
AOL's Seed.com Pays Well, But Feels Like "A Black Hole"

and this

http://www.businessinsider.com/playi...h-seed-2009-12

and then this but you have to go about half way through the article to see his remarks on Seed.

http://www.pubexec.com/blog/seedcom-...ine-publishing

Oh! and this one is really good lol

http://industry.bnet.com/media/10005...r-or-flourish/

[sabramh]

Going to try it, but I am a bit skeptical.....they make it look real good on the "exclusive" price, but I am wondering how often they will actually pay that up front. Additionally, if they accept it on a residual basis, they have the right to switch it to an exclusive at any point, which means if it is a money maker, they will switch it. But the rates are better than anywhere else, for up front, if the exclusives happen.....

[Blu Sol]

The site looks real good to me, I just signed up. If you read the blog it says that they have not utilized the rev share option and have been doing only upfronts. I know that is not a guarantee of anything but I just thought I should add that. I don't know, something about this site is just struck me. Thanks to the original poster for bringing it to our attention.

[netlexis]

I claimed a couple of title and plan to get it a try. I like the look of the various AOL channels (or whatever they're called). It would be nice if it works out.

[Janeywrites]

Apparently they accept multiple submissions for the same title, but only pay one. So when you claim a title, you could be competing against untold numbers to get the one actual payment. Is this correct? Also, when it says "28 minutes left," is that 28 minutes to claim the title or 28 minutes to write and submit it?

[Laurie1979]

Originally Posted by Janeywrites

Apparently they accept multiple submissions for the same title, but only pay one. So when you claim a title, you could be competing against untold numbers to get the one actual payment. Is this correct? Also, when it says "28 minutes left," is that 28 minutes to claim the title or 28 minutes to write and submit it?

Janey, I told a friend of mine about the site and of what she told me so far was that if they accepted more than one submission for the same article, they would share a portion for the same title such as if they stated that it is $30 for that one and two gets accepted, two of the writers get $15 each. This one is one of those not for sure how much you can really make for sure. But worth giving it a shot.

I signed up yesterday and hopefully will get some money by writing some of the articles that I nabbed. I nabbed 7 of the articles that are due in two more days. So I need to work on some tonight while the kids are knocked out. I should also stick to a schedule or try to work when my kids are occupying with each other. I need to get one of my bank account out of the hole since yesterday. I wish everyone luck on this as well.

[gottaluv4]

I love the articles you found on it. It was too late at night for me to really research it but signing up pointed out one of the cons right away which was in the first article you cited:

PRO/CON: Seed actually demands real reporting. Freelancers used to pumping out content for Associated Content will find that AOL work could be more time consuming. One freelancer wrote, "They do expect you to interview experts. Not sure if you could write an article in an hour when you need to contact several outside sources. Just sayin'."

I know that's listed as a pro/con but I saw many articles that were due within 5 hours. If you write at night and your article needs experts how are you going to contact an expert at 11pm and get the article in on time? That's not even close to being reasonable.

Plus, upon further looking at it and others comments, if you're to share the earnings (when more than one submission on the same title is accepted) that cuts your bottom line significantly. If you write 500 words for an article worth $35 and 7 other people submit & are accepted, you just earned $5 for 500 words. If you bill by the hour normally or by the word... well, you do the math on that... and don't forget to factor in querying experts and interviewing them or waiting for their reply.

After reading the reviews and further looking into it, I think I'm going to pass. I stand a better chance at pitching to a private client against a hundred other writers and naming my own price than hoping no one else writes and gets approved the same title I'm writing and having to split the shares.

Originally Posted by lilredwriting

So then theres this:
AOL's Seed.com Pays Well, But Feels Like "A Black Hole"

and this

AOL's Robot Editors Want You To Write These Stories

and then this but you have to go about half way through the article to see his remarks on Seed.

Seed.com, AOL, Tim Armstrong, Editors, Writers, Online Publishing : Publishing Executive

Oh! and this one is really good lol

Aol Seeds New Journalism Model, But Will It Make Journalism Wither or Flourish? | BNET Media Blog | BNET