This is a public-interest archive. Personal data is pseudonymized and retained under GDPR Article 89.

Webseed

At 06:55 PM 3/17/2002 -0800, you wrote:
>Dear garden writers:
>
>I have run into a situation on-line that caused me to quickly drop three
>different columns last week.  Webseed is now proposing charging writers to
>publish there.  Somehow, this seems really backwards to me.  THEY want to
>make money from my work but not give me any money in return unless I go out
>and sign up with a bunch of affiliate programs (limited to 5 per page) and
>put up with their commisioned ads on each page of my site.

Hmm, Diana let me suggest you go back and read what has been published by 
Webseed. There is the option of signing up for affiliate programmes *if* 
you want to but there is no need to do so if you don't want to. (I for one 
have no affiliate links on my sites)  The way you make money from webseed 
is the same way you make money from any other website that is *not* hiring 
you directly as a content provider.  You sell something.  In the case of 
Webseed, you can sell ad space, you can sell affiliate ad space or you can 
sell content - your own or someone else'.   Webseed makes their money by 
selling a few ad spaces on your site.  In return they provide a free site 
and content publication database system.  You *can* do it yourself with 
your own product and layout distribution but I'm not sure you can do it as 
easily; but that's only my .02

Webseed has been in turmoil lately as they search for a working content 
distribution system.  What's new? :-)  The entire web - all content 
providers - are trying to figure out how to make money on providing 
content.  From Audette media to Click-Z to Jay Abraham, the Wz and Suite101 
- -  everybody is trying to come up with a system that will allow them to 
provide content and be paid for it.  IMHO - Webseed is simply doing a good 
job at recognizing the reality of the web and trying to make it work 
without incurring tons of debt.

>What is your take on webseed right now?

Struggling to make a profit but honest about the changes.



>AM I IN THE WRONG HERE?  The overseer of webseed just sent out a newsletter
>saying something to the effect that the ones complaining loudest about being
>charged are being the harshest in our criticism.  I AM SORRY but a part of
>me feels like he is USING ME to make money for himself.  I totally
>understand that everyone needs to make money to keep large communities of
>writers running, but there has to be a way where the revenue is shared with
>the writer without turning us into salesmen too.

Again, if you read the posts, you'll understand that Webseed has less than 
half of the ad spaces on each site (the writer has many more opportunities 
to make money than webseed)  Webseed is not making enough money from the 
ads they have to generate enough money from its portion to pay for the 
infrastructure.  **Not only that but webseed never promised to pay a writer 
for content.** They were always about sharing advertising space and 
associated revenues. They were always about giving writers control over 
their content and providing the ability to sell that content directly to 
readers.

Webseed provides an infrastructure for you to make money from.  If you 
choose to use *that* infrastructure fine - - if you choose to use another 
infrastructure such as doing it yourself then that is fine.  In both cases, 
you'll find yourself having to act as a salesperson to make money.  Either 
you're selling advertising or you are selling content.  My own experience 
is that writers are indeed salespeople.  You have to sell your product to a 
publisher, an agent, a publicist, a reading public.  My wife and I were 
chatting with one of Canada's best known writers two month or so ago and 
she was just getting on the publicity tourboat - to *sell* her latest book 
worldwide.  She's still doing it - she figure she takes 2 years to write a 
book and then 6 months selling it on tours by her publisher.  Whether you 
like to see yourself in that vein or not - writers have to sell if they 
want to succeed and every successful writer will tell you the same if they 
are being honest.

In economic terms, somebody has to pay you to write.  The reader, yourself 
by subsidizing your time by working away from the word processor, a 
publisher -- somebody pays you and you have to sell that content.  I note 
that it is always easiest to subsidize yourself and most writers do. 
;-)  Like it or not - all small business people (including writers) are 
salespeople.  IMHO any writer who doesn't think they should sell their own 
writing is living in - and being subsidized by - an ivory tower somewhere.

To the point that those who have the smallest sites complain the loudest 
and are the most vitriolic - well, you only have to go to the webseed 
bulletin board to see this in action.  Many of the posts there demonstrate 
that many so-called writers (and I'm *not* accusing you of being a 
so-called writer) ;-) believe that webseed owes them a free site and free 
support and generous payments etc for their "writing".  Visiting their 
sites disabuses the notion that some of these people are writers in any 
sense of the traditional word.  Again - no slight to you or your writing - 
- only you (and perhaps the gwaa Golden Globe Awards - hey Suzi, there's a 
plug) ;-) can be the judge of whether you are a good writer and don't fit 
that particular paint brush stroke.  Enter your site/writing into next 
year's Golden Globes if you are convinced you are a good writer.


</rant warning>

Having said all that - let me point out that no person or institution owes 
writers the opportunity to make money.  The Internet is creating a sea 
change for all publishers and we are moving into the age of every writer 
becoming his/her own publisher, running their own publishing 
house.  Traditional publishers are not making tons of money right now and 
the simple counting of pages in your favourite garden magazine will prove 
the point.

Garden writers are going to be harder hit than almost any other genre of 
writer and the quicker you folks figure this out, the better for your long 
term financial security.  Gardeners used to read basic magazines to find 
"stuff" out.  "How deep do I plant XX?"  "When can I plant my YY?"  All 
this stuff is available for free on the Net.  It sits there and as the Y 
generation become gardeners, these very computer literate people use the 
Net as their primary source of information.  They do not use print as their 
primary source as the boomers did.  The boomers may indeed have been the 
last cohort to rely on print.  My kids (oldest is 27) use the Net as I used 
a telephone book - with ease and familiarity.

Get paid to write?   All you have to do now is figure out what it is you 
are indeed selling. Are you selling content? Voice? Celebrity status? 
Whatever???  This is now the question that you have to answer.

Webseed is trying to find a way to allow writers to sell content directly 
to readers. I'm playing with webseed as one way of tracking the changes - 
to see what works for them - to see what the future of publishing looks 
like from that particular point of view.  It is only one point of view but 
they seem nimble enough to figure stuff out and find a working model.  If 
they dont - well, it was a glorious ride and interesting experience.

</end rant> :-)

The Net is a fascinating place and it is indeed changing how professional 
writers work.  I for one am tremendously excited about these changes and am 
working to figure them out so I can indeed make money by using the 
system.  I understand GWAA has charged the newly expanded technology 
committee with working towards helping other GWAA members obtain 
information about the Net.

  "May you live in interesting times" indeed. :-)

Doug
Douglas Green,
Freelance writing: You've got a story to tell - I can write it.
http://www.simplegiftsfarm.com/clips/clipmaster.htm

============================================================
Send the World's most popular eCards:  birthdays, holidays,
and more.  Send as many eCards as you want all YEAR long.  
Click here to join Blue Mountain Unlimited!
http://click.topica.com/caaaiMabUrGSSbVSZwBf/BlueMountain
============================================================

GWL has searchable archives at: 
http://www.hort.net/lists/gardenwriters/
If you have photos for GWL, send them to gwlphotos@hort.net and they will show up at  http://www.hort.net/lists/gwlphotos/ 
**************************************************

==^================================================================
This email was sent to: topica.com@spamfodder.com

EASY UNSUBSCRIBE click here: http://topica.com/u/?bUrGSS.bVSZwB
Or send an email to: Gardenwriters-unsubscribe@topica.com

T O P I C A -- Register now to manage your mail!
http://www.topica.com/partner/tag02/register
==^================================================================
Other Mailing lists | Author Index | Date Index | Subject Index | Thread Index