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Topic: Freelance Travel Writers Needed for Examiner.com
| Author | Message |
| examinerjoanne | Posted – 11/26/2008 6:07:03 PM | show profile | email poster | flag this post If you are passionate about travel and want to provide your local community with useful information about your passion, then Examiner.com wants to speak with you. Examiner.com is rapidly becoming the online destination for local information, news and events in 60 major markets across the country. Examiner.com�s unique content is contributed by passionate people like you, known as Examiners. Writers at heart, they use words and pictures to inspire and inform, to open dialogues, and to help people tackle everyday challenges. Informed, reliable, helpful, entertaining and authentic, Examiners are everyday people from a variety of backgrounds and professions. They are college students, civil servants, and retirees, PhDs, musicians, magazine editors and stay-at-home parents. Examiners are your helpful neighbors and local leaders. They are credible resources -- the �go to� experts -- for local information, news, and events. Most Examiners have full-time or part-time jobs, or are full-or-part time students. This is not a full-time job. Examiners are independent contractors. This allows them to choose what to write about and when. They write from home, school, or wherever they want. They publish a minimum of four articles per week. Examiner.com does not expect lengthy articles. Frequent, brief posts bring people back and lead to increased page views � an important key to success! Examiners are paid based on a set minimum rate, or �floor,� per 1,000 page views, this floor can fluctuate based on advertising and marketing gains. Examiner.com provides the training and tools you need to publish and promote your articles. The more familiar you are with Web-based publishing (things like HTML, and uploading photos and video), the faster it should go. As an Examiner you will have a great opportunity to inform others about a subject you love and to promote yourself and, we hope, further your career. We are looking for Examiners in all major cities. If the idea of becoming an Examiner excites you, please set aside 20 minutes and go to [URL removed by moderator] to tell us how you as an Examiner can add value to your community. Have other interests or know someone else that would make an excellent Examiner? We�re also recruiting for the following subjects: 1. Arts and Entertainment 2. Autos 3. Bars and Clubs 4. Business 5. Community 6. Education 7. Family 8. Fitness 9. Food and Drink 10. Games 11. Health 12. Home and Living 13. Jobs 14. News 15. Pets 16. Politics 17. Real Estate 18. Recreation 19. Relationships 20. Restaurants 21. Shopping 22. Spirituality 23. Sports 24. Technology ------ Joanne Poesch Community Support Mananger Examiner.com |
| mkelly | Posted – 11/26/2008 7:04:37 PM | show profile | flag this post Um, yeah, that pay arrangement sounds just so appealing. |
| roxannekkb | Posted – 11/26/2008 9:05:11 PM | show profile | flag this post Yup, another great paying gig. Why don't you just say you don't pay contributors, and be honest about it. |
| WordyBird | Posted – 11/28/2008 10:33:41 AM | show profile | flag this post For shame, you two above me. Don't you know that we all need "valuable exposure?" Because that's going to pay our bills and all. |
| RockinRonD | Posted – 11/28/2008 10:51:00 AM | show profile | email poster | flag this post Stewpid Us Do these people suffer a universal brain-freeze? At the risk of being self-aggrandizing, I'm smarter than the average bear, which, in my view, is true of most people who write for a living. How can these idiots expect us to take their BS seriously? Do they really think we're stupid enough to be fooled by their come-ons and give this serious consideration? Irks me to no end how some can so egregiously underestimate the intelligence of the freelance writing community. Hey, examine THIS! |
| Homer | Posted – 11/28/2008 1:30:48 PM | show profile | flag this post Well, as PT Barnum said.... Also, shouldn't this be on the Job Board, or do they not want to pay for that either? |
| steveeldridge | Posted – 11/28/2008 10:05:56 PM | show profile | flag this post DON'T DO IT I actually wrote a daily column for these people as a freelancer for two years. They paid me very well and told me frequently how popular my column was with their readers. One day they notified me that they would no longer by running my column for reasons never made clear but suspected to be financial. Shortly thereafter I was contacted by someone at the paper who wanted me to continue my column as "an Examiner". As such I would only be paid on the number of hits my column received. When I asked for a monthly guarantee against their schedule the conversation ended because, as I was told, "That's not the way it works." How many other professionals are being asked to work for free? We need to stand up against these assaults on our livelihood. |
| maphop | Posted – 11/30/2008 2:09:47 PM | show profile | flag this post Examiner VS About.com. Why The Outrage? Folks, this is almost exactly the same deal offered by the NYT for about.com and they have hundreds of contributors in tons of topics. Even the compensation deal as described by the last poster is reminiscent of what About.com has recently been doing. Your compensation is based on your hits, not on guaranteed per/word or per/posting arrangement. I'm not going to tell anyone that this is a worthwhile deal but I guess I am confused as to why they would think this is that much worse than the model offered by the New York Times for their version? A version which, by all the numbers offered up in business reports recently, is one of the most profitable arms of the NYT. |
| candylilacs | Posted – 12/1/2008 2:15:22 AM | show profile | flag this post I didn't go for it because I read the agreement they flash on the screen for a second before you click "I agree" which said that although you own the copyright to your stuff, you agree to give them the license to use your stuff and give it to third parties, change it however they like until the end of time..with no pay to the writer. Hells, no, people! ------ Dealing with being laid off, so you don't have to! www.laidoffjournal.com Freelance writing is as easy as you make it! www.mswritesguide.blogspot.com |
| WordyBird | Posted – 12/1/2008 10:30:08 AM | show profile | flag this post " I am confused as to why they would think this is that much worse than the model offered by the New York Times for their version? A version which, by all the numbers offered up in business reports recently, is one of the most profitable arms of the NYT." Profitable for whom? Not the writers. And if that's what About.com is doing now, no wonder there are so many solicitations for "guides" for their pages. So to hell with them, too! |
| RockinRonD | Posted – 12/1/2008 1:38:15 PM | show profile | email poster | flag this post What About.Com puts you through to become one of the editors is not worth the time or effort in my view. In many ways, it is insulting to anyone with a solid resume. Shame on the NYT, they should treat writers better and with more respect. |
| mb_greg | Posted – 12/1/2008 2:15:26 PM | show profile | email poster | flag this post Warning re: commercial postings It is generally our policy to remove all job listings that get posted in the forums, but because the original post generated a substantive discussion, we have decided to leave the thread up, with the only edit being the removal of the URL from the original post. However, these postings remain a violation of our Terms of Service. If you see this happening in other forum threads, please let us know immediately. Thanks. ------ Greg Membership Director mediabistro.com |
| Letterbox | Posted – 12/1/2008 4:53:21 PM | show profile | flag this post I think what's scary about sites like these is the possibility that they may be pioneering a new revenue model between all online pubs and writers. Turn us all into commission based car salesmen. |
| maphop | Posted – 12/2/2008 10:03:59 AM | show profile | flag this post License Agreement Candylilacs brought up an interesting point that I think is worth reminding folks about which is reading the fine print in the agreements and genuinely understanding what it means to the writer, the contracting company and further revenue streams for one or both parties. When an About.com or an Examiner or similar companies specify their ability to use, resell, modify or further license the material across the universe (that's actual verbiage from a contract folks) and in perpetuity (ditto) that means that, for all intents and purposes, you're giving up rights and/or creating work-for-hire material. The contract may not use those words and even say or imply that you maintain some rights to the material but if you give them the right to further publish or sell your material, you are basically handing over a viable revenue source to them - they can use the material for any other media outlets they may own, resell to other outlets and/or continue to publish the materials in additional formats without additional compensation to the writer unless negotiated upfront. This is partly what the Tasini lawsuit covered and with the potential demise/reduction of AP and similar news aggregate or reporting agencies, will become more and more important to syndicates and folks like the NYT in terms of revenue streams and content. Should you decide to pursue a column or department with this type of outlet, read and understand the contract fully with regard to your (copy) rights and your compensation and, if you are a member of NWU, ask their legal eagles or contract specialists to take a look first. |
| Bostonwriter | Posted – 12/4/2008 11:05:57 AM | show profile | email poster | flag this post No, About.com/NYT does pay I work for About.com/NYT. They pay per word. It's not going to make you rich, but they do pay. The system has a bit of a learning curve, but once you get it, it's been fine for me. It's been a good experience ... not sure where the person saying they pay per click got their info. Maybe if you're a "guide" on About.com, that's how it works? I don't know, but the content NYT provides to About seems to be separate from the "guides," because I am not a guide there. I'm just saying. I agree with many of the points here, otherwise. |
| LDGourmet | Posted – 12/4/2008 11:21:44 AM | show profile | flag this post I'm not an idiot, you know... I am the Boston Food Culture Examiner. I've been freelancing for two years and write a gourmet food column for Suite101.com. My work has appeared in Reuters, Chicago Sun-Times and more. I'm a Foodbuzz Featured Publisher. Maybe I'm missing something but everyone here is looking for work, and there's precious little out there. "Content is King" but every site wants you to work for "exposure." So far, I've not managed to convince anyone at Macy's to let me wear their clothes on the promise of great exposure it would get them. I can't keep lights on, computer running or phone on with "exposure." But, I'm doing what I can to keep writing. I use the Examiner column (which is NOT onerous in terms of constraints or functionality of site, word count requirements or any of that) to feed traffic to my main column and build readership for my website. About.com is ridiculous. They, like others, want you to provide work for free in a protracted review process. That's opportunity cost. Time I could spend prospecting or writing for pay. I have tons of work online that I can provide for clips/editorial review. Anyone providing free work for About during the "editorial selection" process IMHO is just as guilty of being taken for a ride. So how about giving a fellow writer, an Examiner, even, a freakin' break? How about a referral or link? No?... Didn't think so. Some community. Thanks for the support. Jacqueline Church |
| RockinRonD | Posted – 12/4/2008 12:19:43 PM | show profile | email poster | flag this post Eat This Now Ms. Church: That kind of snarky closure to a posting that essentially lectures and reprimands other posters for their opinions is no way to get a break, a referral or a link from anyone, of that I am certain. |
| mkelly | Posted – 12/4/2008 1:40:25 PM | show profile | flag this post I don't get it If you're a good food writer, why not launch your own blog or website and keep all the revenue for yourself? Why do you need Examiner.com to be the host of your work and let them keep the lion's share of your potential revenue stream? Really, there's nothing wrong with compensation based on some sort of sales commission or revenue-sharing-- but if the product is content, and the medium is the Internet, then there's no reason I can't earn 100 percent of the sales and keep all the revenue to myself. It's hard work, yes, and you need to put out a stellar product and have an eye for business development, which most writers and journalists don't. But the logic is sound. I don't see where the logic is in working piecemeal for someone else trying the same thing. |
| WordyBird | Posted – 12/4/2008 4:52:22 PM | show profile | flag this post Feed or no feed, there are credible outfits that are known for credible writers, and then there are pay-per-click outfits where anyone who knows how to type can sign up and call himself or herself a writer. And that's all I'm going to say about that. |
| LDGourmet | Posted – 12/5/2008 4:37:16 AM | show profile | flag this post Mkelly thanks for the suggestions. am doing all those things. it's not either/or but both/and. former bus dev person here and do know how to be proactive and resourceful. hoping that will serve me well in the new career. most monetization schemes are not 100 percent of revenue though, affiliate programs and such run around 6-7% commission on click thru sales. anyway, appreciate the support rather than the slam sort of answer..thanks! |
| mkelly | Posted – 12/5/2008 11:02:29 AM | show profile | flag this post Don't worry, I'll slam you some other time, I'm sure. |
| WordyBird | Posted – 12/5/2008 12:04:17 PM | show profile | flag this post "I am the Boston Food Culture Examiner. I've been freelancing for two years and write a gourmet food column for Suite101.com. My work has appeared in Reuters, Chicago Sun-Times and more. I'm a Foodbuzz Featured Publisher. [snip] So how about giving a fellow writer, an Examiner, even, a freakin' break? How about a referral or link? No?... Didn't think so. Some community." WAH, WAH, WAH! You can always tell a greenie. Well, you know, if your portfolio is as impressive as your opening paragraph in this whine would imply, then why are you complaining in the other thread about all the time you spent filling out a registration for a rinky-dink little website. Yes, times are tough all over, but if you are as seasoned as you'd like us to believe, you would know the difference between sites that seek to exploit writers (and end up diluting the talent pool worse than an NHL expansion team) and credible sites for publishing professionals. Said it elsewhere, and I'll say it here, because I see a pattern forming here that others will most likely flame you for later if you continue with it: Put a sock in it. |
| ActYourAge | Posted – 1/19/2009 1:03:41 PM | show profile | flag this post About.com Pays. Very. Well. I find it interesting that all of these reviews come from people who don't actually WORK for the company. As a guide, I'm paid well enough to take care of my mortgage each month, always over the $725 base pay. Sorry you failed prep...haven't you ever heard that fable about sour grapes? Don't knock the job because you didn't get it. It's insulting to those of us who earn a respectable living with the company. I don't knock your writing job. Unless you've actually worked for the company, then you don't have much space to talk. |
| chick | Posted – 1/21/2009 2:23:48 PM | show profile | flag this post I was suspcious... ...when they contacted me, as opposed to the other way around. Maybe I just suffer from low self esteem, but I'm a little apprehensive about "news outlets" that send bulk emails recruiting writers. |
| justin10 | Posted – 1/21/2009 4:25:10 PM | show profile | email poster | flag this post About.com has a base pay rate And it's a very good supplement to normal freelance work. I wrote for them for several years and always got paid monthly, no matter what my page views were (many, many months I made well above the base rate). The work you produce during the training / selection process, however is only used by the company if you complete About Prep. and are given a contract. It's good pay for a few blog posts and short articles a month, most of which I'd never sale on a back list anyway. They also pay residuals after you terminate your contract if they continue to use your content -- at least they did when owned by Primedia. |
