Ok, so I was snooping around AC forums for the latest news. Usually I just look at the post titles and click only when I think it would be interesting.


If you want to read all the bitching and moaning about AOL going in the direction of AC (which by the writers on Slate.com, Techdirt.com, insulted AC like hell...) check out these links:

• Slate.com = http://www.slate.com/id/2237107/pagenum/2
• Techdirt.com = http://www.techdirt.com/articles/200...56557154.shtml
• MarketPilgram.com = http://www.marketingpilgrim.com/2009...trategery.html

Basically, they are calling AC site/writers "crap" and AC forum writers are blaming AC for accepting crappy articles (some are blaming crappy writers). So make sure your articles are 100% crap free.

Do Not write like the AC writer, Sylvia Cochran!!!!


Pissing match over, what caught my attention is the fact that AOL maybe starting a content website.

http://www.seed.com/ Their site isn't up yet but they are accepting email addresses.

More information:
http://michellerafter.com/2009/11/30...friend-or-foe/

http://www.fastcompany.com/blog/kit-...news-writing?#



What do you guys think? Will Seed.com be another "made for ads" website like AssociatedContent? Will Seed give AC a run for their money?

Well, I signed up. There's no mention of any payment system, so we can hope for the best. They also haven't mentioned eligibility criteria for writers......US citizenship, etc

With AOL's past issues with unethical business practices, I think they would fit in well in the ad revenue/content production market lol. We'll have to see how it plays out, but I definitely can't see seed.com taking over and replacing AC's position in the market.

Mind you, if they offer higher upfront payments they'll attract more quality writers so you never know.

AOL needs to do something to turn themselves around after the past few years. They went from being one of the biggest internet providers to basically a joke. Hopefully this will take of and they will pay decently so we can all cash in while they try.

~UNdefy

AOL is dead. It was the most impractical service to have even when everyone used dial-up internet. No generic DUN support and it was as expensive as hell. I, for one, hope they just lock up their doors. The only thing they came out with that was any good was AIM because it was a minimal program compared to MSN & Yahoo, but they are working on ruining that now, too.

Obviously they aren't going to listen to me though. What's scary to think about though is that they have top rankings with Google, above AC. If they read these reports it could cause them to screen writers more than AC & in turn, us blackhat writers would be out of a job.

Here's a continuation of the interview with AC CEO Patrick Keane where he talks about this subject http://www.businessinsider.com/busin...ntent2-2009-11

AOL is a sinking ship.. Remember Warner dumped it

I would stay away from anything that is associated with AOL

Just letting everyone know that it looks like Seed.com has added more information about what they are all about. Check it out and let us know what you think.



http://www.seed.com/program-payment-terms/

From their FAQ @ http://academy.seed.com/faq/

Can anyone submit content?

We created SEED so that as many qualified writers and photographers as possible can connect with AOL’s large audience and earn money in the process. We only require that you be a U.S. resident and are 18 or older. When you join SEED, in order to claim any earnings your content has generated, you’ll need to provide a valid U.S. tax ID number and you’ll also be asked to complete a Form W-9.

***Personally, I think AOL is rather crazy not to go after the International markets but it remains to be seen if they are any good. I need to look over their site before deciding if I want to sign up.

I agree, it would have been a smart move to try to capture the International market and "1-up" AC's non US limitations. I think I'm going to wait and see what kind of feedback comes out after launch and take it from there as to signing up myself.

I didn't realize until watching that vid that the CEO of AOL has a 20% stake in AC, so this is definitely gonna get interesting.

I signed up for seed and submitted 3 articles already. I have 4 others claimed but I haven't started them yet. If they do get accepted, DAMN. Forget AC, forget Demand Studies,that's excellent money. The assignments are pretty easy but I imagine they're going to require excellent, extremely well-written articles.

However, if anyone's familiar with freelance writing as a FT job, Seed's pay is very much inline with what "real" freelancers charge for quality work. The $100 assignments? That's a pretty normal rate for what a freelancer would charge for a very well written and engaging article.

I'll report back once my stuff gets reviewed. The articles I wrote, in my opinion, are well-written and are what these AOL's sites would want. No way would I give them to AC for a measly $3, as they're not the same old boring content articles that I put up on AC...I added more of my personal voice to these articles, and I *think* that's what they want. Check holidash.com, stylist.com, greendaily.com for examples of what style of writing they're looking for, as these are sites this Seed stuff will appear on, should they buy your work.

I guess they could put up a review system on signup for international writers. That way, they would get only the best guys from all over the world, which would put them way ahead of AC,DS,etc! But nobody's listening!

Well given that AOL's recent news feeds were really horrible which I know personally led to pushing away people from their site this just might be a better idea for them.

I'm personally curious as to what they are paying out for articles. if its the 2-4 dollars similar to what AC pays I think they should expect to get what they pay for. The major reason why AOL like many other companies wants only US writers is because 2-4 dollars for an article in the states would be considered BULL, but in some overseas countries would be decent money.

If aol is paying BULL they should be happy with articles that are BULL. You get what you pay for! A multimillion dollar company located in a country that is in recession right now should creat job opportunities for people to feed families, not pay pennies on the dollar expecting to get top quality material.

I just cant stand how the really big companies are getting away with all this filth. The government slaps many companies, big(walmart) and small(local moms and pops) for hiring illegal aliens and paying them below legal wages yet they let a company such as AOL get away with paying $2.00 an article.

At the same time I do acknowledge that we do have article companies that are paying good money, for well written articles. So, I do give credit were it is deserved.

I guess this is why we have blackhat to get even with these b****s

Well, if AOL are paying rates like HappyHolidays says then maybe someone here who is in the states would be interested in a JV???? Pretty please lol

BTW What I find hilarious is that they automatically assume that just because someone is a US citizen that makes them a good writer lol...

I dont think that they are assuming that, rather they prefer to pay the US residents vs. non US residents.

A little crap's great for page views

Originally Posted by Millygirl

Ok, so I was snooping around AC forums for the latest news. Usually I just look at the post titles and click only when I think it would be interesting.


If you want to read all the bitching and moaning about AOL going in the direction of AC (which by the writers on Slate.com, Techdirt.com, insulted AC like hell...) check out these links:

• Slate.com = http://www.slate.com/id/2237107/pagenum/2
• Techdirt.com = http://www.techdirt.com/articles/200...56557154.shtml
• MarketPilgram.com = http://www.marketingpilgrim.com/2009...trategery.html

Basically, they are calling AC site/writers "crap" and AC forum writers are blaming AC for accepting crappy articles (some are blaming crappy writers). So make sure your articles are 100% crap free.

Do Not write like the AC writer, Sylvia Cochran!!!!


Pissing match over, what caught my attention is the fact that AOL maybe starting a content website.

http://www.seed.com/ Their site isn't up yet but they are accepting email addresses.

More information:
http://michellerafter.com/2009/11/30...friend-or-foe/

http://www.fastcompany.com/blog/kit-...news-writing?#



What do you guys think? Will Seed.com be another "made for ads" website like AssociatedContent? Will Seed give AC a run for their money?

Posted via Mobile Device

does anyone know what this new site is paying? if its more than AC then i will consider switching to this and making money off of it

Thanks so much for this. The more outlets a writer can use, the better!

I checked out Seed the other day. The payments are so much better! However they want you to do to much to get them. i.e take a picture at the xyz award ball in Houston, TX $30.00 Interview x number of people with diabetes $30.00. The payments look nice, but I won't begin touching those until I can see something a little more realistic. If I had access to the award ball I am sure I would be paying more than $30 to get in, plus a dress etc. They are new though, let's see how it pans out.

Originally Posted by ViciouS

does anyone know what this new site is paying? if its more than AC then i will consider switching to this and making money off of it

The jury is still out with them and their pay system. People started submitting to them a few weeks ago but no one has been paid for anything yet. In the AC forums there's a lot of speculation about them baiting people in with offers of high upfronts, but no one has been paid for their efforts.

The other thing with Seed is that they're apparently claiming to offer really high upfronts (again, to bait people in) but what they're doing is letting many writers claim that same article and only paying out to one person. (or so they're claiming that they're paying, again, no one has been able to confirm). What this means is that you can write dozens of articles and not make a dime. Even worse than that, they are apparently KEEPING the rights to your articles whether they are paying you or not.

I hope like hell Seed ends up being legit, but as of right now it's looking pretty shady. If they do end up being legit I will do my best to come up with a system to BH them.

If anyone sees any kind of payment from these guys, please post up.

Originally Posted by redtide1969

The jury is still out with them and their pay system. People started submitting to them a few weeks ago but no one has been paid for anything yet. In the AC forums there's a lot of speculation about them baiting people in with offers of high upfronts, but no one has been paid for their efforts.

The other thing with Seed is that they're apparently claiming to offer really high upfronts (again, to bait people in) but what they're doing is letting many writers claim that same article and only paying out to one person. (or so they're claiming that they're paying, again, no one has been able to confirm). What this means is that you can write dozens of articles and not make a dime. Even worse than that, they are apparently KEEPING the rights to your articles whether they are paying you or not.

I hope like hell Seed ends up being legit, but as of right now it's looking pretty shady. If they do end up being legit I will do my best to come up with a system to BH them.

If anyone sees any kind of payment from these guys, please post up.

Very much appreciated for the information.. I'd also like to know if anyone hears of them paying out. There is no way that I'm gonna go to them unless they are legit

@Red, I've seen talk about non-payment. Thanks for your review of things. I haven't signed up. In fact, I can't sign up. Seed seems to only take writers on US soil even though there are plenty of citizens holding US passports living abroad.

I found this article on Business Insider. I don't know how creditable it is.

AOL Tried To Buy Associated Content
http://www.businessinsider.com/three...ontent-2009-12

No problem Milly,

After reading that story I now have even less faith in Tim Armstrong's ability to pull this thing off. One thing that was interesting was the amount they estimated AC would go for if there is a buy out at one point.

That's some serious dough

I just joined this site after seeing the payouts offered. I submitted 3 articles that promised payments between $25 and $40. After reading the above posts, I'm crossing my fingers about actually getting paid. But I was skeptical from the start, considering how much higher this is compared to AC or, even worse, sites like Mechanical Turk. On the other hand, I may be naive in asking this, but how can a huge site like AOL just rip people off in such a blatant fashion? Whatever you may think of AOL, it's not like an anonymous pyramid scheme or HYIP program running out of the Cayman Islands -you'd think that they'd have to adhere to at least some semblance of ethical practices. They do say in their terms of service that if they reject the article that you (the writer) retain rights to it. But I wasn't clear about how many writers could claim the same article. It almost looks like once you claim it, it's no longer available, but that would be too easy I guess. So it seems you are really sending out articles on spec. You could, of course, always resubmit them to AC if Seed doesn't accept them.

Hey! I visit a whitehat work from home site from time to time....here's what I have read....apparently A 0 L is still working out the bugs. They do send an e-mail if your submission was turned down, but unfortunately they don't tell you why. One person on that board was paid $25 for a 400 word article on craft paints, but her other article was turned down. Their turnaround time is 5 business not calendar days, and they have a lag time right now, so it may be longer. First part of next year they have plans to make their FAQ section more comprehensive. I still have not submitted an article to them, but I have been watching this thread and the one on the other site. HTH

I guess that explains why I haven't heard anything about any of my articles yet, even though the site claimed that a decision would be made by 12/21. I just think it's a bit misleading if an unlimited number of writers can "claim" an assignment. This will be especially true as it becomes better known and more people start submitting articles.

Can an assignment be claimed only once, or can it be claimed by multiple contributors?

Multiple contributors can submit against the same assignment (up until the due date) and it is up to each SEED editor's discretion if they choose to purchase a single submission or multiple submissions from the same assignment.

Same kind of concept as Constant-Content I guess in terms of multiple writers per assignment.

Seed can accept multiple articles on the same title. IE If the article pays $10 and they accept 10 people, everyone gets a buck. The minimum payout is $10 for the PREVIOUS month's work. They pay monthly.

According to W A H M forum people have been paid. The acceptance rate seems to be around 10% of the articles submitted. They are writing for Seed and then putting rejections on A C.

The average turn around time seems to be about 2 weeks or longer. Articles stay pending forever.

Articles don't even begin the review process until the time expires on the title. If you write an article that expires in say 14 days.. you'll have a MINIMUM wait of 20 days before you find out if the article is approved or not. Some articles are as far out as a year from now.

New article titles are a minimum. If you consider the sheer volume of writers submitting articles, the title pool is very sparse and skimpy. You could do all the work for a $100 article and end up with 50 cents or a buck for the amount you receive... or nothing if it's rejected.

If you're good at photography, the quality of pictures Seed wants for $30 or less on most (IF you're the only one paid) .. you could put up on one of the stock websites and generate money from them that way.

I was very excited about them until I read all the fine print and the W A H M forum about them. :-(