Comments on: Pay-for-blogging site raises questions

Is Associated Content a next-gen media site or an exploiter of search engines and AdSense? At least Google and Yahoo are on "board."

[jbenjami]

a non-issue

This seems like a non-issue to me. if you actually go to the site you see that they have banner ads, google adsense and a variety of other ways to generate revenue. A splog site this is not. How is this any different than ESPN.com or Cnet?

Furthermore, let the market decide if the quality is any good. If it is not, then it will wither and die like many other "content" sites before it. If the content is good then users will return

[PaulLevi]

a non-issue indeed

I agree completely with jbenjami - a site won't get steady readers if the quality of the stories and writing is lacking. In the end, that's what counts - not the reason this or that story was written.

[Renegade Knight]

True Enough

If they have good content, it's a good idea. If not it will die soon enough.

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[sdandrew75]

Ignore it and it will go away?

I just wasted 9 minutes of my life that I will never get back because I decided to see what all the hype was about. I read two incomplete articles, and another one with such bad grammer I had to stop reading. The website is about as useful as a blender that can blend an iPhone.

[Dwight Stickler]

Transparency and Blog Publishing

Isn't it true that the only reason this is in the news is because AC's tactics are part of a bigger problem with Search Engines and Internet Marketing in general?

People and the Search Engines that serve them want relevant content or more simply put answers. Mostly everyone who runs a search on any search engine wants an answer. They are seeking relevant and timely information that will answer a question.

Search Engine Optimization when practiced within an ethical framework seeks to provide answers for the people who are searching for them. SEO when practiced as a means of "gaming the Search Engines Placements" does the same thing that much of the internet marketing world does. Provides possible solutions, but not definitive answers.

I will not say that all internet marketing programs are B. S. just as ethical white hat SEO is not B. S. either. But I can say that wherever there is money involved, (and internet marketing and SEO do mean big bucks)there will be people who love money more then they love themselves or their neighbors. And then the naive and ignorant are taken advantage of.

Associated Content's Business Model and Services will thrive or die based on performance. Just like every other website or publisher. The beauty of blogging is that if blogs are good and create value, they thrive. If they are not good or provide no value, they will die.

[correcting]

Amazing...

This is a great example of how most people's opinion is just plain useless and should be ignored on principle: they have the gall to post a criticism on an article's grammar, yet do not actually know how to spell the word "grammar". And when called on it, they'll usually lie through their fingers and call it "a typo". The hypocrisy never fails to amuse and entertain.

[Ilgaz]

Already doing referrer based spamming

Thanks to CNET I remember these guys now. I saw some horrible spam advertising that site with some referrer ID on slashdot comments and even flamed the author of comment.

I thought it was just a plain pyramid/scam scheme. Now it turns out, "Yahoo" and "Google" on board.

Lets hope Wikipedia guys plans for doing a independent/open search engine succeeds. Nothing could be worse.

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[SheKnows]

A.C.

Associated Content underpays writers or gives them the option for writing free. Because they hire just about anyone (without proof of expertise) the articles are poorly written and poorly researched. In fact, their most prolific writer thinks he's a great journalist, when in fact his work sucks. So they underpay writers and give them the false impression they're actually good.

Moreover, they keep having these obnoxious promotions where writers who bring in the most new writers are rewarded. As a result they spam all the job boards and forums and are incredibly obnoxious.

Go ahead. Pick a dozen random A.C. articles, if you can tell me all dozen are well written and researched, I'll come back and apologize. It's time Associated Content stop taking advantage of writers.

[ThatOneDenverGuy]

SheKnows not...

There is no law stating that you must submit content to AC. I submit because I love to write and because the Performance Bonus more than makes up for the low initial offers.

Also, somewhat hypocritical to state that AC underpays writers, and in the next breath say the quality isn't any good. So should AC pay more for lower-quality work?

Associated Content is a tremendous outlet for writers who are honing their craft. The content managers give good feedback most of the time, and I know my writing has gotten better in the year that I've been a Content Producer.

As for the business model, it seems to me that they're simply doing what they promise to do: Publish work by anyone and everyone and make that work discoverable. Gaming search engines isn't a very profitable enterprise, and I think you'd be hard pressed to find an executive that would come on board for such a crappy plan...

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[ahickey]

Commenting on business model

The business model appears sound to me.
I haven't ready any of their articles because I'm not into random reading, except a couple of sites I trust.

There are a lot of people with knowledge and insight that will never be published on the current big reputable websites.
If being a journalist is something you want to do professionally then how do you get the experience to show you are good.
Sites like AC provide that opportunity.
Will it ever be as good as the ?proper? professional sites? Probably not.
Will it give alternative insights to a topic? Probably.

In a way it is like the early Wikipedia. Articles a bit sparse and low quality, but over time the quality has become better. I still wouldn?t trust Wikipedia for something critical, but for personal research and everyday discussions it perfect. I expect AC and other like it will serve the same purpose.

Finally, on the whole Adsense thing. Why not. You still have to click on the link before they get paid. If it isn?t relevant to you then don?t click on it.

As per the article. Who doesn?t want a site that gets high ranking in search engines and generates some revenue.

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