TB: Author Profile, TO and DO Questions

[anng]

Originally Posted by di99

I am not a writer at TB but I am a client, from my point of view the only way to get DOs is excellent quality.
For example, I recently ordered 5 articles in a specific niche (level 4)
I got articles from 5 different writters
2 of the articles were acceptable but it was obvious the writer wasn't an expert on the topic
2 articles were a blatant attempt to just hit the word quota, I sent them back for revision and they didn't even bother correcting them
the last article was excellent, well written and it was obvious that the writer was really knowledgeable about the topic
Needless to say that I have sent the last writer about 15 DO articles this week.

If you can show me (and I suppose most buyers) that you can write consistently good articles on a topic and actually know what you are writing about you are probably going to get all future articles in that niche. The reason is simple, webmasters prefer to deal with only one writer so that the content on our sites is all written in the same style.

One of the mistake a lot of writers do imho is that they consider an article that has proper grammar,spelling and is well written adequate. Personally, I don't mind a couple of spelling mistakes as long as the article provides good, solid information.

For example, I have ordered in the past some nutrition related articles (I am a dietitian), I received some well written articles (better than I can write) in terms of grammar etc, however they were full of inaccuracies, wrong statements, missing important details etc. Because of that, it doesn't matter how well written they were, I am definitely not sending any DOs to these writers.

I've only ever gotten high praise from clients, so I doubt it's quality keeping me from getting DO's.

Given that, Level 4 writers are paid 1.5 cents per word. The extra you pay is going to TB, not to the writer. If you want expert articles in a field like nutrition, offering more money will get you better quality. I guess for me it's the same as DS saying they are looking for experts in the field and suddenly only having articles regarding electrical or computer engineering. If they want these articles written by EE or CE's, offering $15 to someone earning well over $50 an hour isn't going to cut it.

[sherryy]

Actually, I believe L4 writers at TB are paid 1.4 cents per word.

1.5 cents is the minimum DO price - plus the TB commission, of course.

However, you don't know if the client is willing to pay the writer who did a great job more than that.

I'm an L5 writer and have my DO price set accordingly.
However, many L4 writers have set the DO prices at around .03 a word - not too bad for content writing if you need the money.

Many say that you should treat every OO as an audition for higher-paying DO work. Of course, some clients aren't interested in paying more, but many are if they can get the knowledge and quality they're looking for.

TOs on TB is an attempt to even the playing field in this area. It allows writers with special knowledge to capitalize on that even if their writing skills aren't quite up to par. So far, I'm not impressed with how this idea has played out, but it's a great concept. Probably a much better deal for the lower level writers than for me.

But, my DO queue is almost always full, so I can't complain.

[Kiernansmom]

Yeah, you definitely have to pay more for quality. I just got my first revision request there, and it would basically require rewiting a lot of the article. The client said it was good but didn't like the focus. Umm, if you have a topic in mind you might want to put it in the directions, or you will get the subject the writer chooses. Oh well, I actually have a higher paying client who often requests articles on the same subject. In my opinion, it's not usually worth my time to revise a $6 or $7 article unless it will take like one minute, lol.

[tenderone]

I have experience in the medical field, which is why I primarily write articles from the "health" section. I do not limit myself to "health" topics, however. I have an extreme interest in early childhood education and parenting, as one will take note from my blog (below).

As an L4, I have received nothing but wonderful ratings, so perhaps, one day, I will receive a DO.

[di99]

Originally Posted by anng

I've only ever gotten high praise from clients, so I doubt it's quality keeping me from getting DO's.

Given that, Level 4 writers are paid 1.5 cents per word. The extra you pay is going to TB, not to the writer. If you want expert articles in a field like nutrition, offering more money will get you better quality.

I am not talking about expert articles, I write them myself. I am talking about simple articles. Honestly, from a business point of view (don't forget that clients are also trying to make a living) it makes no difference to me that the writer is paid 1.5 cents/word. What matters is that I am paying 2.2 for an excellent quality article (according to TB pricing and levels description, personally I just expect a good usable article). When I get an article that says that food A can cure diabetes all I can think of is who is going to be awarded the Nobel prize, me if I publish it or the author who wrote it.

Finally, if writers are thinking "I am paid 1.5cents/word I am going to produce a 1.5cents/word quality article" they shouldn't expect me or any other client to send them a higher paying DO because all they have shown me is that they can produce 1.5cents/word quality articles.

Originally Posted by sherryy

Many say that you should treat every OO as an audition for higher-paying DO work. Of course, some clients aren't interested in paying more, but many are if they can get the knowledge and quality they're looking for.

That was my main point and I am sure many clients (obviously not everyone) think like me.