Attraction for Demand Studios?

[nickncindy]

Why do so many people advocate this site? I find that the articles they have hold no interest for me.

How to become a dentest in France
How to fix a French drain


and so forth.

Nothing that is hard to research, but I need to have my imagination captured, not just write to earn a couple of bucks.

Am I the only weirdo here?

[SouthernFriedJulie]

They was what?

[nickncindy]

They was what?

I'm sorry, I don't undertand your reponse. If i had used the phrase, "they was....," I would be totally mortified. Did I, somewhere that i am overlooking?

rah roh, I just found it and will correct it. Thanks for pointing it out!

[nickncindy]

I hate typing. I find my brain is always 3 sentences ahead of what I'm writing.

[lisake]

Have you tried suggesting titles, articles that you would want to write (but not too common or obvious)? I'm new to Demand, but it seems to me like you have to check the titles often, as the "good ones" get snatched up quickly. I'm trying out a system where I alternate between submitting a title suggestion and claiming a title that's already written. Suggesting titles count against your 10 claims, so hopefully while my suggested titles are being reviewed, I'm still cranking out a few articles (for which I'm earning).

For you Demand regulars, do I get first shot at claiming the title I suggested if it's approved?

Also, do you ever become trusted enough where you're allowed to claim more that 10 titles at a time?

Thanks.

[fairy86]

Why do so many people advocate this site? I find that the articles they was have no interest to me.

How to become a dentest in France
How to fix a French drain


and so forth.

Nothing that is hard to research, but I need to have my imagination captured, not just write to earn a couple of bucks.

Am I the only weirdo here?

I usually do a search for articles that interest me such as fitness and health. Usually I can find enough to make my quota for the day. As Lisake suggested, you can suggest titles. You are paid $5 instead of $15 for a suggested How To.

Lisake, you do get first shot at the suggested title but if it expires, you are unable to reclaim it as you could a regular article. They eventually wil raise your fixed fee limit to 15 once you have several approved assignments. I hope this helps.

[lisake]

Thanks, Stephanie. So if my suggested how-to title is accepted, I get $5. Then if I write the article and it's accepted, I get another $15, right? Please say YES.

[fairy86]

Thanks, Stephanie. So if my suggested how-to title is accepted, I get $5. Then if I write the article and it's accepted, I get another $15, right? Please say YES.

No :(

Once it's accepted and you write the article, you'll get the $5. DS rate for all suggested titles is$5.

[lisake]

Flip. That's what I was afraid of. But thanks for letting me know.

That's why I love this site. So great to have others out there helping us newbies learn the ropes.

[Angie]

Nickncindy: Try a keyword search for things you're interested in. I write a lot of gardening and pet topics, but with their squirrelly categorization software now you can't always go by category. Type in a couple keywords and the format or pay rate you want to look for and you should get some better topics.

[SouthernFriedJulie]

I'm sorry, I don't undertand your reponse. If i had used the phrase, "they was....," I would be totally mortified. Did I, somewhere that i am overlooking?

rah roh, I just found it and will correct it. Thanks for pointing it out!

:-D

I was in a goofball mood last night and had to poke fun.

[SouthernFriedJulie]

By the way, you're not stuck at 10 articles. Just finish up some and claim more. You can have as many as you want under review.

[lonestarlibrarian]

I'm still new to it as well, but I write for DS for the side income, and I use my imagination for my stories. Needless to say, I've earned more writing boring stuff than I have with my imaginative stuff... and I get way more work accomplished with the boring writing than I do with the fun writing. :o) I perceive one to be more like a part-time job and the other to be closer to a hobby, and unless you're well-established in a certain market, I think it's healthy to diversify your writing.

Categories are pretty useless, but keyword searches will always turn up something I can commit to; hopefully they'll help you too.

Good luck!

[Dreamer76]

I'm like lonestarlibrarian. I have a full-time job and I've signed up to do DS just for some extra income. It could pay for gas, groceries, restaurants. And remember, Christmas is coming! I don't think I'd make enough if I tried doing it on a full-time basis. But if you compare writing articles in the comfort of your own home to a second job flipping burgers or retail....um, it wins hands down.

[lisake]

By the way, you're not stuck at 10 articles. Just finish up some and claim more. You can have as many as you want under review.

Hmmm, maybe because I'm new they'll only let me have 10 articles total, including those under review. E.g. right now I have 4 under review and 6 others claimed, and when I try to claim another title DS says I've exceeded my limit.

Also, what is a "good" rating? I have nine acceptances and no rewrites or rejections (YET, knock on wood), but my grammar and research scores are 4.2 and 4.3, respectively. I think I've been using too many passive verbs, and I've not been using enough citations in the text (geez, there goes that darned passive voice again).

I'm working on both of those shortcomings, but is there anything else I can do to improve my rating? No feedback from any CEs yet, so not sure what they didn't like.

Thanks again for all the great info and advice.

[stldenise]

I think a 4 rating is pretty darn good at Demand because you never know how the CE's are rating you. I hover around 3.9 on grammar and 4.2 on research. The only thing I can think of that keeps my grammar from being "perfect" is that my sentence structure gets a little choppy when I'm writing for cheap. I wouldn't worry too much about improving your writing, unless it's costing you in rewrites. If they're not throwing the articles back at you, you're doing fine.

And if they really wanted to help us improve our writing, they'd let us know what they're marking us down for!

Once you're a little more established DS drops some of the limits on you. I can claim 20 titles, and claim more as soon as I turn them in for review. I've been there since last winter. I requested that my limit be bumped up after I worked there a few months. I don't hang out on their forums anymore (I've only got time to hang on this one) so I don't know what the current chatter is.

As tempting as it is, I don't know that I'd suggest titles anymore. Way back when they offered the same for your own titles as they did for craptastic ones. Five bucks is just way to cheap. $15 is bad enough, but most of us do it because it's reliable income and pretty easy work.

A tip for newbies: don't pick titles you need to do serious research for - it's just not worth your time and effort. If you need to, spend more time FINDING the good titles that are in your area of expertise and that you can write without brain strain. That's the only way you're going to make DS work for you. Use the keyword search, and try checking at various times of the day. Some people used to have great luck finding juicy titles in the middle of the night. I think this is either when they released the new stuff, or when titles would expire from other peoples ques and go back into the system.

[FreelanceKen]

A tip for newbies: don't pick titles you need to do serious research for - it's just not worth your time and effort. If you need to, spend more time FINDING the good titles that are in your area of expertise and that you can write without brain strain. That's the only way you're going to make DS work for you. Use the keyword search, and try checking at various times of the day. Some people used to have great luck finding juicy titles in the middle of the night. I think this is either when they released the new stuff, or when titles would expire from other peoples ques and go back into the system.

Great advice there. One thing I would add is that when you are doing the keyword search, do not click on categories. Allow the keyword search to run over everything. I have found lots of titles by just placing my keyword and found them in categories they had no business being in.

[lisake]

Thanks, Denise and Ken. That advice should really help. It sounds like DS offers nice perks for writers they're happy with, so I really want to get on their good side.

Definitely no more title suggesting for me. I assumed (I know, I know) that they would pay you for the title then pay you again for writing the article. Seems to me like suggesting the title then writing the article for that title is more work for 1/3 the money. I withdrew my two title suggestions (they were under review), but then I got a message that one of them was accepted, so now I'm stuck writing that baby for a measly $5. At least it's a topic I know well, so it should be a quickie.

I really appreciate everyone sharing so much information on these threads. I'm scared of the DS forums, and it sounds like I'll fare much better discussing DS here instead of there.

[treehugger]

I don't think I'd make enough if I tried doing it on a full-time basis. But if you compare writing articles in the comfort of your own home to a second job flipping burgers or retail....um, it wins hands down.


Ha! It's funny you say that--I'm getting ready to quit my retail day job and squeak by with Demand (and a few other small gigs) until I can build up more freelance work and/or find a better day job.

Demand is definitely way retail. I've actually had good luck lately finding titles--just got approved for Garden Guides, woo! I'm approved for Livestrong, too, and those articles pay $25.

[lisake]

But if you compare writing articles in the comfort of your own home to a second job flipping burgers or retail....um, it wins hands down.

DS also works great with my schedule. I've got two little ones, so my research/writing time is usually confined to 5-7 a.m. and 8-10 p.m. When I was writing features for a newspaper, I found it quite difficult to set up interviews during those convenient (for me) hours.

Plus, I love working in my pajamas.

[lonestarlibrarian]

Haha. :o) I like browsing for topics and pulling resources while I'm killing time on internet games. Once that's done, writing the articles themselves only takes about 10-20 minutes of focus. I know people sniff at whatever they calculate the hourly rate as, but I think it's awesome I can pull in $15 or $30 while waiting for my troops to march across the map... :o)

[FreelanceKen]

Ha! It's funny you say that--I'm getting ready to quit my retail day job and squeak by with Demand (and a few other small gigs) until I can build up more freelance work and/or find a better day job.




It can be done. If you remove what I take in from private clients and blogs, I still make a good living writing for Demand Studios...the key is keeping yourself motivated, saying you need the money will not do that. Just grab a hold of the mindset that YOU are a FREELANCE WRITER and writing is what you do.:)

[caromora]

Hmmm, maybe because I'm new they'll only let me have 10 articles total, including those under review. E.g. right now I have 4 under review and 6 others claimed, and when I try to claim another title DS says I've exceeded my limit.

After your first ten are approved, that limit is lifted--you'll be able to claim a new article as soon as you submit one.

I've found a lot of articles that I enjoy writing on Demand. When I can't, I choose ones that are quick and easy. If you're serious about freelancing, you're not always going to be able to find work that is creatively fulfilling. Sometimes you have to take work that isn't glamorous or exciting. That's a hard fact.

It's just like any other job, IMO. There are good aspects to it, and there are parts that you might not necessarily care for. It's not always going to be something you enjoy--that's why it's work!

[nickncindy]

After your first ten are approved, that limit is lifted--you'll be able to claim a new article as soon as you submit one.

I've found a lot of articles that I enjoy writing on Demand. When I can't, I choose ones that are quick and easy. If you're serious about freelancing, you're not always going to be able to find work that is creatively fulfilling. Sometimes you have to take work that isn't glamorous or exciting. That's a hard fact.

It's just like any other job, IMO. There are good aspects to it, and there are parts that you might not necessarily care for. It's not always going to be something you enjoy--that's why it's work!

I don't think an article has to be glamorous or exciting, just something with which I have at least have some familiarity. Writing an article about installing gutters, or putting in a new air conditioner, while easy enough to research, would just end up as regurgitation of material I found elsewhere. To me that's not writing.

[FreelanceKen]

Writing an article about installing gutters, or putting in a new air conditioner, while easy enough to research, would just end up as regurgitation of material I found elsewhere. To me that's not writing.

That regurgitation of material that you don't think is writing......makes me $200 a day

[lonestarlibrarian]

I don't think an article has to be glamorous or exciting, just something with which I have at least have some familiarity. Writing an article about installing gutters, or putting in a new air conditioner, while easy enough to research, would just end up as regurgitation of material I found elsewhere. To me that's not writing.

You don't think that being able to communicate ideas clearly, concisely, and effectively counts as writing? Writing's purpose isn't just to entertain-- it's to inform as well. Familiarity gives you a distinct advantage, but it's not a prerequisite.

I view it as similar to sitting at the refdesk. I don't necessarily have to know off the top of my head how many unrelated people are allowed to live in one apartment according to city code, or how to read a train schedule, or about collecting hotel silverware, but it's my job to know what resources I can use to help them find out. Writing these articles is the same thing, except I have to take the extra step of conveying that information in my own words. :o)

[nickncindy]

That regurgitation of material that you don't think is writing......makes me $200 a day

wow, $200 a day?!! Guess I have to realign my personal standards and come down to earth a bit.

You're absolutely right. Thinking about what you said, I could look at it as a learning opportunity. So I've never installed gutters? Research and write an article. Then if I ever need to actually install a gutter, I'll know what to do!

I apologize. My last post was a brain burp. Thank you for bringing me down a peg.

[nickncindy]

You're absolutely right. See my above reply.

[FreelanceKen]

wow, $200 a day?!! Guess I have to realign my personal standards and come down to earth a bit.

You're absolutely right. Thinking about what you said, I could look at it as a learning opportunity. So I've never installed gutters? Research and write an article. Then if I ever need to actually install a gutter, I'll know what to do!

I apologize. My last post was a brain burp. Thank you for bringing me down a peg.

I apologize if my post earlier seemed rude. It was not intended to be rude. It is just there has been a lot of people attempting to demoralize people that write for places like Demand Studios. I tend to get a little defensive especially when it comes to Demand Studios and my fellow writers there. The writers at Demand Studios are good writers that either use DS as an addition to their writing clients or temporarily writing full-time for DS. It is not the greatest pay by no means and it is not for everybody. But to have people put others down because they choose to do something that makes them money and pays the bills, just irritates me a little.

I am sure you meant nothing by your post, and i apologize again if my reply earlier was rude.

[nickncindy]

I apologize if my post earlier seemed rude. It was not intended to be rude. It is just there has been a lot of people attempting to demoralize people that write for places like Demand Studios. I tend to get a little defensive especially when it comes to Demand Studios and my fellow writers there. The writers at Demand Studios are good writers that either use DS as an addition to their writing clients or temporarily writing full-time for DS. It is not the greatest pay by no means and it is not for everybody. But to have people put others down because they choose to do something that makes them money and pays the bills, just irritates me a little.

I am sure you meant nothing by your post, and i apologize again if my reply earlier was rude.

No problem. Sometimes I write without thinking, and what comes out sounds condescending. Being taken out to the barn, hypothetically speaking, sometimes does a person good.

Your post opened my eyes, and I appreciate that

[SouthernFriedJulie]

Many of the articles written for Demand are by people with significant experience in a certain field. My background enables me to write articles on nursing topics- I am my own source. Farming/gardening- same thing.

The topics listed are from actual searches typed into search engines. The topics are there because people out in the world ask weird questions. If you don't know how to do something, have no interest in learning, then just ignore those listed.

Topical research will yield junk most of the time. That's what will earn low scores on the scorecard. No, the scorecard doesn't count for much, just interest in your performance...but it is nice when you get a high score. Going past the first page or two of Google can help that- for instance, did you know that Edgar Allan Poe probably died of complications from rabies, not alcohol abuse?

While I have knowledge of rabies and wrote most of the article from memory- I never knew about the Poe connection.

Did you know Darwin studied carnivorous plants and wrote a book detailing them in 1885? Me either.

Hey, what about Bonsai trees? The one used in Karate Kid 3 really was from an anient tree cutting imported from China- not Japan.

It gives us a chance to expand on things we already know and be teachers of a sort to those who have no clue what they're even searching.

[Angie]

Ooh, Julie, those tidbits of information are really interesting. I'm gonna have to start going back a few pages on my searches, just to see what's there. :D

[RamJay]

Quick question: I was just accepted, haven't even started yet, but it seems most here take the upfront payment. At least that's what is implied. Is that the way to go, even though Demand suggests otherwise?

Also, anyone copy edit for them, too?

[RamJay]

Quick question: I was just accepted, haven't even started yet, but it seems most here take the upfront payment. At least that's what is implied. Is that the way to go, even though Demand suggests otherwise?

Also, anyone copy edit for them, too?

Ah, now that I am logged in I think I get it. There are more pay upfront stories compared with revenue sharing ones.

[princessvessna]

Yeah, I think so far I've gotten paid a total of like 60 cents for the one random rev share piece I did. I know it's supposed to be for the long haul but at this rate, I'd rather have the $15 :P

I don't do copy editing, but I do title editing and keyword QA. I think they're a nice way to make $10-15/hr while watching TV.

[lisake]

What's involved with title editing and keyword QA? I'm certainly not there yet, but might want to set a goal on getting there. :-)

[princessvessna]

What's involved with title editing and keyword QA? I'm certainly not there yet, but might want to set a goal on getting there. :-)

Oh, with title editing...I just get a title and have to fix up any mistakes, as well as get into a better phrasing if needed. For Keyword, I just choose the best keyword (or none of the above) from the 3 they give me. There's also Title QA, where I guess they decide if a title is viable.

[Uncarved]

Haha. :o) I like browsing for topics and pulling resources while I'm killing time on internet games. Once that's done, writing the articles themselves only takes about 10-20 minutes of focus. I know people sniff at whatever they calculate the hourly rate as, but I think it's awesome I can pull in $15 or $30 while waiting for my troops to march across the map... :o)

Tell me you aren't playing Evony while working DS??
Because if you are, you're me :)

I write near solely for GardenGuides.com at DS (Better selection, some of them at better pay) in one window, and have evony in another window usually getting in the article while my troops march across the map! :)

[Kathleen Roberts]

Okay, this may be a dumb question, but how do I find out what publishers I am approved to write for? I click on most of them and they say there are no articles. I don't even see GardenGuides on the list anymore. Seems like there were others too that are now gone.

I'd like to try for LiveStrong but it says there are no articles available (like most of the others). Does that just mean I am not approved to write for LiveStrong? I may need to write and ask to be approved.

[nickncindy]

Okay, this may be a dumb question, but how do I find out what publishers I am approved to write for? I click on most of them and they say there are no articles. I don't even see GardenGuides on the list anymore. Seems like there were others too that are now gone.

I'd like to try for LiveStrong but it says there are no articles available (like most of the others). Does that just mean I am not approved to write for LiveStrong? I may need to write and ask to be approved.


I don't know which companies you've applied to, what your level of expertise is, or how much payment you're expecting, but the only trouble I'm having finding work is finding topics that I know about. PM for a list of the companies I work for. If it's allowed I'll list them here, but just want to be careful.

[princessvessna]

I think for Livestrong you need some sort of medical degree or medical background. Unsure. They shot me an email telling me I was approved for GardenGuides (a surprise, though I was vaguely planning on emailing them) Otherwise you can email them and ask for permission.

[Kathleen Roberts]

My primary niches are gardening, health/nutrition, herbs/supplements and parenting. I've been writing for about 13 years but online for three. :)

It seems like I was approved for GardenGuides but I don't see it listed. Yet most of the ones that are listed don't have articles posted. I haven't written for them in about a month, so I guess there have been changes.

I might just email them and ask which ones I'm actually approved for.

[SouthernFriedJulie]

I don't see why you wouldn't list them. The board isn't owned by a content company. Mac owns Absolute Write and she [the site] is a paying market, though. There's tons of posts with site names- that's why we have lead sharing.

[joyce]

My primary niches are gardening, health/nutrition, herbs/supplements and parenting. I've been writing for about 13 years but online for three. :)

It seems like I was approved for GardenGuides but I don't see it listed. Yet most of the ones that are listed don't have articles posted. I haven't written for them in about a month, so I guess there have been changes.

I might just email them and ask which ones I'm actually approved for.

Contact the powers to be if you don's see GardenGuides listed and you were approved. I was approved for Overstock and gave up after three articles and now I no longer see it on my list of places to choose from. I think they removed it because I was no longer writing articles for them.

I came to the party late (as usual) but relating to the original post. I made zero dollars from my imaginative writing. I'm making a good weekly income writing for Demand. I've cut my day job down to 2 days per week because I'm making more writing for Demand and was actually losing money working the day job.

I write mainly for GardenGuides and Trails, where I have a ton of experience and knowledge. I can use my creative side on both sites. Demand turns out to be good money every week and at this point in my life, money counts. I read the DS forums, but find I get more questions answered here than there. People generally whine too much over there. As I've said before....DS is not National Geographic, but it is sure paying my bills which makes Joyce a very, very happy girl.

[NewKidOldKid]

I write for LiveStrong. You need some sort of certification in health/nutrition/fitness in order to write for them. There are a lot of LiveStrong articles available right now (I mean, TONS).

[Norman D Gutter]

In the several posts about Demand Studios here at AW, I have not found a post that explains what I'm looking for as to how DS operates. Perhaps I haven't read every post in every thread, but I figure now it's easier to ask my questions. I spent a fair amount of time at the DS web site and on this and another forum this weekend and this morning, trying to figure it all out.

Here's what I think I understand:

- DS is not a content article hosting site (compared to say, Suite101.com). DS articles are not found on the DS web site.
- That makes DS a content article broker rather than a content article host, except
- DS just brokers articles to sites they own. They own some 15 sites, if I read their site correctly.
- DS posts titles of articles on web pages that only registered writers can see.
- Registered (hired) writers "claim" a number of titles, up to their limit as set by DS, and must complete articles claimed within 7 days. Eventually, after a writer has a good track record, limits are raised.
- Payment is upfront for articles.
- Articles are considered "works for hire", which means the writer does not own the copyright.
- DS also has a revenue sharing side, but from what I gather in these posts it is a fledgling operation there.

Do I have that pretty much correct?

Here are some questions I have:

- What are these DS web sites? Could someone provide a list? I couldn't find them listed, except for eHow and Livestrong. I need to read some articles written in the DS system to know if I want to participate. And I need to read some in my preferred topic--engineering. Where are these articles?
- If I can't see a list of articles available to claim (and I realize they will change at least daily), how do I (or any writer) know if they have anything I'm interested in? Checking out all the 15 web sites will help in this regard.
- Does the writer at least get a by-line, even if they don't own the copyright?
- I have seen a few posts in DS threads about writing for "clients", which are apparently obtained through the DS system. What's this about? Is DS a content article broker for specific on-line clients? who eventually hook up with specific writers? Or is this done outside the DS system, with clients contacting the writer directly?

Any answers/help is appreciated. If this sort of thing was available in a previous AW thread, just let me know where.
Best Regards,
NDG

[NewKidOldKid]

Well, these are the sites I'm approved for (there may be others I can't see):

Answerbag
BioSpace
eHow
Golflink
Happy News
HealtheCareers and MedHunters
Knol/eHow
Knol/GolfLink
Knol/LIVESTRONG
Knol/Trails
Knol/Travels
LiveStrong
Mania
Rsportscars.com
The Daily Puppy
Trails
Trails Travel
Travels
Pluck On Demand

I do mostly LiveStrong, Trails and Golflink, because those pay $20 per article (regular articles for the other sites pay $15).

ETA: Not everybody is approved for all sites. I think when you start you're given access to the basic ones (like eHow) and can be "promoted" later on depending on several factors. To write for LiveStrong and Golflink you need specific background/certifications/etc.

ETA 2: Yes, you get a byline.

[lonestarlibrarian]

<snip>And I need to read some in my preferred topic--engineering. Where are these articles?
- If I can't see a list of articles available to claim (and I realize they will change at least daily), how do I (or any writer) know if they have anything I'm interested in? Checking out all the 15 web sites will help in this regard.
</snip>


Since they're a broker, everything is centralized in one location, so you don't need to browse multiple sites. There's a tab you can click that lets you find assignments, and then you're allowed to filter them in various ways. If I only wanted to write for "Travels", I can filter by publisher. Or if I'm really good at writing "How To" do something, I can filter by format. If I don't want to work for less than $15/pop, I can filter by payment amount. Or if I only want to write about electronics, I can filter by category. You can stack filters on top of each other, or do keyword searches because the categories are a bit clumsy.

[SouthernFriedJulie]

Here are some questions I have:

- What are these DS web sites? Could someone provide a list? I couldn't find them listed, except for eHow and Livestrong. I need to read some articles written in the DS system to know if I want to participate. And I need to read some in my preferred topic--engineering. Where are these articles?

http://www.demandmedia.com/ Should list them all. You might be surprised at what's there.




- If I can't see a list of articles available to claim (and I realize they will change at least daily), how do I (or any writer) know if they have anything I'm interested in? Checking out all the 15 web sites will help in this regard.

If you're accepted, you can check the titles. You are NOT required to write once you have an account. Mine sat dormant for 2 years. I can honestly say there's a title for everyone. You can suggest titles as well.

- Does the writer at least get a by-line, even if they don't own the copyright?

Yes. You can use a pen name if you're not comfortable using your own. They realize not every writer wants their name associated with content sites.


- I have seen a few posts in DS threads about writing for "clients", which are apparently obtained through the DS system. What's this about? Is DS a content article broker for specific on-line clients? who eventually hook up with specific writers? Or is this done outside the DS system, with clients contacting the writer directly?

I have no idea about this one


Answers in red.

[Norman D Gutter]

Thanks for the replies, lsl and Julie.

I've been all over the Demand Media site, and find only nine referenced sites that host articles generated by Demand Studios. That's not, in my book, a "vast network of websites and the websites of our distribution partners." Are there more than just the nine listed? Is there a comprehensive list anywhere on-line, available to a non-DS writer?

NDG

[NewKidOldKid]

No, there's no list. The sites I mentioned above (19 of them) are the ones you see when you log into your account, but Demand sells the articles to hundreds of other venues. Sometimes when you google your own name, your articles will come up in sites I've never heard of. There's no way to find out what those sites are. By the way, I don't use my real name in Demand, because editors sometimes mess up the articles, and I don't want my name associated with pieces that have mistakes on them.

[SouthernFriedJulie]

If you really must have a list, write them and ask for one. They're pretty nice people. I doubt you'd get a rude response as long as you're honest about why you want it. Even if you are researching to do yet another article on DS- the writers are hacks and the company is a bunch of baby eating Satanic bloodmongers...you'll more than likely get an answer.

[Norman D Gutter]

Thanks all for the replies. This will help me make a more informed decision.

Julie, I detect slight irritation in your statement "if you really must have a list". Or, perhaps it's not irritation, but rather looking on my request as a bit of silliness. If it is silliness, so be it. I would rather see some of the articles people are writing in the DS system, especially in my area of civil engineering, to see what the quality is. Better yet, I would like to know if they have articles in my areas of interest. No point in signing up if they don't have anything I'm interested in writing about. Since non-DS writers can't see the assignment list, I don't know of any other way to accomplish this than to go to the appropriate web site(s) and read some articles.

Best Regards,
NDG

[NewKidOldKid]

It won't be so easy to find specific pieces published on the topic you're talking about. Each website publishes hundreds of articles on different topics. How do you expect to find out if one was written on civil engineering? Are you going to spend time doing keyword search? Are you even sure you would be approved to write for Demand? Even if you are, you may not be approved for all their websites, so finding articles on the topic published doesn't mean you would actually get to write any of them, since you may not be approved for the specific division that deals with them. Wouldn't it be easier to just apply and then take a look at what's available? The application process shouldn't take you more than 10 minutes to complete. Certainly a lot faster than all the effort you're putting into it right now.

[SouthernFriedJulie]

[sighs] Norman, really- I'm not irritated. Not in the least. Well, not until you made an assumption.

Like any web based content service you will have various levels of quality. The Internet is not a literary journal, by any means. We're flooded by net and text speak. We're flooded by information and misinformation.

What bothers me is everyone [to clarify- this is a general everyone] assuming that DS needs to be up to par with The New Yorker. Maybe it isn't completely obvious by the way I speak on this forum, but I do have quite an extensive education history. So do many, many other DS writers. There are also stay at home mothers with no experience in writing other than a few high school or college essays.

The point is this- quality varies per writer. Topics vary on any given day. The list provided on the previous page of this discussion offered a list of sites where you can find articles from the DS writers. I'm not sure what else you want. It can be frustrating when trying to explain to someone outside of the company what it is all about.

For example: There are clients that put out special orders for content. Who places the calls for content are not always identified to the writers. Every person selected must be qualified for the topics with significant experience or a degree and have shown their writing is well formed.

You said you are not sure if you want your name associated with the site. It is as simple as using a pen name. The time you've spent here and researching is already longer than the time it takes to fill out and application. If you're approved, you can go in and search all of the titles in all of the areas. You are not bound to them at all, as I said before, my account was dormant for two years.

And wanting to see a list isn't silly. Wasting time hemming and hawing over articles already published is- why? Because there are many titles not published that just may not have a qualified individual there to write them.

If it makes you feel better, I'll go in my account, look up what you're interested in, personally count the titles, and give you a general run down of what's there.

[blueobsidian]

I would rather see some of the articles people are writing in the DS system, especially in my area of civil engineering, to see what the quality is.

I've never seen a site specifically about engineering, so you can probably assume that most of the engineering titles are all for eHow. Go there and look.

Let's be brutally honest here, how much quality are you expecting for $7.50 or $15 articles? I love DS. It gave me the freedom to quit my job and now allows me to supplement my student loans whenever time allows. But we're not writing amazing content. I don't spend more than 30 to 40 minutes on a 400 word article. That way, even if I get a rewrite I am still making more per hour than I did at the job I quit.

If being part of a publication that only produces high quality work is important to you, content sites are not the place to be. Most DS writers I know are there for the money (hence why so many of us choose to use pen names).

[Norman D Gutter]

Thanks all. Sorry to be such an anal bother.

I guess I'm comparing this to my experience on Suite101.com. Before I signed up, I was able to go to their site, look at the articles posted in my areas of expertise and interest (civil engineering, construction, poetry, genealogy), see what the competition and quality was, and make an informed decision as to whether this was a site I wanted to write for. But of course, Suite101 is a content host, whereas DS is a content broker. I understand the difference. Never having written for a content broker, I'm just a little cautious about signing up.

And, it's not so much a matter of not wanting to be associated with writing of lesser quality (which is a minor concern); rather, it's will there be enough work there for me to justify my being there? I have to write about things that interest me, and things I believe I can write about without a whole lot of research. So, if I'm going with a content broker, be it DS or one of the others, as a second source of Internet writing income to back-up Suite101, I just need to do some research.

When you [the generic 'you'] plan to submit to print magazines, they tell you to read several issues of the magazine to get a feel for what you're getting into. That's really all I'm trying to do, though perhaps that's not valid advice for Internet writing. Sorry, Julie, to have irritated you. That wasn't my intent. I make no assumptions at all about the quality of DS. I just don't know what it is. I read things on the Internet that suggest I should be cautious.

You all have been very helpful, and I believe I have the information I need. Thanks,
NDG

[Angie]

Just remember if you're searching on eHow that DS-contributed articles will say "eHow contributing author" under the byline. If it says "User-contributed article", it was NOT written by a DS writer and is not indicative of the quality of DS articles.

[Kathleen Roberts]

I may be misunderstanding what you said Norman, but if you spend the 10 minutes to apply, get approved and then find you can't "justify" being there, just don't write for them. You aren't required to write anything once you are accepted. Like Julie, my account sat for quite some time before I finally jumped and and did a few articles. I look at DS as filler work. If I don't have quite enough to cover my needs from my other clients, I do some DS articles to fill in the gaps. You can write for multiple sites and companies and just write articles here and there for DS if you are short or as you find topics that are within your niche.

That's the wonderful thing about writing for online sources. You have tremendous flexibility. My personal opinion is, you have nothing to lose by applying. If it isn't for you, no problem. Just move on to something else. I do understand your caution because there are lots of scams and poor quality companies/sites out there. But DS is legit. Lots of us write for DS, though some more than others. I think you should just try it and see what you think. It might be just what you are looking for! :) You will, at the very least, find the answers to your questions that way.

I know you said you have enough information to make your decision so my response my not be worth much to you. I just got the impression from your post that you might think applying "commits" you to DS, which it does not. I may be misunderstanding or misreading your meaning. If so, I apologize.

[SouthernFriedJulie]

Norman, the only thing that irritated me was an assumption I /was/ irritated. :-)

When weighing out the benefits of content sites here is additional information:

1. There is enough content available that you can make a living with DS alone. Yes, you will need to finish more articles than with a traditional print magazine. The upside is most are short. A Fact Sheet is $7.50 and around 200 words. That sounds really low until you consider that a typical fact sheet may take 15 to 30 minutes if it is in an area you know well. Longer How-To articles are $15 and average 400 words. I've never counted my words and I know for a fact many must be under the 400 word generalization. I can write two in an hour if I have no distractions and it is a topic I know well.

(note- people often tell you that good quality writing cannot be done in such a short period of time. Bull. I do not just write for content sites. Best time to date? 1k words in less than an hour and published in a print magazine)

2. Health care. Demand Studios is now working with an insurance company to offer health care coverage to writers that average 30 or so projects a month. That's less work than at a traditional out of the home job. I do not know the details of the insurer at this time, nor the cost. Still, no other content site offers this.


For those without coverage, this is worth writing a few short articles.

DS really is a great way to fill in gaps. Most print publications pay on or after publication, so while you are waiting for checks, it's nice to have deposits rolling into your PayPal account. Anything that is rejected or you need to do a total rewrite on can be placed on another content site. You can still be paid for those. I've done it myself. DS is still paying me revenue for the exact same articles because I use the eHow Writer Compensation program.

I'm not trying to push you to apply. I'm trying to offer as much information on what they have to offer. Yes, you may have a bad experience. Some have. There are articles written based on the negative experience of writers or the view of the journalist. There are just as many positive experiences. My experience is not someone else's, it isn't yours, and I can't tell you if you will find anything that will interest you. I just know that DS offers me something to keep afloat when there's an economic tsunami going on.

In a nutshell- YOUR MILEAGE WILL VARY.

[Norman D Gutter]

Thanks to all who posted.

Kathleen: You bring up good points which I will consider.

Julie: Good points also. That health insurance thing could prove to be worth it by itself.

Note to Self: Quit over-analyzing. Do or do not.

NDG

[RamJay]

I have another question, do most of you really use pen names working for DS or just a few?

I guess I feel if you are producing good writing and quality content on your own standards, why would you care if your name is used? I try to make my writing at the highest standard regardless of who or what it is for and if I do that, I would want my name on it.

I still haven't taken any stories yet. Kind of want to find the right story or two to get my feet wet. And although I would still expect the same quality from myself as I would for any publication for this, I have to say my motivation is for a little something extra to do and a little extra cash to go with it so I don't want to spend too much time on any one article.

[Kathleen Roberts]

I always use my real name on my work. I always do my best so I feel no reason to hide who wrote it. Maybe if I wrote on something embarrassing I might change my mind, but I'm also careful about what I write on. :)

[SouthernFriedJulie]

I have another question, do most of you really use pen names working for DS or just a few?

I guess I feel if you are producing good writing and quality content on your own standards, why would you care if your name is used? I try to make my writing at the highest standard regardless of who or what it is for and if I do that, I would want my name on it.

I still haven't taken any stories yet. Kind of want to find the right story or two to get my feet wet. And although I would still expect the same quality from myself as I would for any publication for this, I have to say my motivation is for a little something extra to do and a little extra cash to go with it so I don't want to spend too much time on any one article.


I write on parenting outside of DS, so I don't want someone reading my article on enlarging a penis, then coming back to me elsewhere.

Good quality? Yes. But, well, yeah.

[RamJay]

I write on parenting outside of DS, so I don't want someone reading my article on enlarging a penis, then coming back to me elsewhere.

Good quality? Yes. But, well, yeah.

That makes sense. I guess I just got the feeling people were embarrassed to write for DS, thus the pen names. Embarrassing crossover is a whole other story, eh?

[joyce]

I use my real name when writing for them....at least my first initial and last name. I always try to put forth the best quality article I can possible write. Like I said before, I write mainly gardening and outdoor articles which is what I write. I have no problem with anyone seeing my work. DS has even contacted me personally to write articles for a newspaper, so other work there is quite possible.

As I've also said many times before, DS is not National Geographic, but it is paying my bills and I've also learned a ton of stuff researching. I don't care if my work is going to "Mickey Mouse World", as long as I'm getting a steady paycheck. Right now money is more important in my life than journalistic credentials. One day I'm going to try to get a novel published again, but it isn't today. Today I'm going to tell someone how to plant a heather bush. :D

[Words Are My Life]

Took a week hiatus from DS to study for an exam. Glad to be back on the writing train today.

I am excited to see a lot of trails restaurant articles available. I really enjoy those.

[SouthernFriedJulie]

That makes sense. I guess I just got the feeling people were embarrassed to write for DS, thus the pen names. Embarrassing crossover is a whole other story, eh?

:-D Thing is, I'm not even joking. That one went through with no questions from the CE. Figured they just wanted it out of their queue.

[Words Are My Life]

A lot of $20 golflink titles are also available. This is great. And they are not all about golf...a lot of opportunities to write about restaurants and lodging near the golf courses.

[RamJay]

I have to ask again if anyone is or knows of a copy editor for DS? I applied and was acceptable enough to take the editing tests, but didn't make it past that round. I'm guess I don't know what they're looking for in an editor if someone with more than 10 years experience editing all sorts of different things can't get through. Maybe they are just looking for people who will be confrontational with writers.

[SouthernFriedJulie]

That's unfair. Seriously, not all CE's are confrontational. I can understand being annoyed, but insulting the workers who had nothing to do with your rejection is an unjust generalization.

[FreelanceKen]

I applied and was acceptable enough to take the editing tests, but didn't make it past that round. I'm guess I don't know what they're looking for in an editor Maybe they are just looking for people who will be confrontational with writers.

That was a bit uncalled for don't ya think. I mean we all have our issues from time to time and there may be a rude comment here and there, but to generalize the writer/CE relationship in that way is ridiculous.

[RamJay]

It was a joke. And it was a jab at DS, not at copy editors. I am a copy editor. I wanted to be a CE for DS. I understand the writer/copy editor relationship as well as anyone because I have spent a lot of time on both sides. I am not going to bash copy editors. And I'm sure most CEs at DS are just fine.

But with all the complaints -- and there are many -- I've seen form writers about CEs in various forums, including on DS, it makes you wonder what types DS is looking for to fill this position.

[RamJay]

I appologize to all. It was a joke. Maybe a mean one. Maybe out of frustration. Sorry. I am going to defend copy editors probably more than writers most of the time -- again, I am both -- because I think usually CEs get the short end of the stick. Heck, with most of the complaints about the DS CEs are pretty freaking petty.

I went about it in a poor way to try and figure out what they're looking for in the position. Didn't mean to offend anyone.

[SouthernFriedJulie]

I'm quick to defend the CEs there just because they get a lot of complaints from writers. Honestly, I have no idea what they look for. A friend of mine with 15 years of editing experience was rejected- didn't even get as far as you did.

Writers there complain about CEs so much due to the lack of communication allowed by the system. We get 2 chances with an article. 1- the actual write. 2- rewrite and if that isn't to what the CE needed, a rejection.

Nothing at all like what really happens in a traditional writer/CE relationship. Some of the writers have never experienced a 'real' relationship, so you're going to hear a ton of complaints.

[lisake]

I'm curious about the title editing. As has been mentioned in other threads, some crazy titles get through. Wrong city names, "epson salt," and today I saw one about "Restorts in ...." They're sometimes even dangerous (as Denise pointed out).

How do these mistakes escape notice?

[princessvessna]

I'm curious about the title editing. As has been mentioned in other threads, some crazy titles get through. Wrong city names, "epson salt," and today I saw one about "Restorts in ...." They're sometimes even dangerous (as Denise pointed out).

How do these mistakes escape notice?

With title editing, we can only fuss around and fix the title itself. I would hope people would correct any spelling, but who knows? We're supposed to change it as little as possible.
As far as dangerous titles go, title editors themselves cannot reject them or any other title (which is annoying when I get what amounts to a string of gibberish or a illegal/dangerous title). That's the job of someone else - I think the Title QAs?

I think the order of a title progress would be Title QA -- Title Editor (if needed) -- Keyword QA -- Title Selector. Not sure if I am missing anyone in there, since I only do 2 of those myself.

[joyce]

I know I see misspelled plant name titles all the time. When I pick one up I usually let the CE know and they change the spelling. Sometimes, like today, I'll have a CE who does not change the spelling. Then I'll have to shoot the title up to the heads in charge and have them change it after the article has been accepted. Otherwise, a person searching will never find the information.

I saw a Tails/Travel article today "German Restaurants in Melbourne Beach, Fl". Well, I live in Melbourne Beach and it's a 15 mile stretch of dunes, plants and a few homes. There are only two restaurants and one happens to be German. Heck, there are only three German restaurants in the whole county. Impossible title to write, but I didn't notify anyone. I wasn't quite sure how I'd slant the German restaurant to have an outdoor theme. "Take your wienersnitzel outside to the river and hold it in your hand until a raccoon or gator comes by..."

[joyce]

I just read the health insurance information and was wondering what everyone thought about it. It's a ton better than what the company I work part-time offers. You pay $80/month and they'll cover $1000 of any hospital bills per year. If I save the $80/mo I'll be able to pay the $1000 myself. I'd spend that just walking into the joint. I don't know, I have 90 days to think about it. I'm one of the uninsured population right now.

[princessvessna]

It might be ok for preventative, but I think it would be better to have a high deductible insurance plan instead (or do both)....because this one only covers 10,000 for a "critical illness". Go over that and you're screwed. I think with high deductibles, you do pay $2000-5000 or so first, but then you're covered up to 1-2 million. (I need to look that all over again, quoting off the top of my head and hoping I'm remembering right). Just something to think about.

[lisake]

With title editing, we can only fuss around and fix the title itself. I would hope people would correct any spelling, but who knows? We're supposed to change it as little as possible.
As far as dangerous titles go, title editors themselves cannot reject them or any other title (which is annoying when I get what amounts to a string of gibberish or a illegal/dangerous title). That's the job of someone else - I think the Title QAs?

I think the order of a title progress would be Title QA -- Title Editor (if needed) -- Keyword QA -- Title Selector. Not sure if I am missing anyone in there, since I only do 2 of those myself.

Thanks for the info. Not sure why the process matters to me, I just feel a need to know. Guess it gives me some understanding/empathy for the person who might someday hurt my writer's feelings. :-)

And I've been afraid to ask, but here goes anyway. Does QA=quality assurance? I thought Question and Answer for while there, but that doesn't make sense? Or does it? Hmmmm, Quinine Antidote?

Quidditch, Anyone?

[joyce]

Thanks for the info. Not sure why the process matters to me, I just feel a need to know. Guess it gives me some understanding/empathy for the person who might someday hurt my writer's feelings. :-)

And I've been afraid to ask, but here goes anyway. Does QA=quality assurance? I thought Question and Answer for while there, but that doesn't make sense? Or does it? Hmmmm, Quinine Antidote?

Quidditch, Anyone?

I always thought it was for quality assurance. :Shrug:

[princessvessna]

I think it's Quality assurance? I am not sure. Would make sense.

I do love editing. I can make $17-18/hour if it's running smoothly. And I have really grand spelling, and happen to have worked as a medical magazine press clipper so that extends to medical terms too :)

[joyce]

It might be ok for preventative, but I think it would be better to have a high deductible insurance plan instead (or do both)....because this one only covers 10,000 for a "critical illness". Go over that and you're screwed. I think with high deductibles, you do pay $2000-5000 or so first, but then you're covered up to 1-2 million. (I need to look that all over again, quoting off the top of my head and hoping I'm remembering right). Just something to think about.


I know there are better plans out there, but with a cost. Hubby had a stroke several years ago and now we'd have to pay out the whohaw for that type of insurance. Last I checked it was something like $800/mo for the basics. Unfortunately, his company is tiny (5 people) so there is no insurance offered. The company I work for part-time is large, but their insurance is no better than having no insurance at all (which is were I presently stand). It doesn't look like the greatest plan out there, but then it isn't the worst either. I'm sure I'll be sitting on the fence for the next three months and hope something better comes my way, or my finances change where I can afford health insurance. Right now, health insurance is a big burden to my financial situation that I cannot afford.

[lisake]

You don't wanna know what I once thought SEO stood for.

[FreelanceKen]

I know there are better plans out there, but with a cost. I'm sure I'll be sitting on the fence for the next three months and hope something better comes my way, or my finances change where I can afford health insurance. Right now, health insurance is a big burden to my financial situation that I cannot afford.

When you are ready to look at insurance, weigh out all the options. I think, don't quote me, that e-insurance will give you a full list of providers with a breakdown of the policies. The major thing is pre-existing conditions. But there are savings options and other things that can help with that to.

[joyce]

When you are ready to look at insurance, weigh out all the options. I think, don't quote me, that e-insurance will give you a full list of providers with a breakdown of the policies. The major thing is pre-existing conditions. But there are savings options and other things that can help with that to.

Thanks Ken, I checked with them a couple of years ago and got quotes from several different companies. Hubbies stroke and artery surgery sort of screwed us from getting a decent rate. He's considered having a "bad" pre-existing condition, so the rates were out of this world. I'll have to check back. Perhaps with all the health insurance crap going on in the country, the rates have changed.

[joyce]

Has anyone else been approved to write Golflink travel articles and if so, are they getting reviewed? I was happy to see Trails people could now write these $20 articles, but boy they are going through the system pretty darn slow. My gardening articles are seeming to glide right through, but the golflink ones are just sitting there day after day. From what I read on the forums everyone is having this problem. I wonder if the system got flooded with so many new golflink travel articles, that everyone is picking up the $20 articles and slamming the CE's. It's making me leery to fill my pot with them. I've been adding some gardening ones just so I know I'll get paid something. They look like they could be easy money, if they ever get reviewed.

[plaidearthworm]

Joyce, I've got several Golflink articles in my queue, but I haven't tackled them yet--I'm also leery about reports of slow editing. I dumped 3 titles to squeeze in a couple of ehows, so I could have a little money on Wednesday's payday; all the rest of my queue is Golflink, Overstock and Trails. I just can't bring myself to dump any more, b/c of that sweet $20 tag! :)

[Words Are My Life]

Has anyone else been approved to write Golflink travel articles and if so, are they getting reviewed? I was happy to see Trails people could now write these $20 articles, but boy they are going through the system pretty darn slow. My gardening articles are seeming to glide right through, but the golflink ones are just sitting there day after day. From what I read on the forums everyone is having this problem. I wonder if the system got flooded with so many new golflink travel articles, that everyone is picking up the $20 articles and slamming the CE's. It's making me leery to fill my pot with them. I've been adding some gardening ones just so I know I'll get paid something. They look like they could be easy money, if they ever get reviewed.

I submitted some on Thursday...and they didn't get approved until Sunday. I am submitting some more this morning.

But a regular Trails $15 restaurant article I submitted last Wed. got approved by Thursday.

I have one more Golf one to finish writing...and then I am thinking of switching to a few trails.

The $20 are so tempting b/c it makes it so easy to make $100 in a day.

Maybe once the golf ones are less new, the approval process will get quicker. There are SOOOO many for my state and about towns I dine in all the time, so that makes them very appealing to me.

[stldenise]

Somewhere on the DS site they are asking writers to use better sources, like universities or government agencies. I just wanted to pass on a simple tip for other writers - maybe you've already thought of it, but it just in case:

When searching include "university" or ".gov" in the search box. This will weed out all the blogs that tend to pop up first and make your search a lot quicker. Don't know why I didn't think of this before!

I just did a title on seed testing, and when I did a normal search the top 2 pages were all bloggers. Great for seeing what worked for other writers, but lousy for finding quality non-black listed references. Changing my search to "seed test university" pulled up a handful of ag programs and university extentions with great advice. What's really funny is that one of the bloggers I read earlier had the exact same text as one university extentions. Why can't people paraphrase? It's not that hard!

[stldenise]

Oh, and my other tip for newbies looking to increase their speed:

Pull up one window with your DS title in it.
Pull up a second window for a search engine.
Open up your word processor.

Now, do a search. When you find a good ref source, copy the link and paste into the DS program and label with the name of the agency, school, or business you're getting info from.

Go back to the web, and cut and paste the relevant info into your word processor.

Repeat until you have three good sources (unless you just can't find any, then work with what you CAN find.)

Go to your word processor. Color the text you copied to some other color than what you're writing with so you can easily tell your work from the source material. Start writing and paraphrasing, deleting source material as you no longer need it.

Any stray facts that kinda go with your title but doesn't fit can be saved for the tips and warning section. Aways throw in a few tips if you need to boost your word count. (Not my idea: I would like to thank the CE who pointed this out to me once!)

Writing in your word processor will allow you to find your word count, have a decent spell checker and a place to save your writing in case of DS glitches.

When you have your article written out, copy the first paragraph into DS. If you're doing a How To with lots of little steps, copy all the steps and paste into the first box. Delete. Place your cursor at the end of the first step, copy and delete. Go to the next box. Paste. And repeat until the steps are all filled out. This method works for me because I don't have to bounce back and forth between Word and DS. Seems faster at least (or maybe it's my laptop that's slow)!

Hope this helps! It's what I've been doing since I switched to a laptop with a tiny screen!

[jeffo]

Excellent tip on the .gov sites, thanks Denise! I usually write topics that I can write without needing any sources, just because I know the topic so well (I usually write computers, so I know how to explain an answer the question without any sources). It usually takes me the same amount of time to come up with a "good" source for the information I already know, but I never thought of trying this!

[eric11210]

FYI, a more direct way of doing the university searches and the government searches is to use a search modifier.

For example, I was just working on a project about the Iranian nuclear threat. The client required only "reliable" sources, basically, well known newspapers, respected journals, university material and government sources.

So, for example, I wrote about the fact that Iran would have the ability to target any of her neighbors with nuclear missiles, but I needed to source for that. I put into Google:

Iran target neighbors site:.gov

and then I tried:

Iran target neighbors site:.edu

While your method will work as well, this will guarantee that you'll only get government sites or university sites whereas without the filter, you may still get some non relevant sites who happen to mention those terms in their content.

And for those who really need access to journals (which are generally not available for free on the web) and some newspapers who don't offer their content free, you can try Questia, which offers access to an online research library, all with quality sources. However it is a tad pricey at $20 a month (okay, not really that pricey, but when you're just trying to source an article you're getting $15 for, it does seem a bit overkill).

Eric

[Angie]

Thanks for the tip about Questia, Eric. If you're only using it for one article then yes, it would be silly, but I can see it being useful for a lot of projects and quickly paying for itself. :)

[eric11210]

Yeah, the thing is, you basically have to be doing enough work regularly that you need it for to make it worthwhile. If you are doing 15 articles a month that all need it, it's a great deal. If you only have one or two a month and the rest you can use a regular Google search, it may just pay to see if a local university will let you use their library for free instead.

Eric

[Norman D Gutter]

Applied at 1:45 PM.

Approved at 2:53 PM.

Now the fun starts.

NDG

[joyce]

Applied at 1:45 PM.

Approved at 2:53 PM.

Now the fun starts.

NDG


Congratulations. I hope you find the DS experience a good one.

[tpridgen]

Has anyone else been approved to write Golflink travel articles and if so, are they getting reviewed? I was happy to see Trails people could now write these $20 articles, but boy they are going through the system pretty darn slow. My gardening articles are seeming to glide right through, but the golflink ones are just sitting there day after day. From what I read on the forums everyone is having this problem. I wonder if the system got flooded with so many new golflink travel articles, that everyone is picking up the $20 articles and slamming the CE's. It's making me leery to fill my pot with them. I've been adding some gardening ones just so I know I'll get paid something. They look like they could be easy money, if they ever get reviewed.

Oh yeah, they're SUPER pokey.

[Words Are My Life]

The last two golflink articles I did got approved in a day. Maybe they are picking up speed compared to last week.

[FreelanceKen]

Kinda off topic but still relates to "Attraction for Demand Studios"

Do not underestimate the value of your articles at Demand Studios as "clips"

I just spoke with an editor of a small magazine I am interested in writing a few articles for. The editor requested some clips so I gave him a few of my "better" articles written for other clients. He asked if I had any other clips and I mentioned my work at Associated and Demand Studios and explained to him what type of articles they are. His response to me was, "Those are what I want to see. I want to know if you can write. Too often writers bring in clips from well known magazines. Those are not writers clips. Those are four times edited clips. I want to see what the writer can write"

Don't think that just because your writing may be from a content site it is not "clip" potential.


Oh and on the health insurance, for those still looking try http://ehealthinsurance.com They are a quoting company, but I am looking at a comprehensive policy with Aetna that is very close to what the DS plan is going to average. Just thought I would pass that along.

Everybody, have a great Thanksgiving

[Words Are My Life]

Getting paid from a bunch of the $20 articles is an awesome feeling : )

[Angie]

Getting a rewrite out of CE ignorance is bad enough. I really hate it when I get a rewrite out of my own stupidity and rush to hit "submit" without looking it over close enough. Sigh.

[SouthernFriedJulie]

Getting a rewrite out of CE ignorance is bad enough. I really hate it when I get a rewrite out of my own stupidity and rush to hit "submit" without looking it over close enough. Sigh.

I just had a re-write that was due to CE ignorance caused by bad media coverage. Thank goodness for being able to comment back, if not, probably would've been a rejection. As it stands- two sentence fix to inform about the bad coverage and a comma removal. Accepted in less than 10 minutes.

[joyce]

Getting paid from a bunch of the $20 articles is an awesome feeling : )

It seems like the Golflink articles are finally starting to move along. I picked up a bunch that were in my area. Trails has sucked lately, so I'm really liking being able to do some $20 ones for Golflink.

[inkkognito]

I find a buttload of stuff to write at DS, so much so that this month I will top $2500 (wanted to make it to $3000 but not quite). Sometimes it requires expanding my horizons, but most of the time I can find topics in my preferred areas. That means less reseach, i.e. more $$ per hour.

[joyce]

I find a buttload of stuff to write at DS, so much so that this month I will top $2500 (wanted to make it to $3000 but not quite). Sometimes it requires expanding my horizons, but most of the time I can find topics in my preferred areas. That means less reseach, i.e. more $$ per hour.

I've never had a problem finding articles to write at DS. Sometimes I have a problem finding time to write them though. I too try to find articles I know something about so they are quicker to write. Gardening articles are easy for me, but I get tired of them at times and try to throw something different in to change things up. I find so many articles to write I've been able to cut down to two days at my "real" job. I keep it to have them take tax money out. I know me too well....the first time the car broke my saved tax money would go to fix it. :)

[stldenise]

Holy crap! I wish I had the time to write 3 grand worth of articles...

[inkkognito]

Technically, $3000 takes 10 articles a day @ $15 each, working a five day week (less if you can find some $20 pieces). I can do 2-3 per hour, and occasionally 4 if they are easy topics. That's a maximum of fives hours if I'm not interrupted, although that is rare...it usually spreads longer because I am multi-tasking. Some of it depends on how fast the CEs are approving things too and of course those dreaded rewrites. I think it's doable next month; I was very close this month.

[Words Are My Life]

Technically, $3000 takes 10 articles a day @ $15 each, working a five day week (less if you can find some $20 pieces). I can do 2-3 per hour, and occasionally 4 if they are easy topics. That's a maximum of fives hours if I'm not interrupted, although that is rare...it usually spreads longer because I am multi-tasking. Some of it depends on how fast the CEs are approving things too and of course those dreaded rewrites. I think it's doable next month; I was very close this month.

You are so motivated!!

When I get 5 pieces done in a day I think it's a good day. I would love to be up to 10.

[Satori1977]

The one problem I have with DS is the article titles being in the wrong sections. I write mostly animal related, that is my field of expertise...yet most of the articles in there are NOT animal related. It is quite frustrating.

The Best Type of Braids for Fine Hair? under Animals
How to Load a Page Event Handler? under Dogs
What Should My Child Weigh? under Animals

Seriously?? Who is letting these things through like this?

[Angie]

Unfortunately, they handed over the categorization of titles to a computer and it's been screwed up ever since. Kinda aggravates me sometimes when they roll out some new feature and the title categories STILL aren't fixed. Sure, I can search by keyword...but I'm probably missing a lot of stuff because I don't think of those keywords.

[jeffo]

I've been writing and complaining about the horrible categorization process since it was put in place. I've been completely ignored. Heck, I even volunteered to help put things in the right category to no avail. The computers category usually has 1 or 2 computer-related articles in the first 3 pages of search results. Its awful and has cut my writing for them substantially.

[Still Seaking]

For me the attraction of Demand Studios is a steady amount of work available. In fact, I consider it to be my main client and base my budget on what I know I can make form Demand Studios. All my other writing is lagniappe. They may not be the articles I want to write but I can write them quickly and within a few hours each day meet my daily quota to keep my income where it needs to be, then I can concentrate on other writing that is more interesting. They are also offering health insurance now and that is a huge plus. I can also increase my income for the holidays or whenever the money from magazine writing is slow.

The articles I can sell to magazines are wonderful and they pay much better than Demand Studios but also take much longer to pay. Demand Studios pays bi-weekly, offers heath insurance and I can work from home in my pajamas (verses a newspaper fulltime or corresponding), my work is writing – regardless if the article is of great interests to me or not (similar to many newspaper articles), and within a few hours each day I can pay my bills. I also find when I am working on an article that doesn’t interest me I strengthen my research skills because I usually don’t know anything about the subject before I began and have to do a little more digging than I do when I am familiar with. I also broaden my knowledge about subjects I would not be learning about if I weren’t being paid to write about.

I have plenty of time where my imagination can run rampant and work on my latest novel, short story or poem. If you don’t need the money than Demand Studios may not be the place for you but if you do, it can be great. I have a friend who was in danger of losing his home, I sent him a link to DS and told him to apply, he did but had a lot of problems in the beginning, getting used to their style. I helped him by sending him some of what I had written, the outline I use when writing for them and he was able to save his house. He has surpassed me and been rewarded handsomely by DS for his hard work in addition to his normal pay. In less than six months, he made more than $10,000 from them alone and was able to write two books, which have both been published. He was having a hard time working on his books because he was so stressed out and he had to put in a lot of extra time trying to find a more traditional job which cost him gas and of course hours he wasn’t able to write.

That’s why I love DS. Even when the article selection sucks, I still have enough to make a living and concentrate on what I’d rather be doing.

By the way, when I first started with them, all articles including suggested titles paid $15. My friend was involved in a beta program where he was paid $25 per article where seven accompanying photos were required. They also used to accept recopies as suggested titles so I paid for my family’s dinner at least a few nights each week. It would be nice if they’d go back to that, I still have a few recipes I’d like to sell and a few articles I’d like to suggest but I won’t write for $5 an article.

Hope this helps SS

[eric11210]

The one problem I have with DS is the article titles being in the wrong sections. I write mostly animal related, that is my field of expertise...yet most of the articles in there are NOT animal related. It is quite frustrating.

The Best Type of Braids for Fine Hair? under Animals
How to Load a Page Event Handler? under Dogs
What Should My Child Weigh? under Animals

Seriously?? Who is letting these things through like this?

Actually, that last one sounds like it just might be appropriate to the animals section :roll::evil

[inkkognito]

I can't even remember the last time I searched by category. I limit myself totally to keywords and have an ever expanding list of words I use. The categories are basically useless.

[Amelia23]

Denise I think your tips are wonderful. I have been writing for DS about 3 months now, but sometimes it takes me forever to write even one. I think I worry too much about grammar, and plagiarism and making it different. Even starting out with an action verb throws me sometimes. I have yet to write 5 articles in one day. My computer time is so limited with 2 kids, and on dial-up. So how do you write two articles in one hour?

By the way, Still Seaking, I am envious of your friend who made $10,000 plus wrote 2 books in under 6 months! Stress I know well. I have one book that is under contract and needs editing. It is on hold at the moment because DS is paying my bills. I can do two articles a day, and this is usually at night. Course, I am a single mother who home schools my 2 kids and that takes up time. Anyway, I am super happy that your friend was able to save his home.

Amelia23

[stldenise]

Amelia:
It's pretty tough to find writing time when you've got kids hanging on you! I've just got one at home with me. Now, I'm not a home schooler, but...would it be possible to give your kids a reading assignment or other work, and use that time to work on writing for yourself? It would only account for 20 minutes or so, but it might help. You could use that 20 minutes to look for assignments, or research...

[Amelia23]

Thank you Denise for the reply. 20 minutes is better than nothing and I can at least find some information or an assignment. I took on an assignment that is in "list" format. Can anyone tell me how to do that the way DS wants? I have never done one before.

Thank you in advance.

[joyce]

Thank you Denise for the reply. 20 minutes is better than nothing and I can at least find some information or an assignment. I took on an assignment that is in "list" format. Can anyone tell me how to do that the way DS wants? I have never done one before.

Thank you in advance.
http://www.gardenguides.com/83232-types-coastal-lawn-grass.html

Here is a link to a list article that was accepted a week or two ago that I did. I believe there is also an example in the writers resource section at DS. Basically you have a title and list certain things about it. For example, I just did an article on garden sprayers. I listed titles such as "choosing the right sprayer" - "using the garden sprayer" - "maintenance and cleaning". I hope this helps.

[Amelia23]

Thank you Joyce for the example. This is a great help!! Now I just have to hope that the editors will like it. :-)

[joyce]

Just wondering, I know it's Christmas and everyone is busy and I'm probably spoiled when the articles were flying through in a day or two, but has everyone's articles suddenly slowed to glacier speed when it come to being reviewed? I think I was spoiled when things were flying though and now that I'm waiting for four to five days for some, it feels so painful. I keep writing but I'd still love to see them fall in the accepted slot. Whine over.:D

[princessvessna]

That's good to know if it's going slow. I want money now for Christmas shopping, so it's probably better if I stick to title editing and the instant money. I do like doing tips. Just did a couple.

[joyce]

Well, I just had a first happen and it made me feel pretty good. I had a rewrite where the CE wanted me to give a specific time frame, which I did. The CE then must have thought about the rest of the step and wanted me to clarify something, so novice gardeners would know exactly what I was saying. This change was not addressed in the original rewrite request. The CE contacted editorial and they contact me saying to email the clarification to them, so the article would not be rejected. They told me they knew what I was saying, but wanted to give me a chance to change it into my own words. I needed to contact them immediately or the article would be rejected.

Yesterday I was so tired I didn't even open my email when I came home from work. I never saw the message until tonight. At first I was confused, since I didn't think DS would even take the time to do this, not the CE, the editorial team. I instantly panicked, thinking my delay in almost 2 days had probably cost me a rejection for something stupid. I sent an email off to editorial and then thought to look at my article. The CE or editorial had made the small change and approved my article.

This just goes to show that not all CE's are horrible and editorial really does give a crap about our work. They could have rejected it due to me not responding, but they didn't. I was quite pleasantly surprised.

[inkkognito]

I too have had a DS CE go out of their way to help me do a "late change" so my article would not be rejected. I think the number of horror stories on the DS forums give a skewed view because people tend to post about bad things, not good things.

[SouthernFriedJulie]

Oh my goodness. I had a great experience with a CE at DS. Then I was fiddling around looking at the forum:

CE is teh HOTTTTT.

I'm going to be writing the type he approved much now. Thank you, k, yum.

[inkkognito]

Did y'all see the Demand Studios holiday contest? If not, check your email! It will sweeten the pot (potentially) for working over the holidays.

[princessvessna]

Did y'all see the Demand Studios holiday contest? If not, check your email! It will sweeten the pot (potentially) for working over the holidays.

I hope they count tips. That would be easy enough if I can't get to longer pieces.

[eric11210]

So what is it? I just double checked and I never got an e-mail from them about it (then again, I haven't started writing for them yet since I've been too busy with other projects, so I wonder if that's the reason).

Eric

[Still Seaking]

This is the link to the their page on Face Book http://www.facebook.com/home.php?ref=home#/pages/Demand-Studios-Holiday-Club/219494509123.

[stldenise]

So what is it? I just double checked and I never got an e-mail from them about it (then again, I haven't started writing for them yet since I've been too busy with other projects, so I wonder if that's the reason).

Eric

You may not be qualified for it yet then.

[RevisionIsTheKey]

This thread has been a fascinating read. I started at #1 and read to #131. I have to say the posters here are wonderful in wanting to help other writers. Thanks to all of you.

If you can believe it, I still managed to come up with several questions of my own. Do most of you write only for DS (writing e-articles--I'm not talking about your day jobs) or do you also submit to Suite 101 and others? Do you feel DS is the best? How does the DS pay compare with other companies? Thanks!

[RevisionIsTheKey]

Here I am again...

Another question: What happens if information in a DS article is incorrect due to poor research on the part of the writer, a word is accidentally deleted, or an editor changes something, as possible examples? I remember some problems with a book Dr. Ruth (remember her?) had written once where the word "not" was left out of a sentence and readers following the advice could have been in big trouble due to the change in meaning. Has anything like this ever happened? Do writers open themselves up for legal problems?

[jeffo]

I don't write just for DS. I write for DS for quick, immediate pay. I try to do it regularly for a small extra source of income, but I haven't so much the last few months. I also write for Associated Content a little, and my current favorite is Helium (because I can get more cash for certain kinds of articles -- PM me if you want an invite to Helium).

As for the articles, they are a work for hire. Once you write them, they belong to DS. In my personal view, once they're accepted, they completely belong to DS and don't really have anything to do with me any more.

[inkkognito]

I write mainly for DS although I dabble in Associated Content. They don't even come close to DS in terms of income. I could probably do DS as my only job if I could count on it to be steady, but there have been topic "dry spells" so I keep my options open. I have a travel agency and do online counseling, both of which are easy to work around DS. I also do my freelancing and will sell another book one of these days.

[RevisionIsTheKey]

I don't write just for DS. I write for DS for quick, immediate pay. I try to do it regularly for a small extra source of income, but I haven't so much the last few months. I also write for Associated Content a little, and my current favorite is Helium (because I can get more cash for certain kinds of articles -- PM me if you want an invite to Helium).

As for the articles, they are a work for hire. Once you write them, they belong to DS. In my personal view, once they're accepted, they completely belong to DS and don't really have anything to do with me any more.

Thanks, Jeffo. Since I tend to get unfocused and run in all different directions when a new idea like these markets comes my way, I am going to start with DS. Once I feel knowledgeable there, I will think about adding another site to write for. I'll PM you when I am at that point! :)

[joyce]

Personally, I make the most money writing for DS. That is where I'm focusing most of my writing time at present. I like the fact I can write as much as I like each week and receive a steady paycheck. I've been there a year and have always been fortunate to find articles I can write about. As with any place of employment, sometimes there are problems, but for the most part I've been quite pleased with my DS experience.

[joyce]

Wow, I just saw an article for Trails was accepted, but the CE nailed my score big time. I didn't have a rewrite, but the CE noted I'd abbreviated "FL" once in the keyword section instead of spelling it out. My grammar score instantly dropped from a 4 to a 3. The CE must have scored me really low for it to have dropped a whole point for the abbreviation mistake, because the rest of the article was just fine. My research score still remained the same, but the other score took a serious nosedive. I'm glad I didn't make any other mistakes. :Shrug:

[tpridgen]

Wow, they penalize for using state abbreviations in the keywords? I do that all the time since that's the way people actually search. I guess I should look at my scorecard every now and then.

[stldenise]

I can't see that being wrong. I never type out my state's name when I'm searching.

[joyce]

My score is back up with the other articles that were accepted. I guess that particular CE was having a bad day....probably a hangover from New Years Eve. I never spell out the state name when I search....oh well.

[KT Golightly]

Glad it all worked out Joyce.

[Angie]

Wow, just got my first really nasty CE. Who widdled in his/her Wheaties?? :eek:

[KT Golightly]

Sorry for the nasty ce, Angie.

Guess he's not having a good 2010 and wants to share the wealth.

[Angie]

Heh, apparently. Think I'll be abandoning that rewrite and putting it somewhere else.

[Still Seaking]

I think we ought to know who the editor is. They know who we are but we’re in the dark. If their instructions are unclear we can’t ask for clarification through the article because then they reject it and if we contact them through the email we receive that there are edits needed often (my experience) we don’t receive an answer and the same through their contact us. I believe as writers we have a right to know the name of the editor we are working with and that we should have an email address to contact them. My other pet peeve is how when the editor sends us a rewrite because they don’t understand, we explain and nothing changes the article is approved yet it counts as a rewrite against us!

SS

[Still Seaking]

Do tips not count in our stats?

SS

[RevisionIsTheKey]

My other pet peeve is how when the editor sends us a rewrite because they don’t understand, we explain and nothing changes the article is approved yet it counts as a rewrite against us!
SS

I thought I was beginning to understand the ins and outs of this market, but I guess not. Writers get punished for rewrites?

[Still Seaking]

No, not punished but our stats are made up of approved no rewrites, approved rewrites, abandoned rewrites, flagged articles and rejected articles. I just like it to read correctly. While we may not be punished for, a rewrite it certainly doesn’t look as good as approved no rewrites.

SS

[jeffo]

Indeed, I have found the best policy on rewrites is to abandon them unless it is crystal clear and simple to make the requested change.

[Angie]

Agreed, Jeff. If it's going to take me more than five or ten minutes to do the rewrite, I abandon it. Otherwise the per-hour rate is not worth it.

[princessvessna]

Do tips not count in our stats?

SS

Tips do count. I was grumpy because my scores went down a bit after I wrote some tips. It was silly.

[RevisionIsTheKey]

Agreed, Jeff. If it's going to take me more than five or ten minutes to do the rewrite, I abandon it. Otherwise the per-hour rate is not worth it.

Doesn't abandoning rewrites too often lead to problems with DS? Don't they feel like you wasted their time if you don't do the rewrites they suggest?

[stldenise]

Arg, I got my second reject. I'm appealing this one, because I don't think the CE understood that I added the information that was requested. Or we're having a terminology problem.

Quick survey: how many here know what the seat post tube is on your bike?

It was a super silly article: How to Clean Your Bicycle Seat Post Tube. Who cleans their seat post? Maybe if you sweat buckets... And if you sweat soooo much that you drench your seat post, I don't want to anywhere near you--at least not while you're biking. Yeck.

But it was a $20 trails article, so I had to take it.

Oh, who's the bike Examiner around here? I have to ask her how offen she cleans her seat post tube. I'm just a light rider, we do 10-15 miles on a nice flat trail on nice weekends. And both of the trails we do involve beer...

[Angie]

Doesn't abandoning rewrites too often lead to problems with DS? Don't they feel like you wasted their time if you don't do the rewrites they suggest?

If you abandon every rewrite you get, then yes, you'll probably hear from them. Most rewrites are, in my experience, simple fixes - usually just a quick clarification of information. I've only abandoned two or three in the year or so I've written for DS.

But, like I say, every now and then you get a rewrite that either asks for such an extensive overhaul that it would take as long or longer than the original writing did; or you get a rewrite that's worded in such a way that you know the CE is having a bad day and looking for a reason to reject. Those are the ones I let go. I'd MUCH rather have an abandoned rewrite on my score card than a rejected article.


Oh, who's the bike Examiner around here? I have to ask her how offen she cleans her seat post tube. I'm just a light rider, we do 10-15 miles on a nice flat trail on nice weekends. And both of the trails we do involve beer...

Maybe they're thinking of hard-core trail rides, when you might have mud on the seat post tube? I'm no expert, just a thought. Though I did get a laugh and an "ew" moment out of your description of sweating all over it... ;)

[tpridgen]

I've abandoned a few. They were mostly of the "This is good information, but it needs to be ____ instead" ilk. They would have required that I get brand new research and totally rewrite the things. Not worth it for a $7.50 fact sheet.

[RevisionIsTheKey]

I'd MUCH rather have an abandoned rewrite on my score card than a rejected article.

This makes sense. Thanks, Angie.

[Amelia23]

I just got my second rewrite also. My first one I should have objected to, but I had just been accepted and I didn't want them to wonder why they allowed me to join in the first place. I am rather depressed about a second rejection when my other articles had been going through without a problem.

Why is it that you answer their questions, but they find other questions in your answers?

Seat post tube? Isn't that what holds the seat on or not. Are you supposed to clean that? Mine hasn't been cleaned since . . .

Must have been a week of let's reject articles.

[jeffo]

For rejections -- if you write a lot of articles, just ignore them and move on. Consider it a cost of doing business. Don't go back to them, don't give them a second thought. If you write enough there, you ARE going to get rejections, just based on the odds of getting the CE who is having a bad day or three. You can't do anything about the rejection, so keep moving forward!

[caromora]

You can always "repurpose" rejected articles for use on your blog or for back links (or on eHow). Just change the title.

[stldenise]

One thing I don't like about the overhaul at DS is that now my rejects are staring at me whenever I log in to my work desk. I wish they'd age out with the month. Blah!

[stldenise]

The CE's must be bored today -- stuff I wrote this morning was cleared by 1pm!

[Angie]

They were super-fast all weekend too. Quite nice. :)

[treehugger]

They've definitely been fast lately--I finish one article,submit it, write another one and go to submit it and the first one is already approved. Nice. :)

[Amelia23]

What do you do if you can not find any reference places to write an article, but you know how to do it. I found several places providing information, but they are all black-listed by DS. I have even seen how this was done with several other people in my gardening circle, but the editor told me that because I have not done it myself, I am not an expert and I need a source to tell how to do it.

Anyone else have this kind of problem? If so, what do you do, or do you just let it go?

[jeffo]

Do a search and only search .edu or .gov sites. All those seem to be okay as references.

[treehugger]

For garden-related topics, there is almost always a university extension office *somewhere* that has a page on it. So try including "edu" or the word "extension" in your search.

[Amelia23]

Thank you for the help. Searching is what usually takes most of my time. Will try the .edu and .gov.

[jeffo]

Indeed, you're not the only one. I can write these articles in 5-10 minutes, but before I started only searching for .gov and .edu in my searches (advanced Google has a box for that), I would take 15 minutes to find a good link for the reference box.

[stldenise]

You can also use a book as a source, so if you have a good gardening book handy, feel free to cite it.

[jeffo]

I have to share --

Here's an example of a rewrite request that's not worth the time and trouble to attempt to figure out -- because in my view an abandoned rewrite is better than a rejection:

I listed three keywords, as required. Here is the entire CE comment on my keywords:
Please note the keyword guidelines (they're right in the writing template). To wit:

"When choosing keywords, consider how you would search for the subject on the Internet."
Yes, AND? I have absolutely no idea what they really want here. My keywords were Internet, Explorer, and full screen. Can you tell the article title is "How to Make Internet Explorer open in a full screen window?" I don't know what the complaint is, so I'm writing it off and will just go write something else.

I suppose if I wanted to spend days fighting for that $15, I could write an appeal to the help desk and see if they actually responded before the deadline, and then they'd have to let the CE know, then I'd have to find out what to do, and then re-submit the article and hope the CE got the message to avoid a rejection. Yeah, next article, thanks anyway. :)

Oh, and also, this CE has written a comment that says I'm NOT supposed to put quotation marks around keyboard keys, while last week I was told by a CE (who knows, it could be the same one) that I had to put quotation marks around keyboard keys. Ah well.

[SouthernFriedJulie]

You can use phrases as keywords, not just single words.

'open internet explorer fullscreen' would work.

If you're stuck on keywords, try out the Google Adwords tool, it'll give you top searched words and phrases.

https://adwords.google.com/select/KeywordToolExternal

[jeffo]

I just don't understand what this CE wanted. I've written hundreds of articles and this is the very first time I included a phrase instead of just one word.

[Fatal Serenity]

Jeffo,

The keywords section of Demand Studios articles is somewhat ambiguous to me too. When I first began writing DS articles, I used one or two word keywords. However, I've had more than one CE tell me to use longer keywords or phrases. Since then, I've used almost all phrases for my keywords and usually use the title of the article as one of the keywords (as long as it isn't ridiculously long). For example: Hotels in Ambridge; Ambridge lodging, hotels near Ambridge, PA; Ambridge, Pennsylvania inns; etc.

I don't know if this is exactly correct, but I haven't run into any problems with keywords this way. I've also had CE's tell me to put the specific hotels, locations, skills, etc that users would search for, but it doesn't seem like all CE's are on the same page here. Its best to stick to mostly phrases in my opinion.

Kate

[stldenise]

Over at Suite101 they insist that keywords be phrases. I think it just give the search engine more fodder. I had one CE tell me not to use the title, but that one must have been nuts. The title is usually ALL keywords. I've ignored that advice and haven't been bother by any other CE about keywords since.

[joyce]

I use phrases and they have always worked. I never was sure about the keyword thing and have always waited for a CE to nail me. So far, so good though.

I had a rewrite the other day where I just let the article die. The CE told me my campgrounds were not close enough to the city in the article, so my title was impossible to write. They went on to say they had driven through the area before so they knew.

I had carefully checked the mileage for each place and knew all three were within a 30 - 20 minute drive from the city. Heck, I'd driven through the area before myself. I figured if the CE had already written the title off as "unwriteable", it was not worth my time to try and convince them otherwise. I could smell the rejection through my computer screen. Sometimes it just isn't worth the argument and wasted time.

[jeffo]

Thanks for the suggestions, I'll give keyword phrases a try for awhile and see how it goes.

[Amelia23]

What do you do if you can not find any resources that DS will accept, but have experience in doing the project. I chose a jewelry making project that I know how to do, but I either most of them are on blogs, or they want you to buy the finished product?
I spent over an hour (on dial-up) looking for something that DS will accept. I found one but lately the CS is sending things back because my sources do not tell how to do things.

[jeffo]

You can use a printed book, if you can find one. You can also search .edu sites only, you'd be surprised what can come back from them that's acceptable.

[stldenise]

I think blogs are ok! I know I've used a couple. The References & Sources Addendum (http://media.demandstudios.com/Documents/22838f58-e220-4be1-bf9d-577d6eff70c9.pdf) says you can use "professional blogs". So if the blog looks reputable, give it a try!

I've also used big newspapers as sources, so check out the Times of your choice and see if they've done a story on your type of craft. Just throw "la times" or "new york times" (or whatever newspaper you can think of) in the search.

It may not always work, but I found some articles on growing house plants this way.

Also, if you specialize in one particular craft, go the library and find some books on your craft you can site. The References & Sources Addendum put books toward the top of their list of sources! Crafting magazines would be good too. Do you subscribe to any?

[Amelia23]

Thank you for answering and for the information.

One editor had a comment that I had used a blog and it was against the rules. I did check the rule book and discovered that you can use professional blogs. I used blogs on my last two articles and no comment was made on my using them. For a while, my articles were going through without any rewrites. This week I've had several come back.

Aw, such is life. Imagine, it is winter time with 2 to 3 feet of snow and we are getting rain. How cool is that?

[Amelia23]

I just received my third rejected article. Depressed? Yes. I did the rewrite as requested. she asked what happens when you hammer copper onto smooth steel. I told her: that copper on a flat piece of highly polished steel will not make marks on the back of you metal. She said I began another step without an actionable verb. I admit that I did do that. She accused me of not listing all my materials, but I did do that.

Just a rant and wondering what to do. I do not want to be fired.

[joyce]

Amelia, sorry to hear about the rejection. They do suck! The only advice I can give you is to keep writing more articles. The more articles you write that are accepted, the less the rejections will count. I know they give people a chance to learn the ropes over there. It does seem like every other day they are changing the rules somehow, so it's hard to keep up. Best of luck and just keep on plugging along. :Hug2:

[Amelia23]

Is it just me or are the rest of you getting more rewrites and then rejections. Three in this month is not good. I am so worried that they will fire me and I so totally need this job. My record was clean except for one when I first started writing. I should have appealed it but did not. I am appealing this last one though. Don't think I will do any more rewrites.
How many rejections can a person get before they get rid of you?

[Still Seaking]

I changed the picture on my profile to a more recent one and a better shot, the other one cut off part of my head when they posted it on eHow yet looked fine on DS. I got a REWRITE on it! Nothing to do with the picture, the CE who looked at it wants a lot of information that I’m not going to put in my bio, not to mention there isn’t enough space allowed. I did change it a little bit and sent them a note that I had and the only thing I changed was my picture and that my bio has been used for the two years I have been writing for DS. If they reject it, I will take it to the powers that be, whoever they are! This is ridiculous. I had my bio completed before they began making it mandatory and when they made it mandatory I got a message that I needed to do one, I sent them a message that my bio was up and had been and it was approved. Now, I change the picture and I get a rewrite! Outrageous.

On a better note, I submitted an article after the Saint’s won and I managed to calm down (WHO DAT) and it was literally approved two minutes later. Been a decent week as well.

SS

[jeffo]

Indeed, Amelia23, these things seem to go in waves. There will be a week where 90% of my articles are rewrites, and then the next week, all will fly through in half an hour or less. Just keep writing and look at it as a business.

Still Seaking, I saw that all changes to profiles would have to be reviewed, and I had a feeling that would be a mess! I hope that works out for the best for you.

[joyce]

I've been zooming right along for months now and then came this past Wednesday.....rewrites. They were on camping areas and I believe I had the same CE. The CE told me to look at the website for my camping spot again and add the detail that was listed there, "Tell people about the Brazos River and all they can do on it".

The problem was that the CE was telling me to add information about a place that had the same name as mine but in a different state. My "Hillbilly Haven" was in Arkansas and the CE was talking about a place in Texas....where the Brazos river is. I wrote them back and told them so, but the rewrite has still been sitting there for five days. I probably pissed the CE off telling them they were asking me to talk about something in a differnent state where my article was not addressing.I laughed, but won't be laughing if the CE rejects it. I will most certainly appeal.

If the rewrite smells of rejection, or is going to take me too long to do what the CE wants, I let it just die and won't do it. An abandoned rewrite counts less in my mind than a rejection. I try to do rewrites but sometimes they are asking for too much. I hate to lose the money, but what can you do?:Shrug:

[Angie]

I changed the picture on my profile to a more recent one and a better shot, the other one cut off part of my head when they posted it on eHow yet looked fine on DS. I got a REWRITE on it!

The new bio review process is truly ridiculous. I understand wanting their writers to look professional, but they need to have a better system in place and get their bio reviewers all on the same page. When they first announced the new bio rules, I tweaked mine, put it under a pen name, and submitted it. A couple weeks later, it was approved, no problem. Then I decided to switch from my pen name to my real name because I started applying for more content jobs and want to use my DS articles as clips without having to explain the pen name thing. I re-submitted with nothing but the name change in November. I JUST got a rewrite request last week, asking that I include education information. I don't have a college degree, or I would have included that in the first place. Now I suppose it'll be two MORE months before they finally look at it again. Grr...

Okay, rant over. Back to work.

[tpridgen]

I switched to a pen name and updated my bio on 12/27. Still waiting for approval. I hope they don't bounce the bio back to me for being too generic. If I'm not willing to publicize my real name on my Demand articles, why would I want people to know my alma mater?

[treehugger]

Amelia-- I'm definitely getting more rewrites lately. I was thinking it was because I just started writing full time, so I've been writing for DS a lot more, so maybe my quality was slipping, but I also think that the CEs are getting a lot more picky and demanding than they were in the past. Like all of a sudden DS is expecting us to produce Real Journalism, when in the past they seemed content with researched fluff. My rewrite percentage this past month is up to 23%, when previously it was around 10%.

Bah. DS is nice for the steady work, and it's an okay hourly rate (or at least it would be if I weren't getting so many &*%$@ rewrites) but I think I've really, really got to start querying magazines and looking for some more satisfying work.

[NewKidOldKid]

The new bio review process is truly ridiculous. I understand wanting their writers to look professional, but they need to have a better system in place and get their bio reviewers all on the same page. When they first announced the new bio rules, I tweaked mine, put it under a pen name, and submitted it. A couple weeks later, it was approved, no problem. Then I decided to switch from my pen name to my real name because I started applying for more content jobs and want to use my DS articles as clips without having to explain the pen name thing. I re-submitted with nothing but the name change in November. I JUST got a rewrite request last week, asking that I include education information. I don't have a college degree, or I would have included that in the first place. Now I suppose it'll be two MORE months before they finally look at it again. Grr...

Okay, rant over. Back to work.

The exact same thing happened to me. I mean, EXACTLY. Decided to change back to my real name and sent it back for approval. It took weeks and weeks and weeks to hear back. Today I got an email saying I need to make changes and asking for things that are already in the bio. I'm thinking that maybe they have a generic email response and that's why I got that.

[Still Seaking]

We must have gotten the same CE reviewing our bios. I sent him a note and told him all I did was update the picture and that the bio has been up for the two years I have been writing for them and was approved when they started requiring bios. I also told him/her I do not include my educational background and their space does not allow room for me to list the publications I have been published in so I generalized it because it would not be fair to include some and not others. If it is rejected, I’m going to go ballistic on this idiot. I love the part where I’m referred to the bio requirements and it states that they are there because their clients require that information. Then how have I been writing for them for this long and how and why was my bio approved before? I think some of the people they have working for them are idiots and certainly think we (writers) are.

SS

[tpridgen]

Mine got approved today with one little tweak. Glad not to see that "Your bio is under review" block on the workdesk anymore.

[downtherabbithole]

Amelia-- I'm definitely getting more rewrites lately. I was thinking it was because I just started writing full time, so I've been writing for DS a lot more, so maybe my quality was slipping, but I also think that the CEs are getting a lot more picky and demanding than they were in the past. Like all of a sudden DS is expecting us to produce Real Journalism, when in the past they seemed content with researched fluff. My rewrite percentage this past month is up to 23%, when previously it was around 10%.

Bah. DS is nice for the steady work, and it's an okay hourly rate (or at least it would be if I weren't getting so many &*%$@ rewrites) but I think I've really, really got to start querying magazines and looking for some more satisfying work.

I hear you! My rewrite request went from a steady 15% to 45% in January. I thought maybe it was because of my writing full time too, but it isn't really grammar errors, more so less fluff. Thankfully, my other scores, like grammar and research, have not slipped.

[SouthernFriedJulie]

Ameilia- try some of the short assignments to bolster up your ratio. Fact sheets and tips. Yes they pay lower, but they're quick to write and may just help offset those rejections.

[Satori1977]

I have been doing good on DS. For over a month I never wrote anything because I couldn't find anything to write. I mostly write pet health and other related topics, and the majority of the topics under animals were NOT animal related. It was quite frustrating. Last week I checked in and they had tons of great topics. I have done 8 so far, at $7.50 a piece. And each topic only took an hour to research and write, or less. So I am happy.

[princessvessna]

I have been doing good on DS. For over a month I never wrote anything because I couldn't find anything to write. I mostly write pet health and other related topics, and the majority of the topics under animals were NOT animal related. It was quite frustrating. Last week I checked in and they had tons of great topics. I have done 8 so far, at $7.50 a piece. And each topic only took an hour to research and write, or less. So I am happy.

Try searching for keywords instead of looking in the animals category. Their whole automated topic assigning system is wonky, so everything is in the wrong place. They say they've got a fix coming soon...hope so. Anyways, you'd have probably even better luck if you look up "cat", "dog", "fish" etc. :)

[Amelia23]

Thank all of you for responding and the encouragement. Those rejections really made me feel horrible. At the same time, I had a family problem so writing was therapeutic for me because my mind was on research and writing. Then all the rewrites and rejections showed up in my box. And the thing is, it was on making jewelry. I make jewelry on the side, so it is not like I have never made any in my life.

I did send in a form for appeal, but the email I received said my email was blank. This is probably a sign to just leave it go.

Oh well, you have all made me feel much better and I owe you a debt of gratitude.

[Still Seaking]

Amelia, it isn’t you and it is not a sign of anything but an internal technical problem DS has been having and needs to fix.

I sent my appeal in the day before yesterday. Yesterday I received an email stating it had been received blank and to please resend. I resent via my email account by hitting reply and told them they are having an internal technical problem because this was the last three, including that one, responses I’d sent them internally had been received blank and other writers on other writing boards had the same issue. Maybe now they’ll get it fixed and I’ll let y’all know what happens with the reject.

One pet peeve I really wish they’d fix – their search for finding articles. This is the only site I have ever experienced anything like this from work related to any other. If I put in the exact name of a title that is there, I just released it to reclaim it, why do I have to look through 50+ pages to find it? I also have the amount of money the article the style and the client selected as well. Why can’t they fix this already? How hard can it be? When searching, the first thing closest to what you have searched for should come up first, and if there is an exact match, it should be the very first one, followed by others. Ugh. This isn’t brain science people, get it together.

SS

[Amelia23]

they’ll get it fixed and I’ll let y’all know what happens with the reject.

One pet peeve I really wish they’d fix – their search for finding articles. This is the only site I have ever experienced anything like this from work related to any other. If I put in the exact name of a title that is there, I just released it to reclaim it, why do I have to look through 50+ pages to find it? I also have the amount of money the article the style and the client selected as well. Why can’t they fix this already? How hard can it be? When searching, the first thing closest to what you have searched for should come up first, and if there is an exact match, it should be the very first one, followed by others. Ugh. This isn’t brain science people, get it together.

SS[/QUOTE]


Been there and wondered the same thing. Guess they don't want to make it too easy to re-find.

How did you do your appeal in 150 words or less using part of the text as an example to what you are talking about. Or can you say the editor had problems with step 2 and 3 of the article?

Hope you have great results and they accept it.

[moth]

If I put in the exact name of a title that is there, I just released it to reclaim it, why do I have to look through 50+ pages to find it?
Try looking at the very end of the result list. Search for one keyword from the title (not a phrase, that'll just give you broader results, ugh, which I found out the hard way) and go to the very bottom of the last page of results. That's where I usually see the title I wanted to reclaim.

Also if I have two or three that I need to release and reclaim, I do them one at a time (remove, search, find and reclaim the first, THEN do the second). Lost a few titles trying to do them in batches instead of individually.

I totally agree the find assignments tool could be better -- like having a keyword phrase search give, oh, I don't know, a narrowed results list? :tongue

[Still Seaking]

Well, my appeal is on a tip, yeah I know I’m losing money on the deal but like I said, it’s principal. As for how I would do it, in this instance it was rejected because the CE said he/she could not verify the information in the two allowed references and that the third, Wikipedia was blacklisted, which it is not by DS nor this client.

If I had to appeal a normal article, I would just use the part it was specifically used as the reason for the rejection. If it was an instance of the CE’s ignorance and or attitude and he cited the entire article, than I might file a complaint instead of an appeal and request that another CE look at the article.

Still haven’t heard anything but will let all know when I do.

SS

[joyce]

I've appealed two articles since I've been writing for them. One they sided with both me and the CE, but the article was still rejected. The other, they sided with me. On both articles I appealed the rejection due to the principal of it. Best of luck.

[tpridgen]

Mini-rant: I'm so happy I switched to a pen-name. I just got one of those rewrites that reeked of "new CE." I won't elaborate, but I'll say that after fixing all those items if the article doesn't go through I'm going to have to go into the woods and scream.

/rant over.

[Amelia23]

I hope no one minds my asking this question, but I am having a problem. It is with paypal. My account is set to personal and there is a $500 limit on transferring money to my bank account. I am also having a problem with them forgetting to reset the limit back upl to $500 every month. I decided to lift the limit so I tried that. It wanted my bank account, which is already listed, my SS number or a credit card number. I do not have a credit card, so I tried to put my SS number through. It came back with the message they could not verify it. To try again. I did and the same message. I emailed them and they told me how to lift the limits. I tried according to their version and the same message. I called Paypal about it and they said they would email me a letter with what I would need to do to lift the limits. They want a copy of my drivers license, a copy of my SS card and a recent bill sent to my home.

Way too much information to fax back to them. Since all you you write for DS and they only pay through paypal, what do the rest of you do? Have you had any problems like this? I really didn't want to go with a business account and pay paypal 3 percent of my money every time I transfer it to my account.

Any advise would be greatly appreciated.

[Angie]

I switched to a Premier account. Yes, there are fees, but they really don't add up to that much and you don't have to worry about the limits. You can also get a debit card with a Premier account so you don't have to worry about transferring money in the first place...it's just worth it to me, especially when all of my income is currently paid through Paypal. And the premier account doesn't charge as much as the regular business account does.

[joyce]

I switched to a Premier account. Yes, there are fees, but they really don't add up to that much and you don't have to worry about the limits. You can also get a debit card with a Premier account so you don't have to worry about transferring money in the first place...it's just worth it to me, especially when all of my income is currently paid through Paypal. And the premier account doesn't charge as much as the regular business account does.

I did this too, but then I used to sell a bunch on Ebay and found a Premier account easier. I've had no problems and don't notice the fees, so they must be really, really small. I use my debit card to pull out cash and deposit into my bank account. I've noticed (with my bank anyway) that it takes up to four days for the money to be transferred into my account. If I just withdraw it with the debit card, I can deposit it the same day. The only exception, if I transfer money from paypal into my bank on Friday, it's there by Monday. If I transfer money on Tuesday, it's in my account on Friday. Makes no sense, since Sat. & Sun are non-business days.

[tpridgen]

I hope no one minds my asking this question, but I am having a problem. It is with paypal. My account is set to personal and there is a $500 limit on transferring money to my bank account. I am also having a problem with them forgetting to reset the limit back upl to $500 every month. I decided to lift the limit so I tried that. It wanted my bank account, which is already listed, my SS number or a credit card number. I do not have a credit card, so I tried to put my SS number through. It came back with the message they could not verify it. To try again. I did and the same message. I emailed them and they told me how to lift the limits. I tried according to their version and the same message. I called Paypal about it and they said they would email me a letter with what I would need to do to lift the limits. They want a copy of my drivers license, a copy of my SS card and a recent bill sent to my home.

Way too much information to fax back to them. Since all you you write for DS and they only pay through paypal, what do the rest of you do? Have you had any problems like this? I really didn't want to go with a business account and pay paypal 3 percent of my money every time I transfer it to my account.

Any advise would be greatly appreciated.

Eek, I don't remember having to do all that. There was a button that I clicked on that said "Increase Limit," and that was that. It may be because I already had my bank debit card number on file that I didn't have to go through all the rigmarole.

I did upgrade to premier recently, though, just so I could have instant access to my money. I transfer most to my bank account still, but it's nice being able to have some petty cash on the Paypal debit until the money hits the bank. It's free to upgrade, but they do some sort of approval process that takes a couple of days.

As far as the fees, I haven't been assessed any for the places I write for. I get exactly what they send me, and that's exactly what ends up in my checking account. I don't Ebay or anything like that through my account, though.

[Amelia23]

Thank you for the great answers. One other question though. I do not feel comfortable sending all that information about myself, so I looked into applying for a debit card. They want a credit card number. My problem is that I do not have a credit card either. How safe is to give that number out. They say it is just to verify the address. Any thoughts or am I missing something or misunderstanding. I have never had a credit, or debit card. Only a checking account.

[jeffo]

To weigh in on PayPal -- Personally I have never had a problem with them. They have access to my bank account numbers and other such information. I believe I got upgraded by using a credit card without sending all that other information. As far as safety of personal information, I don't think they are a group that you have to worry about. I would only worry about them with large amounts of money, as they are not a bank, so no banking laws apply to them.

[tpridgen]

Thank you for the great answers. One other question though. I do not feel comfortable sending all that information about myself, so I looked into applying for a debit card. They want a credit card number. My problem is that I do not have a credit card either. How safe is to give that number out. They say it is just to verify the address. Any thoughts or am I missing something or misunderstanding. I have never had a credit, or debit card. Only a checking account.

It's safe, and actually a pretty common way to verify residence as far as web entities go. The credit card number also acts as a back-up so that if you overspend on your debit, they'll draw the needed funds from your credit account. Otherwise the transaction would bounce. If you apply for a credit card in a store, the same thing happens - they'll ask you for a credit card to swipe for instant approval, otherwise you have to do it the long way.

Paypal has been around a long time (as far as web companies go), and as they process money corporations that operate globally I seriously doubt they want the bad P.R. of a few outraged people who got their information leaked to scammers. It's smart to keep your guard up, but what they're asking for is standard operating procedure.

[NewKidOldKid]

Thank you for the great answers. One other question though. I do not feel comfortable sending all that information about myself, so I looked into applying for a debit card. They want a credit card number. My problem is that I do not have a credit card either. How safe is to give that number out. They say it is just to verify the address. Any thoughts or am I missing something or misunderstanding. I have never had a credit, or debit card. Only a checking account.

I believe you can do the verification thing with just your bank account, even if you don't have a card. They deposit two very small amounts in your account and then you come back to Paypal and enter those numbers. I'm pretty sure that's how I did it.

[stldenise]

I don't think I ever gave them a credit card, that was the whole point. But, might I point out that PayPal wants all that info because they need to verify who you are? They're basically a bank, not some flim flam operation. Ask them for a mailing address if you don't like the idea of a fax.

[Still Seaking]

Just received word that they are upholding the rejection I received. They said that while Wikipedia is not blacklisted you still can’t use it. Funny, if I can’t use it why isn’t it black listed by DS and how come I’ve used it in the past. I don’t use it often but the information was there regardless, I used two universities and the editor didn’t know how to find the information there. I put Wikipedia because it said the same thing only the information was much easier to find. I still say if DS is going to uphold a rejection based solely on the fact that Wikipedia was used than they have to put it on the DS blacklist. It wasn’t blacklisted by this client because this client doesn’t have a blacklist. Isn’t the purpose of a blacklist so we don’t use sites that we can’t use? If there are sites we can’t use that aren’t blacklisted how the heck are we supposed to know. I’m seeing red right now, sorry, probably not making a lot of since either. Just wanted to pass along the update.

SS

[joyce]

I thought Wikipedia was on the blacklist. I've used them to get tid bits of information, but I've never listed them as a reference on my articles. I don't know how I know this, or where I heard it from, but I know DS does not like the "Wiki" places used in the reference box. I haven't looked at the blacklist for a little bit, so I don't even know if they have added anyone new.

Sorry about the rejection. I just know...don't list a wiki place in that reference box or your article will get knocked back to you. I wish I could tell you where I read this, but I just can't remember.

[stldenise]

We often complain about bad CEs, but I wanted to share a rewrite request that has to be the nicest one I've ever received. I have to admit, I haven't done any DS work in a month or so, and had not read the updated rules on links...

Feb 4, 2010 - Really nice job on this overall. Writing a List article that doesn't sound completely like a How To or Strategy is particularly difficult, but I think you did a very good job here. There are a couple of small sections where the writing does venture into Strategy territory, but it's not too bad. I also had a question or two in other sections. Also, please take a look at the References. There was an addendum to references released recently that discourages commercial/retail sites as references. Hopefully, you can find alternatives. I hope my comments are helpful. Thank you!

[NewKidOldKid]

That's weird. Wikipedia is definitively blacklisted.

[plaidearthworm]

This has been a bad week for me...more rewrites than I've had in a long time. Most of them were Overstock.com, which hasn't been worth the extra money per article because of some very particular rewrite requests. I'm abandoning at least one, because $25 is not worth 3 hours work to me. Hope next week is better.

[joyce]

This has been a bad week for me...more rewrites than I've had in a long time. Most of them were Overstock.com, which hasn't been worth the extra money per article because of some very particular rewrite requests. I'm abandoning at least one, because $25 is not worth 3 hours work to me. Hope next week is better.

I gave up on Overstock.com articles months ago. My first few went through just fine and then I started getting crazy rewrites. I thought I'd get an ulcer so I just gave up writing them all together. I figured I'm just not cut out to be an Overstock.com kind of girl.

For the past few months I've been traveling around the country with DS writing camping articles. I've been having really good luck with them flying through (probably just jinxed myself). They're making me want to go camping though.....and to some place I can't afford to get to, or it's presently 15 degrees.

[Still Seaking]

Wikipedia is not blacklisted, discouraged. Here is the link to the blacklist page.
http://media.demandstudios.com/Documents/0b07425c-48a6-4e5a-9ac4-a6c0523012ba.pdf

[Jacqui]

Wikipedia is not blacklisted, discouraged. Here is the link to the blacklist page.
http://media.demandstudios.com/Documents/0b07425c-48a6-4e5a-9ac4-a6c0523012ba.pdf

The References section of the editorial guidelines says specifically to stay away Wikipedia and Yahoo Answers, as well as any other sources that contain unverified user-submitted information. Page 11, 3rd bullet point.

[blackrose602]

Just got my first really nasty rewrite request, and need to vent. The copyeditor said that my content was thin, confusing and unclear. I need to "learn basic punctuation." The copyeditor all but accused me of lying about a specific (admittedly subjective) point. The net result: "This will require significant improvement before I accept."

I'm confused. My Grammar Score and Research Score are both 4.3. I have an 8% all-time rewrite percentage. I've abandoned a single rewrite and never had a rejection.

The irony: This was a piece on planning a Disney vacation. I've been writing this topic for years, for top websites and print magazines.

I appealed it, obviously, but it still kind of threw me. The comments felt very vicious, like a personal attack.

[Still Seaking]

Jacqui, I didn’t say anything about the editorial guidelines. I said it is not on the DS blacklist and it is not. I’ve been writing for DS for quite a while and this was one of their iditors, the information was there before I added the Wikipedia reference, he/she didn’t like having to look through the two university articles I used as references and Wikipedia had the information easier to find. My gripe was the bases of the reject was that Wikipedia was blacklisted and it is not blacklisted. It is discouraged but not blacklisted by DS and only two of their clients and this was not one of those two clients.

Blackrose, I have no doubt I’ve had that same CE. Next time, I’m filing a complaint. Everybody has different styles and not everybody is going to like everyone else’s but the CE should be objective and stick to the facts and when they attack it unprofessional and rude.

SS

[Still Seaking]

Moth, thanks, I somehow overlooked your post and just now saw it. I’ll give that a shot next time.

SS

[princessvessna]

I'm glad I use a pen name there. I had a tree article approved there but the CE went and changed around all of my Latin names so they weren't in parentheses (I think that reads better than extra commas, and it's how I usually see it in the garden world. Read in the forums there how many do it that way too) and messed around with the variety names so they were in double quotes, not the single quotes used by botanists.

It made it more complicated by saying Canada Red Chokecherry, Prunus virginiana known as "Canada Red," when all you really need is (Prunus virginiana 'Canada Red'). And it would be one thing if they phrased it that way all the time, but they didn't.

It's approved so whatever, but it's not something I would want to put my real name on now as a garden writer.

[joyce]

I'm glad I use a pen name there. I had a tree article approved there but the CE went and changed around all of my Latin names so they weren't in parentheses (I think that reads better than extra commas, and it's how I usually see it in the garden world. Read in the forums there how many do it that way too) and messed around with the variety names so they were in double quotes, not the single quotes used by botanists.

It made it more complicated by saying Canada Red Chokecherry, Prunus virginiana known as "Canada Red," when all you really need is (Prunus virginiana 'Canada Red'). And it would be one thing if they phrased it that way all the time, but they didn't.

It's approved so whatever, but it's not something I would want to put my real name on now as a garden writer.

I always put the Latin names in parentheses and haven't had a problem yet. I agree, I think it looks more professional and reads better. I'm not sure all of the CE's are really gardeners. Just because you planted a petunia once in your yard, does not make a gardener.

As far as the CE gripes, most of mine are always good and professional, though I did have one last week that gave me a rewrite because they didn't believe the area I was writing about has 1000 lakes in it. I gave three references, but I think they were too lazy to read them. I directed them to the exact statement, wrote a note I try to give facts and not just add random stuff that is not true. I could have read nasty into the words that wasn't meant to be there, but I was taken back. My article did go through with a a note from the CE that their job was to check facts, which I completely understand, but I did feel like I was being called a liar. Rant over.

[Still Seaking]

From what I’ve experienced and know of others experiences, February must be the month for new, inexperienced iditors at DS. I just had a reject because the CE wants information that has nothing to do with the article. I am appealing. I have had more rewrites in the month of February and this is only the middle of the month than ever before. All have been ridiculous with the exception of one, which I rewrote and had approved. This one, I rewrote one part and added one-step with a note to the editor and his response is he thinks I need to include legal information that is neither pertinent nor applicable to this article.

I wish they’d get a system where you could actually communicate with the editors/iditors and not simply this isn’t what I think it should be, rewrite one chance only and if it isn’t what I think or I think by rejecting articles I’m a big wig (actually know one who sent a message that underlines that) and that’s it. Odd that I have rewrites, especially this month and yet last month I think I had two total and they were both on articles I was half asleep when I wrote them and they were approved with no problems. I can go months without a single rewrite and everything is fine and then suddenly hit a string where nothing gets approved. Ugh. Off to write the appeal now.

SS

[Still Seaking]

Where is the best site to sell an article originally written for DS but for whatever reason, such as some really weird questions not pertaining to the article requested by the CE in a rewrite making the article unprofitable to rewrite and likely to be rejected, will no longer be sold to DS? Is there another site other than eHow for how to’s? Are there any sites that pay upfront with similar or at least decent rates? What about Associated Content? Do they still offer upfront payment and whatever they call the percentage they pay out every so often that I look at like rev share or royalties?

Thanks for any suggestions. I have a few articles I need to receive compensation for and the only content site I’ve written for in quite a while is DS so I don’t know where to go with these.

SS

[joyce]

Where is the best site to sell an article originally written for DS but for whatever reason, such as some really weird questions not pertaining to the article requested by the CE in a rewrite making the article unprofitable to rewrite and likely to be rejected, will no longer be sold to DS? Is there another site other than eHow for how to’s? Are there any sites that pay upfront with similar or at least decent rates? What about Associated Content? Do they still offer upfront payment and whatever they call the percentage they pay out every so often that I look at like rev share or royalties?

Thanks for any suggestions. I have a few articles I need to receive compensation for and the only content site I’ve written for in quite a while is DS so I don’t know where to go with these.

SS

I'm not much help because I only put mine on eHow. The funny thing is, there are a couple of articles I refused to do the rewrite and posted them on eHow. Within two months both articles have made the money DS would have originally paid me and they still keep earning. It makes me very happy.

[Kem]

Where is the best site to sell an article originally written for DS but for whatever reason, such as some really weird questions not pertaining to the article requested by the CE in a rewrite making the article unprofitable to rewrite and likely to be rejected, will no longer be sold to DS? Is there another site other than eHow for how to’s? Are there any sites that pay upfront with similar or at least decent rates? What about Associated Content? Do they still offer upfront payment and whatever they call the percentage they pay out every so often that I look at like rev share or royalties?

Thanks for any suggestions. I have a few articles I need to receive compensation for and the only content site I’ve written for in quite a while is DS so I don’t know where to go with these.

SS

Just remember to change the title of your article because DS owns the title. I just read about that a few days ago. I haven't put any articles on other sites, so it will be interesting to see if their are other options besides eHow.

[hester]

Has anyone ever been rejected from DS?

I applied last week and this morning got an e-mail saying they couldn't use me :( Needless to say, I'm feeling somewhat crappy right now. I think it may have had to do with my resume (which, to be frank, wasn't very polished).

Is it possible to reapply, or should I not bother?

[Still Seaking]

Thanks, Joyce and Kem and Kem, I didn’t know that, thank you very much for brining that to my attention. I’ll keep y’all posted and it’s looking like it’s going to be eHow but I haven’t acted on anything yet, doing a little research. Anybody else have any suggestions or advice?

Hester, I do know one person who was rejected and she has a book that has received an editor’s choice award so it isn’t that she can’t write. She’d never written content or for a paper and didn’t know anything about AP style and we speculate that her sample had something to do with that but we’re not sure. Best of luck.

SS

[hester]

Hey SS! Thanks for the kind words...

I was kind of bummed this morning but I'm feeling a little better now (runs out to grocery store to stock up on chocolate...:)

[joyce]

Hester, the first time I applied I was told I wasn't needed. My resume was not up to snuff and I knew it. I wasn't sure how credible DS was at the time. I wrote some articles and put them on eHow and waited a month or so and tried again. The last time I polished my resume and I also had my eHow articles to link to. DS accepted me. So yes, you must be able to apply again because I did. Best of luck.

[KT Golightly]

I, too, was rejected by ds the first time around. From all the talk about how great they were, I thought they wanted research type papers. So I sent in a lengthy (3 or 4 pages) research paper. They rejected me stating that my type of writing didn't fit with their vision or something like that.

Since then I've been working on an original article to resubmit to them but I have been feeling really stuck since being rejected by them. I first applied when I first started freelancing late last year. Since then, I've done lots of research, and written lots of seo type articles.

I recently applied again with an article that I wrote for a client that I realized afterwards that it has been published to someone's blog. I'm hoping for the best.

[jana13k]

The "rumor" is that once you're rejected you can't apply again, but I know people have. I suggest that when you re-apply, you do it from a different email address, just in case that's how they are screening out previous applicants.

[joyce]

The "rumor" is that once you're rejected you can't apply again, but I know people have. I suggest that when you re-apply, you do it from a different email address, just in case that's how they are screening out previous applicants.

Actually, that is what I did. I first used my regular email address that all the junk and whatever goes to. I had created a second address for my serious email and that was the one I used on the second go-round. I don't know if that helped, because I'm sure the decent resume that next time helped too.

[hester]

You guys rock!!

Thanks so much for the helpful posts-I'm going to work on brushing up my resume and putting some "how-to" articles up...maybe I'll reapply in a month or so from a different e-mail addy...

[JanineWrites]

I applied to DS in 2008 - while I was pregnant, working as a full time newspaper editor and in college full time. I was accepted - but never wrote for them. I had even forgotten that I was ever accepted there until I recently saw an email newsletter from them in my junk email.
Since I am back on the freelancing train, I decided to reset my password and give them a try. After a 2 year absence they welcomed me back and my first article was approved after a rewrite request for a small style correction.
I have to say, it gets tough to remember the different style guides for the different websites, like DS and Suite - totally different on some things - and the style guide for the news magazines I write for. But I just double check before I send.
I am hoping the style guides get easier to remember as I go.

[joyce]

I applied to DS in 2008 - while I was pregnant, working as a full time newspaper editor and in college full time. I was accepted - but never wrote for them. I had even forgotten that I was ever accepted there until I recently saw an email newsletter from them in my junk email.
Since I am back on the freelancing train, I decided to reset my password and give them a try. After a 2 year absence they welcomed me back and my first article was approved after a rewrite request for a small style correction.
I have to say, it gets tough to remember the different style guides for the different websites, like DS and Suite - totally different on some things - and the style guide for the news magazines I write for. But I just double check before I send.
I am hoping the style guides get easier to remember as I go.


I've been writing steadily for DS for 1.5 years and over that time period it seems the style guides keep changing and changing. Don't feel bad, as soon as you learn it one way, they'll change something up to something else. Best of luck.