Demand Studios Complaints: 4 Reasons Why It Sucks
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DS: Don't Do It 2 Yourself
Let me start off by saying that I once ventured into the Valley of the Damned and actually worked for Demand Studios. Does this make me biased? Of course! Now that we've gotten that out of the way, it's worth noting that the company bills itself as "the leader in social media solutions," which means they probably have a posted answer to any question you'll ever ask. DS accomplishes this by getting journalists to pen 300 - 400 word articles based around any number of questions like "How To Make Peanut Butter & Jelly Sandwiches" and "How To Fix A Flat Tire." They use algorithms that guarantee high positions in Google searches. Why is this important? Wired.com revealed that Demand Studios cleared more than $200 million dollars last year based on ad revenue and product upsells found on their articles. About $19 million went back into running the company, paying staff and its freelance online writers.
DS shares very little ad revenue with the writers -- far less than its online competitors. For providing the content which generated $200 million in a single year for the company, writers are compensated less than four cents per word for each article. The average industry pay scale for writers, though, is between .50 and $1 per word. Yet, newsroom closures across the country combined with widespread staff layoffs have caused experienced journalists to become desperate for work. While it's not criminal for Demand Studios to position itself in such a way as to take advantage of this despair, it is but one of the four reasons for why they suck.
1. $15 Articles: The company insists on receiving polished, in-depth articles that have been well researched and referenced. This is standard criteria for publications that adequately compensate the work of its writing staff. But this same criteria can't be used by a company that's only giving you $15 bucks. It's like going to McDonalds and demanding the same quality of food you'd find at Mortons Steakhouse restaurant. It just ain't gonna happen.
2. Inept Editors: Demand Studios own message boards are flush with complaints from writers who decry ridiculous edits and requests for rewrites from DS editors, known as "CEs" or copy editors. CEs can choose which articles they edit, much in the same way that writers select the questioned topics. Oftentimes, though, the CEs won't have much knowledge into the subject matter they're attempting to edit, as evidence by CE comments like "This article is about building a tool shed in a backyard. But you don't explain how to use a hammer with nails." Don't laugh. That's not the best one. This is: "You're not providing enough information. You must explain how the wings are removed from a buffalo before you talk about cooking buffalo wings." The copy editors have the power to reject any article they don't like or understand which costs the writer in lost revenue and wasted time.
3. Low Revenue Sharing: While sites like HubPages offers to share up to 50% of its generated revenue with its writers, Demand Studios opts to hoarde the wealth -- refusing to disclose how much a particular article generates or even the percentage they share with the writer. Although most DS writers don't initially realize it, pennies earned through its limited revenue sharing program and $15 article they just sold can earn the company thousands of dollars in Google AdSense revenue. Many journalists continue to apply print sensibility to online portals, and this is where potential revenue eludes them. Writers who later become aware of this can't take their work with them. First rights was sold to the company when they accepted the $15 payment. The articles will continue to generate enormous sums of money for DS just as long as the topic remains popular.
4. Slow Editing Process: Having a CE edit copy is like watching honey pour through the spout of a plastic bear. Your articles can sit in the editing que for days on end. And while DS touts that it pays its writers twice each week, the copy they write must first be edited by a copy editor, who then moves it forward for payment processing. But they have to get to it first. And if they request a rewrite? That's another few days of wasted time. The payment cycle often passes before your article is edited. But don't blame the CE. Demand Studios is the company that hired someone who wants you to explain to him in detail how sugar, water and lemons combine to create lemonade.
To sum up, writing for Demand Studios is a waste of time, effort and potential revenue. Experienced journalists can generate more money from portals like HubPages in the long run than DS.
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I agree, my Wife has written for them in the past. She is a English major, and has published work. And had non-stop editor requests that made NO SENSE! She quit writing for them because it was a waste of time.
Thanks for the info. I was thinking of working with them but after reading your post, the hell with DS.
It's also becoming a bit of a cult. Check out the discussion about Tony Silber's column (http://www.foliomag.com/2010/demand-media-can-go-h
It's creepy.
I'm staying put, though, because a few hundred extra bucks a month comes in handy when things get bad...
I didn't have a good experience with Demand Studios. I even stopped doing rewrites altogether since one editor would say one thing for you to change, then another would come behind the first one and tell you something completely different. It was a huge waste of time.
I am currently working with Demand Studios, and I absolutely agree. You try and balance $15/hr, and then watch it slowly depleting as you look for adequate sources, or god forbid have to deal with editors "demands." I've been requested to rewrite entire articles, which you have to translate content based on their title which is simply a short phrase. I got in to it with an editor over an article titled: "homemade wood stove water heater." By 'got in to it' I mean I yelled at my monitor for 20 minutes and quit writing for them for a week. I wrote an article on how to turn an old water heater in to a wood stove, and it took me hours. The editor felt it should be written about how to make a wood stove heat a water heater. The problem is, at this point you have to rewrite the entire article, which means you've already wasted time and money. On top of that, you only get two edits on any article, and I'd already used one up to be told it was not the right article. I sent a plea to Demand Studios for my article, stating that I didn't want to rewrite it and could they please accept it as it is... they sided with the editor. They ALWAYS side with the editor. This has happened on more than one occasion. Now, faced with extensive rewrites I opt to drop the article and let it expire rather than wasting hours of my time attempting to start over on something that I didn't want to write in the first place. I still write for Demand Studios because the entry level writing market here in Seattle is pretty much non-existent. Internships have become free instead of even paying minimum wage, and I need money. I've also noticed that there is a lot less content that I want to write about this week, which could possibly mean that Demand Studios has blocked me from certain subjects and articles in their database (as I've heard they do). I have to pay rent, and this is all I've got right now, I simply don't have the time to solicit my freelance services and write.
Put me on the sick of the demands of Demand band wagon. They have a suggested word limit of 400 to 500 words on most $15 articles and I am still getting rewrites asking for additional sections that would put the article well over the word limit. Are the editors aware that we only get 15 bucks for these things? I can go along swimmingly with very few rewrites and then suddenly receive a nutty requests from a masochistic editor who seems to object to the fact that I couldn't read his mind. If Demand paid a fair price, I wouldn't mind so much. Rewrites are part of the process. But for $15 a pop, forget it. I'm moving on to greener pastures. Many editors are cordial and professional, but some are insanely picky and a few are insulting. One or two have been downright mean. The requirements for articles continues to increase as the payment stays the same. We are now required to search for photos and write captions, adding to the time it takes to complete an article. Now, we hear that Demand is making such a huge profit from our hard work? See ya, Demand!
Content used by cretins, edited by morons. I despise those cocksuckers at Demand Studios. There is a good reason their "editors" remain anonymous. It spares them a savage thrashing.
When desperate for work, there is always some scum sucking company ready to take advantage. That's the DS way. Fucking bastards.
I have worked for Demand and thoroughly enjoyed the experience. I've often found that the people who whine about the company are untalented malcontents who simply can't cut it. Demand employs over 5,000 writers. How many writers are participating in this exchange? That says a great deal, doesn't it?
I was actually fired from Demand Studios today. My offense was that I used Wikipedia to help augment and explain what an electric drum is in greater detail. The irony is that I was attempting to pacify a copy editor who insisted that I write overviews to the comprehension level of an eight year old. I felt that was absolutely wrong. I only wrote for Demand Studios less than a month, and made it clear that I wanted to continue but they felt the use of Wikipedia without giving the site credit was so egregious they had to sever ties. I'm not bothered in part because the pay was so low and requests for rewrites very questionable. Hopefully another company will borrow from the Demand Studios template, find stronger editors and offer a higher rate of pay for writers.
UPDATE*
"Robert Connor" is actually a Demand Studios shill named Richard Lally, who is a "Content Curator" at the company. I emailed him to let him know that I found this web page and intended to share my experiences. I simply emailed him out of courtesy to let him know I wasn't sharing my experiences out of malice. Minutes later, this "Robert Connor" appears and I receive a veiled threat from Lally who said the following: "If you want to get into a public debate over this, I'll be happy to publish our exchange, along with your interpretation of the rules governing attribution. I won't edit a word. We can let other writers decide the issue." This is the caliber of employee that Demand Studios has at its headquarters in Santa Monica, California. It appears the complaints about a lack of professionalism are well founded.
You forgot to add that writers will only be paid revenue share for 5 years, after that Demand Studios keeps 100% of the profits that your article brings in.
I thought this article was very funny and somewhat true. (Okay, more true than not). I write for Demand Studios and just received a rewrite request from a CE asking me to explain how a screwdriver is used to remove screws. Seriously. If I wasn't so hard up for money right now, I would NOT be writing for these dweebs. But I really need the money. *heavy sigh*
Well, off to explain to this CE how a screwdriver works....but then again, if this person doesn't already know how a screwdriver works on screws, I don't think they're truly qualified to be copy editors.
I wrote for demand studios for about 3 months, the first month was great. I made like 500 bucks in a week and i was pretty much amazed. I thought to myself, "well that was easy, i'm sure i can make $500 every week and ill be good to pay for school!". Well after the first week, every week after that became progressively worse. More bullshit rewrites, more insulting editors and more wasted time.
Honestly, who the hell wants to spend 30 minutes to 1 hour writing an article for $15 dollars that gets sent back to you for a full rewrite based upon editor "interpretation". Even if you do waste another hour completely rewriting it, the editor can just reject it and you don't get paid a red cent for 2 hours of work! What kind of bullshit is that!
I just got a rewrite for not being detailed enough to the title of an article which for the topic is pretty much impossible. I spent another 10 minutes filling out a "rewrite appeal" form. You can send these forms to the editorial team if you think a rewrite is bullshit basically. The only problem is they don't even get back to you 50% of the time, and if they do, they almost always side with the editor.
If they don't approve my appeal, fuck demand studios i'm gone! Tired of wasting my time!
P.S The people who are "happy" at demand studios are like people who are "happy" working at call centers.
Their editors are unquestionably the dumbest pieces of shit on the earth.
Worst decision of my life to struggle through the ludicrous assignments, bullshit pay and asshole editors. Demand Studios emplys two kinds of editors: atupid simps and cocksuckers, with considerable overlap among those groups.
For every DS editor I ever had to explain how to change a lightbulb or answer the question, "what's engineering?" I say now: Fuck you and die.
This must be the group of semi-literates whose work almost approaches English. We don't like you types much either. I can't understand how someone can grow up in this country speaking this language, and not know the basics of how to put words together. You're all morons.
You nailed it, Tom.
It seems to me that many of those who have commented here think they are god's gift to writing and are shocked to find out that they aren't. Bravo to the editors at Demand Studios for helping you find the door!
How much are you getting paid to suck off Demand Studios, you bottom-feeding schills? All of you are low-rent motherfuckers & assholes.
We work for ourselves, dipshit. DS is a client. The difference between DS writers and DS CEs is that we have actual professional experience doing what we do. We wouldn't be at DS if the publishing industry wasn't in complete shit. So now we're forced to work with illiterate assholes who get all self-righteous when we piss all over their shitty excuse for "writing." That's right, I said it.
Take your $3.50 and buy yerself a dictionary. Or a Dick & Jane primer. In a few years, you'll be ready for the AP stylebook. Maybe.
Little Tommy sounds rather bitter. Demand Studios sounds like a bad joke.
I heard about this thread bashing DS and wanted to see if it is as amusing as I was told.
I spent a few months cranking out nonsense titles for $15 articles. it soon became apparent that the money and time commitment just didn't match up. A writer either clings to standards of quality and realizes a net pay below minimum wage, or bangs out as much drek as quickly as possible and loses a little soul to a vast behemoth of a "publishing company" that is really only using this content to sell advertising.
Oh, and I must echo the sentiments of other writers who posted here: the Demand Studios editors realy and truly are the dumbest individuals I've ever encountered in two decades of professional writing. If those morons get $3.50 per article, they are overpaid.
I've seen both sides of the DS debate and looked at articles on eHow, which I beleive is owned by this content mill that calls itself Demand Studios. Aside from this guy "Tom" revealing an obvious frustration that he is unable to secure better, more professionally satisfying editing work, he makes the assertion that the writing is on a third-grade level. This seems appropriate, considering the target audience for these articles. If someone really cannot fathom how to change a lightbulb or remove a stain from a blouse, writing to that individual on a third-grade level would seem the best way to instruct this particular demographic.
A skilled, experienced editor with some semblance of intelligence would understand that.
For all the allegedly thousands of Demand Studios writers this lousy company claims to hire, I have not heard a single credible writer say anything positive about this outfit. The happy ones are invariably exposed as company schills. Demand Studios: the lowest circle of Hell.
I have occasionally written for DS when things were slow elsewhere. I currently work as an editor for a print publication.
The issue with DS for me, as with many others is the editing. The "CEs" claim years of experience, but edit at the level of 8th or 9th graders. I have never worked with more unprofessional and uneducated people in my 22-year career.
When a writer appeals to the "Help Desk", they usually get "no help". If they do happen to get someone higher up to agree, the CE can still Reject the article. For no given reason. While they may get the higher ups to agree and "overturn" the Rejection, the writer is still not paid for the piece. So, ultimately, the unprofessional CE is in control of the entire process.
The DS idea is good, but they have too many issues with CEs to be ultimately successful in providing quality articles.
Agreeing with Hayley. The so-called "editors" at Demand Studios are too stupid to live. They would, in fact, die, if breathing was not an involuntary reflex becuause the stupid bastards would forget to do it.
Yes, DS editors are fools. Rude little cocksuckers, too. That's because the DS system lets CEs remain anonymous. If CEs ever showed their asses, they would see what it feels like to have a baseball bat swung full force into their soft, canteloupe faces.
@ Jim:
Yes. I'd buy a ticket to that show for a dollar.
I've been stuck a few times with an imbecile for an editor, but even if the article was rejected, I have always been able to find another title either identical or sufficiently close that I could just cut & paste the rejected article into a new submission. Odds are, you'll get a different imbecile editor who will approve the damned thing, no questions asked. This has happened to me 100 percent of the time. It always gets approved when a different editor looks it over. Ridiculous. There's no consistency to anything at Demand Studios. The rules change depending on which dumbass is interpreting them in his or her official capacity as a "content editor." Sometimes you're at the mercy of a petty tyrant who really needs to have his ass handed to him. Activating the shithead's dental plan wouldn't be a bad idea, either. It's the luck of the draw. You're gonna cross paths with a certain number of assholes in this life. Problem is, most of them seem to be "editors" at Demand Studios.
are fucking idiots. The biggest losers in the business. Demand Studios editors are such fucking losers that if there was a contest for world's sorriest losers, those motherfuckers would still come in second place. God, I hated that piece of shit place.
I'm one of the hated CEs many of you are railing against. I'm fairly certain that I've never edited any of your copy, as I don't demean or "over analyze" writers. I simply point out the blacklisted references writers sometimes use, correct misspellings and tense phrases, then ask for clarity on sentences when needed. Does this make me a "loser?" I can't comment on other CEs, but I for one know that I would never do the things being attributed to some copy editors at Demand Studios.
Edits? Yes. Rewrites? NO!
Why the fuck would anybody rewrite an entire article for $15 dollars? I just got two rewrite requests from CEs telling me to add more information, and to find another reference since he couldn't find info to back up something I wrote in one of the sentences. FUCK YOU! Just because you can't read well means I have to go back and find another reference? The info you're asking about is IN that reference!
And F.Y.I, there is more than enough information in both of those stories. These fucking CEs are unfuckingbelievable.
I have found that trying to explain something to a Demand Studios "Editor" is like trying to get a retarded person to grasp simple concepts such as How to Change a Lightbulb. It's mostly a waste of time, although a few "content editors" would occasionally catch on to the fact that I was mocking their dumb asses. DS really is a nxious and depressing place to earn survival cash while completing bigger and better projects. Caveat lector: avoid those idiots as you would a venereal disease.
This has got to be the most hilarious blog ever written about Demand Studios. I'm a DS writer as well, and yes, the editing system is ridiculous. I've had a couple cordial editors; but overall, it can get frustrating writing for DS--you never know just who's going to edit your work.
Seeing it through and through, I personally think that DS has a lot to look into. The main thing - their CE's. I have written more than 100 articles for them. I was supplied with a 5000 word guideline manual at start and these CE's seems to contradict their own rules at various junctions.
Some horrible experiences with these guys ...I think before sending the article for re-writes they should be consistent with actually what they want. The article topics selector and the article checker lack consistency and have a huge communication gap. We, the writers are suffering due to this. I am a pro writer and DS has not gone down too well with me either!!
I have readc the weak-ass protestations of DS content editors on this thread. Thanks for the laff, boys & girls. The fact is, content editors are ignorant, unsophisticated petty tyrants who cower behind a protective shroud of anonymity to issue their goofy, contradictory instructions that must be followed if the writer expects to get $15 for such breathless prose as How to Earn Survival Cash by Working for Morons Writing Articles for Morons, All Without Blowing a Gasket, Tracking Down Content Editors and Beating the Immortal Sh!t Out of Them.
Fuck Demand Studios. Their bullshit content contributes to the downfall of Western Civilization.
I thank ye. Goodnight.
Don't you hate when a CE sends you a few corrections he wants, and then when you make the damned corrections he still rejects the article as being too thin? Why the heck didn't he say that first? Sorry for the rant but this CE pissed me off by doing that.
Demand Studios is a place for masochists and the desperate. I got out as quickly as I could generate a client database with regular, reliable work. DS might be a stop-gap for writers needing food money before the end of the month, but Holy Shiva & Ramadan, that is a gawdforsaken lousy place for a writer to toil. I laffed my ass off at the "Forum" posts from Demand Studios lackeys who would get themselves all wet with excitement over some new initiative that translated into: "Hi Boys & Girls! here is some new bullshit for you to do that involves extra work for the same rotten pay so we can make more money. I estimate that for every $15 article posted on a DS website, the bastards at DS generate $200 in advertising revenue over the life of the article.
Most of the content is utterly worthless. The pay is shit. The content editors are dumber than snail shit.
Why is this nasty place still in business?
Oh John, the forums on Demand Studios are a laugh-a-minute. Especially the PLANTS they have. One "writer" says he produces 20 articles daily in around 3 hours earning himself $5000 a month. If you do the math, that means he is beating the Guiness World Record for fastest typing by about 50 strokes per minute. He also claims to have perfect "scores" on some report card they keep on writers.
I have worked as an editor for New York magazine for over a decade. After having a writer sign-up and write for Demand Studios to do an article on the business, it is my opinion that the "CEs" as they refer to them, are probably cast-offs, fired from other jobs for poor performance. A copy editor with good standing and experience would not subject themselves to working for that low of a wage. If they had actual experience, the least they would do is work as a writer allowing themselves to earn approximately twice what they are making scanning articles.
These are apparently ego-driven, career failures. This would account for the rude comments and anger issues displayed in the rewrites sent to my writer.
As previously mentioned, the way Demand Studios is structured, the "CEs" run the business. They would be very wise to consider hiring editors in good standing if they wish to continue.
Hmm, I'm a 'real' writer, and a writer for Demand. Not a shill, as I assume that would pay a bit more. I've written over 2,500 articles and have only run up against one or two silly edits. Oh yes, many I didn't agree with, but that happens with nearly any publisher you work with for any length of time.
Demand isn't perfect (but neither is any other client I have written for). I also must say these posts are so juvenile with the 'motherfucking fuckity fuck' prose. I can't honestly believe a single one of the commentators here are real writers.
Richard Lally, by the way, isn't an employee of Demand Media. He is the owner. You know, the same guy that rocketed Myspace to fame and fortune. I'd trust his business sense a little more than some interweb trolls.
Jenny, you are a "writer" only in your imagination. Silly girl; your post is full of grammatical errors and comically ridiculous assertions of indignation. You scribble for DS only because you are unskilled and unable to sling your words together elsewhere for better pay.
Thanks for the chuckle.
Jenny, I am not one of the writers using the constant streams of obscenities, but I too am extremely frustrated by my experience so far working for DS. I do feel that DS is working out very well for some writers, which is why I thought I would give it a try. But having had experience writing for more credible (and much better-paying) publications, I can say that the DS business model is not friendly to writers at all, and not just because of the low rates. For what other kind of publication would you be given a five-word title and no other information to explain the subject of an article? What other venue that you would write for would give you no direct access to talk to editors? I've been a freelance writer for almost 10 years and have never had an article rejected, but I have at DS. The reason the article was rejected at DS was that it was an impossible topic with very little information on the subject. I spent 1 hour on research for the first write, was told I didn't have enough information on the rewrite request so I spent another couple hours on research. Between writing, rewriting and research, I spent four hours on an article that was well-written but just didn't meet their extremely vague definition, and ended up getting paid zero. Where else would you spend four hours working and accept no payment for it? It's bad enough that career-oriented writers are competing with people in India and Malaysia who are willing to write for $2 an hour or $1 for 10 articles on places like oDesk. Now we have writers who are so desperate for work here in the US that we are working for a comparably ridiculous standard for DS. The more writers are willing to work for such low wages for DS, the more it will continue to drive down wages for all of us.
"Richard Lally, by the way, isn't an employee of Demand Media. He is the owner. You know, the same guy that rocketed Myspace to fame and fortune. I'd trust his business sense a little more than some interweb trolls."
OMG! How FUNNY!
Is that fake Richie Lally-gagger telling people this now?
First trying to claim 3 best selling books. (none exist).. now he is responsible for Myspace?LOL..
Guess he was in on creating the Internet with Al Gore as well.
Chris DeWolfe and Tom Anderson created Myspace and were backed monetarily by Sanford Wallace, the self-professed king of spam.
Well.. now we know what kind of fools work for Demand don't we! LMAO!!
Anyone who thinks Richard Lally owns DS has been taking it up the ass con gusto.
http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.demandstudios.com/ui/images/staff/lally.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.demandstudios.com/staff.html&usg=__Fj8o
Not sure why ppl are bitter about Demand. It isn't the new yorker anymore than mcdonalds is a Kobe steakhouse. You know what you are getting. Titles are generated by searches. Write on them or don't. I like simple titles even if I'm more capable. I can make 15 dollars explaining how to change a lightbulb. It takes me 10 minutes to do it. I don't care if they make a grand off of that. That was an easy 15 and its not a personal Picasso I made. With 20000 topics u pick what u know and its easy. Don't take it personal because your style doesn't always fit theirs. Don't pick topics that take an hour to finish. ill make 30 an hour any day on crap I already know. They are clients. If u can't handle demand without expletives then who is the real professional? Good luck developing professional relationships elsewhere.
Another DS dumbass tries to speak from the heart and instead rips a great fart. Nice work, Cali. Now run along home like a good little fool.
I'm new to professional writing and make a few hundred dollars a month off of freelance work. If I calculated what I make by the hour as a writer it'd probably come in to under $10, because I lowball bids and spend too much time on perfecting projects as I try to build a portfolio and references.
So as a new writer, Demand Studios has its place. The pay is definitely no good at DS, but really not much less than I'd find freelancing elsewhere. If you combine finding assignments, researching, writing, editing, rewriting, and rejections, hourly it is probably around $10. But it is nice to have all of that low-hanging fruit to supplement my other freelance work and give me a real second income.
The huge advantage of DS for me at the moment is that it is mostly anonymous, and the people approving your work are not the ones paying for it. If I take on a project for under $100 elsewhere, it is less attractive because I have to interact with the client and find what they need and face their scrutiny until its done perfectly.
Hell, yes, DS is mostly anonymous; and it's a good thing, too. Most of the content editors deserve to have their own heads shoved up their asses for being tyrannical idiots. And any self-respecting writer who would work at that hell-hole had damn well better write under a pseudonym (that's a nom de plume or "pen name" for all you stupid content editors reading this). Any writer worth the name would die of embarrassment to be associated with Demand Studios. Sadly, the bullshit content churned out by that company will probably pollute the Internet with a rancid stench for a long time.
If someone would like to write a real expose' on fraud, Richard Lally would be a great topic.
His "3 best selling books" were not written by him. He is listed as a "contributor". In other words, he had an idea for a book/story. He's never actually been credited with writing anything.
His claims of being an editor/publisher cannot be verified. Nor can any of the articles he has supposedly written for "major publications".
He has multiple self-created websites touting himself as a great writer. No credible sources give him any such glory.
My biggest issue with Demand Studios is the poor content they are flooding the internet with. Back in the day, printing false information was punishable. Companies could be held liable for people being hurt by something they produced.
Now, Demand Studios places blatantly wrong information out there daily.
I've read articles from Demand Media on caring for flowers telling me to do things that I know as a gardener would kill the plants. I've also seen articles telling me the wrong time of the year to plant said flowers. The best was the suggestion to use a pesticide that is illegal.
The writers claim the CEs change the articles, which is possible. But in the long run, there is no excuse for flooding the internet with poorly written informational articles that are incorrect in their content.
It really sucks to have your article rejected for ridiculous "errors".If Demand Studios was a marketplace for buying content,it would be worse.Imagine if your article had to pass two walls of scrutiny ,first by a stupid editor and then by a stupid client.And then waiting for the stupid client to approve your article.Clients can be very unreasonable as well.
Demand Studios should put more tougher rules for CE positions and vetting.
Richard Lally, is not the owner, he's a Copy Curator and joined Demand studios in 2007. Thanks.
Demand studios or Demand Media doesn't pay by the hour, but by the article. It's $15.00 whether you spend 1 minute of 2 days writing the one article and that makes a big difference.
$15 is bullshit pay no matter how long it takers nad Demand Media monkeys know this. That joke of a compnay netted $200M last year and paid less than 10 percent of it to content suppliers, so the DS assholes have a clear idea of what the content is truly worth.
Regardless, I gave those fools a pink slip because their "content editors" are a disgrace to a craft I love and respect. The editors are just unbelievably stupid. It's like asking a short-order cook at McDonald's to oversee a meal prepared at the Four Seasons. Just a joke. I'm not even sure the so-called content editors know how to read.
Demand Studios...ah, what a ghastly content mill. The company, if it exists even a few more years, will be known as a paean to mediocrity, nonsense content and drivel allegedly created to help cretins succeed at tasks they have no business even attempting. This would also apply to the DS content editors, whose stupidity astounded me and the handful of unfortunate souls I knew who tried to make a few dollars writing for the site only to walk away in disgust. What a waste of time! Try writing 400 words on How to Change a Lightbulb, only to get a rewrite request from some fool editor saying he attempted to follow the instructions himself, only he didn't know what to do next after sticking his little dick in the lamp socket.
Shocking.
I genuinely feel sad for anyone who needs money so badly as to stoop to writing for the exploitative sonsofbitches at demand studios, yes, little "d" and little "s" to denote their inconsequential stature.
Bet me a dollar that ds is done, dark & shuttered before the year is out.
Yeah, those editors are nasty little bastards, copping an attitude and lording their $3.50 efforts over people trying to make a living. I have never encountered such ignorance rolled up into an astonishing package of arrogance under the faux title of "editor." Fucking bad joke, is more like it.
What I wouldn't give to break their noses with a 2x4. Wretched assholes.
What gets me is the scorecard they are now using to determine whether writers are performing "up to par." This is a completely subjective system, which is not only unfair to the writers but giving the editors too much power as well.
On top of that, writers are being judged based on their rejection rate. Half of the rejections writers incur are not their fault, but due to a disagreement with the editor's POV. DS says to appeal unfair rejections but even if you win the appeal, it still stays on your record. DS claims to "put a note in your file." Yeah, right. At the end of the day, the writer doesn't get paid for the overturned rejection and its there for all to see.
Yes, Demand Studios pays on time and work is always available, but the editors have too much damned power. It's getting worse everyday, which is why many writers either turn a blind eye or move on.
I think one of the reasons why Demand Studios CEs are such terribly incompetent misfits is because they edit our articles at home while watching TV,in the restaurant and rushing their errands.Not even half the attention will put in comprehending the articles.
The best way to resolve this is to hire full-time editors who have to commute everyday.A part-time editor will never edit fairly.
Demand Studios "editors" are terrible misfits because theydon't know what they are doing. They are fools. Imbeciles. Small-brained wipers of other people's bottoms.
Many have obviously been fired from other publishing jobs. How else to explain their little sissy, vindictive behavior and petty demands for inconsequential changes?
I used to laugh out loud at the pissy little comments some of these idiots would write. My main take-away from Demand Studios was, is and may forevermore be: Damn, what a sorry bunch of angry, damaged people they have toiling at DS for $3.50 per edited article. The desperation to edit for that kind of pay must bering out fear, frustration and anger in a "content editor." The only way the little fags can feel a sense of power is by making silly rewrite requests for article topics on which their ignorance is so profound as to be absolute. They act like jackals and swine, snorting in the dirt.
I wonder if they are even goddamned human beings.
I wrote for Demand Studios while I was job hunting after the magazine I worked for cut out all their freelance writers.
I understand why some of the writers work there. When you read the forums, most of them are down-on-their luck people who come from everything but writing backgrounds. One of the most outspoken people on their forums, singing the praises of all the CEs and Demand in general, is someone whose catering business went belly-up. These type of people cannot write anywhere else.
The staff is completely unprofessional on all levels.
The responses received, if you received a reply at all, from what they refer to as the Help Desk were poorly written and usually rude. Someone named "Eve" replied to a request I sent and said "The CE has more experience and education than you."
I beg to differ.
The CE misspelled everything but my name on the finished copy, so I highly doubt their level of education can compare to my Masters Degree. Any copy editor with the years of experience I have in the industry would not work for $3.00 an article, unless they have a bad reputation of poor work ethic.
The "finished product" they published of my work were hacked up articles with misinformation inserted. One published article had dosages changed for particular medications. It was a nightmare. I wrote to the Help Desk asking that the information be changed or the article be deleted, but was ignored. I quickly took my name off the account and used a pseudo. These types of practices could lead to death in certain instances.
Happily, I'm now writing for a L.A. based magazine and no longer have to deal with Demand.
I truly expect to see them in headlines soon in relation to lawsuits. You cannot publish misinformation without consequence.
I currently write for Demand Studios and just had an article rejected. I haven't been with the company long, but am concerned about submitting future assignments based on what I'm reading here. The rejection I got today was based on the editor not understanding the topic, which shouldn't be the fault of the writer. If this is just the beginning of having articles rejected based on an editor's lack of understanding then I may need to rethink my association with Demand Studios.
Welcome to the party, pal. it weon;t take long for a skilled writer to find better work. Meanwhile, try not to let the moron editors get you down. They are stupid assholes, no question, but nothing lasts forever. Stay true to your goals and remember that DS editors are sucking losers. Make a few bucks if necessary to get by, then move on to a better life.
DS is purgatory for real writers. Anyone tells you different, he's sucking on demand studios because he can't do better.
Some of you sound very angry. I understand why, but perhaps this bit of advice can help you. DON'T do rewrites. They're a waste of energy and time. I've been with Demand Studios for over a year and a half and only write for them once each month and spend less than four hours doing it. They pay for my cable, Netflix and utilities. The key is to write to topics you know, then send in as many as possible. The articles that don't get through immediately, just write off as the cost of doing business. The only time I would do a rewrite is if the CE is asking a standard question or wants another reference web site. Otherwise, ignore them. I do other work so I don't need them, but they do serve a purpose.
Glad you aren't bothered by walking away from work. If I write something for those jackoffs, I expect to be paid. There is no reason for a self-respecting professional to blow off a poayment because some stupid-asshole editor can't read, or spell, or think, which sadly is a triple-threat when dealing with most Demand Studios content editors. Bad enough that the pay sucks. Even worse just to ignore the fact that some fool is taking money out of your pocket because he is an embittered failure and a worthless editor who is determined to get back at the world by denying hard working people a payment that is already shit to begin with. Fuck Demand Studios. They should be shut down as a public service and their "editors" barred from ever again reviewing copy. Dumbest animals on the planet, that bunch. Now seeking volunteers to deliver kicks up the "editors'" asses as they head out the door. Fuck the lot of you.
DS forum is a disgrace. Heaven help the newbie who goes on there and dares to speak his or her mind. The "moderators" and the self-proclaimed "vets" gang up on anyone who has the audacity to do such a thing. The "moderators" are biased, siding with those who have been with the company longer, even when they clearly started the shit first. No professionalism whatsoever. And don't even bother to complain... that's just waste of time. They need to get real moderators or shut the forum down.
As I read these comments, I laugh. Most of y'all, I can see why you are so bitter about DS. Shoot, if I was a copy editor and you handed me such poorly-written swill as I'm reading in the comments here, I wouldn't waste time sending it back to you for rewrite. Instead I'd incinerate it and deny ever seeing it.
Here's the deal: I write for Demand Studios. I've been doing it for a few months, and I do it without illusions. Sure, many of the titles are inane. Sure, some of the CE's seem to have significant amounts of brain damage. Absolutely, the pay sucks, though it's not too far off from what I was making in newspaper work, years ago. I don't see DS as a career, or even as "exposure." But it is a paycheck, it is steady work, it fills in the gap between real clients, they do pay on time, and I don't see any of y'all making any better offers.
Enough of that. I'll step aside now and watch this debate continue. It is more fun than daytime TV, anyway.
Hey ericsomething,
You sound like a complete hypocrite. You're basically saying that you think DS is shit. You try to pretty it up with all that other nonsense, but shit is shit, no matter how many rose petals you adorn it with. DS is suppose to pay on time; they aren't doing us any favors there.
You come on here acting like you're better than everyone else...you're not. We're all working for the same lousy $15 bucks per article. If writers want to voice how they truly feel, let them. At least we're being honest about it. What you need to do is go find your missing baby daddy. You know, the one who abandoned you at birth so you never learned his last name, albeit Eric Something...two-faced bastard.
Great thread. Mostly spot-on observations about DS, especially critiques of those silly content editors. I thought it might be a decent sideline gig to pay a few bills, but I just don't have the patience or time it takes to bang out quick little articles on simple topics that allegedly seasoned copy editors cannot grasp. For wannabes and the cash-strapped desperate, DS may provide a short-term solution. Anyone who can do better won't bother with the simpletons at DS. Especially those editors. Good Lord, what a barrel of monkeys. LOL.
I'll leave this sandbox now, and let you kids fight it out. Of the last few people making comments, only "Howard Roark" (not to be confused with the real Howard Roark; even this redneck from South Carolina knows who *he* is) makes a lick of sense.
I'm surprised no one is bringing up the crap they put their freelance video producers through as well. According to DS, I was the first video producer they ever hired, back when ehow was ExpertVillage. I found I had a gift for booking great experts immediately. I could cold call and tell them I was a video producer who wanted to feature them to millions, and I'd book it within seconds. I delivered hundreds of videos per month. I swear, I'm not lying about that. It was easy for me, maybe not for some. But it was for me. You see, also their guidelines for production were not as strict then, so shooting an expert in real time for a minute and moving on to the next clip, was a piece of cake. Especially when the experts were allowed o come up with their own ideas. But last year, DS guidelines changed. Like, add expert name graphics, step 1 step 2 etc, graphics, materials you'll need graphics, don't do hand held, tripod only. no transitions effect, shoot materials with nothing else in shot, get closeups, but make them cutaways (in other words shoot the expert baking a cake twice), only do DS idiotic titles which if I had a nickel for very expert who said to me, "who comes up with these titles? They make no sense", I would be retired by now. Now I agree that all this will make the videos look really pretty, and professional. Nothing wring with that at all. But you know what? PAY ME MORE than $20 per clip now, for the extra labor I now must do!!!!!! Not so much as a penny more for all the extra editing work. Then they will send you clip examples, to use as guidelines for shooting your next assignment, but these examples will have tons of things in them that they tell you NOT to do! And when you bring your confusion about this, up to them, THEY FIRE YOU IN A FUCKING EMAIL, telling you that "your videos are not growing with the quality of standards we now need". Well, then why did you accept the thousands upon thousands of vids I produced? Isn't this something you tell a newbie and not a faithful producer who has been with you for 5 years of loyal service! This is exactly what happened to me 2 days ago. I read that they have been called a video sweat shop, and this past year, I feel it was so true. Times are tough, and I have a special needs young daughter, so I had to put up with them not recognizing the value of the work we put into producing these vids, and I just shut up, took their money, and bit my tongue when they would bring up issues with some of my clips. I put up with it for my family. So call me bitter over being canned. I don't really care. I am. Who wouldn't be? I think I was simply costing them too much money. Yes, I'm upset now, but tomorrow I will thank them for being the assholes that they are, who got me so pissed off that now I'm on a mission to bounce back and produce videos for ME for MY own financial gain. 200 million dollars made by DS last year, thanks to guys like me.
Fine how-do-you-do, huh? Fuck DS! And onward I go....
To those DS "content editors" whose stupidity is breathtaking:
You are not qualified to edit my work or anyone else's. You prove this with every idiotic question you raise.
I do not give a fuck what you think. I never have. I never will. You are nothing more than a speed bump on the highway to my success.
You cower behind your anonymity on Demand Studios in order to behave like a grossly unprofessional asshole. Be glad you are anonymous. Be very glad.
Don't be a fool all your life. "Content editors" make $3.50 for "editing an article. Writers get $15 for scribbling a
DS artickle, if it can even be called an article. These are bullshit pieces of content designed to lure the gullible via search engines to Google AdSense spots and other advertising, which is how DS makes $200 million a year off the backs of writers and editors.
Don't be a sucker. The content doesn't matter, no matter how much effort writers put into it. Accordingly, your meager attempts at "editing" are irrelevant. So just approve the damn article and get back to lioving your miserable existence.
No one gives a good goddamn about you or your failed career. Us real writers merely use DS as a stopgap for short-term cash. We are moving on ASAP. Sadly, a fresh crop of desperates will be waiting to replace us. This is the nature of the current economy and the publishing industry.
Know also that I never read your comments, never pay the slightest attention to anything you scribble in your editor notes and, you stupid fuck, I don't even rewrite an article to suit your insane demands. You approve them anyway, you dumb bastard. You don't even notice whether the rewrite was made.
This makes you a joke.
As coda and farewell, I repeat: I don't give a fuck about you or anything you say. You are a fool and an asshole who had damn well better remain anonymous if you wish to go on being a fool and an asshole.
Fuck you & goodnight.
Yesterday, I received a particularly nasty review from a DS editor, in which he/she started out by saying "You should know better than this..." I read that comment, and the rest of the "suggestions" the editor had written to my husband, and he grew furious. He asked why I'd work for anyone who spoke to me that way, then he calculated that I was making less than the hourly wage after the time I put into my research, writing and revisions.
I checked my email after that and saw another piece I'd written is in the finals for a writing competition, then got word from an agent that she's excited about a book I've written and wants to represent it.
Not that finaling in a competition means $$, or that an agent shopping a book means a sale, but I've realized I don't need nasty reviews by anonymous editors for articles that pay so little.
Good-bye, DS.
Yes, the "editors" are the worst I have encountered in 20-plus years of professional writing. Just unbelievably ignorant and obnoxious. It is because they are anonymous that they can get away with their behavior. And that is one of only many, many critical flaws with DS. My parting shot to one of those egg-sucking editors was if I ever caught up to the little weasel, he'd discover what it feels like to have a baseball bat strike him full-force in the throat.
Life is far too fleeting to waste time with ignorant fools while toiling for laughably low pay.
This thread is a laff riot for anyone who's pulled a tour of duty in that hellhole.
I looked up "demand studios editor" in a synonym dictionary and it returned a match with "illiterate asshole."
good rant. i too have encountered some incompetent copy editors at DS. a lot of times, new CEs don't actually know the DS style rules and give comments that are contrary to what the guide says. i think most of the "bad" editors are simply just newbies.
Let's be honest here for a minute.
Demand Studios is one huge scam on Internet advertisers.
They pay pennies for people to churn out low quality BS. Where do they get their "titles". Why, from Google searches. Misspellings left in. They load the internet with this mess and then sell to spamming advertisers. When the reader discovers that the article he has clicked on is an illiterate mess of wrong information, he clicks one of the "featured sites" from the side and BAM, Demand Studios earns money.
They could care less if the "CEs" can spell their own names. (after working for them for a week, I seriously doubt some of them can.) These "editors" openly discuss on the message boards getting drunk while working. Yeah, high standards there. These "editors" are simply a part of the facade that Demand puts on to attempt to fool people into thinking they are a legitimate information hub.
When I was searching for a new job, I had many fellow journalists with years of magazine and newspaper experience turned down for "employment". When I applied, I submitted a made-up story I wrote off the top of my head and was accepted. The people who "write" for them are not writers. One look through the forums and you will find this to be fact. They do not WANT quality writers. If they produced quality work, people would not click on the Spam adverts for sites on the side of the page and Demand would not make money.
Sorry to burst anyone's bubble who thought Demand Studios was trying to inform the world. They are just scamming their way to the bank.
Yep. This tactic is also why DS does not allow its writers more than one shot at a rewrite. At first, I couldn't fathom why a legitimate and "reputable" company would not want to give writers enough time to ensure the piece is polished enough for publication. It made no sense to me that writers are allowed only one rewrite. If the writer has a question regarding the rewrite, he/she must query the help desk or risk a rejection. Oftentimes, the help desk doesn't respond.
I realized that the 1-shot rewrite rule exists because DS is all about speed...churning them out ASAP. To hell with you if you're incapable of accomplishing this. It's all about keeping up with search engine requests and getting users to click on related ads. Those who think DS hired them for any other reason are fooling themselves. Hint, hint..."content editors."
P.S...
As others have mentioned here, my work during my very brief stint at Demand was altered by "CE"s. Extremely wrong information was inserted and words were changed, misspelled and just completely deleted, making the articles basically unreadable.
So I guess if you do turn in quality work, part of the "CE" job is to make sure to turn it into something unreadable.
Those content editors are imbeciles. Just awful. Arrogant SOBs, too.
Wee Paddy O'Doore's "forum" was just set up today, 5.3.03 by someone who calls himself (herself?) "DemandLover." Sounds like a DS schill to these ears.
Beware.
Nothing but the sound of crickets on that "forum" O'Doore mentions.
I just had my article rejected by Demand Studios. This anonymous individual said one of my sentences was missing a word, along with a whole bunch of harsh crap. The sentence is fine. I picked a topic that I know a thing or two about, and was asked to be more specific in a couple areas. The problem? I can't be anymore specific and stay "evergreen." I was specific, and if you can't walk into college and ask a simple question, then you are a complete moron. I am not going to tell you to park your car, open the door, etc. I completely puzzled by this individual's reasoning. I have 10 years of experience as a copy editor and reporter, and I am sorry that I sold out for these jerks. I can't see how any of the Demand cheerleaders out there can justify writing a 400+ word article for $15. I have never worked for such low pay, but times are tough, and I thought that I would give Demand a try. I have pined through a bunch of other articles on ehow and wonder how so many of those pieces of shit slipped through the cracks. I am firing myself tomorrow, as this is a complete waste of time. They call this crap informational journalism, what a crock of shit. Demand doesn't even come close to real journalism.
Word is, Demand Studio will launch a pilot program to train pink-assed baboons as copy editors. Baboons work for smaller fees, communicate with comparable clarity and produce essentially the same results.
Compared to the current crop of buffoons, pink-assed baboons might deliver twice the smell, but half the ignorance. Fair trade.
It is difficult to imagine any self-respecting baboon who would work for those ass-clown motherfuckers. I'll thank you to refrain from insulting baboons, pink-assed or otherwise.
DS "content editors" arrive at work and stumble off the short yellow bus en masse. They are no more qualified to edit copy than to bag my milk and bread at the fucking grocery store. I have never seen such avowedly determinedd stupidity in human begins (allegedly) as those morons manifest with every inane utterance. DS: just a horrible place to toil.
Nice forum! I don't really have anything negative to say about Demand Studios. My only complaint is that I finished their editing test, and it took them nearly six weeks to read it and say that I wasn't selected as an editor. I'm still a bit confused as to why they didn't select me, as I caught all spelling errors, but since they won't let me know any weak spots in my answers, I suppose that I'll never know.
But after reading the many posts here, it seems that they may have done me quite a favor by denying me an editing position.
What an enjoyable thread. I worked for Demand for around three weeks before I was fired this week. I also put up with ridiculous, inconsistent rewrites. I received an email this week from Eve Lederman, telling me an article I had written was brought to her attention and that the CE "made a grave mistake" approving it. She then told me she looked back through the over 100 approved articles I had submitted and decided I wasn't qualified to write for them.
I replied, asking for a second chance, saying I wrote articles the way I wrote them because they were consistently being approved. Her answer was she would look into the CE's in question and fire them too if necessary. No second chance for me. Oh well....what can you do?
Thanks for the laughs and stories.
BTW....the email address she sent from is demandcurator@gmail.com if anyone wanted to send her a message.
I can't BELIEVE there's a "problem" with Demand Studios paying us our money! This is the post they sent today: "5/7/10 There was an issue with some payments today that didn't go through and show up as failed in your accounts. You do not need to contact us about it anymore, we are working with PayPal now to try to fix the issue and send out your payments as soon as we can. Thank you for your cooperation."
They're going to send out our payments "as soon as" they can? Are you SERIOUS? So if you worked at Fed Ex and they told you this, would you continue working for that company?
This is ridiculous!
It was bound to happen.
DS is no longer paying their writers "on time".
I used the site to earn extra cash for my shopping obsession, but now I realize it was a SCAM waiting to happen.
SPREAD THE WORD EVERYWHERE.. DEMAND STUDIOS DOES NOT PAY THEIR WRITERS ANYMORE!
Don't let anyone else get fooled into making them money working for free.
Hey, not to pee in anybody's pie, but what world are you living in where "industry standard" is $0.50 to $1 an hour? I'm not saying that money isn't out there, but if that kind of money were so "standard" then there's about $15,000 worth of print on this page. Here's a little (researched) fact: the $25 to $30 an hour I average working for DS would take years worth of training and multiple certifications to make in any other industry. At seven hours a day, six days a week that per hour rate comes out to a little over 52K a year (including a two week vacation). Just wondering...did hub-pages pay you the $1-a-word "average" that this stroke-job is worth?
Sounds like someone couldn't cut it over at Demand. I enjoy writing for them and it allows me to write when I need money and focus on my studies.
In addition even if you write just one article an hour, that is 15 an hour before taxes. By that math, just 10 hours a week is 150 hours. Write 2 an hour and you've got 300 a week for about 10 hours worth of work.
Have a harsh rewrite or one you don't feel is worth the time or money to rework, take it to Helium, AC, Hubpages, or another site, sell it or post it up for residual revenue. Not a hard concept.
Just because you couldn't cut it doesn't mean thousands of others aren't doing fine at DS daily.
Dear Abandoned DS Today,
The non-payment was Paypal's fault.
Sorry to put out your fire.
Proceed.
Richard = Maxwell = Cryssy = just another DS schill getting paid to spread false praise about the absolute worst site on earth for self-respecting writers. DS is out in force doing spin & damage control as word gets out on the ripoff pay and wretched editors at that godforsaken company.
Folks, if you can't do better than DS, you aren't trying.
And I say again: DS editors are the goddamned stupidest, most brain-dead, egg-sucking sonsofbitches in the long, sad history of stupid sonsofbitches.
Write for DS at your peril. It is a hellhole.
I am not affiliated with DS and, from what I have seen thus far, will nefver subject myself to DS.
But I will pose a question to all the whack-jobs who think $30 an hour is "good pay" for banging out 2 referenced articles of 400-500 words each, plus photos, captions, keywords, warnings and tips. Why would you want to do that unless you were desperate for money or too scared to call the local paper and offer to freelance?
Even at a nickel per word, you'll be making $50 for that same 1,000 words for which Richard, um...I mean DS, is happy to pay $30. Why the hell would you accept 60 cents on the dollar to scribble headache-inducing bullshit such as "How to Change a Lightbulb" or "List 15 Ways to Say Fuck You to a DS Editor" ?
And that marth only applies if the publication offers a mere 5 cents a word. Many small papers and regional magazines pay 10 cents a word and up. Gain some experience with them and you can rise to greater markets.
DS takes advantage of writers in a bad economy, chews them up and shits them out. Sadly, for every writer who wakes up and smells the DS shit, there may be hundreds more ready to step up and give it a whirl.
Just don't say we didn't warn ya.
Ya know it is too bad you don't get paid per comment. It's obvious that people leaving the majority of the comments will not click on an Amazon book about writing.
I find it amusing that folks who cannot cut it at DS suddenly have a revelation that DS is the worst place in the world to write. For you it is. I mean you do have to string together two complete sentences with a much wider vocabulary than you find here.
The sad part is that these types of articles prevent good writers from even taking the opportunity for themselves to find out just what exactly DS is all about and whether or not it is right for them.
But then again, if they rely on articles like this and the comments as a guide than perhaps they shouldn't even try.
What I find even more disturbing is that a content site such as Hub Pages, which BTW doesn't pay you a dime themselves, would allow such slander and quite frankly childish behavior on their site.
Dear Not Richard,
"Even at a nickel per word, you'll be making $50 for that same 1,000 words for which Richard, um...I mean DS, is happy to pay $30."
Your post does not make sense.
DS articles are not 1,000 words.
Try again, this time with a little more effort.
Dear DS BS,
I'm not Richard nor Maxwell, therefore only your post is BS.
Continue.
I am amused. Not so much at the article (hey, everyone has their own interpretations of a place of work, and who am I to say an opinion is wrong?) but of the comments and overall feel of this page. Obviously if it doesn't work well for someone, that must mean it doesn't work well for anyone else. And ell oh ell at the people calling people who post in favor of Demand shills, and implying that we must be paid to do so. That only says to me that you're so insecure in your own beliefs (that you are completely allowed to have) that you need to attack anyone who disagrees.
Ah well. Needless to say I like DS. It has its ups and downs, rewrites I disagree with and the occasional bug that can make the process frustrating. But my ego is not the size of a small moon, so I roll with the punches and move on. It's not for everyone, certainly. But I urge anyone viewing it as a client to give it a shot before bashing it and jumping on the bandwagon. That's the best way to find out how it works. If you don't like it, all you have to do is stop writing, so what do you have to lose?
Then again, I'm posting in favor of Demand, so either I'm a paid employee, a spokesperson, or a troll. I actually prefer being called a troll, since my home is indeed under a bridge, and I like to feast on little children. But you decide.
Angry, aren't we? Maybe you should see a shrink...or maybe you've been at DS too long. Just a thought.
Angry? Yea I am. Because I get sick of seeing incompetent morons write crap because they cannot write for crap.
One of the sad pathetic parts is that if you cannot make it at a place such as DS what in the hell makes you think you can make it anywhere else? Other than Hub Pages or Associated Content or any of the other revenue sharing sites. I mean quite frankly that is all you will ever be. a wanna be writer trying to scam people into clicking links and Amazon books. You're sad.
Yes I have been at DS for some time, since July 2009. And guess what? I make a living full-time at DS. And, I work 5 days a week. And, I take vacations and time off. Plus I have extra time to come to places like this and counter all the bash talk because of whiny little mud slingers like you.
First off, you're barking up the wrong tree. Secondly, you need to take a chill pill before you give yourself an ulcer. There are multiple blogs on the Internet dissing DS. Granted, some are more explicit than others; but ultimately, they are all the same. If DS works for you, fine. If not, realize that just as there are people who sing their praises, there are others who don't. Everyone is entitled to their opinion and there's not much you can do about it.
I love how all the people who want to trash DS love to "hide" I mean really names like "Simmer Down" and "DS BS". It is sad that not only can you not write, half of ya'll don't even have the backbone to not hide behind stuff as you throw mud. Pathetic.
Learn to write or grow a pair.
What's your real name "Ken?" Not that I expect an honest answer. I rest my case. Try to get some sleep tonight; something tells me you need it.
Hey, "Since you're so bold" Name is Kenneth Crawford. Any more questions?
And BTW "Since you're so bold"...In the two hours I have spent checking in on this hilarious article and associated comments, I've made $45. What have you done?
See this is what I mean. THIS is why you have to hide. Let me first say that the real Meghann has more professionalism and integrity in one finger than you will ever possess in your entire life.
Secondly, though this has been a fun way to let off some steam it is also a great way to prove a point. You are nothing more than a controversy riding wanna be writer. You hide because quite frankly you must. All people that claim to have talent but really don't must hide.
Again, grab a book about writing and read it this time. learn something. Don't just look at the pictures. In the meantime, grow a spine or a pair.
This guy is unbelievable. Ken, you're acting no better than the people you are bashing on here, which does nothing to strengthen your argument. What you're doing is pointless. Regardless of how you rant and rave against the criticisms of DS, understand this...as long as they are in business, the criticisms will continue. Anyway Ken, you're boring the heck outta me. Good night.
Well they will be in business for some time to come. Long after places like Hub Pages, Associated Content, and others will have fallen to the wayside. DS will be around when all of the people here that want to throw mud at DS finally grow spines or learn to actually write for a living.
And for some reason, I will be here to call all ya'll out in the meantime. So frankly, as long as people want to trash a client of mine I will be right there defending my client.
Yea, I suggest you do get some sleep...
Ken, thank you for that.
Now that I have my work for tomorrow planned out, I'm going to organize the titles I claimed today.
Tomorrow, I'll write for DS and for one of my other clients.
Meanwhile, a book is calling -- one with no pictures (pitchers?) and words of more than one syllable.
BTW, the writer I was talking to has asked me to offer moral support in order to increase article totals per day as she works to help support her family. I'm glad to do this.
Ken, you suck. Your blog is shit. Your writing ability, nonexistent. I am laughing at your meager rhetorical exertions. As a writer, you are a failure and a loser. Shove that cuke a little deeper, dipstick.
Actually I'm not an employee or paid representative of DS. I do write for them and I'm telling you that obviously you are bitter because you couldn't cut it at DS.
As far as attacking writers who in your mind "can't do better" consider that 1.) some writers write for DS full time, 2.) some writers supplement their income, and 3.) some writers do it part time while pursuing another career or education...something you obviously lack.
Show some class and tack and stop whining.
Wow! So many hateful comments....I'm fairly new to DS and so far...pretty damn happy. I'm not a "true writer" or a journalist but $15 an hour to me beats the SHIT out of scrambling for a $7.25 crap job that everyone in my town would be climbing over each other to get..I'm grateful for the opportunity to work for them..IMHO, DS outshines TextBroker, AC and IB any day of the week. To each their own...but I'm not going to bitch.
glad i did a google search and found this blog. you people are funny! LOL!
is actually MeghannLeigh. And she has been a sycophant for DS with every inane post she makes.
Maxwell: don't be so presumptuous. I know who and what you are.
" Your pathetic," little Ken writes.
Could he have meant "you are" or -- gasp -- "You're" ?
Well, if the stupid ass had any writing ability or credibility, maybe he would have gotten it right the first time.
But he's a ding dong who can't be taken seriously, even though he takes himself very seriously.
Back to pre-school for you, slappy.
LOL. Have a teaspoon of salt; it helps your blood pressure, asshole.
Little girl, my credibility is not in question here. Remember, this is your article. Your "expert" opinion. Your credibility. But like your lack of writing, you have have a lack of credibility and a lack of character. I wonder....will you abandon Hub pages as you abandoned your blog?
Working on that celery stalk mighty early this mornin'. Give it another thrust, Kenney.
I have real, paying clients I must attend to, now, and have no more time to waste with amateurs. It's been amusing, making you dance like a monkey. Certainly more amusing than writing shit for a shit website.
You know nothing about me or what you are talking about. Toying with your feeble mind is like watching a dog chase its own tail.
You're a loser, slappy. If there was a contest for world's biggest loser, you would still come in second place.
Take a deep breath before your over-amped heart detonates in your wormy chest, veggie-boy.
Take care. Little fool.
This makes no freaking sense. I write for DS, and let me just say that many of DS' writers use a pseudonym. And for the record, I do not own this blog. I am simply a writer--a darn good one at that. I just don't get people who go beserk when someone say how they truly feel about DS. I've had my issues with them; their editorial process could use a LOT of improvement. And I'll be damned if I'll let some wanna-be moderator or some writer with a God complex tell me I can't say how I feel. Just my 2 cents.
Little girl, working at the convenience store is not a paying client...it is a job. I know nothing about you? I beg to differ. See I know more about you than you think. Which is why you will probably abandon this persona as you did your blog.
See I have no problem backing up what I say or standing in the light as I call trolls like you out. You are like a disease, a cancer that needs to be removed. You, little girl, steal hope from aspiring people who want to create a better life for themselves. You steal hope by spreading unfounded gossip by creating articles and blogs to promote controversy.
Because you are miserable and useless, you attempt to deter people from following their own dreams. I have no problem coming around and shining a light on the hidden trolls. I enjoy it actually.
The differences between you and I are many. First, I have no problem at all telling you and the rest of the world who I am. I've nothing to hide. Secondly, I believe in people and I believe that they can go after their dreams and be successful as freelance writers through hard work and persistence. I believe that their are plenty of opportunities created by Demand Studios as well as sites like Hub pages for a person to write QUALITY articles and make a decent living as they grow their writing businesses.
I also believe that people like you that cannot cut it need to be revealed for the disgruntled people you are.
So go ahead hidden little girl...hide...run to the next venue to vent your hate and discontent. Like I said before, I'll find you and call you out again.
Why are so many DSers coming out of the woodwork to comment here and disparage the author for being a DS failure? What an assumption. FYI, you can be successful at DS and still hate writing there. I do well at DS, have had only minor problems with editors, and have decent scorecard ratings, yet I do not like working there and frequently complain about it to my spouse. Lots of people do, DS sucks (oooo, I must are a sukky righter who fail at DS sinse I sed that.) If you write for them, you have a right to complain about them.
Why are certain DS commenters huffing in righteous indignation because someone is complaining about DS off-site and anonymously? Really? We should shit where we eat and air our grievances on the DS forum? Better that some nobody on the DS forum think I'm cowardly for posting anonymously than be a fool for posting unanonymously.
And this is unrelated, but I just can't resist commenting on what one person said on the DS forum...that if you only write for a blog or article directory you cannot be considered a writer because you are paid for ad clicks, not for your writing. This is the crossroad of snobbery and lunacy, where do you think DS gets the money to pay for your writing? Look around the Internet doofus, it's monetized by adclicks. The definition of writer is not contingent on whether you are paid by the source, or more indirectly.
The same people on here bashing everyone for saying how they truly feel are the same ones who deep down feel just as everyone else. The superiority act is just that..an act.
@ trane reqq:
Agreed on all counts. Anyone who attempts to muzzle a DS critic by assuming the critic "failed" at DS is the worst sort of fascist. What does it say about someone what cannot handle to slightest criticism? Moreso, what does it say about the individual who cannot handle the slioghtest criticism of a website over which he or she has no vesgted interest beyond receiving a twice-weekly pittance in a PayPal account?
I put far more stock in the individual who tried a website like DS, discovered its profound flaws, and jumped ship rather than waste time toiling for peanuts while the owners of the site rake in millions.
More likely, the critics of the DS critics are wobbly in their beliefs and are suffering from profound insecurity.
Any writer genuinely comfortable with her work is not going to freak out like Ken, Maxwell and some of the other people ranting in favor of DS. They would chuckle and move on if they were healthy and professionally established. Given the awkward phrasings, misspellings and grammatical mistakes in their posts, these defenders of the DS realm actually reveal their inadequacies as "writers" and undermine their own arguments.
If you had any doubt that DS is for rank amateurs and wannabes, you need only read the embarassing comments of the "writers" defending that website.
As an aside, the criticisms of DS on the comments section above are among the most hilarious jabs at a company I have read. Just LOL funny.
Too late for damage control girl. No matter how many different names you pose as.
Hello, Ken. Who or what are you? If you are here to prove my point about insecure DS hacks, you have succeeded beyond your wildest aspirations. Thank you.
We may need a separate thread to opine on incompetent DS hacks whose meds need adjustment. Ken will be on hand as specimen number 1.
Take it away, Ken...
Ken, you're a funny guy...LOL. Believe it or not, there are real posters on this site who happen to not be the writer of this blog. But, think what you want. Anyhoo, I have another client to write for today (nope, not DS; thank heavens). Stick around Ken, you are very entertaining.
And here is another observation and a question regarding articles and posts like this. While not everyone will agree about DS one way or the other, I notice that those "bashing" DS offer no real alternatives or examples of their own work.
People boast about other venues of writing, yet never offer any substantial proof. People love to jump on a bandwagon full of controversy, but never offer a glimpse of an alternative. Why is that? Mainly because those that write these types of articles, blogs and posts usually do not have an alternative. They are merely people, in this case one little girl, that got her feelings hurt by a CE.
And yes I will stand behind what I have said about writing for ad clicks is not being paid for writing. You're not. You are not being paid for your writing, you are being paid by getting people to click on ads. Throw enough keywords and controversy creates traffic. You are bound to get someone to click on an ad. That's not writing.
You CAN write quality articles with useful information that can create an interest in a product or ads on places such as Hub pages, Associated Content and others. There are many people that do write QUALITY, useful articles for that purpose. Those people WRITE to create revenue and income streams. They succeed because they write useful, informative, entertaining and factual articles. It shows in their writing.
But the vast majority of people that write articles like THIS example, only place some words on paper "hoping" that someone clicks on ads or buys a product. That's not writing. That is creating an advertising space. My kid could do that.
So again, little girl...no matter how many names you attempt to use with response posts, it's still a little late for damage control.
Hey Ken,
I saw the picture you revealed of yourself with one of your posts. Are you feeling okay? Looking a little anemic, there, my friend. Yellow skin. Bad teeth. Spotty complexion. You've got a lot of nerve showing that face around here.
One might wonder if you were in the final throes of AIDS with all its accompanying dementia. A fair speculation, given your lunatic ramblings.
You would do well to leave the writing to the professionals. You are out of your league. Clueless, too. You have no idea what you are doing.
And you still eat shit as a "writer."
Ken just has to have the last word... it keeps him going. Your turn, Ken...
Ken is liable to start crying. He is mighty fragile and feeble. Don't want him to go off the deep end and get picked up wandering the streets of Richmond, Virginia, muttering about eggplant and cabbages and how he "coulda been a contender" as a writer.
Classic.
Ahhh... pleased to see wee kenneth finally drank a tall, cool, refreshing glass of shut the phuque up.
Now, did I mention that DS is a lousy damned place for a writer to work? The pay is pitiful. The system is for shit. The content editors have refried beans oozing from their ears.
And there are nitwits who write for the site who will defend it seemingly to the death, forever oblivious to the fact they are being exploited and paid next to nothing for drivel that generates a fortune in advertising revenue.
Demand better. Stop polluting the Internet with your How-To bullshit.
So all of you are published where, exactly? And please, no websites please. Real publishing credits only.
None of your fucking business, that's my credential. I don't give a fuck about you or the pony you rode in on, dipshit. If you don't have money to pay me for my work and will list such opportunities poste haste, then my work samples are no concern of yours. In advance of your amazing response, I don't care what you believe or whether you believe and, in fact, don;t care if you cease breathing.
Work samples miss the entire point of this thread, you stupid fuck.
I provide work samples to paying clients. To you, my response is: none of your fucking business.
That's what I thought. Thank you for proving my point.
I have to wholeheartedly agree with what trane reqq said above. You can get along fine in the DS system and still hate it. I do. But why would you go into the DS forums and advertise that fact? That's like those idiots who friend their boss on Facebook and then proceed to talk about how much they hate their jobs. It's moronic and doesn't make sense.
In my time at DS, it has become clear that there is a lot of serious groupthink going on there. It's evident to anyone who reads those forums. If you're not part of the "in crowd" and you disagree with someone, God help you. They will all tear you apart and goosestep along their merry way.
I have made two major observations about some DS writers: (1) if someone complains about the pay, many will jump in and say "in this economy, this is good money." That's not to say that DS has not helped people through the economy. I went there in part because of how the economy affected my household. I am actively making plans to leave though. I always want to ask them what they plan to do when the economy eventually rebounds. My guess is that many of them will still be at DS. In that case, "the economy made me do it" defense just doesn't hold water.
(2) When someone mentions that there are better paying gigs out there, like Ken did above, they can't seem to believe it. They want proof. They want you to basically hand them your client list so that they can poach your gigs. Then they get mad when you won't hand over the names of clients that you've worked hard to cultivate. It's unbelievable how unwilling some of them are to do their homework and get a better client on their own. If they won't or can't do it, these clients must not exist!
I'm not saying DS is all bad because it is helping me get through as I rebuild what I lost. That is a blessing. Let's face it, DS is far from perfect and it is befuddling the amount of blind loyalty that people like Ken seems to have for this corporation. Loyalty like this to any corporation is foolish because, if they can make more money by changing their business model, they will throw you out faster than you can say "Heil DS."
Just as an exercise in preventive maintenance, anyone who would be tempted to complain that I am offending Jews, Germans, or anyone else, I want to tell you to simmer down. The language I used was solely to prove the point about groupthink, nothing else. Don't think you will come over here and discredit what I said on those points.
People who throw their allegiance to a sketchy outfit like DS will end up with diddly-squat whenever the DS owners decide to cut loose with a different way of generating their so called content.
Anyone who doesn't believe this is naive to the point of dangerous stupidity.
All you need to do is research the people behind this highly automated enterprise. Do you homework, people, and only the blind will agree with morons like Ken, and Meghann, or Chryssy, Richard, Maxwell and all the other phony-baloney assholes who would have you believe DS is "hot shit," when the reality is they need only remove the word "hot" and they would be spot-on, the motherfuckers.
DS is nothing more than a machine devised by venture capitalists to exploit Google search results by creating copy to match the nonsense gibberish that dim-watt web surfers allegedly want to know.
Here is the real deal: the people behind DS don't give a fuck about the writers, much less the idiotic content they create. The shit is merely a placeholder to sell targeted advertising.
Anyone who doesn't understand this had better wake up and look for a real writing gig. Until then, you're all just cogs in a machine.
Those "little girl" comments that are supposed to be condescension are downright CREEPY.
You should check out wee Ken in his photo, above, if you want a real creepshow.
@Yeah Way to keep it classy.
I wrote, and write, for Demand Studios. It's made me a better writer. The how-to format of an overview and then logical steps, plus having references and resources is a great format for any serious writer to follow. The pay? It usually takes me about 90 minutes to complete and article and upload it. About 75% of my articles are accepted first time with 25% needing a quick re-write. I've had two or three re-writes which have made me groan and I had one article rejected. After appealing, I saw the reasons why.
People who get high and mighty about posting on a Web site with their real name fail to realize that employers and clients Google prospects all the time. If you were considering Ken for a job and read the stuff he posted here, would you hire him? What he says he has in balls he seems to lack in brains.
Hey, Don: so what you're saying is you make the big ten bucks an hour, eh? I wouldn't think a marketing genius like you would stoop for that sort of chump change.
Hey, Arnold: What do you wanna bet Ken has already resigned himself to the ranks of the unemployable? I can see from his crayon scribblings that he is no writer. Aside from the misspellings, the silly clod cannot even get subject-verb agreement together.
@ Wondering:
Prove your point? Hell, surprise me and say you have a point. The only point in your posession is the one you use to poke yourself in the eye, dipstick.
I don't want to get involved in anything here, but I just wanted to say that this:
"I can see from his crayon scribblings that he is no writer. Aside from the misspellings, the silly clod cannot even get subject-verb agreement together."
made me laugh really hard. This entire discussion is hilariously pretentious. Its like an Aint-it-Cool News Talkback, only angrier.
Thank you all!
Coming on here with their holier than thou attitude, trying to silence other writers... Gimmie a break. When has that ever been possible? If writers are hijacked every time they try to speak honestly on DS' forum they will find another outlet, hence this discussion. If you don't like it, go someplace else that's "for the faint of heart."
Careful, you are gonna start losing track of which voice is talking. Just adding a different name is not going to help.
Ken, you are seriously making a fool out of yourself.
You really are stupid, aren't ya? At first, we thought it was jsut a put-on, but no! You're just a ding-dong after all.
That other Hub page you started isn't exactly setting the world on fire, now is it, fucko?
He is so narrow-minded, he can't believe that other people are actually doing the posting here. What an idiot! This proves that he is not a true writer. No real writer is this narrow-minded.
The article wasn't meant to set the world on fire. Just a simple article so anyone that does come across it can get a real idea of Demand Studios. Just because you can't cut it does not mean that someone else who CAN write shouldn't seek out the opportunity.
However,did you notice that the people commenting are REAL people. Not just voices.. Hmmm
Why do you assume that just because someone has an opinion different from yours that they "can't cut it" at Demand? That's absurd.
Ken, if anyone could give you advice, if you are capable of listening, then listen now: you really should take stock of your life because you are making an astonishing public asshole of yourself. Only a jackass as silly as yourself would hire you, which is perhaps why you scribble for DS.
Goaw almighty, you are an imbecile.
Ken--cute commentary. Now why don't you address the question I asked you.
Joe--this is the exact point I was making above. He thinks that because he signs his name to these posts that it makes him brave. If he thought one second about image management, he would realize that he is shooting himself in the foot. Any potential employer who searches him may find these posts. Hell, Demand may find these posts. It doesn't exactly make them look good that their champion is an apparent lunatic.
I have no stake in the DS fight - whatever the hell that place is. I only write fiction, so I have no idea what the squabble is over and got this link from a friend who apparently sent it to the wrong person b/c this doesn't apply to me. What I often see, however, on writing forums is a lot of writer superiority, which is fine as long as those claiming they're superior indeed are. So I was asking what credentials were better than DS writing. Again, not my market.
I made (the apparently incorrect) assumption that any real writer wouldn't automatically throw out "I have articles published in the New York Times or National Geographic." I hardly think anyone could ascertain who you are by those claims, nor could they "steal" your client list. Mostly, I find that people who yell and cuss a lot about other writers rarely have a career worth much merit.
Hence, the wondering.
Now, proceed to trash me at will, but at least I was polite enough to answer your question.
Ok 30_Below, err I mean Arnold Layne..
It is obvious that you can't cut it at Demand Studios based on the absurdity of the article (and you numerous self commenting). Look you just aren't cut out for Demand. Plain and simple. Sensationalism, maybe.
Look, everybody gets angry at one time or another because their work comes back for editing issues. Maybe you have been getting a lot of rewrites. maybe you think you're above rewrites. Maybe the format is too much for you to understand. I don't know. But to make a blanket statement that DS is a waste of time is inaccurate. A waste of your time, perhaps. But not anybody else's.
It is one thing to have a difference of opinion. It is a complete different ballgame when you just set out to trash people or an organization. My guess is that you keep getting rewrite requests. Some of them are silly while others are quite legit. You have a problem with criticism. Either that or you just have some serious need of attention.
@Ken I didn't write this article. If you read my posts carefully, you will find that the writing styles are not similar at all. Nor have I used profanity when addressing anyone here.
I know you find it hard to believe--as someone pointed out above, there appears to be quite a bit of groupthink surrounding Demand Studios--but not everyone agrees with your "DS is the greatest thing since sliced bread" paradigm. I would venture to guess many people disagree with you. Somehow you can't accept that fact, so you have conjured up this scenario that anyone who says that don't like DS is in fact the same person. And that, sir, is more than a little looney.
Okay, Ken. Enthrall us. It's not often that folks get a tour of the asylum, much less a certifiable lunatic willingly struts like an ass. So from an anthropological standpoint, you are low-brow entertainment indeed.
This will be my last post on this thread, for it -- and you -- bore me.
Ken, stop trying to water down your initial behavior. You came on here ready to decapitate anyone who dared to talk bad about DS. The issue here is not about whether a particular writer was able to cut it or not. It's about the fact that "writers" such as yourself feel the need to deny other writers a voice... their own voice. Keep dreaming, because no matter how long and hard you fight for DS, the truth is that they--and practically every other organization out there--are pretty much out for themselves.
Like another poster said, blind loyalty is simply stupid. Not once did you try to inject some sort of objectivity in your earlier posts. You were ready to slay anyone who disagreed with you and your "crew." But like I said before, I'll be damned if I'll let some "writer" with a God complex tell me what I can or cannot say.
Some people think DS is evil, some are on the fence, and others think they're the best thing to ever happen to them. Whichever side you're on is up to you. But if your goal is to exterminate other writers because they disagree with you, you're fighting a losing battle, buddy.
This is what happens when you speak out against Demand Studios. Somebody wrote this about the person who wrote this blog.
"If this douche is within 100 miles of Florida, I'll go have a talk with him. Seriously, PM me...I've got plenty of free time, plenty of gas and I haven't broken anybody's anything in almost a week and a half."
That's a good line and you know it. He's obviously joking, but that doesn't gel with what you're trying to accomplish so I know you're going to ignore that.
#1. As the person who wrote this blog, I'm a bit turned off that "Ken" is attempting to give credit for its creation to someone else.
#2. Many writers have friends in this profession, and some of my buddies -- both male and female -- write for a variety of publications and online portals, INCLUDING DS. I no longer have access to the DS system, nor do I want said access. Still, several DS-affiliated friends still email me information from the DS forums like this:
"In Response to Re: Seriously? : Yup. I found all of his stuff last night when I couldn't sleep. Nothing like some late night cybersleuthing. Do you agree that it appears he does not work for DS any longer because his DS eHows are now listed as the generic "eHow Contributing Writer?"
Posted by CaseyR
Yeah, I noticed that his bio hasn't been approved and he hasn't posted since January so I'm guessing he got the boot around then...which is probably what prompted him to write that particular article."
Obviously, quite a few writers who still deal with Demand Studios solely for the money, don't approve of the "cultists" who troll their forums. And the fact that my material is STILL posted on the DS site speaks volumes of their underhanded tactics. Why hold on to the many articles I wrote? To generate additional capital for the company while having to share none of it with the creator of the content. I wasn't "fired" from DS due to a lack of writing skill. If that were the case, every one of my articles would've been pulled. My DS offense was that I continuously questioned the validity of CE edit requests -- as evidenced by the ACTUAL examples listed in the blog. If you're someone who wishes to write for DS, that's fine. But the many tales from former DS writers detailing their experiences with that company should provide you with needed insight.
30_Below or whatever name your "voices" choose next, listen up a moment.
Sorry to burst your bubble but, you're no writer. A sensationalist yes i will agree to, but not a writer. You are nothing more than a disgruntled individual lashing out because quite frankly, you do not have what it takes to be a writer. You have no integrity nor do you have any character, except for the 20 or so in your mind. The creators at Demand Studios have more more professionalism, integrity and character than you will ever possess. Like I said before, having a difference of opinion is one thing..but when you come right out of the gate attacking a family of people, you must expect the family to answer back.
Many of your voices here questioned my sanity for being so passionate about standing up for Demand Studios and for the creators at Demand Studios. I'm not concerned over my posts here, because quite frankly it just goes to show how much I will protect the integrity of my client and my fellow creators.
As for your "friends in the profession", they are but mere moles as you are. They will also meet with the same attitude from me as well. See, you didn't just attack an organization...You attacked my client, my friends and my way of life.
30_Below: I have not participated in this discussion, and I am only doing it now to make one point.
I did not "out" you, although I am aware of your identity. I have no interest in doing so. The reason I researched your identity was to figure out if you were the person who was impersonating a member of the DS community. That person has access to the forums and is a dirty, rotten coward. If I had thought you were this person, I would still not have publicly outed you. I just would have reported the information to DS so you could be removed from the forums. Impersonating other people is not okay.
I don't agree with your statements about DS, but I don't have any personal issue with you. There was no malice in my actions, only the desire to stop the malicious actions of another.
Shaddup you dumb cooze.
Why are you impersonating MeghannLeigh? She did NOT set up that account! Very immature and unprofessional behavior - like the majority of the comments with this sad article.
Jeff, the stats for this particular blog are as follows:
in the last 24 Hours
Page Views
1038 total views
Top Traffic Sources(not all views have a discernable source)
demandstudios.com: 394
hubpages.com: 153
google.com: 124
residualsandroyalties.com: 3
poewar.com: 2
mail.google.com: 1
google.co.uk: 1
google.co.in: 1
google.ca: 1
That's nearly 700 people logging into this blog in one day. iIt should be obvious to you that the numbers dictate that people are commenting on their own. However, feel free to assume that I'm the only person participating in the discussion. It's been my experience that, like Tea Baggers, tfacts have little to do with your preferred opinion.
Casey, you can find my byline in various online portals and various publications like the Los Angeles Times, Pasadena Star News, Launch, Yahoo Music, etc., so I don't feel the need to "hide" myself. The term "30_Below" is slang meaning "cool" and "underground." And as I said earlier, I have friends who work at Demand Studios but I have no access to DS. If your feelings are that they shouldn't have access to DS forums, that's a matter between you and DS. I'm certainly not about to tell you who they are and betray trust. I'd suggest you continue to use your sleuthing abilities and hope for the best.
And to the person who I'm assuming is one of the many trolls from the Demand Studios community who created an account under my name, I don't have a problem with that. Now if you tried to open a bank account and credit cards using my name and identity, THAT would be problematic. But feel free to post under an account with my name. I won't even delete it. If that's all it takes to amuse you, I'll allow you to make your day a little brighter and play along.
Said what? That you have a fan club at Demand Studios?
Just acknowledging it that's all.
No, my last name is not Porten. I've never published a book.
This is better than a train wreck. Pass the fuckin' popcorn, si vous plait.
Look at all the douchebag DS hypocrites who've come out of the woodwork. They claim to be making big money, happy as hell sniffing their own fumes and all they do is run around like monkeys on a Hub page, defending their beloved site while it makes millions off their backs. Where's yer money now, losers?
Stupid, people. Really stupid.
Was a solid actor killed in an unfortunate accident during the making of John Landis' segment of The Twilight Zone (1983). So if you are wishing that someone was dead, then you are a small, petty person.
It's one thing to disagree with a viewpoint; another thing entirely to wish the person dead.
Be glad you are an anonymous pussy on a simple message board. Real life comes at ya fast, motherfucker. Enjoy it and try not to wallow in your own pea-brained nonsense.
I'll bet you a Buffalo nickle that you had to look up who Vic Marrow was before you understood that joke.
And the joke, like you, sucks ass.
And you can shove your nickel.
And then the rest of their message down here. That's dumb. Why do people do that?
Okay, so apparently Vic Morrow is the red button. Good to know. Would it be better if I said I hoped he got Mercury poisoning like Jeremy Piven?
"Everyone one of you who are ready to die for Demand Studios know that they're full of shit."
Wait, so does everyone who IS ready to die for DS know they're full of shit, or is it everyone who isn't ready to die for DS knows the other people are full of shit?
Think for maybe another two seconds or so before you post.
"Cut the pretense and go to bed."
It's 4:30 in the afternoon here.
Don't think I can add anything to this that hasn't already been said, but honestly. come on?
What's so wrong with defending DS? Just because some of you don't cut it with them you feel the need to make yourself look pathetic for it. wow. kudos. *sarcasm*
Im not gonna "bla bla bla" about how great DS is, but I know how bad it *isn't*. Take from that what you want to.
You could sit there and point out my mistakes all you want... the bottom line is YOU are miserable working for them. You just don't want to admit it. You're just sitting there waiting to attack... pity.
Marc, that's great and all, but you didn't answer my legitimate question. I have no idea what thought you are trying to express by that first paragraph. Please elaborate.
My last post said it all. Now attack...
You don't even know what you meant, do you.
Again, you know they're full of shit, yet you sit here waiting to attack anyone who disagrees with their policies. This is the epitome of hypocrisy. You can lie to the whole world but can't lie to yourself, can ya? Sorry to disappoint you, but I'm not in the mood to venture into a verbal duel with you. I choose to pity you instead. Nuff said. Go attack someone else now. You're boring me with your self-righteous tripe.
So simply because we choose to work for DS we're miserable?
is that what you're saying? Trying not to misunderstand.
I am really having a hard time imagining that the majority of people commenting here are really writers at all. Pushing it to claim that they are professional writers with clients, who somehow are better than DS writers is really laughable. Reread the comments you have written here. Does it really sound like you are a professional writer? Can you even write one sentence without cussing? Jees, the grade level here looks to be about 3rd grade, as in "I know you are but what am I", or "I'm rubber and you're glue..", except with mindless profanity thrown in.
I write for DS, as well as other places. I have been published in books, magazines and newspapers, and have been a featured poet in journals and magazines. I am fully aware of what DS is, as most writers for DS are. It is not journalism per se, but it pays. Kudos for you, if you are too good for that kind of work. In my time there, I have not had any problems with editors, probably because I have only had 3 articles sent back for rewrite. I am under the opinion that people who have massive complaints about DS and its editors are people who could not follow the guidelines and got a lot of rewrites and rejections. Yes, I write completely differently for my own websites and for other clients, and I enjoy that writing more, but come on... if you weren't such a drama queen, and just follow the simple rules, and have basic writing skills, DS would not ask for rewrites or reject your work. It isn't rocket science. These comments have given me a slight laugh today, so thanks. Oh, and whoever posted the traffic stats- you did notice that the majority of traffic came from DS? Do you really think those people will click on your ads to make you any money? It's cool, trying to be all controversial, but I doubt it will result in any clickthrough rates. But, carry on- it's amusing.
You got one thing right which is i'm an "out-of-work print journalist who has been forced to go from a cushy and high paying newspaper gig to at-home piece work, as print is..well...dying. And to put it bluntly, they're bloody pissed about it."
Yes, I currently work for Demand Studios, which I knew nothing about until someone sent me a link to their website. I'm also in agreement with the majority of those with comments decrying the skill level of the DS copy editors. I've received rewrite requests from "editors" who don't seem to know what the word "edit" means, and worse, don't seem to care.
You may ask why I don't become a CE if I think they're so unfit and try and change the CE system from the inside as an editor. That $3.50 fee that DS gives is laughable. I need DS to make ends meet, but as soon as I'm able to find a full-time position at a stable work desk then I won't have to deal with Demand Studios. Until then I'll bite the bullet. But I won't join the little group of DS Stans people like you are part of anytime soon.
"But I won't join the little group of DS Stans people like you are part of anytime soon."
people like me? lol. Someone like me is *thankful* that someplace such as DS exists. Whether it's perfect or not, is beside the point as things rarely are perfect. However, "people like me" have a little bit more class than to take the so called meager wages like fat greedy little children, while talking out the sides of our necks about how shitty the source of income is.
It's unprofessional, ignorant and it really shows a lot about "people like you".
And if this is really a source of income that you need, you should reconsider biting the hand that feeds you and perhaps re-read the code of ethics, terms and guidelines and other literature you are required to read while writing for DS. I think you will find that some of the violations and reasons for "getting fired" are interesting and reasonable, IMHO.
Judging from your attitude, your lack of professionalism and blatant disregard for your current client's code of ethics - I'd say you're an out of work print journalist for a damned good reason. Just my 2 cents.
Have a good one.
It's doubtful that you know anything about journalistic integrity or professionalism in the work place. And from reading the amateurish copy you have posted on Demand Studios, you certainly don't know what it takes to be a beat reporter at a newspaper. Your skill level in that regard is also lacking.
“Posers” like you make it difficult for trained journalists to argue for increased wages. We're forced to bottom feed thanks to you. Print may be going the way of the dinosaur, but that doesn't mean it's a given that online hacks of your ilk will be able to continue to undercut the skills of a professional much longer.
"You certainly don't have what it takes to be a beat reporter"? Who do you work for, Lou Grant? Is this 1978?
I think it's kind of low to blame the fact that you have to argue to have your wages increased on what writers are publishing on DS. DS is not a newspaper, it's not journalism, and it doesn't have 'beats'. If you can't get a raise, maybe it's because your writing doesn't merit one. Personal responsibility- look into it. But, yes, blaming other people for your failures is so much easier.
"Trained journalists"? I am going to guess you didn't get a college degree in journalism, because usually people don't confuse the whole degree/training thing. I have 'trained' my dog to stand on her back legs. But she isn't an expert, and doesn't have a degree in back-leg-standing.
I like the fact that you used the word 'ilk' in a sentence, but that hardly sets you up as a professional writer. Sometimes I like to write the word 'acquiescence'. That word has 4 syllables! A professional writer could easily write for DS and not get rewrite requests or rejections, and wouldn't boo-hoo like a baby because they couldn't cut it. Honestly, if you can't cut it at DS, that's not saying much for your supposed writing or journalism skills. It would be much more impressive to say that you did work at DS, and that you aced it and got bored and moved on. Whining just sounds like, well, whining.
It amazes me sometimes, how highly people think of themselves, and how desperate they are to be 'better' than someone just so they don't feel bad about themselves.
Gloriousbug, you sound like the typical brainwashed follower oftentimes found at Demand Studios. Newsflash: I write for Demand Studios NOW. So your assertion that I "couldn't cut it" doesn't carry weight. And if CEs used AP Stylebooks then I wouldn't have to deal with asinine rewrite requests from some incredibly dense CE who doesn't have basic knowledge in technology and wants me to give him/her a crash course -- which has nothing to do with the article he/she is supposed to edit. The job of an editor is to edit copy. Asking the writer to explain the intricacies of a subject that is over his/her head is absurd. This also adds several hundred words to the article anyway, pushing it over the DS word count limit.
And you claim that DS isn't a newspaper, but it certainly attempts to run itself as one. I'm disappointed that a massive layoff caused me my staff job, but it's ridiculous that a "trained" journalist -- who does hold a degree in journalism -- must toil shoulder-to-shoulder with untrained amateurs at Demand Studios who couldn't even get a job interview at a publishing company. I'd be willing to bet that you fall into that category.
All I know is that my articles aren't sent back for rewrites, and I've had no rejections. Maybe it's a conspiracy, and the copy editors just don't like you. Why is it so hard for you to get that maybe the reason some people aren't as harsh on DS as you'd like because their articles are not being sent back or rejected? I would have to be an idiot to ignore my own experience just because someone else is frustrated because their articles are being sent back. When I start getting my articles sent back for rewrites or rejected by jerk content editors, I'll be the first to complain. I really don't get why you keep saying 'trained' journalist, as if that's something special. It means you learned on the job. Not exactly like getting a journalism degree. And, since you learned on the job, it's pretty snotty to look down your nose at other writers who have done the same, especially if they are capable of writing for DS without rewrites or rejections, and you are not. I have been a copy editor, as well as a writer, for print publications. What is your point?
If it was all about the money, and DS writers were getting $50 an article, I think you'd still be whining, because your articles would still not be passing muster. If there is anything I am NOT, it's a cheerleader. If there is something that I AM, it's someone who can't stand whiners. If you want to complain about DS, find a legitimate complaint that doesn't revolve around what a great writer you are and how DS can't recognize it.
The stupid fools working for $15 articles -- and defending their love of doing so -- are caught on a hamster wheel.
They cannot get better paying work because they are incapable of producing better work. I looked up articles on eHow by every defender of DS on this particular thread who provided a searchable name. Every one of those articles was a little dung ball of idiocy. News flash, dipshits: you cannot write. one of you. Delusional, yes you are, but writers you will never be. Live in your make-believe world. Or die. It doesn't matter to me.
DS isn't writing. It's factory work for drones.
And the drones have come out in full force to defend their little hive.
Stay there. Grow old and die writing $15 articles and making some rich asshole richer. But try to die soon. The Internet is already sufficiently clogged with your moronic drivel.
Good work for serious money is out there for people with the balls to claim it. That was and remains the original point of a majority of the early comments on this thread and other sites decrying the shit conditions at DS.
DS is a waste of time -- and so are the little monkeys who toil in its dungeons. Whenever I come across a collective of idiots too stupid to realize how stupid they are, it is always best to move on.
Thanks for the laffs, dumbasses. You really are the most cretinous bunch of goosestepping fools I have come across in three trips around the planet.
Now, run along. Go back to picking in the dirt in search of $15 grubs to eat.
LOL.
I can't help but laugh every time I read these posts. You're like
"boohooo DS freelancers are making money boohooo they're not *trained" like meeee *infant noises*" lol lol
seriously dude, get over your fucking self. Maybe if you spent more time writing instead of thumbing your cunt over OTHER writers (freelance or otherwise) you may actually do something with yourself. Seriously.
Quit yer bitchin, you look like a girl.
"If this douche is within 100 miles of Florida, I'll go have a talk with him. Seriously, PM me...I've got plenty of free time, plenty of gas and I haven't broken anybody's anything in almost a week and a half."
Why thank you, dear, but if you're going to troll DS's forum then please get your facts straight. I wasn't talking about 30_Below; I was referring to the person who posted a comment on this page pretending to be Bobbie (Meghann). Bobbie is a friend of mine, and that douche started a world of crap by stealing her identity and posting it up on this bullshit article. I sent that particular crap-bag an email to that effect, and unlike you, I've got the balls to back my words with a real name. My name is Richard Allen Rowe Jr., I live in Silver Springs FL and you can feel free to contact me at optimal_freelance@yahoo.com.
I have an honest question, from someone who *doesn't give a shit* about any of the bitterness on both sides in this thread.
How much can someone expect to make in a year freelancing from places that are not Demand Studios?
I admit, I write for Demand, but I will tell you, the articles I write for them, are such absolute crap, that its not even funny. I don't find it a waste of time, because I spend like 20 - 30 minutes on an article, and submit it for $15. I get through about 2 an hour, so for an hour's worth of work I'm getting $30. Even with the 5 - 10 minutes I take to do a rewrite, it's worth the time.
However, I agree wholeheartedly with this post. Demand sucks and should be brought down. They have ridiculous requests and all of the CE's aren't on the same page. One will tell me to do something, and then three others will say its okay. I have actually gotten in trouble with DS because I've called my CE an idiot and requested they never edit another of my manuscripts.
That being said, it's an easy paycheck, even if it does take 5 days to get it into the system (which as of late seems to have gotten much much slower), and the little effort I put into it is worth it. So, until I can get myself into some magazines, I'm sticking around.
However, I
Those DS fanatics are LOL funny. Not sure what they are trying to accomplish coming on here trying to convert others with their close-minded view of DS. If somebody doesn't like working for them... there's nothing you can do to change it. I write for them as well, and that LIAR up top talking about how she doesn't get rewrites is nothing but a hypocrite.
If you've been writing for DS for any period of time, you are bound to get a rewrite regardless of how good you are. Why? Because the editorial process is screwed up and the editors often have conflicting viewpoints. What's good for one, isn't for another. This is why I don't listen to those imbeciles, they are nothing but LIARS.
You have to hand it to Demand Studios for creating a large band of blind followers. I bet most companies with employees working in a brick and mortar situation would love to be able to regulate their employees like this. I wonder if the actual employees of Demand are this fiercely loyal. I doubt it.
Is Demand Studios perfect? No. Is there real money to be made there very easy? Yes. Very much yes. You're never going to win that Pulitzer working with Demand Studios, but lets face it - you probably weren't going to anyway.
At least, I know I'm not going to.
Good to see that our pimp hand is still strong.
That "hand" will take a bullet for Demand Studios. Tragic.
I'm surprised that all of these 'professional', 'trained' journalists have time to comment on this insignificant blog. You'd think they'd be too busy raking in $1 per word from all their private clients.
For that matter, it makes no sense for them to be so rabid about DS- there are plenty of sites that pay even less, like TextBroker. Check out eLance to see what people are willing to pay for freelance. I'd be more worried about the move to farming out content to writers in other countries for 1/2 to 1/4 of a penny per word. If you are a real journalist, and write so much better than people who write for content sites, and earn so much more money, it makes no sense to be so threatened by them. I seriously doubt John Grisham would be frothing at the mouth over the low quality eBooks that are being produced. A previous comment said it's not likely you were going to win a Pulitzer anyway, and that's an understatement.
to get you going, does it? Keep going. Matter of fact, make your next post three paragraphs... Fool.
If you're smart enough, it can be quite easy. Or, you can chalk it up to denial.
You really are just a silly goose, aren't you?
than you, my friend. Anyway, keep on doing what you do best.
Wait. So a bunch of people who write for a low paying rev share site are bashing a higher paying site for low pay?
Incendiary point, my friend.
This whole page is laughable. One thing that is apparent is that people--particularly the original poster--have way too much time on their hands. All the time the original poster has spent ridiculing those who work for DS could have been better spent doing actual work.
Make no mistake about it, DS is not perfect. Far from it. It's not journalism; it's a content production web site. It's the same as writing for clients who need web site content, except at DS, you get paid better and faster.
Yes, occasionally articles get sent back for rewrites or rejections. But the vast majority of the time, these rewrites and rejections are completely justified because the writer is failing to follow the guidelines and is producing a crappy article that has no business being published. Those who have had rejected articles/rewrite requests, for the most part, deserve it. It's your own fault for failing to follow DS guidelines.
DS does not follow AP style. The site follows its own style and if you fail to follow said style, you're not going to succeed at the site.
All I know is DS pays $15 per article--and not all articles even have to be 400 words in length. Some are only 200 words. I know this first hand as the majority of my articles come in around 200-300 words. I can write 4-5 of these articles an hour, which means I'm making $60-75 per hour. Find me another writing job that pays that much or more and maybe I'll see eye to eye with you on this whole "bashing DS thing." Otherwise, perhaps it's time that YOU learn how to write faster so that you can make good money from working for DS. It's not DS fault that you're unable to type faster and work more efficiently.
What's apparent to me from reading this page is that those who are anti-DS are a bunch of bitter babies who either (a) couldn't cut it as a DS writer or (b) are angry because they're not able to find decent writing work in this economy. Guess what? It's not DS fault that you can't follow guidelines, and it's not their fault that the publishing industry is in such terrible shape. Further, your name-calling and identity theft does nothing to further your anti-DS agenda. It just makes you look like a low-class, incapable writer.
Honestly, I'm glad you aren't writing for DS anymore. It means more titles and therefore more money for me. And those who are writing for DS but bash the company: how about you quit working there and stop being such hypocrites? It's funny how you have no problems taking the money that DS offers, but you're so quick to criticize every damn thing about the company.
Anyway, I've said my peace. Feel free to bash me for posting a pro-DS message. FYI, I am not a "bot" or a "shill" or even a moderator. I'm just someone who happens to appreciate the work that DS gives me.
Michelle, guess what? Nobody really cares what you have to say. Anyone who continues to write for that lousy company is a wannabe writer. Plain and simple. You're like a dog that was picked up at the pound and can't learn any new tricks. And anybody who disagrees or laughs at your association with Demand Studios you write off as someone who couldn't make it just to make yourself feel better. And if you'd do all that talking for Demand Studios for only $15, imagine what you would do for a cashiers job at Mcdonalds!
So you're a wannabe writer too ?
It's not surprising that you turned to putting someone down who happens to make a good amount of money writing for DS. Tell me, can a cashier at McDonald's make $45-$60 an hour working from their home? Much less, can YOU make $45-$60 an hour working from your home? Didn't think so.
As for being a "dog who can't learn any new tricks", well, that's pretty funny considering the fact that I don't just write for DS but also write for many private clients and am working on a book at present time. DS is simply a way for me to stay afloat while pursuing something that typically doesn't yield high pay.
I've gotten to the point where I can make $45-$60 an hour CONSISTENTLY. I can easily make over $4,000 a month. Yes, maybe if you take DS "seriously" you'll find yourself only making $15 an hour, but if you manage to find a system that allows you to write many articles quickly, DS is a pretty profitable endeavor.
Honestly, I find it hilarious that you're spending so much time writing on a site (Hubpages) that pays very little and only if you manage to get advertisement clicks. Guess what? All the hours you've spent defending your ridiculous posts will result in very little income. Meanwhile, I've made $500 working for DS the first 4 days of this week alone. Have fun waiting for that rev share check to come in, if it ever does.
I'd like to ask all of you how much you make writing Web content? Let's see now, Associated Content pays maybe $3 to $6 for a 400-500 word article, Suite 101 goes by how many people view your articles and ad revenues, Textbrokers also pay less. So tell me, how much do you make writing Web content?
Boo-hoo. I'm guessing not one person ranting about online writing, DS or otherwise, has made any money on their blogs.
I get the whole 'write about something controversial' thing... but that doesn't translate to clickthrough rates, does it?
Nobody has clicked on your ads, you have made not money, and the truth is you could have made more money writing for a contnet site. Need I say more?
You make $4,000 per month on Demand Studios? That's kinda unlikely since you auto jumped to the conclusion that I own this blog. I thought you were supposed to do research to write $4,000 worth of articles? Anybody that does a google search on "sucky Demand Studios" or "Demand Studios Sucks" will find this blog. It's only in the top listing. You idiot.
The only issue is how many people actually type in a search for "Demand studios Sucks" If that was the keyword you were going for, that was about as stupid as this article.
I mean really...you went after a keyword with a grand total of 30 GLOBAL searches.
Why do people claim to hate this blog but yet seem to be drawn to it like a moth to a flame? Reacting to every little comment..Hmmm.
It's a train wreck. lol.. Plain and simple, everybody likes to slow down and gawk at the major accident. See how bad it is, anybody on the ground. It's fun when an idiot writes a bad article just to incite people. Then the idiot goes off and starts talking to himself using different names. Next the idiot watches the article like a hawk to either delete the next comment or make another comment under a different name. It's fun watching a train wreck. Crash and burn.
Amused, I did not write this blog. I'm just a mere observer. Peace out.
The only people looking at the article now are the one's that are getting a big laugh at YOUR expense. See, you could have written a professional negative piece. No, no, not you. You had to write a "DS hurt my feelings piece". Then you had to go and show just how much of an ass you really are with your comments. Go back to flippin burgers or go back and move in with Mommy. You are nowhere near ready for the real world.
BTW- Go ahead and don't approve this. It was meant for only you anyway.
Hey Food For Thought, or whatever you want to call yourself...The comments don't get posted till you approve them..
"Your comment has been submitted.However, it may not appear until it has been approved by the author.
Thank you for participating in the Hubpages community."
YOU really are an idiot
I write for DS. I've never written an article for less than $15 and it usually takes about an hour. I won't get rich writing for them, but it's steady money.
I also write here, and maybe you guys know something I don't, but I've never made $15 on anything I've written here. Hub Pages is fun, but DS is real money. I get paid every Tuesday and Friday whether anyone clicks any ads or not.
About CE's:
So far I've found the editors helpful. I've had 3 articles come back for rewrites. One was an easy fix and two were complete rewrites. The second one I'm not going to rewrite because I can sell it elsewhere as is. I'm undecided on the third one. But that's another thing about DS--if they don't like it you can sell it somewhere else.
You have to hand it to these Demand Studios stalkers. They are so in love and brainwashed by that site that they can't fathom anyone not liking it. So you have a "short yellow bus" personality like "Amused" wailing on about how all these posts must be by the same person because all these people can't be ridiculing her to her face. I found this blog through the "Seriously" post on Demand Studios. I don't agree with everything the creator of this thread said, but he had many strong points that I do agree with.
And a word to "Amused" -- you may wanna pull back on the ranting. You sound a bit delusional. If you scroll up some, you'll see that there seems to be to many people finding this blog to believe all of these posts are created by the same person using different aliases.
I looked into DS, applied and was accepted to write within a week. I wrote a few articles, nailed them all without any problems, got paid via PayPal, evaluated the time devoted to making $150 versus what I can typically earn for my writing...and I walked away from DS and never looked back. This issue is not whether money can be made through DS. It can. The issue is that the money is not worth the effort relative to what a skilled writer with experience can accomplish elsewhere.
Talented scribes don't waste their time writing junky articles, even if they can write four articles an hour. I'll spend three hours writing a magazine piece and earn $300 or more. Consistently, as in 3-4 per week for 12 to 15 hours of effort. At the end of the week, I've also got some clips worth saving and showing to other clients to get more work. I would be embarassed to show off anything published on eHow by anyone.
Of course, I've been doing this awhile. Someone who's trying to become a writer might get a kick out of earning a few bucks at DS, but anyone with motivation and skill will get out of a site like that as quickly as possible.
DS has a lousy reputation among professionals. No one I know in the industry takes it seriously. If you spend much time there, write under a pseudonym or you may never write anywhere else. Call it taint by association.
As for the staunch DS defenders, I hope they are paying you for the time spent ranting and raving here. If not, you really are as silly as some of the other commenters here have said. Good luck.
I have no issue with people who voice how they feel about Demand Studios. But I do have a problem with those who try to force others to think as they do. If you like DS, fine. If not, fine. If you have had a good experience with them, there is nothing wrong with saying that. But, if they leave a horrid taste in someone else's mouth, allow that person to say their piece. You cannot force someone to agree with you, no matter how vehemently you rant and rave.
is full of shit.
Seriously, Ken (or Amused or whatever the voices in your head call you today), you need therapy. You did this "I'm the big bad hacker who found your IP address" on that other blog last year. Give it a rest, take some meds, get laid, do something to relax. You sound as crazy as Squeaky Fromme right now.
So "Amused" claims to have IP addresses? Okay, I will put $25 in your Paypal account if you can tell me what MY IP address is....and that's ten bucks more than Demand Studios pays you to pretend to be a writer. 'Cause see, as we all know, you're full of crap. You've already confused me with another person at least twice, and now you claim to be able to magically track indie IP addresses. Someone with so low an IQ couldn't do that....and I'm placing you in that category.
Well, see that would pose one, ok two, small problems for you. First, you would need my email addy and there is no way in hell you get that. Secondly, you haven't made 25 cents much less 25 dollars from this silly article. lol
Why can't we all just get along?
Well, in order for me to have made money off this "silly article" I would have to be the owner. But someone with your limited IQ probably just assumed the owner just logs in 1038 times since that is the total view count for a 24 hour period. The idea of reading this entire thread didn't occur to you did it? Yeah, the owner actually posted the number of hits he/she gets daily, you moron.
I didn't think you would provide your email addy since that would involve you doing something other than hiding behind a monitor.
Now why would a give you an email addy when:
A. You have money to send
B. You have no talent to write
C. You have no motivation except to complain and gripe
D. All of your voices would argue about losing the $25. Imagine the headache I'm saving you. Besides, can you count that high?
That post makes absolutely no sense. I think "Amused" has finally lost it.
Get some therapy Amused/Ken. You need it.
Ken's AIDS dementia has kicked into overdrive.
Wow. "Amused" is truly a dumb bitch. Hey idiot, if you scroll up and read the blog instead of scrolling to bottom of it to babble, you'd know that once someone is fired from Demand Studios, they don't have access to the site anymore. But guess what? I DO! Proof you say? Okay, go to the "resource center," select "general forum" then "general discussion."
The very first thread is "100 Words of DS." Now how in the fuck would I know that if I were the person who created this blog? LOL. What for it....yeah, you're pretty much a stupid ass. Which means that an entire room full of people have been laughing at you, as opposed to the single person you assumed was creating multiple posts under different names.
And if the Demand Studios community didn't have so many ass kissers like you on the site, management would probably be open to listening to those of us who have brought complaints to the forums in the hope of improving it as a whole. But instead of listening to a few people say "hey, this could be changed in order to make it better for the writers" idiots like YOU go "everything is SO wonderful! Thank you Demand Studios bosses! I am so lucky to even be here!" that they feel that there's no reason to change anything. What a scum sucking loser you are.
Wow, someone needs a dictionary for Christmas. Very limited vocabulary you have there. lol
Ever notice how people that have NO point feel the need to curse, scream and have temper tantrums? Calm down little one.
Amen.
Amen at Chuckling More's post, that is. Sorry Amused, but that poster does have a valid point. Read the post again, maybe you might learn something...But something tells me that's wishful thinking.
Wow again. "Amused," you are without a doubt the biggest simpleton on Demand Studios. How do I know the person was fired? Hmmm, maybe because I read a post on Demand Studios titled "Seriously" and inside that post it gave detailed listings about this blog, WHICH IS HOW I FOUND IT! See, if you bothered to actually READ things fully, your peanut sized brain would probably begin to understand that all that information was in the "Seriously" thread which was started on Demand Studios.
But you know what? Keep thinking that all the posts here are written by the same guy. It's obvious that your brittle psyche would crack if it became apparent to you that so many posters in this blog were ridiculing you for being such a talentless brown noser.
You know, whatever name you choose to post under is fine. It is amusing to see when you will pop up with another phrase name. But I completely understand. I mean after all, you don't want to accept responsibility for this crap anyway. Nobody could blame you for that. Poorly written to begin with. I find it amusing that out of all the articles you do have on the Internet, not one has your REAL name attached to it. Good thing, because most of them are trash anyway. I wouldn't want my name on them either.
This is downright pitiful... denial at its peak. I've had enough... I'll pray for you tonight, "Amused."
Actually, if the author hadn't already posted early on that someone was trying to give credit for it to someone else, I'd like to take credit for this blog because it's spot on -- and the "amusing" thing is you've underscored the thoughts of other posters here. You're part of the Demand Studios cult, a bonefide loser and like someone else posted earlier "a bottom feeder." I, on the other hand, am a freelancer for Demand Studios. I don't owe them anything other than copy. But you've obviously pledged your blood and life to a company that wouldn't care enough about you to urinate on you if you were aflame. (Actually, you'd probably like that Golden Shower but I digress.)
It's also "amusing" that you call so many other writers "poor" yet have not told anyone where your articles can be found? Hmmm. How about giving us your true name so we can look them up for ourselves? I would interject that any company that would have you for a writer must be pretty lousy, but since I also write for Demand Studios I won't say that. I'll just point to the title of this blog and leave it at that.
Go back to watching "Lost" episodes.
@Chuckling Again "Amused" is Kenneth Crawford. Same nonsensical posts, same MO. DS is his God, his reason for living. Demand knows how to keep their herd in line, big time. If the company decided it was going to move everyone to a commune in Guyana, Ken would be the first one on the plane.
Then move him to Guyana, already. And give him the first glass of Kool-Aid.
I wonder what burns you up more..
The fact I know who YOU are
The fact that I just won't leave you alone
The fact that you can't jump up and say its really you
That and I wonder what it was that you got in a rewrite request that made you lash out like this? Thin content? Not using actionable verbs? What was it, huh?
It doesn't matter though does it?
Now I'm abusing myself with a cucumber. Oooooooh.
Ken, you're posting under this "Amused" moniker, so what is your point?
Oh, the point? The point is real simple. You threw me off a little bit between the blog and here. But only slightly. The point is you are allowing someone else to take the fall for your article here. The point is the you wrote this article, but do not have the guts and courage to stand up for what you write. It is easy to go around bashing something without putting your name to it.
The point is these articles that come out bashing places like Demand Studios are written by gutless, nameless and useless people. People that will allow an innocent person to take a fall for your ignorance.
My point is that when people read these types of articles they need to ask themselves what the character is of the person writing the article. Will they stand up for their beliefs by attaching their real names to them because they truly believe what they write. Or will they, like you, hide behind fake personas because they are only after a fleeting moment of recognition.
Ken, you sound seriously INSANE right now. I didn't write this article. Why do YOU have such a hard time accepting that there are people who don't care for Demand, but still do work for them just for money? You sound like one of the Manson women defending their God. It's creepy. Don't you have anything better to do with your life? If nothing else, run along and write an article or something.
Seriously...you really shouldn't have let somebody else take the fall. That was just wrong on so many levels.
Keep going. You're just making yourself look more and more like an ass. Someone really should have Demand look into you. I'm sure they don't want mentally unstable people working for them, muchless publicly defending them.
Are you completely insane? Seriously, do you expect anyone to read these comments and believe that about 90 percent of them weren't written by the same person? You use the same phrases over and again (I particularly love the expletives) and try much too hard to prove that you're "someone else" each time. I've seen quite a few crazies on the interweb, but you take the cake.
Now, you're so desperate for attention that you're actively arguing with yourself. No one is that gullible, friend. I love how you're pretending to be Ken and using another of your many, many names to attack his supposed post.
I'm genuinely concerned for your mental health and I think you should consult a therapist immediately. I'm sorry if you couldn't cut it at DS, but move on already. If you have so many high-paying clients out there, why aren't you writing for them instead of wasting time on this petty nonsense? I don't believe for a moment that a writer with the publishing credits you so boldly claim would waste a moment on such a childish endeavor.
If you bombarded the CE's with crap like this, it's no wonder you were fired. I know you're bitter, but get a grip on reality, honey.
Ken is at it again. Someone should really show his posts to TPTB at Demand. Do they want a crazy person speaking on their behalf? I doubt it.
Ken has his head up his ass. He likes the view from up there, evidently. Too much rabid foaming at the mouth and not enough education is his obvious affliction.
And yes, DS is still a bullshit gig.
Have to agree with everyone on here. Just signed up to demand studios recently and OH MY GOD what a load of bull shit. 'How to make a Volcano car' ??? are you kidding me? I spent several hours going through the titles looking for something even remotely writable but everything was either ridiculously technical and would require an hour + research or else just ridiculous. Finding an article title that made total sense and was also related to my fields was akin to finding a diamond in a Dublin urinal.
They can keep their $15 and their bonkers article titles. My God!!!! UGGGHHHH!
p.s., how does one fly to the moon??
At least I had a good laugh. Really - I truly did crack up reading those titles.
You know, it's true - if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.
3 Reasons Why This Article And Author Sucks:
1. Operates under many, many names
2. Complete fabrication of the truth
3. Lies about affiliation with Demand Studios...author still writes for DS AND contributes regularly to the forum.
Ken, if you know who wrote the article, just say the name and be done with it.
And his ear.
...Making it difficult to speak or hear.
But he likes it just the same.
I could give a shit about the DS writers.
The "content editors" are the dumbest motherfuckers in the history of publishing. What a waste of time, signing up for that bullshit website.
Hey DS: suck me. You ball licking monkeys. Fuck you and die.
With every dumbass utterance, he proves he is too stupid to live.
Who in the hell is this Ken person? Everybody keeps talking about Ken, but nowhere have a seen a comment by Ken. Who the hell are you people? This is not the place for little children. Take your damn shit and go somewhere else with it. It is people like all of you that give the rest of the authors here a bad name. Bug off and get a damn life.
You are. You stupid goombah eggsucking piece of day-old sh!t.
The editors who mangle copy on the DS website are, without a doubt, the dumbest armpit-scratching brutes who ever attempted (and failed) to read. Illiterates, all of them.
Ken is Kenneth Crawford. He posted under his real name and then realized that his posts could be sent to the management at Demand, so now he has multiple names on here.
Why would someone do that?
What a thread. There is some competition for lousiest information on the Internet, but Demand Studios properties have got to be high in the ranking. Those eHow pages are thick with bullshit and mud. Content for morons who couldn't possibly have the money to buy the junk advertised on the sites.
I get a laff out of all the hooey Ken makes over people posting anonymously. Content editors at DS remain anonymous -- and with good reason. They are the dumbest motherfuckers who ever sucked oxygen into a set of lungs, all in a wasted effort to keep themselves alive. DS is shit, was shit and forever shall remain shit until some competent copy editors are brought on board. Spread the word, brothers and sisters.
Fuck you if you don't agree. I don't care.
Ken cares very much. He lives for this abuse. That's why the little ass clown keeps coming back for more bitch slapping.
Any attention is better than no attention, isn't it, Ken? Little bitch.
I just wanted to say, for the record, what a stupid little bitch I am, toiling away and spewing bullshit here in Richmond, Virginia, where my punk-ass associate's degree hasn't worked out in terms of a vialbe career so I must scribble pathetic articles for pitiful pay with my crayons while I sit here gnawing on celery stalks. I am such a fool. Cain't spail 2 gud, nor rite well, either. D'oh!
Who is Ken??????? Show thyself...
Except I didn't write this article. If Ken knows the name of the person who did, he should just say the name and put it in the open. He probably doesn't though and accusing everyone else of writing the article, just because they disagree with them, is stupid.
is the gowing rate for cocksuckers named ken who live in a fantasy world and call themselves writers.
The love festival here.
Times are tough. The publishing industry is in its death throes.
DS is like a waitressing job. It's one place where a writer can ply the craft and make money without a lot of specialized experience. If you put in the hours, the pay will appear.
If the pay isn't good enough, then it's time to move on.
Writers with skill and determination will do precisely that, since there is no reason to bang out $15 articles if you can make more money for the same effort (or less effort).
It's just simple economics, people.
We now return to our regularly scheduled personal attacks...
But you gotta admit that some of the CEs are full of crap. I had one recently wanting the whole freaking world for $15. The article is near 500 words and is very well written; "he" had minimal issues with the existing content. Still, he wanted a shitload of content included that would push it beyond the word limit. Plus, he was asking me a bunch of questions, which proved he had no knowledge of the topic. Now I'm out $15 because I refuse to waste my time on this imbecile who's probably just itching to hit the reject button. I'll just post it elsewhere.
Yes, it's simple economics, but some of the CEs have no business "editing."
The editors are worthless. They add no value, waste time and cause unacceptable delays in getting paid. Most rewrites I encountered (before I threw up my hands in disgust and abandoned DS to its fate) were sent by editors who had no business editing. They are ignorant in their disciplines, if they have any at all, and cannot comprehend the most basic fundamentals such as how to change a lightbulb. This is probably why the idiots command the handsome salary of $3.50 per title, which seems excessive pay considering their gross incompetence.
It's pretty obvious if you search Demand Studios on blogs and such, a vast majority of it is upset and frustrated writers. There is a reason for this.
The process goes like this for many writers including myself.
-Spend 30 to 60 minutes writing an article (Plus in many cases it takes 15-30 minutes to FIND a good title to write or to load your queue.)
-Wait 3-4 days, receive a REWRITE request(sometimes you don't get a rewrite and you get paid, but lots of times you do get a rewrite). A rewrite is a copy editor sending your article back to you for "corrections". Some of these demands can be completely unwarranted, but you will have to do them anyway. In many cases, the rewrite request has nothing to do with you doing anything wrong, but is simply to please the copy editor. This means every time you write a article it's just like throwing something down a crap shoot. You never know for sure if you are going to get it back.
-Fix the rewrite and send it back. Depending on the demands of the CE it could take another 15-30 minutes to fix it or worse a "full re-write". Wait another 1-4 days for it to be RE-reviewed.
-Risk the chance of rejection for fixing your article. Depending on the CE, if they don't like it they can simply reject it. Therefore you get paid nothing and get a black mark on your record.
Now i know lot's of times you just get paid, and it works as it should! But there is a large factor, most writers have a 25% rewrite rate or slightly higher. SO that means 25% of your work you either don't get paid or have to spend more time on it. Let's face it, if you are writing less than 1 a hour, the pay is garbage. Add in rewrite time, the pay is even worse. People who work for DS extremely over-exaggerate their earnings and how they easily find 15 articles a day to write. Seriously maybe 1% of writers do that. Finding 5 articles a day of easy to write non crap titles is more difficult than the actual writing. Not to mention there is NO consistency among titles. Do you like to write exercise titles? Well one week you might find 5 exercise titles, then the next week go months without seeing another exercise title.
So unless you are an expert on everything, good luck rocking out 10 articles a day without spending 16+ hours working. Also expect 25% or more of your work to need revisions or to be thrown out the window.
P.S
People who blatantly defend DS have issues. Your employer shouldn't be immune from Criticism, get a grip and stop drinking the kool-aid. Also attacking peoples comment grammar is just a cope out for have no argument.
Everyone Digg this!
I find it comical that the dumbass content editors actually delude themselves into thinking they accomplish anything or bring any benefits to the table. Every single "content editor" I dealt with was a fucking moron, straight up, just as dense as a tree stump and no more articulate. Some of them flat-out lie, the bastards. Most merely introduce mistakes and egregious erros into your copy.
And for what? Nobody gives a flying rat fuck about the content, anyway. Sites like eHow are all about ad clicks and revenue generation off of hits. Nobody at DS gives a shit about the content, except a handful of delusional wannabe "writers" who are equally full of shit.
Make a few bucks with those nimrods if you want, but don't kid yourselves: it isn't writing. it's scraping the barrel for saurvival cash. And the cocksuckers at DS know it. That's how they get away with paying such pitiful chump change.
Anybody who claims to be making $45-60 an hour is an ass licking liar and degenerate pigfucker.
Am I the only one who thinks that Demand Studios is more like a dysfunctional home for cult members? They all seemingly can't wait to drink that kool aid laced with rat droppings!
on the rat droppings. Fools, all of them.
people reference koolaid alot
seems like all the people who were claiming that all these comments were created by the same individual are up in arms that this same girl/guy made another page about demand studios: http://www.demandstudiossucks.com/
i mean, it HAD to be the same person since all of us here are obviously one in the same in regards to these unhappy posts. why would more than one person be unhappy with the way demand studios operates? LOL!
I make on average 30 bucks an hour writing half-assed articles for demand studios. if you're pouring your heart out into demand studios articles then you're doing it wrong.
I'm retired after 20 years at People Weekly. Trying to get a sense of whether DS is worth my while. This blog has confirmed my initial skepticism. The money is laughably, insultingly low, of course, but what really tripped my alarms is the anonymity of CEs.
The relationship between writer/reporter and editor can be synergistic only if it is personal. Can't do that with emails and anonymity. Frequent phone conversations and the occasional face-to-face over a beer are essential. At least, that's how it always worked for me in 40 years of writing for national and international publications.
Thanks for helping me reach a conclusion. I think I'm going to fill my boxers with live mice and stick needles in my eyes instead.
Peace, Brethren of the Inkpot
The CEs on that abominable website are ignorant, plain & simple. They are not qualified to edit and they know nothing of the topics they review. The CEs are stunningly stupid -- and who wouldn';t be? Editing articles at $3.50 a pop. You get what you pay for. And at DS, you get shit-for-brains copy editors. Most of the them seem to be drunk, juding from the 3 a.m. emails spouting nonsense in a "rewrite request." Most of them act like arrogant assholes in their astonishing comments, as though a ditch digger was suddenly elevated to the White House and began issuing directives.
The fact that these little fools are anonymous only exacerbates (use a dictionary. CE) the problem. Most of them are intellectually stunted pussies who would most assuredly shut the fuck up if you encountered them face to face. There would be none of this petty nonsense and people could work.
From what I encountered, I am not even sure the content editors are human beings. Just slope-browed monkeys pecking away nonsense on their keyboards and wasting my time.
Fuck DS. Fuck every one of their content editors.
Those editors are stupid, alright. Good God, it's like explaining addition and subtraction to kindergartners when dealing with those cretins. I'll bet some of those dumbasses are proud of their work, too. Just unbelievable.
Chimpanzees, the lot of them.
It's pretty funny i just had 2 $5 dollar articles rejected after rewriting them for the idiotic Copy editors. One i did that copy editor asked me to clarify in the article, then said "it's not a writable title" then rejected me. The second one they rejected me because i didn't explain the process under every operating system possible within a 200 word article, aka impossible. This has driven me away from DS to find another part time job for school since im a student. Demand studios is terrible, and it keeps getting worse. Rewrites then rejections on 5 dollar articles, you have to be fucking kidding me. This company is a joke, and the people that swear by them are as well. Some people don't mind working for pittance but i rather just work a shitty low wage job with guaranteed pay than a shitty low wage job with no guaranteed pay(aka ds)
For the opportunity to be swinging a baseball bat in a room full of "content editors," oh, how sweet that would be.
I enjoyed your article... I wish I would have found it before I applied to Demand studios today for to be a writer and editor.... I have a bachelors degree in english, but am looking for places online to write for as I wait for my book to be published..... I think I'll check out hubpages
I find it exceedingly creepy that "Ken" keeps calling women "girls" and "little girls" in some sort of attempt at being demeaning.
Almost as creepy as someone claiming to be a writer and confusing you're and your.
Correct usage:
"Ken, you're a mealy-mouthed, no-talent ass clown."
"Ken, your alleged writing ability is nonexistent to the point of absurdity."
A wretched company run by assholes to exploit writers and jerk them around with moronic content editors, all for a pitiful paycheck.
Avoid those bastards as you would a venereal disease.
My God, what a miserable waste of time.
Just because you have to rewrite an article on Demand Studios does not mean you are not a good writer. Actually some of the most talented writers in the world butt heads with editors now and again!
Three kinds of editors:
1. Those who are stupid.
2. Those who are assholes with no knowledge of their subject and breatiaking arrogance.
3. Those who are stupid assholes, by far the largest category.
DS should increase pay across the board and fire CEs for general incompetence before any self-respecting writer would put up with that sweatshop.
I agree, it is a waste of time, like so much other drivel on the web.
The expectation is what a medium to large newspaper would have. Believe me, a lot of those reporters are doing 3-4 stories a week. Some do more. But they are certainly not doing 30 to 40 stories and working seven days a week, just to try to scrape up $30,000 a year with zero benefits or time off.
It says something if a company is running help wanted ads three times a week. I don't know how anything gets done with the turnover they have. Why not pay some decent people a salary of $600 a week for 20 stories *still a lot of stories and a paltry wage* and pair them with a competent editor? It seems productivity and quality would go up.
Unless in the extremely unlikely event that Demand Studios fires every single one of the stupid motherfuckers presently editing articles for $3.50 apiece and replace those morons with real editors, with real-world experience, who don't have their heads thrust clear up their own asses while requesting ignorant and unnecessary rewrites on topics they are grossly unqualified to review. Fucking little ass-scratching monkeys, all of them.
I wrote several stories for it and I'm not doing any more. It's not worth my time. I don't have a week to wait and see if I get paid for a $15 story or not. In the real world, editors do not tie up stories like this unless there is something grossly wrong with it. They just correct it and send it along if it's something minor. Sloppiness is not acceptable but neither are unrealistic expectations. Perfection is great, but if we were all perfect, when who needs an editor, no?
I had someone send something back because they thought it was the wrong format. When I pointed out that it wasn't, they published it, but the rewrite still counted against me. This is like putting something on a job review that never happened. Really unprofessional.
If a freelancer wants to write content to fill in between other jobs, there are other sites that are a LOT easier to work with and don't pay on a click basis. They might pay a couple of dollars less per story. But you pretty much know you're getting paid and they don't treat you like garbage.
I think it's actually easier to write a nice little story for them because I'm not cringing at every word wondering if my time will be wasted or I'll get a rewrite for stupid reason that will tie up the story for week.
Adios Demand Studios!
PS they also edit stuff and make it sound retarded.
Adios Demand Studios!
are the masochists and morons who defend that company seemingly to the death, as if they just live for a good ass pounding. Some so-called "writers" have posted about how wonderful that hell-hole is, how great it is to be working at all! They're off their fucking medication if they believe such nonsense.
I'll say it now and foreever more: DS publishes bullshit place-holder content to lure dim-witted web surfers to advertising. Anyone who beleives otherwise is delusional.
I haven't been working for DS very long but I totally agree. I also had a friend working for DS for almost 4 years and the person had the same problems.
The CEs are often inexperienced in the topic they chose to edit and ask for odd rewrites. Nothing is ever good enough for them. It's really annoying sometimes. Although, regular CEs aren't as bad as the first three articles you have to write that are edited by senior CEs... it can horrible.
.50 cents to a dollar a word? youre dreaming dude. who pays more than DS right now. Who? Associated Content? For the type of "service journalism" that peeps do online, most of which is pure crap we all know, DS pays double what other places do. 15$ isnt great, i agree, but it sure beats getting paid 8$ an hour at wisegeek!
I make roughly $450 with Demand Studios most weeks. But, that's because I choose to write only 5 articles/day, 6 days/wk. Every now and then, I have to make up an abandoned rewrite. I spend no more than 4-5 hours/day writing them. I write on legal topics, of which there are many to choose from. I don't know how people write "10/day." After 5, my eyes and brain starts getting foggy from writing the same stuff over and over. The problem comes when there's not that many titles to choose from and you have to write on other topics that could take two, even three, hours to research and write; then, the pay drops to below minimum wage.
So, as long as topics are available within my expertise my issue with DS isn't the pay. My problem is, and has always been, the god-awful editing system that's in place. DS is not a writer-friendly place. In most cases, the writers take the fall and the editors walk away, paid and unscathed.
Are the essential problem at DS. The ones I encountered were unbelievably stupid and possibly drunk, judging from the incomprehensible rewrite requests timestamped at 4 a.m. on the emails. Anyone who plans to make any money at a rate of $3.50 per edited article (and who also has any sense) cannot possibly spend more than a couple of minutes skimming an article and moving on to the next one. DS claims "content editors" can make upwards of $20 an hour, which would be a minimum of an article every 10 minutes.
I had rewrite requests as arbitrary as "Please move the tip to step #2," which was infuriating because the editor could just as easily have cut and pasted the tip into a step, approved the man thing and moved on. Instead, I had to fiddle with an unnecessary request, send it back, then wait four days to get it approved while this "editor" was out dicking around, by which time I was looking at another four days before getting paid for the article. And lo! A whole $15. Whoopeee-fucking-doo.
If I had one or two editors to work with consistently -- editors who know their subject and what it means to be an editor -- then I might consider scribbling for DS to make some weekend playtime money, but until then, fuck you, content editors. All of you can suck the assholes out of roadkill. Fuck you and die for wasting my time, cocksuckers.
Could it be they are so incompetent that to out them publicly would cause shame and embarassement, which the stupid bastards richly deserve?
Or are the chickenshits merely exploiting their anonmymity to lord their power over writers simply trying to earn a (meager) living?
Regardless, it's probably for the best that the shiteheads are anonymous. A few of them would be wise to stay well hidden.
I started at Demand Studios last week and quit today. I'm not going to devote time to $15. If it works for you, it works for you. But I am astonished at the lack of knowledge from my editor. I've decided if I want extra money, I will just stick with real freelance projects. In addition, writing those how-to articles is awful coming from an actual technical writing background.
Yeah, it's getting ridiculous over there. The "editors" are going crazy with the rewrite and reject buttons. I'm not wasting my time there anymore. I write to get paid; not to play around with "editors."
Drunken retardates, all of them. Too stupid to live.
That company advertises constantly for freelance help, but it's not due to expansion. It's because no one with any intelligence or skill can stand to work there for long. The place is merely a stop-gap to pay some bills in-between far better opportunities. Far better.
Are dumb asses. Absolute stupid, slope-browed fools. Go to fucking hell, all of you.
Among those content editors at DS. Those dipshits make less than minimum wage at the rate at which they "edit" -- and STILL fuck up everything they touch.
At best, they are simply incompetent. At worst, they are embittered assholes who take out their personal failures on writers trying to make a few dollars in a tight economy. None of the editors I encountered in three months at DS had anything useful to contribute. Most were idiotic. A few were flat-out obnoxious, in a "I can hide behind the Internet and be a pussy" sort of way.
Well, I wish to God some of them would come out from under those rocks they hide beneath and say hello to my left hook.
is a perfectly good afternoon of writing, ruined, all because some microcephalic wannabe was turned loose to "edit" copy. Go back to shoving pennies up your ass, you damn-fool content editors. See if you can shit nickels and give yourself a pay raise.
Is Demand Studios still in business? I came across this thread by accident and laughed myself hoarse. Some of the posters here should have their own TV shows. Funny stuff, people.
I worked for demand studios more than a year ago and got so sick of it, so quickly, that an editor who kicked back one of my articles for a rewrite instead received a rather abusive message from me. Figuring my time was up, I never went back to my account to see if it was still valid.
I can only hope that editor is dead, or changed careers, or is off in the Castro District of San Francisco, sucking off shemales, because that dumb son of a bitch should not be editing a writer's work. Picking peanuts out of pig shit would be a better vocation for that particular editor.
Judging from the comments here, little has changed at good old demand studios, where the pay is for shit and the editors eat shit.
Are a laughingstock in the publishing industry.
I'll give you a tip, kiddies: if my company sees demand studios on your resume, the next destination for your little paper credential is the trashcan. No follow-up. No phone call. I'll put you in a blacklisted database, too.
Where is this blacklisted database? I've got tons of content mill applicants I can submit.
A friend told me this is at the top of her sign in for DS...she was just accepted and now is not writing anything.
"Due to an overwhelming volume of rejection appeals, we are currently behind in our response times. We will review all appeals we receive, so please be patient and do not send in further queries regarding the status of your appeals."
If that doesn't tell you something I don't know what does. Looks like the content is not only low pay but free pay at this point.
Are notorious for fucking their mothers when they're not fucking up copy.
DS employs monkeys to hit the "Approve" button or type stupidity with their elbows for needless, time-wasting rewrites. Illiterate Fuckos is a more apt description of the so-called "content editors," who couldn't edit The Cat in the Fucking Hat without consulting two dictionaries and Strunk & White (that is, if any of the stupid bastards could read).
The only thing worse than the CEs at DS are the faggots that hang around the forums sucking the big DS dick. The CEs couldn't hack it in the publishing world so they come to DS to ruin people's hard work. I currently work for DS as a data entry technician (I can't call myself a writer because it really is data entry) only because I'm still in college. It pays decently for a college kid, but I can't imagine working for them as professional writer with credentials. What a joke! Textbroker might not pay as much, but at least it's real copy work.
The sons of bitches yak in those DS forums most every day about getting drunk while editing someone's copy. Motherfuckers. No wonder the editors are the single greatest problem at that bullshit company.
Hey assholes: let me knock some sense into you with my baseball bat.
As for the "writers" praising that company and patting each other on the back in those forums, all of you are losers. Fuck the lot of you. Writers? Ha!
A little clue as to the contempt these people hold for their writers.
From writer's forum:
I have learned from my time at Demand Studios that a lot of the same questions get asked repeatedly in the forums and the answers are always the same. I have to plead guilty to creating new posts for complaints or questions that have been asked a million times already. So for the use of all writers out there, here is a complaint chart which provides quick, three word answers to the top ten complaints posted on the forums. Feel free to reference the chart for an instant answer to all your problems!
(Also feel free to add your own complaints and three word answers to the list.)
The Complaint Chart
1. My scorecard keeps dropping.
-It does that.
2. This rewrite request is rude/unfair/written in Latin.
-Send an appeal.
3. CE's are out to get me and ruin my scorecard/raise my rejection rate.
-No they're not.
4. Mistakes are being published under my name.
-Change your name.
5. Review times are slowing down and I need to pay bills!
-Write in advance.
6. I need to vent and post angry things that may come back to haunt me later.
-You'll regret it.
7. My articles have been under review for two days or more.
-That happens sometimes.
8. Different CE's are giving me opposite instructions.
-Nobody is perfect.
9. I don't like the way something on Demand Studios works.
-Make a suggestion.
10. I can't get inspired to write more articles.
-Try Focus Booster.
And there you have it! The little keyword bots that are always hard at work creating titles such as "How to Stop a Moving Chainsaw" and "How to Prevent Fires in Malls" have searched far and wide to create this list for your viewing pleasure. Feel free to print this list and hang it on your wall in a place of honor, or feed it to your paper shredder depending on what mood strikes you.
FUCK DEMAND STUDIOS!!! AND FUCK ANYBODY THAT DEFENDS THEM!! They make almost a million dollars a day and churn out 4500 articles daily. Charlie was right! The assholes that get on the forums and congratulate each other on their stellar writing skills are complete losers. The "Content Editors" are some of the dumbest people online, reading through people's articles from the mother's basement. I dare a CE to try to contest that they used to work at a real publisher, but eventually got fired because their boss recently discovered that they were a retarded person. Eat shit and die you motherfucking faggots!
I despise those motherfuckers. A few of them need their dental plans activated. None of them have the slightest clue what they are doing. It is frightening to think anyone would follow the instructions in any kind of article that a DS content editor had been "working" on.
I can absolutely guarantee that not one of those egg-sucking pussies would dare act like an arrogant bastard to my face. And if he did, the little faggot would not be conscious long enough to regret it.
Fuck you & die.
The software doesn't work half the time even though it is taken down for daily 30-minute "upgrades" that appear to accomplish nothing.
The pay is a joke relatively to the expectations: $15 for a reseaerched, referenced article with a photo.
The editors are, in the aggregate, the single most concentrated collection of petty assholes ever encountered in a so-called "professional" setting. Losers, all of them, too lazy to do anything except hit a "rewrite" button to ask their simpering fool quesrions such as, "what is engineering?" or describe where to locate the electrical cord on the toaster (hmmm, on the back of the toaster you stupid fuck).
Somehow, there has got to be a way to make money simply by pointing out how the DS content editors look like mentally handicapped Special Olympians. Not that they need any help in convincing the rest of the world that they are all, every man, woman and child of them, just as dumb as freshly minted cow shit.
I'm so sorry guys. I don't know what got into me. I was so enthralled in suckling each individual hair off that large DS teabag, that I forgot how much of an asshole I am. I apologize for trying to blow my DS-induced load in your face. I am sincerely sorry.
With that said, I would gladly remove my mouth from Richard Lally's pin drop cock, so that you could beat each one of us down with an alunimum bat one at a time. And if I'm still conscious after, I'll give you a blow job in turn for my life. Then I'll write an article praising you for your achievements. And then I'll add it to my bull shit resume and make note of it on my ass clown web site.
I'll go off and chew on some leaves now. Bye all!
Than Demand Studios. Those assholes pay shit and expect you to feel good about it while stupid cocksuckers who have no business editing anything will instead kick back work with unbelievably dumb questions such as, "how do you know where to place the cake in the oven?"
First, you work a spatula up your ass, you dumb bastard CE, then twist it around a bit for a thrill.
Anything I ever scribbled for DS was written under a pen name to aovid any ligerning association with that company. Besides, the idiot content editors fucked up so much of my work I learned quickly to disown the copy and cash out the PayPal deposits, moving on as quickly as possible to better projects. DS makes big promises, throws off a lot of sizzle and delivers doodle-squat. Don't let the constant "Help Wanted" advertising fool you into believing their ludicrous claims about expansion. The only thing expanding is the turnover rate among decent writers who realize their mistake in signing up with those assholes, and who then move on and never look back.
Are the main complaint about DS. Because the imbeciles are anonymous, they get away with making arrogant comments that stem only from their ignorance. I had editors send articles for rewrites because there was properly referenced technical information in the article that the editor "had never heard of."
News flash, children: there are a helluva lot of things you asshats have never heard of if you are pulling down a whopping $3.50 for reviewing an article you are not qualified to edit.
That is the essential illogic of the DS system: vetting and hiring experienced writers, then subjecting them to the whims of incompetents whose very existence is an embarassement to real editors. These DS twats are not fit to hold the title of editor. You are beneath contempt. I doubt if you are even human beings.
I'm 3 weeks new to DS and I too have serious issues with the CE's. They all have differing opinions on the editing guidelines. I've had to overhaul my articles and 4 hours of finding approved references, making edits, rereading their comments and going their guidelines was a waste of my damn time.
My final claimed assignment -3/3 -got approved yet they followed that email up with another email giving me the axe? Makes no sense.
I'd tell anyone to try their hand at writing for them, but don't get your hopes up that you're skilled enough to meet their DEMANDING b/s standards!
Honestly, I cannot agree more with this article and these comments. The Copy Editors are inconsistent and terrible for rejecting articles because you failed to explain the tiniest, simplest, most insignificant word. It is a ridiculous waste of time to work for DS. I was excited to get $15 per article, but with the amount of time it takes to get them to pass and reviewed, it is not worth the time. I'll go back to writing two $5 article an hour that actually make it somewhere than stay with DS. They need to look over their reviewing process and come up with an effective solution. It's just ridiculous.
Looks like DS just hired a fresh crop of dumb-ass content editors. Now we can look forward to a new round of inane questions such as "how do you remove the wings from the buffalo in order to prepare the buffalo wings?"
Stupid motherfuckers.
I fart in your faces.
It's simply unbelievable that so many put up with the treatment dished out by Demand Studios. They chastise writers like they are in Kindergarten. The editing comments are rude and unprofessional. It is truly a sad state of the world when people will stoop this low to make a living. No one deserves to be paid slave wages while being called names by those with the intelligence level of a rock.
It is not only the editors at Demand that have serious issues. They have a "help desk" where the writers go for "help". What they receive instead is a response informing them of their stupidity and letting them know what a nuisance they are to society. It's really sad that someone would return to write an article for the place after reading these replies.
I worked there before the new system was put into place. It wasn't great then, but now it is a horrifying reflection of desperation and ignorance.
Are little children who belong in nursery school, not ruining the work of writers trying to make a living.
God almighty, the content editors who mangle content for that company are absolute simpletons. Dumb as tree stumps.
Trying to explain even the most basic concepts to a "content editor" is like trying to convey the nuances of pouring water into a glass for the benefit of a retarded person.
It takes a desperate masochist to put up with the morons picking their noses and scratching their heads as they toil away "editing" copy. Damn, you content editors are dumb.
Most of the editors are competent, but a lot are not, way more than Demand Studio admits. The have so much copy to edit each day that at some point Demand Studio has to the bottom of barrel to find editors who will work for close to nothing -- and sadly, they find them.
No matter how many of the content editors could be deemed "competent," the reality is that an unacceptably disproportionate number are not. From the perspective of a writer hit with a rewrite from an idiot, who wants to be on the receiving end of even one dumbass content editor?
If they are not qualified, as many prove conclusively with every insipd comment they make, then fire their sorry asses and hire people who know what they are doing.
Due to the persnickety know-nothing bitches who were attempting to "edit" the work by asking for insanely trivial information and petty rewrites for a lousy $15. Dumb coozes have nothing to do all day, so they ruin writers' copy for chump change while waiting for their scotch swilling, ugly-ass husbands to come home and fuck them, once the guys are drunk enough and wearing those liquor goggles.
One of those "editors" in particular, I'd like to knock that skank Ho' upside the head with a hoe. Now let's see you do some gardening, bitch.
I hated those content editors. Fucking assholes & idiots, with ample overlap.
What a great feeling to move beyond the prugatory of Demand Studios.
P.S. Thanks for the laffs. This is the most spot-on accurate overview of a content mill I have ever encountered.
I am from the UK, and was recently accepted to write for them.
The first article I submitted had some editorial feedback that I considered helpful and relevant.
However a dozen articles later I was requested to do a rewrite (which I felt was just, I had found few quotable references on the subject, and should have just unclaimed it instead of attempting to write it) but the manner in which the CE addressed his/her comments to me was deplorable.
I am 66 years old - nobody should talk to me or anybody else like that after they have worked for 3 hours to produce something that would only pay 15 bucks anyway.
I was actually shocked that someone could anonymously address me in that way, and as I have not been online for too long, I wondered if it was a culture thing. After reading these comments I am glad to see it was not.
Needless to say, I have not submitted anything else to them, I have no intention of leaving myself open to such abuse gain.
There are just as many dumb ass writers as there are dumb ass copy editors, and that is a fact, but no copy editor should ever be rude even if he becomes frustrated by a writer who is really weak in certain areas. Editors are supposed to be helpful, but at $3.50 an edit, is it really difficult for you writers to understand why some CEs are assholes? The key to survival on Demand is to study the guidelines and make damn sure your article makes sense and is well written before you submit it...meaning you need to conduct your own editing on your own writing, and when a CE sees that he does not have to do too much touch-up, his frustrated ass is likely to pucker for joy and approve your article "POW!" like that. It does not benefit CEs to request revision and then end up rejecting your article. They make money by editing quick and sending shit on through to be published.
Oh? And why should anyone believe you, Danny boy? Because you are a content editor? If so, that makes your credibility suspect from the get-go.
I don't give a flying fuck about CEs or their $3.50 an article. fuck you to every last one of them. Assholes. If they don't like the pay, go do something else and stop fucking up writers' work. None of the CEs know what the fuck they are doing. If they did, the cocksuckers could be making more than $3.50 an article someplace a helluva lot better than ds.
Yeah? Says you. Prove it.
I've got fifty bucks says you are one of the dumbass content editors who needs a boot kicked upside his fucking head.
Dan - your comment epitomizes what is going wrong with this company.
If a 'writer' is too weak to work for DS, is it really their (our) fault we were / are accepted? I have never claimed to be a writer in any shape or form since beginning to provide content for various sources online. I consider myself just that, an content provider.
My 'survival' fortunately has no bearing on writing articles for pennies, which I am actually prepared to do, because mostly I enjoy it; but I am not prepared to put up with deplorable and unnecessary rudeness. By all means, if my offering was so bad, reject it, but don't demand me to rewrite it to your impossible demands while addressing me as though I am a piece of fecal matter.
No Dan - the key to surviving on DS and similar sites is keeping a wide berth. Just as I make a point of staying away from negative people and situations offline, to ensure I stay happy and healthy, I will also stick to that policy online!
Wow ... As a former DS writer and CE, I find this blog extremely entertaining. I'm glad I got out when I did.
Ironically, I was one of the original DS USA Today travel writers. After attempting one article, I decided to actually turn it into a real job opportunity. I took that DS title and turned it into a real travel article for a print pub. That one DS title and a ton of my own time and research helped me land a travel reporting position.
I hated working with DS. I'd rather stuff envelopes at home than write or edit for DS. But I have to credit the company for handing me a way to get out of its sweatshop.
Thanks, DS!
Demand Studios has a serious design flaw; they allow people making less than minimum wage to run the show.
Copy "editors" are in control of the writer's wages. They control them by sending back impossible rewrites and rejecting perfectly fine articles. Demand backs their decisions to do so.
Think about this for a moment. You have editors who cannot get work that actually pays. They are at the bottom of the barrel, most of them fired from real jobs. In this industry, you quickly earn bad reputations for poor work. Due to these circumstances, they are forced to work at wages the people of India laugh at.
Wouldn't you be hostile towards writers making five times more than you? Even if they are also working for slave wages?
Yet, these are the people Demand puts in charge.
NOT TOO SMART DEMAND!
I worked for Demand as a "CE" for one day. That was all it took for me to recognize the unabridged spite spewed by "editors" there. One quick look through their forum and it is painfully obvious.
In all fairness to some of the "editors", Demand lies about how much you will make when they accept you. I think this fact alone leads to much of the anger expressed through the "editors" work. This omission of truth by Demand took me out their proverbial door immediately. Those who stay can only justify their actions as desperation.
I work as an editor for a small local magazine. If I made the comments I've seen Demand "editors" make to my writers, I would be instantly fired. No argument, no explanations needed. It's unprofessional. It is not part of an editor's job to criticize a writer or their work. An editor is there to catch and correct errors so the pieces are suitable for publication. Nothing more.
The Demand "editors" are only doing what Demand allows them to do. Just like children, they will push the boundaries of their discontent as far as they possibly can. Demand is giving them free reign for their terrorizing of others, and actually encouraging by backing them on their behavior.
The blame goes on the company, not the incompetent people they hire.
With all that said, I honestly hope that those forced due to economic issues to work for Demand are able to find better employment soon. Writers should be honored for their creativity, not abused by those who cannot appreciate their efforts.
Got a whole website for 'em......
www.demandstudiossucks.com
is hiring content editors who are infinitely more stupid than the target audience for the bullshit content that passes for information on DS-owned websites. By this reasoning, if a dumb-ass copy editor is able to grasph such simple concepts as changing a lightbulb, then the dim-bulb readers should be able to process the information as well.
Depressing as hell, isn't it?
Of course, sustaining this level of content creation requires an endless parade of inbred, cross-eyed content editors who will happily fuck up your article for the $3.50 they so desperately need to buy another six-pack of Pabst Blue Ribbon, which is enough to keep a content editor primed for a long night of ruining writers' efforts to the point they are no longer recognizable.
It is virtually impossible to reach anyone at DS via any other means than using one of their online forms. Telephone numbers at DS are guarded like national secrets. They limit their access to deal with issues when and only if they feel like it.
DS is one of the most carefully orchestrated fuck-jobs in the brief history of the Internet. They are in business for short gains. Wait till the IPO goes through and watch the entire house of cards evaporate.
The Internet is already overcrowded with their drivel.
If you wish to be informed and knowledgeable about the real impact of shitty content mills like DS, then read this article:
Actually, not such a guarded secret. The phone number to the Santa Monica office is 310-394-6400. You don't need federal security clearance to find it. You just need to know where to look.
The article cited above is a total farce.
The "syndicators" care NOTHING about quality. They want to control every ounce of information on the Internet. Don't feel smug about this. It will affect EVERYONE and ALL business online, Ebay, other online commerce, ect., if it goes through as planned.
If you use the Internet for ANY aspect of your income, you'd be wise to see about replacing it el pronto.
This is a draconian takeover and this article is COMPLETE B.S., trying to make people think it's a good thing. Too bad there are a lot of idiots out there who will fall for it hook, line and sinker.
You get an accreditation process, then Proctor and Gamble, Tribune, and other major companies that are mouth pieces for the government pocket will be the only ones allowed to say anything on the Internet.
Don't you idiots care about free speech?
There's a difference between a blog or a half-baked article with no sources and university research. If a person doing research on the Internet doesn't know that, then they have no one to blame but themselves.
If you look at the article on Media Week, their site is loaded with Demand Studios ads. LMAO!!!
That is absolutely precious for them to argue against it and then not be above taking their ad money.
Best laugh of the day.
Is a news and commentary magazine on the busines and industry of mass media, primarily in the United States. The organization mentioned in the article is known as the Internet Content Syndication Council. Media Week is simply presenting a nerws article about something this council is advocating. There is nothing in the article to suggest Media Week opposes or endorses content mills. Accordingly, there is nothing wrong with taking ad money from an content mill.
More importantly, the person who signs off as IPO and, presumably, "one more thing" clearly does not know what he/she/it is talking about, since his/her/its reading comprehension skills are sub-par.
In sum, DS is BS and IPO is a fucking idiot. Nothing has changed.
IPO sounds a helluva lot like that douchebag who calls himself "Ken" and who defends DS to the bitter death even though his writing sucks and he can't possibly be making more than fifty bucks a day, given his skill set.
So, IPO, is that really you, Kenny?
LOL.
Are the reason I abandoned that miserable waste of time.
not a single one of them evwer showed the slight evidence of being qualified to edit anything. Some of those idiots couldn't empty a garbage can into a truck, much less attempt to understand even the most basic activities like the operation of a glue stick, making ice cubes, changing a lightbulb or the reason for unplugging an appliance from the electricity before attempting repairs.
It is my sincere hope that they do attempt to repair an appliance while it is plugged into the power, such that all of them might fatally electrocute themselves and spare the world of their offspring.
What a ghastly place to earn a buck as a writer. To all of you content editors: may you enjoy a heaping helping of loose shit before you go bankrupt from your own incompetence and die alone in your dank basement apartment.
How a fuckhead making $3.50 for editing an article would expect a full-blown essay from a writer getting paid a lousy $15. The smart ones would just approve the silly article and collect $3.50 so I could get my money and get on with my life.
But no, some of the assholes wanted to nitpick and completely change the focus of an article.
Tell you what, cocksuckers: you might have jerked me around for $15, but I'll gladly knock out your fucking teeth for free.
How 'bout them apples, cocksuckers?
Just dropping by to say kudos for to the maker of this page.
Also...Dear DS copy editors,
Please die. You are incompetent assholes who clearly take pleasure in nitpicking your way through our content-farm copy rather than simply performing your duties and letting us all get paid. You who so faithfully serve the "machine" without any regard for common sense... you are nothing more than vaginal belches.
Affectionately,
tickle my scrotum
A simple question.
Do you actually earn money at DS?
I do not see how it is possible for you to put in enough time to earn any significant money writing $15 articles when you spend the majority of your time posting on this and similar sites.
Your name pops up over and over on every site that mentions Demand Studios. Even the positive articles find you arguing in the comments section with other posters.
It has to be excessively time consuming constantly typing "Demand Studios" in Google to find every site. The excessive, long-winded,multitude of replies costs you additional time. In the time you spend on your excessive replies, most people have earned $100 by writing an article. (but then again, they don't work for Demand)
You have claimed to be a writer, a copy editor, be a doctor, a computer expert, an accomplished writer... basically everything but a garbage man.
I am under the impression that you are not a writer for Demand, but possibly a representative for DS in some other capacity. Either that, or a very, very poor person.
It's no one's business who posts where, or why, or how much time she chooses to devote to posting. It's a free world, dipstick, and I enjoy the freedom to tell you unequivocally that I don't give a fuck about you, your "impressions," whether you live or drop dead, or anything else that rattles around in your feeble mind.
Demand Studios is a bullshit waste of time for writers who aspire to anything beyond mediocrity. The pay is shit. The content editors are fucking morons, the work is mind numbing and it ultimately pollutes the Internet with drivel.
Fuck you if you disagree. I don't care.
I, as well as a couple freelancers I know supplement income by turning to DS to fill hours between gigs. Just realize that there are two types of people working there 1) Professional writers/editors who flip content pretty quickly and operate on the "A $15 article is what you want, a $15 article is what you get" principal; and 2) People who see it as a career, and tend to take it a little too seriously. About 80 percent of the time, it's OK. The other 20 percent, though, I've written freelance for more than 10 years, and haven't ever dealt with such weird copy-editor demands. I'm fairly certain a significant number of its copy eds aren't pro, but stay-at-homes who came up through the ranks and don't really understand copy flow and editing.
Are worthless. Most of them are demonstrably quite stupid, too. That's why they merit only $3.50 an article for doing nothing.
Dear hmmm...
No, I don't use the comments section of a Hub Page to attack people I don't know. I was raising a legitimate issue about how search engines and ads work.
A lot of these personal attacks are a psychological problem known as "projection." The attacks are what people believe to be true about themselves, not others.
It's pretty pathetic to critique the writing of a bunch of anonymous blurbs on a Hub Page.
And yes, that goes for ME TOO, LOL
Don't choke on your spite, meanies...
"Tell you what, cocksuckers: you might have jerked me around for $15, but I'll gladly knock out your fucking teeth for free."
Wow! Somebody really got his feelings hurt. It must suck to be told your writing is crap. But actual threats of violence?!
I'll tell you what: I'm a DS CE and I will shed my MANDATED anonymity to give you a couple swings. You name the time and place. But it'll cost you $3.50 a shot. You know, because that's what I get paid for agony and all. And believe me when I tell you that it will be much less painful than editing what you've been vomiting upon your keyboard.
Then, after you're done, I will detail how you failed at pummeling me and suggest that you consult an expert, or take a class, before trying again.
The content editors would get off their lazy asses and actually edit some content. The DS forums are clogged with complaints about backlogged queues. If DS is really in the business of publishing content, please hire some content editors who can push this mass of copy through the pipeline so the rest of us can get paid. And DS should institute a policy that any "editor" who sends a superfluous rewrite request gets fired automatically for wasting people's time. That should weed out the imbeciles in a hurry.
Hated it. Loathed and despised every blessedly brief moment. A miserable experience struggling with insane copy editors possibly too stupid to live if breathing wasn't an involuntary reflex.
Hated it. Anyone who puts any value in the content produced by demand studios is just plain stupid.
I made some quick money and got the hell away. Just an awful experience. I would change careers before writing for those assholes every again.
I just came across an article claiming the average tenure for a DS writer is two months.
Two months.
This should raise eyebrows over DS claims that their "rapid expansion" necessitates more and more freelancers to generate drivel, er, articles, for various DS websites.
Bullshit.
They cannot manage to retain quality people for any length of time.
Hell, the learning curve for the various ridiculous guidelines, caveats, conditions and prohibitions is at least two weeks.
At the rate they lose people, freelance turnover would have to be 100 percent three to four times per year.
Think about that.
To survey all those former DS freelance writers to determine the percentage who fled that company in disgust due to inept, inconsiderate and insane content "editors."
The DS business model will only last until the company launches an IPo and the founders cash out. They've done it before with virtually every other venture.
DS cannot sustain itself with bullshit content. Eventually, even the dumbest Google surfer will get hip to the fact that any link to an "article" on eHow, LiveStrong or any of the other sites owned by DS is a lousy and unrelaible source of information written by a desperate scribe as quickly as possible in order to collect $15 and jump to the next asinine title.
"Then, after you're done, I will detail how you failed at pummeling me and suggest that you consult an expert, or take a class, before trying again."
Oh, there will be no failure, skippy. You can count your bandages on that, you illiterate asshole.
Are simply not qualified to perform the work they are paid a handsome $3.50 for editing. These are people fired from real publishing jobs, or stay-at-home moms with a vodka and pill habit who need some chump change to support their habits and pretend they actually have soemthing to contribute to the world.
It is this: ruining people's work while offering hilariously stupid editorial comments that are simply astonishing in their ignorance.
Only a masochist would allow her work to be inspected by a fool with reject "power" and zero understanding of the subject matter, all for a pitiful $15. That's just an invitation to frustration. And life is much to fleeting to deal with idiots who can literally steal your money with one mouse click -- all because they have no comprehension skills and the disposition of ill-tempered children.
DS: the lowest circle of writer hell.
seeing so many ill-informed comments and nasty insults about copy editors. I'm actually disgusted that DS appears to be turning so many people against truly thoughtful, professional and caring copy editors who work very hard to improve the copy they read. I know many of them and I am one.
I sincerely ask everyone not to paint all copy editors with the same broad brush. I assure you copy editors are not out to ruin your life or your copy. It's not personal for many of us. We don't have that kind of time. I can't speak for the ones at Demand Studios, but I stress that one should not judge every copy editor based on their experiences with Demand Studios. That would be a horrible mistake.
If it's any consolation to other frustrated writers, ex-DS writers, and would-be DS writers, DS rejected me for a copy editor position last summer. I was totally baffled as to why, but I am so happy I was rejected, esp. after reading comments in this forum.
I am a copy editor/proofreader with 12-plus years of copy editing experience, primarily with newspapers. I also have newspaper reporting experience, so I have been on the other side of the desk as a writer. I edited the DS test articles in the same manner that I edited real articles for professional newspapers across the country. I was told that my tests results are the reason I was rejected. The rejection e-mail, which came two weeks after I returned the tests, was very vague and cold. I have no idea what I did "wrong." Just like that, it was over for me and DS. I am thankful for a closed door as well as an open one.
I shrugged it off and let it go. Why? I am just that confident that if I can edit copy professionally for real, credible daily newspapers and get paid much, much more than $3.50/article for doing so, then I am a copy editor who can find better work somewhere else. And I have done just that. It's their loss -- not mine.
I just felt the need to stand up for copy editors everywhere who work their asses off to make writers look good and sound better. Don't judge us on your wack experiences at DS. And remember, if you show respect, you'll get it in return. If that's not the case at DS, then you have your answer. Keep it moving and get on with people who can give you want you want. That's what this REAL copy editor did.
Demand Studios is a paradise to cruel Editors and hostile to writers who have helped them to earn over $200 million a year.No self-respecting writer can continue writing for DS unless if you are like being abused for an un-guaranteed $15 per article that can be trashed or approved at the whim of the Editor.The idiots at DS are always advertising for writing posts,but any prospective writer who does a search on Google will see a lot of complaints about this company.GOOD for them.Besides,sites like Demand Studios will never help you to cultivate your own style and imagination.You only get dumber.
No one is trashing journalists or copy editors. The execrable sub-humans under scrutiny here are referred to by DS as "content editors" and they are worthless. Stupid, too. Your rejection probably was a result if being overly skilled, for which you should give thanks.
Writers who need quicxk cash can scribble little articles for DS, but for a paltry $15, the company expects Upton Sinclair or Tom Wolfe, for crissakes.
The "content editors" on their DS forum routinely brag about getting drunk while editing copy. And it shows in their "work."
I have no doubt you are a pro just as I have no doubt the content editors at DS are dumb as chattering monkeys.
Dreary work for cheap clients whose content "editors" are unqualified to perform editing work. The bottom of the barrel.
Are scum. Worthless fuck-ups who are paid $3.50 to ruin articles that no one gives a shit about anyway. DS content is strictly to lure dummies to websites full of advertising so DS gets Adsense revenue. The content "editors" are just cheap tokens (emphasis on cheap) so DS can try to convince advertisers that there is some sort of quality control. Want quality control? Fire the fuck-heads who "edit" and hire individuals who know what they are doing.
This is a deadly accurate thread. The content editors at DS are ridiculous fart-gulpers with less sense than a cockroach. Idiots. Goddamned fools.
DS's talking head is talking about plagiarism, and he implies that all writers should conduct interviews and do research for every story as if they were real reporters. If not, it's plagiarism.
The problem is that real reporters at even the smallest papers make at least $15 an hour S.A.L.A.R.Y. They absolutely do not do 50 stories a week to make $500 or $600. They actually get paid a full time wage for a full time day's work. It's not just $15 for several hours of work that amounts to about $4.00 an hour. Then there is much hand-wringing as the writer wonders if his masterpiece is accepted.
There is also a veiled threat of being blackballed at the end of his little column as he says plagiarism could "make you unemployable." Make NO mistake, I agree that plagiarism is unacceptable and has no excuse. But the arrogance of threatening to blackball people who aren't even "EMPLOYEES" is a little over the top.
BE WARNED: Their policy clearly states it's plagiarism if they say so and you cannot offer a defense; their decision is final.
Given that virtually all of their content is reconstituted from other Web sites, and is based on superficial, commonly-known information, that leaves the definition of plagiarism wide open. Their bot-based plagiarism checker will flag a story for "plagiarism" if you use common phrases like, "On Monday."
One more reason to say -- WHY BOTHER.
What a freaking disaster!
I stand corrected. The policy says you can be charged for federal copyright infringement.
At the risk of committing plagiarism by using a commonly-used phrase:
"Fuck you."
hi all. add me to the list of CURRENT ds writers that detest the CEs. i just got a rewrite request from a CE telling me to not use "like" and "as" since the sees these words "to frequently in articles." wtf? so we're not to use similes now? where does it say that in ds guidelines? where does ds find its copy editors? drug rehab homeless shelters?
Fairmont State University in West Virginia?
That's precious. Whoopie-fucking-doo.
Good ol' Fairmont State sounds like the University of Phoenix journalism school. Sign up on the form inside a matchbook, send in a few dollars and get a diploma by return mail.
Yeah, this is the sort of douchebag paid to sling advice to DS.
Hilarious.
Fuck SPJ. And their little dingleberries, too.
Two great observations:
1. I will not ever again deal with Demand Studios.
2. Every last one of their content editors was, is and forever shall be a stupid motherfucker.
If DS honestly revealed that its content editors were the sorriest losers in the history of publishing, the company could not find writers to scribble that nonsense. As it stands, DS cannot keep writers longer than the two-month average, which is why turnover hovers near 100 percent -- six times a year.
Out of curiosity I looked for anyone who had disagreements with Demand Studios editing test and found this page. I wish I had found this page before I took the editor's test. I could have saved myself time.
A little about me; I have extensive experience as a copy editor at a daily newspaper and was let go due to a budget crunch. I heard about Demand Studios and decided that working for them would be a nice lifeline while applying for editing position at other publications. I took the test and received this today:
"Thanks for taking the time to undergo our hiring process. Unfortunately, it seems that the results of your tests did not meet our needs. We wish we could provide you with more specific feedback to your tests, but for safekeeping purposes, we cannot divulge the results/answers. We hope you understand.
We appreciate your interest in Demand Studios and wish you luck in all your freelancing endeavors.
Regards,
The Demand Studios Team"
Please keep in mind that I edited both of the tests Demand Studios emailed using AP Style. I have no clue as to what they look for in an editor. It certainly has nothing to do with actually catching errors. But for less than $4 per edit, I'm not very concerned.
I read the link above. SPJ is a money-sucking waste of time. Recent J-school college grads spend a few years sending in dues money to that organization, mainly to network for jobs. Since thre are no journalism jobs, SPJ is now offering editorial advice to DS? That's a wind-breaking laff.
What little cred SPJ ever possessed has just blown out the window. As for that douchebag from some diploma-mill school in West Virginia (!), ponder this question: who gives a fuck what you think, skippy-boy?
I've seen those content editors you speak of. They lurk in rural areas, scrabbling under wet rocks for dung beetles that they devour greedily with their fat, greasy fingers, licking their lips over blackened stumps that might once have been teeth.
Their fathers and mothers were sisters and brothers.
This is what $3.50 will buy in the marketplace. A pickup truck full of retards.
You should see the forums over there. A few days ago I saw a thread where all of the DS editors and writers were bitching about how much they hate it when something good happens to their "friends". Apparently, these winners get pissed off when a person they refer to as a friend (in real life) shares good news or has a positive event in their lives. Can you say socially retarded? Yeah! I knew you could!
They also despise anyone who isn't fat. That topic comes up over and over and over again. Occasionally, one of the sane people will pop up and call them on it but it gets buried under the angry shouts of all the insecure and overweight CEs and writers. Only morbidly obese people writing in mama's basement are "healthy" and all thin people lack morals and self respect. I believe the exact wording was "shallow, vain and stupid." All of that hatred just because someone they've never met looks better in a swimsuit than they do. Fucking pathetic.
i don't understand how they can NOT see what a waste of money it is to get a copy editor to edit an article for $3.50 and then have the article go BACK into the que if the writer decides to not do a rewrite. i know that i personally look down on doing extensive rewrites. if it doesn't fly at ds, i just send it over to suite101.com and they ALWAYS take it. money builds over time and i get paid on the back. ds just pays upfront and that's why i write for them on the side. but WHY would anyone do a rewrite that has no guarantee of being published? no thanks. i'll take the 15 or 20 minutes it takes me to write one article for demand studios and continue to use suite101.com as a safety net. if nothing else, ds gives good ideas that their competition uses for its benefit. nice exchange for me either way.
DS editors are cocksuckers. Their only job is keep the queue empty so that DS can claim they have editorial standards. YET THEY MANAGE TO FAIL THIS SIMPLE TASK! Not much difference between a DS editor and a trained monkey. Seriously, what kind of retard edits articles for $3.50 an article when they can make $30 an hour writing articles. If I was an editor, I would publish about 20 articles an hour. Obviously, only the most petty and childish basement dwellers would consider becoming editors. The largest group of editors consists of fat miserable cunts stuck at home who fancy themselves as professionals. For proof of the missing links in evolution, look no further than CEs.
Ok.. for those of you who had issues with DS, you were doing it ALL WRONG. See.. you were thinking they want "quality" articles.. and you were thinking the CEs were sending it back for corrections they ignorantly think will "help" the article.
NONE of that is TRUE.
Here's the secret. WRITE CRAP!
The first week, I put effort into articles and tried hard to use all the propers. Everything was returned for a rewrite. Requests for non-existant information.. for completely off topic information.. and super vague things like "are you sure about this?"
Then I found a website called Demand Studios Sucks and got clued in. Dude gives excellent advice.
Now.. I write complete dribble.. I don't bother to use the right punctuation... nada.. I spit out about 5-7 articles an hour this way.
I haven't had a rewrite since I started doing this.
DS doesn't want quality articles.. they want SH*T so people will get irritated and click on the sponsored links and get off the page.
That's why the experienced copy editors who applied were denied.
Is DS worth it? I make around $75 an hour typing CRAP while I watch TV. So.. yep.. it is.. you just have to know how to do it.
I write about one article per day for Demand Studios. It takes me about four hours to write a quality article. I got $150 per article when I did this for quality newspapers, $25 now. The system is a ripoff, and now I'm reading they're earning hundreds from each article I write.
And I applied to be an editor. The application was "under review" for three months.
When a staffer responded to my appeal of a "rewrite" by saying that I had no respect for copy editors, I responded that I had been one for many years and had applied to be one at DS. In response, my application was rejected. "Don't ask us why," the e-mail said.
Very professional.
By the way, I have made about 10 bad mistakes as a writer at DS and the editors missed EVERY one.
One editor changed a sentence so more GOOD cholesterol was bad. You don't have to know anything about cholesterol to know that more good is good, not bad. Another editor ORDERED me to stop using the words "is" and "are." NUMEROUS editors have removed my citations of doctors, the Mayo Clinic, etc. so it looks like it is me telling people what to do medically. Another editor kept changing it is to its (without an apostrophe).
Another editor rejected an article because he didn't understand third-grade Math. In my appeal, I pointed out that I had used the same equation 20 times previously. "Either this editor was wrong or ALL of your other editors were wrong," I wrote in my appeal. The "HelpDesk" (consisting of obnoxious morons) responded that the editor was right, meaning apparently that all my other articles will be removed and I will have to pay back the money I earned. And I've used the SAME third-grade equation 10 times since that Rejection.
The staff is flat-out dumb.
But none of those things compare to the sheer chutzpah of NUMEROUS editors who will send you a "Rewrite" that essentially says "write about something else because I said so" because THEY decide what the article should be about by looking at the title for a second, rendering the research and writing of an article by someone who has thought about the title for up to a week pointless.
You have to pass a stupidity test to be an editor or staffer.
Have two rejections at DS, zero in 20 years of writing for ten times the wages at newspapers. In both cases, I received perfect 5s for the article and just one question. In both cases, one mentioned above, I answered the question and explained my answer. In both cases, the editor acknowledged I answered the question satisfactorily but rejected my article anyway, blindsiding and infuriating me so much that I insisted on going to the top.
The infamous Richard Lally responded, sort of, on both occasions. The first time he wrote that he found a section I wrote that had nothing to do with the title. The WHOLE section was about the title. I couldn't figure out what he was talking about. Then, it hit me. I had used the word "it" instead of the title of the article in that section because I had used the title of the article in previous sections. This IDIOT couldn't figure out that "it" referred to the topic of the article.
With the second rejection, I received an e-mail that said "I don't know how you got my e-mail address, but I don't answer questions form people who aren't authorized to have my e-mail address." How do you think I got your e-mail address, Einstein?
DScontentcurator@gmail.com
Their e-mail addresses seem to be firstname.lastname@demandmedia.com.
DS used to use gmail until too many people figured out the system as DSinsider did. Now they use @demandmedia.
They discourage any communication.
Now, writers are not allowed to appeal rewrites that are outrageous or where the CE thinks the article should be about something completely unrelated to the title.
Talk about imbeciles. They supposedly make money off content.. but they discourage submissions at every turn.
Not to smart there DS.
Richard Lally is a joke. Find a website that states that he is an award winning author that was NOT created by him. There are none. He's a fake.
Some of the responses he sends to writers belong on America's Dumbest Criminals.
One I read from him indicated that a stack of plates would only account for 2-3 inches of space on a table.. Gotta wonder if he's ever used a fork!
What's a fork?
You writers who commented on this blog deserved the rewrites and rejections you got. 90 percent of you cannot write good, period. You got lucky for a spell and slipped through the cracks. Go write for Textbroker. They don't edit your work, and all of your poorly written garbage will be accepted for 3 or 4 bucks. You don't belong at DS and you know it. So do the CEs and DS a favor and get lost. Stay in the writer's ghetto where you belong.
You need to get back on your medication, sonny. If DS is the only thing keeping you afloat, such that you feel compelled to defend that shitty company, you are clearly one of the CE losers under scrutiny here. Save your $3.50 payouts and, over time, it might add up to the bill for some anti-psychotic prescription medication.
Demand Studios IS a writer's ghetto -- mainly because the CEs are such ignorant motherfuckers. Thank you for proving the point.
DS, as a business model, is significantly flawed. If you consider the majority of the complaints concerning DS are about the CEs, you can see that this is the crux of the problem.
If DS would subject writers to random reviews rather than close editing of every article submitted, the company could save a ridiculous amount of money and reduce the amount of vitriol that justifiably angry ex-workers spew on the internet. Not all of it, mind you, but consider how much anger is directed toward CEs. Many, many, writers who quit working for DS do so because of the CEs.
The answer is simple: Get rid of the CEs.
"you cannot write good"
LMAO!
I've got $20 that says TG is a CE for Demand.
He doesn't write WELL enough to be anything else!
It is almost incomprehensible that a company could hire, muuch less continue to pay, such a large number of imbeciles to edit copy. There is no issue with writing quality or lack thereof; the lone issue is the astonishing stupidity of the content editors.
To put it plainly, the content editors are not qualified to be reviewing content. Period. These "people" are so jaw-droppingly ignorant, so unbelievably unskilled, as to make ANY effort at writing copy for Demand Studios an exercise in maddening frustration, all for some of the lousiest wages in the industry.
Anyone who thinks paying a monkey $3.50 to review an article will somehow translate into quality control is just being disingenuous. The fools pulling down $3.50 an article for "content editing" are actually fucking up the articles, not making them better.
I have seen the world and lived a life. And I have never encountered such outrageously stupid human beings as the morons who pass themselves off as "copy editors." They are an insult to real editors and an abomination on our industry.
DS is just a joke. A bad joke, at that.
I love how anyone who has any type of problem with DS is always labeled a crappy writer. Yeah, anybody who doesn't like working for peanuts must suck at their job.
I'm a purdy good writer according to Demand Studios. (Check out that attribution, pretty smooth huh?) My scores are always in the 4's and only 7% of my articles come back as rewrites.
You want to know my secret? I write those articles as if I were speaking to a mentally handicapped child. That's the key to making money at DS. If it can get through the stupid editor, it's probably stupid enough for Demand's target audience.
Most of the rewrites that I get don't actually require any changes to the article, which irritates the fuck out of me and if that makes me "not worthy" of Demand Studios, so fucking be it.
Example: Last week, I wrote an article about frosting a cake. That's some serious brain magic type stuff folks, very complicated. One of the steps went something like,
"Cool the cake completely before you begin frosting. Frosting will melt on a hot cake and create a sticky mess."
Like I said, that's how I would explain it to a slow child. The CE sent it back asking only, "Why can't you frost the cake while it's hot?"
That's why people hate the editors. That is a fucking stupid question. I even anticipated the stupid fucking question and answered it in the article to avoid this stupid rewrite. Only a desperate fucking moron would shove his fingers in his ears, close his eyes, and scream about how awesome the editing system is over there.
I'm not a Demand Studios writer or editor, so I don't have a dog in this fight. But I am a former journalist who's looking for some freelance work. I was shocked when I read the company's ad on Journalism Jobs.com seeking copy editors for $3.50 per article. I thought it was a typo, but no they are serious. They claim it translates to about $22 an hour, which means it would take six minutes to edit a piece. What utter hogwash. Heck, it would take six minutes just to read it. No wonder they're getting complaints about idiots editors. Only an idiot (no offense to any CEs reading this) would agree to work for that sum.
I was an editor for magazines, newspapers and a Web site. Our Web site paid writers $1 per word and editors $25-$45 per hour. Newspaper articles paid about $350, which was considered a slave wage even in the late 1990s.
As a freelance writer, I was paid $600 for a 300-word piece in a national business magazine in 1999. I earned $3,000 for a nine-minute segment on a national PBS radio show.
I'm not saying this to boast, but rather to illustrate just how insulting this company's pay model is -- even in this miserable freelance market. It not only devalues journalism, it doesn't seem to understand it. As most writers know, the actual writing is sometimes the easiest part -- it's the research needed to write with authority that takes up time. Demand Studios doesn't seems to be based on the time it takes just to write something. Or, they understand what goes into a quality article and they just don't care. It's a cynical and unethical business model. And I'm afraid it's the model of the future.
Oops. Should have read "Demand Studios' model seems to be based on the time it takes just to write something." Proofreading is our friend.
The company's business model is all about clicks to lure dummies to unreliable content so the dummies can be exposed to Google ads and spot-ads companies buy to be on DS websites. Anyone with a lick of sense will run in disgust from an eHow article. Most of them are pure lunacy, poorly written by desperate scribes trying to pay the rent in a bad economy. The wretched buggerers at DS know this, too, and pay shit anyway. THAT, my friends, is cynical.
Welcome to the dumbing down of the human race, one stupid DS article at a time.
There are several reasons that the CEs at Demand agree to the low pay. Each of these reasons have one common denominator; poor reputation.
These are the bottom of the barrel editors who have been fired or otherwise earned a poor reputation in the industry.
As a former CE (3 days at DS) I read tons of drunken posts in the CE forums. They play "drinking games" like you might see on a college bulletin board on their "professional" forum. All the while, "working" on articles. After two days, it became pretty obvious why most of these people could not find a job that paid more than minimum wage.
The list of previous jobs on the CE resumes there read like a career criminal's rap sheet; six months here, three months there, six months another job. Fired over and over again within short periods of time.
I left when I realized that the extra money I was seeking for Christmas was NOT going to be made working for pennies an article.
A recent CNN article reported that Demand Media has lost over 315 million dollars in the past 2 years. (initial investment of 350 million in 2008 with only 35 million in present assets, for those calculating, they have less than three months of money left) Their business model, regardless of their bragging, is a failure. I doubt they will be around to employ the bottom of the barrel CEs much longer.
indicates Demand media may be running out of money. Bad timing, considering the IPO filing earlier this month.
The numbers speak for themselves in the company's financial statements in an S-1 form filed for an IPO with the Securities and Exchange Commission on Aug. 6, 2010.
Demand Media has not turned a profit since it began. Demand Media posts losses in the tens of millions each year:
http://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1365038/000
Meanwhile, here is the report from the Wall Street Journal:
http://online.wsj.com/article/NA_WSJ_PUB:SB1000142
And some highlights from the WSJ report:
“In its filing, the Santa Monica, Calif.-based company reported its earnings for the first time. For the six months ended June 30, the company posted a loss of $22.3 million on revenue of $114 million, narrower than the loss of $28.9 million on revenue of $91.3 million in the same period of 2009.
“Mr. Rosenblatt's 2009 compensation was valued at $4.67 million, largely from the value of stock-option grants, according to the filing. The company has 550 employees.”
And here is some analysis from Bnet:
http://www.bnet.com/blog/technology-business/deman
Now, Demand Media claims the average piece of content created and posted on one of its sites returns $54 per year. That's 3.5 times the average payout of $15 to the creator of the content, who relinquishes all rights to the content in exchange for a one-time payment of $15. Depending on the life of the article, Demand Media, if it even lasts, could realize a value on a piece of content more than 10 times what the writer receives.
The founder of the company received compensation valued at $4.67 million last year, while dribbling out $15 here and there to the people who create content for Demand Media.
How much did you make last year?
DS "content editors" will remain the absolute dumbest bastards I have encountered in two decades of professional writing. It's too depressing to contemplate a DS business model where idiots continue to hold total control over a writer getting paid when the idiots border on illiteracy.
How would you like a drunken baboon performing your appendectomy?
Maybe if Demand Studios did not reject such a large portion of good subject matter, they wouldn't be about to go bankrupt.
The latest HA HA from the poorly run corp is a "new" rejection appeal process that uses "credits". (remind you of those pay-per-read email schemes?) They have so many rejection appeals lately, they are being forced to limit each writer to only one every 20 articles.
Instead of looking at the poor job the editors are doing, they are simply going to ignore the writers.
Happy Bankruptcy Demand Studios... you've earned every disgraceful moment.
It is the editors AND writers who are incompetent.
Demand Studios needs to get rid of its amateur writers and pay the 10 to 20 percent or whatever the percentage of professionals are on its payrolls a decent wage so it can get good copy.
Then, it needs to fire ALL of its editors and find qualified editors to hire on STAFF.
And making people use their real names instead of allowing writers and editors would help. You'd no longer having incompetents hiding under fake names.
You need only skim through the "writer" forums at DS to see that there are a helluva lot of damaged people wandering in the DS desert. These idiots actually think they are writers who serve some sort of function in the world of information. That's precious.
Half of them are stay-at-home moms with a barbituate problem, or weaselly-looking "men" with bad skin who still call momma's basement their home.
If the forums are representative of the demand studios workforce, half their freelancers are bottom-feeding losers who think making $15 for an article is some kind of groovy shit.
it's also amusing to hear about these chuckleheads claiming to make $60 an hour, then panicking in the forums when DS doesn't drop their meager wages into a PayPal account when they desperately need those funds to scoot over to Wal-Mart for peanut butter and white bread.
Pathetic. Yet fascinating.
When you have Demand Studios forum?
The latest installment from the DS clan... a disgruntled employee is going to "attack" DS headquarters! LMAO!
When you look at the profile from which the comment came, it is beyond obvious to anyone who not oblivious or drunk that it is a fake. There is no picture, no "approved" biography and was created all the way back in March, but only has one article. The profile name is "Robert Dinkel".. yes, that's right, the President of the Washington Post. (I guess you have to actually know something about journalism to know who he is, cause no one in the forums has gotten the joke yet)
There's been a real uprising about CE's anonymity over there. Now this "threat" against a CE shows up on the forum.
GEEE.. they sure are smart over there at Demand Headquarters... LMAO!
@Just Maybe: DS is not even close to going bankrupt, you idiot. The shrinking losses prove that, and DS has timed the IPO perfectly. Look at the underwriters list, retard.
Your post sounds like a 6th grader telling his mom "but I only pee'd the bed a little this time".
As for underwriters, well poor idiot Frank, they like to call places like DS "Tax write-offs".
No one with economic stability and sense would invest in a company that has posted nothing but losses.
Demand has lied for years about it's "earnings" and "intense growth". Now that the truth has come out, the poor dumbos (like Frank) who have made DS their life are terrified.
It's Ok Frank, just change your rubber sheets and go back to dreamland.
i don't know WHY demand studios won't hire more copy editors. it's really irritating to have nearly 100 articles just waiting to be edited right before the cutoff! especially when they've just been sitting there for days. that's why i don't believe these people who say they make upwards of $800 per week there. there is absolutely NO way anyone can make that amount of money with the way these copy editors lag on getting your material to the payment que.
Comedy Club:
The "disgruntled employee" NEVER threatened anyone. He wrote that he wanted to talk to the editor and never used the word "attack" or any word remotely like that.
But, the moronic writers that dominate the Forum DID write over and over again on the thread that the "threat" proved editors needed to be anonymous so they would be protected from being murdered.
NO publication in the history of the world grants writer and editors anonymity and I can't recall in all my years as a writer and editor even hearing ONE threat by a writer against an editor.
Demand Studios doesn't get that it is it's DUMB policies that create so much friction between writers and editors, and BOTH its writers and editors are such amateurs that they think "protecting" editors from murderous writers is completely normal.
If that company ever turns a dime's profit, it will be because people are too dumb to realize that DS content is created on the fly, scribbled as quickly as possible by people whose only incentive to write for the fucking company (at an average of $15 a pop) is to send in one article and grab another as quickly as possible. Anyone who spends more htan half an hour writing a DS article is either as stupid as the "editors" hired to review it (at $3.50 a pop) or is somehow toiling under the delusional belief that any of this content really matters.
Not even the fuckehads at DS care about the content. They just want to rank high on Google searches of algorithmically chosen keywords so they can make money off of the Adsense program and the occasional banner ad.
No one with any intelligence would rely on eHow as a source of information. A source of laugh-out-loud comedy, yes, but not useful information.
Writers who make any money at DS have figured that you just need to bust out drivel as fast as you can type. More than 90 percent of the time, the dumb-fuck editors won't know whether the tips outlined in an article actually work or might cause lethal harm.
eHow is just silly. And cynical. It was created exclusively to lure gullible Google searchers to sub-par content sdo they'd get so disgusted they'll click on an ad, instead.
That said, the content editors are still among the dumbest collective group of shitheads the world has ever seen.
What I find amusing is this: One person assuming many names to try and keep this drivel going. See what amazes me is that this Hub only ranks for 1 keyword. And that keyword gets like under 10 searches a month. How about this: Get your head out of your ass, your ass in a hospital and get the Prozac you need you dumbass bipolar bitch.
Got my first rewrite in weeks. Editor wants to leave the 500-word article as is word for word, but wants me to add a section analyzing decades worth of scientific research that the editor explicitly admits in the note has NOTHING to do with the title and that I've written about before in separate articles.
Editor doesn't know I've done articles on this subject so he/she is essentially ordering me to do several hours of research that has NOTHING to do with story.
Another piece of garbage "human" being. I have never done this sort of thing in years as a copy editor/managing editor being paid tens of thousands of dollars per year editing professional, sometimes well-known, reporters who earn as much as hundreds of thousands per year.
And here we have an anonymous editor earning $3 ordering someone who is making one-tenth of what he is used to making to do something that editors earning $100K plus annually would never order writers earning $100K plus to do.
The entire operation is governed by brainless scum and populated by more brainless scum.
i've been at ds for a few months. my opinion? meh. i make a few bucks during the week. no big deal. i don't think it's as bad as some of you are saying but it's not as good as i thought it would be. but they pay more then the other companies out there that want the same kinds of articles but don't pay as much.
Wait till you've had your work soiled by a few of those wet-fart content "editors." Wait till you've been forced to contemplate whether to placate the insane demands of a dumbass making $3.50 to ruin your work -- dragging your $15 earnings down to something below minimum wage -- or to abandon the article and be paid nothing at all.
You';ll sober up and get wise mighty quick once you've dealt with the breathtaking stupidity of the ass-wipe editorial brigade a few times.
"Vigorous" running burns 1,000 calories. "Very vigorous" running burns 1,200 calories. "Vigorous" exercise makes your heart beat at 80 percent of its capacity, according to the Mayo Clinic. "Very vigorous" exercise makes your heart beat at 90 percent of its capacity.
Editor removed the word "very" and the article was published. Staffer was alerted that sentences 1 and 2 now contradicted each other and sentences 3 and 4 now contradicted each other.
Staffer's response? Editor was correct. Why? The word "very" violates Demand Studios policy. It doesn't violate mine. The editors and staffers are very stupid.
Read the article. The comments... well, TL/DR. Just thought I would chime in, but it'll probably get buried in the huge amount of response this article is getting.
I disagree with what you're saying about DS. In my time there I've been making around $20/hour. I make more money doing other freelance jobs, but DS is guaranteed pay with unlimited work. Since I've only been freelance writing a few years, it's an easy part-time pay check that helps things run smoothly.
I've had one or two editors that have caused annoyances. I've had a few editors that have caused annoyances at the various newspapers, magazines and publishing houses I've done work for. If you haven't then you must not write very much. That, or you write perfectly every time and are able to read minds. Either way, my rewrite request rate with DS is around 10-percent and my rejection rate is 1. Not 1-percent. One article. And most of the rewrites I've been handed had good questions and comments that made my article better. Overall, I give their editing staff four-out-of-five stars.
As for the slow editing times...the articles I wrote yesterday have already been accepted today. It took the editors one day. That's awful. And I'll get paid Friday. The horror! Compared to weeks I've had to wait to get paid from some of the newspapers I've worked at, that's stellar. Oh... and I didn't get any rewrites today. Then again, that's pretty normal. I rite gud.
I've seen a few problems at DS, but overall they're a decent company to work with and they pay adequately for what they require of me.
Stop the hate. It's unfounded.
(p.s. Check out my blog. Link's in the name. Anything to drive up traffic, eh?)
Jericho:
Your blog is a gawdawful bore.
Go back to being a greeter at Wal-Mart and please stop polluting the Internet with your rhetorical grunting.
No wonder you are happy at DS.
Wrote an article "Foods To Lose Weight." Listed several low-fat foods, including oranges, and explained what should have been obvious -- that you lose weight when you eat low-fat foods instead of high-fat foods.
Got a rewrite. Editor wanted me to specify how much weight you lose when you eat one orange and then specify how much weight you lose when you eat two oranges.
Where do these people come from? You have to be beyond BRAINLESS to believe that a piece of food by itself causes weight loss.
And the staffers are as dumb as lightposts. Appeals are pointless.
Editor just told me that 50 years worth of studies by the Canadian government on an important issue didn't meet his standards.
Same editor said a textbook used by hundreds of colleges wasn't a valid source.
Same editor said studies by prestigious universities were "pointless and humorous."
Editor making $3 knows more than universities, national governments and textbooks.
OR THE EDITOR IS A BRAINLESS SACK OF SHIT.
I seriously believe that some of DS writers exaggerate their earnings. I have good scores and I've been accepted to write for special assignments so this is not a case of me not knowing my craft. The editing system is so slow and bent on sending stuff back for trivial rewrites, it's difficult to earn any kind of living with them. Articles that could have been fixed in a jiffy and pushed through to publication are being sent back for inane reasons.
Often, the article is fine as is but the "editor" just wants to nitpick. I think some of the "editors" just sit there, looking for a reason to request a rewrite or to reject the article. DS could save a lot of money by firing those imposters; if DS go bankrupt, it's because they weren't smart enough to do this.
Received a "rewrite." First comment was that I need to put italics around the name of a medical journal. Second comment was "you did it again. You NEED to put italics around medical journals." Third comment was....OK, you know where this is going.
I used the name of a medical journal five times. There were five comments about this. The editor sent me back the article and ordered me to put italics around the medical journals. There were NO OTHER COMMENTS.
The editor could have done this himself, but decided to be an obnoxious asshole instead.
Oh, by the way, you are NOT supposed to put italics around the name of medical journals. I doublechecked with the "staff" to see if DS policy was for some reason different than the rest of the world's.
Thus, the editor was WRONG -- and an OBNOXIOUS ASSHOLE. Editor, if you're going to be an obnoxious asshole at least try not to be 100 percent wrong, you freak.
Received a rewrite. The first comment was to put quotes around the name of a medical journal. The second comment was "you did it again. Put quotes around medical journal!"
The third comment was......OK, you know where I'm going with this. I mentioned a medical journal five times, and all five comments were about the same thing.
The editor sent story back to me, when he could have just put the quotes around the journal himself. What an obnoxious a___hole!!!
And yes, he was WRONG. You do not put quotes around medical journals!!! I double-checked with the "staff" to see if DS, for some reason, had a different policy than the rest of the world.
Mr. Editor, if you're going to be an obnoxious a____hole, at least be accurate. You're not only an obnoxious a___hole, you're an incompetent, obnoxious a___ hole!!!
Their software is going batshit.
The editors are incompetent and apparently in short supply -- nearly 15,000 articles waiting in a pile to be graced by the wisdom of the dumb-fuck content editors.
Forget about making any money this weekend, DS monkeys.
Elle, your "writing" is pitiful.
I wrote one on How to Lose Armpit Fat Of course sent back for rewrite Here is what I got: :"no fat is good fat" Reply: "A certain amount of fat is necessary for good health, and views differ greatly on how much is "too much" in aesthetic terms. Please rewrite to provide a more balanced view of this subject."
Not all DS editors are complete idiots or A-holes. I worked there seven months and recently was fired -- no hard feelings.
The company pushes its editors to be "gatekeepers," which puts pressure on the CE. The CE who doesn't have many returns (to writers) gets scolded during his reviews. That creates an atmosphere in which so much stuff is returned to writers.
I hated returning articles to writers for basic stuff, such as "please explain how to start the lawnmower," but editors are scolded for their gatekeeping.
In fact, I was fired for my gatekeeping (I allowed too many articles to pass without sending them back to the writer for what I figured was pretty obvious stuff that really didn't require a rewrite). And I suppose I grew weary of the grind and wasn't trying as hard.
As a daily newspaper editor with 15 years of experience, DS was great -- a few hundred bucks a week working in the middle of the night (not getting drunk, though).
On one hand, you have copy chiefs regularly pushing you and on the other, there are just some terrible writers out there and they just don't realize it.
Remember: DS editors aren't paid if a story is returned, and many times, writers simply opt to not rewrite stories. So that's money lost. Also, editors must maintain a weekly quota of 75 stories per week.
Some editors are nice folks. Some are stupid a-holes. It's no different in a newsroom. Some writers are great. Some have absolutely no right trying to get paid and wasting editors' time.
In the end, DS is what it is. Too many people forget that it's a job -- one that pays $12 to $22 per hour -- and not free money.
Whatever. I turned $10,000 working part-time before I got canned.
Any fool who will take $3.50 for an editing assignment can't possibly be any good. There is plenty of better-paying work available that involves none of the infamous bullshit for which DS has earned a (lousy) reputation.
Work smarter, not harder.
DS is a mere popcorn fart, which makes the content "editrs" even less than that. Just dumb people making peanuts to screw up other people's work.
If Demand Studios is such a wonderful opportunity and the pay is so great, why are there writers on the company's message board literally panhandling so that they can pay their rent? These people claim to be making $30 to $60 an hour.
Just how much is a hubber making with only 21 hubs and 4 followers and a host of personalities
"But..." whose is actually a notorious DS brown noser named Kenneth from Richmond, VA, is also a simpleton who has yet to grasp the simple verity that there are many different people who post on the Internet, including this page and elsewhere.
Ken would take it up the a$$ for DS (and does), little fool that he is.
You're all so sensitive. No one said DS was at the top of the writing world. Write quick articles, make quick money. Do you really care about the "idiots" as you say read and review your articles on fixing a light bulb and shoveling snow? Get over yourselves.
If you all weren't such n00bz, you'd have internet searching down by now and be able to crank out these articles like nothing.
BAHAHAH.
Cranking out articles like nothing.
And nothing is the end result. The world is full of enough bullshit without DS "writers" adding to the pile with their nonsense little articles. Everyone with any intelligecne knows to avoid DS-woned sites, as there is no useful information to be found on them.
That leaves only your need for money. Well, good for you. Too bad you can't find more meaningful work than cranking out horsehit that nobody reads or wants.
Your work product is shit, sweetheart.
Sweetheart, DS earns me extra cash. Who would turn down $15 for 15 minutes if you're relaxing in the evening?
Get off your high horse you degenerate.
When you Google Demand+Studios+Bullshit all manner of interesting websites pop up, evaluating the mind-numbing nonsense in the insane world of Demand Studios.
He claims he has important work to do, but Kenneth Crawford has all the time in the world to troll the net looking for places that are talking smack about Demand. Oh, also he gives spiritual advice to Demand zombies in their forums. Om.
Ha. What a douchebag. A dick-riding company man, dumb as a stump.
Very interesting. I'm a former editor for a large publishing house in New York, where I acquired and edited numerous books, including New York Times bestsellers. I work freelance now and am having a hard time scaring up work during the recession, so I applied to be a Demand Studios CE. I was rejected. I have been wracking my brain trying to figure out why I was rejected, given my background, but reading writer complaints about the editing makes me feel I've dodged a bullet.
That little f@g jacka$$ has all the credibility of a wet fart. He is out of his tiny mind. His forum posts are hypocritical compared to the sh!t he spews at a website called DSS. Just a crackpot.
Ashley:
You were rejected because Demand Studios is incompetent. DS wants editors to edit stories in five minutes or less. Quality is irrelevant. They want you to make a snap decision about whether the story is good or not, and then move on to the next story.
Snap decisions are why you see so many comments on this message board about editors making unbelievably stupid decisions. It is the fault of STAFF.
Did you take the editing test? Those articles on acupuncture and modeling were crap that deserved to be rewritten. Did you rewrite them? If you did, that is why you were rejected. The system is automated so DS can see how long you worked on them.
The editors who are hired are incompetent fools who wouldn't notice what you noticed.
I have read these negative comments about Demand Studios with surprise. I started writing part time for Demand Studios a year ago and have nothing but good to report. I average $30/hour and have been able to bank many paychecks from my full time job. My daughter also writes for them and does it full time and makes a good living. I don't understand the problems that people here are having, it hasn't been my experience.
Spoken like a true company schill. Stilted. Canned. Straight from the corporate sphincter of DS itself.
You're right, I'm a company shill. But I am making $30 an hour shilling, how much are you making criticizing my shilling.
How the lying, sack of sh!t a$$holes on the DS forums -- those same morons who claim to make $60 an hour scribbling for DS -- are now running around flapping their arms like chickens and FREAKING THE FU*K OUT, MAN, cuz the electricity is gonna be turned off. Or mean ol' Mr. Banker is gonna foreclose. Or their junk heap Dodge Caravan is gonna get repossessed cuz they don't have the 50 cents to get current on their bills and mean ol' demand studios can't hire enough dumb-ass content editors fast enough to catch up on the ridiculous backlog of drivel these numbnuts have been scribbling for three weeks.
Oh, hell yes: sign me up for some stock in this fu*ked-up company. Nothing spells "investment confidence" like a workforce overrun with losers who tell whoppers about their income one week and start begging for charity the next.
You said it. It's amazing how the same people who brag about writing 4 DS articles an hour one day can't pay their utility bills the next. What was that about DS being a great opportunity? A great opportunity to beg for money in the forums from other people equally down on their luck.
The guidelines are clear...it's just that you seem to need to actually "read" them..
I assume To "Hated Content Editors is a CE. The post shows the level of attention to detail that CEs generally give to their work. By the way, asshole, most of the CEs don't know the DMS guidelines that they are supposed to enforce, let alone AP style.
While I must admit that the incompetence of some editors piss me the fuck off sometimes, I like writing for Demand. If I had other options for money, I wouldn't be writing for them, but I don't, so I am.
I try to pick the best articles possible, and then write them. I've had only one bad experience so far: I got a rejection for an Answerbag piece because the topic was hard and vague and my editor wasn't pleased with my rewrite. That definitely left me with some bad feelings for awhile, and I quit writing for DS for about two months.
Some of you may call me desperate, while other will call me a "shill" that was dispatched to defend DS, but I'm just a girl who needs the money. Writing is not my career field, rather a means to an end until I can find a better job. As long as I can get my bills paid, I won't complain.
People gotta do what they gotta do to feed their families.
The interesting observation about Christina's comment, like so many others, is that she writes for DS because she must, not because she actually WANTS to.
And that, perhaps, is the only thing keeping DS afloat -- because these are hard times for writers and people need the money. Only an amateur would see DS as a viable career path. Truth is, the company pays what it says it will pay and does so twice a week. Yes, the pay is shit. Yes, the assignments are shit. And yes, the smell of sulfur always seems to lurk around that damned company.
Won;t it be pleasant when you can find greater opportunities and forget all about the bullshit of demand studios?
Because no one with any intelligence writes for DS because they want to. They simply need the money.
If DS fostered an environment where people were stimulated by their writing assignments -- and if DS paid more than lip service to notions of "quality" -- then DS offerings on websites such as eHow and LiveStrong would not be the laughingstock mockery of the Internet.
What the greedy bastards at DS cannot grasp is that no one gives a flying fuck when they're getting $15 for an article. Bang out that nonsense ASAP and sail on to the next one. Repeat until your PayPal account has enoguh green scratch to make the rent.
And stay up late at night applying for real work!
Got first rewrite in a month.
Editor wrote "what is racewalking?" Editor then demonstrated a lack of understanding of second-grade Math. Editor then told me textbook was not a valid source and I had to find the original source.
The textbook that is used by millions of college students didn't have to list the "original source," but I do.
Editor, you're a brainless piece of shit with a lot of nerve. You should be fired, you piece of garbage.
Are full of brain-dead cretins. I cackle every time one of the DS cult members posts an ass-kissing thread thanking the CEs for all their "hard work." Or offering hilarious words of encouragement, as though it makes a rat's ass worth of difference.
Not here.
I say, "Fu*k you, content editors! Do your d@mn job, approve the d@mn articles and shut the fu*k up, you co*k smokers."
LOL DS now only requires 2 years of copyediting experience to get on. Down from 5 years a year ago.
What do these comments reveal? Most of the worst whiners have zero experience with journalism or publishing. They have no idea what the market out there is actually like, and they resent the idea of ANYONE asking for ANY revisions. Thin-skinned, know-nothing losers who think a content mill owes them a good living for whatever they want to squirt out of their arses.
Some of you people are such twits you cannot identify the difference between Richard Lally and Richard Rosenblatt, ferchrissakes. I must admit some of the comments about Lally's resume are better, however. And how can anyone be so shameless as to admit they are churning out crap and then complain that their employer pays too little for it and/or fills the internet with crap?
There are PLENTY of legitimate complaints to make about Demand Media... not that anyone would hear them. There is a chorus of gibbering baboons drowning those people out, and always with the same refrains: "it's crap, CEs are morons, blah blah blah."
Go impale yourself. Pound the sharp end of a pencil up your a$$, maggot.
Okay! I like it. Give it to me, con gusto. Just like DS bends me over and makes me squeeeeeaaaaal like the little piggy I am.
Now, Vlad, time to come home, you little pr!ck. You're too young to play with the big boys and girls. (Grabs wee Vlad by the earlobe and pulls him along. Vlad begins to cry)
Which part of your brain slid down the crack of your momma's fat a$$ and stained the bedsheets on the godforsaken night your worthless $hithead self was conceived? Eh?
Take your $3.50, buy yourself a McHappy meal, take the prize out of the box and go fu*k yourself with it.
Really. I though the ads were too good to be true, but needed to check what the word was on the street to be sure. I am now convinced DS is the devil, and anyone who helps perpetuate its existence by either offering or receiving $15 an hour,con gusto or no, should stop it. Deliver the paper, get jobs in pseudo shiatsu parlors.
Just received an e-mail from Demand Studios "staff." Anonymous of course.
"Staff" said information printed by Harvard Medical School is not credible enough for readers. What is credible, according to staff, is crap on the Internet that reader can "verify."
Just received an e-mail from Demand Studios "staff." Anonymous of course.
"Staff" said information printed by Harvard Medical School is not credible enough for readers. What is credible, according to staff, is crap on the Internet that reader can "verify."
Maybe you should be careful about cross posting....LOL
Most of you punks making comments on this stupid ass blog suck at writing. That is a fact. Go back to milking cows for a living, or, better yet, go ask your daddies to pay you bums $5 weekly allowance to mow the lawn. That is about all most of you retards are good for, obviously.
I forgot to tell y'all...my daddy pays me $5, too, but it's not for mowing the lawn, wink-wink.
Kenny = Earn = Vlad = the same dumb a$$hole.
I hardly ever get rewrites, and when I do they are mostly reasonable and don't take over 10 minutes. If I get one that takes longer than that, I let it expire and put it elsewhere to earn rev share. No need to stress over it.
Your hubs are pitiful.
What's that on your face, chump? Why, it's the imprint of my boot tread, you a$$hat. Enjoy, scum.
DS bills itself as a great opportunity for writers. Bullshit.
A great opportunity for d!ckheads looking to graduate from their greeter gils at Wal-Mart, but not for writers with any experience in the business.
Bad enough to write dull-as-dirt "articles" for a paltry $15, but to then have some in-bred a$$ clown "editor" kick back a story for a rewrite because the sonofab!tch is illiterate, well, that's just a fu@king waste of time.
So f@ck demand studios. Those rat f@ckers will be out of business a year from now. Good riddance.
some of you guys are really angry at content editors. yeah, it's frustrating when you get a rewrite request from an editor who leaves you a note saying that he doesn't understand the content or title, and wants you to do a complete rewrite since he's not familiar with the subject matter to begin with.
but instead of doing all of that, just sell it to another content site. problem solved!
I've written hundreds of articles for DS, just because the economy sucks and I need to pay rent. But, I too hate the piece of sh!t CEs at DS, as well as the company itself. This article is completely accurate. DS is a bloodsucking vampire, draining the life out of good writers. I hate them, and I hate having to work for them. That's why I started a HubPages account. I actually had to log out of my HP account to leave this comment anonymously, for fear of someone from DS reading it and firing me. F*ck those @ssholes!!!!
Are the primary problem with demand studios, followed by the lousy pay.
It's annoying as hell to think some sh!thead getting only $3.50 is editing my work.
But then I have to laugh and remember: some sh!thead is only getting $3.50, which is barely enough to buy a Happy Meal.
To all the DS content editors I say: McFuck You.
The thing about DS is that most of the articles require half a brain to write and you can do several of them in a day. if you are approved for Livestrong and get paid 25 dollars an article, you can wrack up big time. Take advantage of the opportunity to sit on your ass at home writing dribble and getting good money for a half assed effort. It wont last for long.
It is also surprising that the zombies in the forum can pay their bills when they do this full time. Bobbie or Meghan or whatever her name is complains about living PayPal payment to PayPal payment. Why doesn't she stop posting 1000 times a day on the forums and get to writing articles? Her title as Community Moderator means she posts for free. Stupid.
Are a pack of self-important ding-dongs. Anyone who spends more than five minutes on those forums will see that the place is populated with losers who are one missed payment from getting their piece of sh!t Chrysler repossessed.
Demand studios is a wretched waste of time.
Demand Studios DOES suck, but there are plenty of assclowns who can't string three words together and spend all day griping non-stop about the company. If they had really given Demand Studios the kiss off, why would they be so pissed off about it. The answer can only be ... (wait for it) ... these jack-offs like the demandstudiossucks crowd and whoever realized they can make more money at Demand Studios than they can selling blood and sperm or as a subject of medical experiments.
I have a standing policy: if I see Demand Studios or any other content mill listed on a resume, I stop reading on the spot. There will be no further interest in such a candidate.
If I determine prior content mill editing for a candidate who somehow slips through the cracks and omits the work experience on an application, that's grounds for termination on the spot.
The name on any resume listing Demand Studios is also circulated among my contacts, which are extensive.
If you edit for Demand Studios, you will not edit for me.
I write for DS and everything said about the company in this blog is absolutely correct. But instead of complaining about the copy editors and rewrites, just go to Associated Content and sell ALL your rewrite requests to them.
I get great article ideas from DS through their search forums anyway. But if a CE tries to get me to rewrite the article or asks for a change that would take longer than five minutes to do, I don't even bother. Associated Content also pays you for the number of page views your article gets in addition to upfront payment.
and it will not last. Once Google changes its algorithms, most of the junk DS spews on the Internet will be classified as the horsesh!t it is, the IPO will fail, the stock will tumble and the d!ckless scum behind the operation will lose their a$$es. They lost their reputations long ago.
Ha. Ha.
Well I agree with 99% of the comments posted here. I have been writing for DS for three months but as of today, no more! I received two re-writes this morning with the most ridiculous comments - worse still, the CE actually introduced grammatical errors and then had the nerve to pick holes in my work. I've been writing for over 10 years and my writing has always been appreciated. In fact I have won awards for it. I'm not saying I'm the BEST writer ever, but DS has made me feel like I'm the worst writer on earth. I know I am better than that, so this morning I decided to quit. I would rather have no money. DS is no better than a sweat factory. I think more and more people are realising that. Why else does DS have to keep advertising for writers. If they treated people a little better, perhaps they would have a better chance of retaining writers.
Now the motherfu*kers want writers to "share" their work on Facebook and Twitter with 'friends and followers."
Translation: do free marketing on social networks to help this fu*king company increase profits without any extra compensation to writers.
How ya like them apples, chumps?
When contemplating whether to scribble for demand studios, remember the immortal words of an earlier post:
"Ludicrous assignments. Bull$hit pay. A$$hole editors."
That sums up the demand studios experience. Spot-on.
I’ve written for DS for over a year. I'm not fat and I have an advanced degree -- in fact, several advanced degrees. As far as I can ascertain, none of my relatives have ever married each other. I've never eaten the young, but apparently there are folks here who follow Swift's suggestion. I'm in the middle of a project and I find the DS pay the best for my current situation and geographic location. I'm not a plant for DS.
I've experienced excellent editing from retired or recently fired newspaper staff. I've also had the most ridiculous editing requests. When the editors are paid only $3.50 - $4.50, you know you must just take your chances. I never write on topics that have any questionable direction. Why risk a misinterpretation or rewrite?
I don't write trash. I do research, but research balanced by what I'm paid. I write under a pen name, so any damage done by the CE doesn't stick to me. The blacklisted resources are clearly outlined and I avoid them. I have three rejections in over a year and I've written over 1,000 articles. Once you have the system down, it's simply a matter of quickly picking topics and returning rewrites to match the requests. If the CE claims black is white, I go with it. I don't wholesale rewrite. I learned early that outrage doesn't gain anything at DS. The duty for hiring qualified editors rests with DS. If I have someone request changes not meeting the style guide, I don't fight it. I assume that the company reads the edits and tosses repeated CE offenders. The content has the DS logo, so they must live with the final product. I'm not paid to be a CE reviewer.
Some posters here outline the sorry fate of journalism and I sympathize with the plight, but I also need to make a living. If the US did a better job of educating folks, we'd be able to see the difference in a well-written article and one that quickly covers the basics. I do believe most folks can determine an article that is void of any content. [From the Adsense statistics quoted here, it looks like many people aren't reading the articles -- good, bad or indifferent.] I can turn out approximately $200-300 a day writing $20-$25 articles. They aren't trash, but the articles aren't my best work. The job asks for "content producers," not writers or researchers. If DS wanted my best work, they'd pay more. I'm a content producer for a "pulp content" site. Everyone appears to be happy in this relationship. I'm not winning any Pulitzers and DS doesn't demand more of my time making requests for investigative journalism.
As to the vile language and the hateful attacks: Isn't there enough hate in the world? Can't we discuss a topic without the vitriolic comments? I realize that rejection for any position hurts and feels worse when you see other, seemingly less qualified, folks working, but spewing hatred actually makes the situation worse. You'll be more likely to carry a negative attitude into other parts of your life. If you tried writing or editing for DS and didn't like it, move on. If you are upset about the direction of journalism, then don't read the articles on pulp content sites. Patronize websites with quality articles and make comments on the boards there. Advertisers look to see who is reading and commenting. Help out the quality papers and magazines.
P.S. If it's true that the company makes only $54 for each article, I appear to be getting the better end of this deal. DS pays out $15-$25 for a content producer; $3.50-$4.50 for a CE; ? for title production; $12/hr minimum for title editing; $12/hr minimum for title classification; ? for a programmer; and ? to keep the website up and running 24/7. The board monitors and advertising also cost something. These figures don't include the price of keeping four offices, with staff and equipment, open throughout the year. Without investors in this content enterprise, the company would need to shutter the doors.
P.S.S: I'm new to online writing, but I assume that the postings and comments here earn money from the Google ads on this page. Could this page be merely a ploy to draw posters so the owner earns Adsense funds?
Hey "jojostjames"
I'm certain that in less time than it took you to scribble that post (which I didn't bother to read), I knocked off a $15 article. The point is that i question your agenda in boring people to death with your gassy, pompous posts while we make money.
And you know what else?
Demand Studios still sucks a$$.
Okay, so to those of you that don't like Demand Studios (I'm not crazy about them either, but money is money), what's your alternative? Demand sucks, okay, fine. But other than simply bitching about it, where do you prefer to work?
I told DS what a loser you are and they agreed. So your "editing" has been overruled and I got paid.
I have also encouraged them to fire your stupid ass before your incompetence wastes another writer's time.
Enjoy the unemployment line you stupid lump of sh!t.
I've linked to a whole article on why I opted out of the Demand Studios revenue sharing program. I linked to your excellent article and comments in that article.
From my own experience and taking into consideration of others as well, I can envision the editorial staff at Demand Studio sitting around a conference table with their noses in the air. I think they perceive themselves as the "elite" of the writing industry. They are the bourgeoisie and the writers are seen as low, beastly creatures that should be standing in awe of their greatness.
sounds like more disarray over at demand studios. the copy editors are yet again proving themselves to be the dimwits of the editorial world.
(the following was taken directly from the demand studios message board.)
Yah. Dan is right. Period.
CEs get paid whether they're a good ce or a bad one. Ive gotten rejections that were so asinine that even TPTB scratch their heads, but the CE still gets paid for that mixup, while I have to wait sometimes an additional month or so just to get a new title to replace with the rejected one. Sometimes they SAY they'll send me a new title, but they never do.
The CE always gets paid, whether they are doing their jobs properly or not. Meanwhile the writers suffer subjective ratings, lack of pay(sometimes) and rejection rates that stay on your scorecard whether theyre in the right or no.
Yah, I would say the system is definitely stacked, whether its meant to be or not. Especially every couple of months something new is added to the guidelines that works against the writers and FOR the CES. For example, the ability to reject on issues that the CE forgets to bring up in the initial rewrite. That used to be a big NO NO and even RLally himself stated it as a blindsiding rejection and that it was forbidden. Guess what? It's not forbidden anymore.
How is that fair? That is punishing the writer for the CE not being thorough enough in their job to catch a mistake the first time, which is something some of the CEs like to rub our noses in here on the forum when it comes to the whole US vs THEM thing.
Ive seen several CEs say right here in the forum , "If you would catch your mistakes the first time, we wouldn't send you rewrites."
Well then how come they are allowed to neglect THEIR duties of catching those mistakes during THEIR review process for us to fix? Just to reject us on something we weren't aware of? n
Yah... If you say the system isn't stacked then those rose-colored glasses are too tight for your head. No offense.
Demand Studios is a bullshit gig. The staff consist of assholes and communioty college dropouts, with plenty of overlap between the two. The company hires editors who have been rejected by every other repsectiable publishing enterprise on earth. The DS content 'editors" are the absolute bottom of the barrel. Incompetent. Ignorant. Arroagant. Scum.
Avoid Demand Studios like you would guard against leprosy, AIDS, herpes, you get the idea.
I wonder if you can become a CE and just push everything through making a shit ton of money? Any former CEs here?
DMS would be better off if they just removed the option for CE's to reject articles or send them back for revisions. It's not like DMS actually cares about the quality of the content, having the articles "edited" is only a show for their advertising partners so people can't say eHow and the like are *pure* crap.
Here's my suggestion: CE's can either pass an article through without changes, or edit it until it is acceptible (not perfect, just merely passable). The CE rate for passing an article through w/o edits would be $3 per article, and the rate for making edits would be $4 per article.
CE's would maintain the same average pay rate, writers would have nothing to fear about idiotic rejections and rewrite requests, and DMS could churn out more content at a faster rate.
Now, who do I have to shag to get my idea implemented?
To Alternative and others who want to escape from DS:
Pick a hobby or subject you know a lot about or have work experience in.
Then look up companies in those industries. There's tons of business databases out there to choose from. Many public or campus libraries will have free access to Hoover's, Dunn & Bradstreet's Million Dollar DB, or the SRDS red book right from their web site. If all else fails, use Manta.com or Jigsaw. Heck, even LinkedIn can be a good source for info.
Then pick up the phone and find your own clients. For most small to midsized companies, it's not hard to find out who you need to talk to. Just call the number, pick the operator option and say "Hi, I'm a freelance writer. I write brochures/SEO web copy/newsletters/sales letters/whatever. Who would be the best person to speak with?"
Probably 3 out of ten times they'll tell you they're not interested. The other 7 you'll at least get a name and they'll transfer you through. When you get the person on the phone, just say "Hi (name), my name is X and I'm a freelance writer who writes (whatever). Are you the right person to speak with about that?"
If they say no, apologize and ask who is. If they say yes, you still might get "We're not interested." or "We do that all in house." but most of the time when you talk to someone, they will at least ask for your information and samples. Then you're on your way.
If you get voice mail, leave a short message (less than 30 seconds) with your name, what you do, a benefit statement, and your number. Say your number S-L-O-W-L-Y. Then say it again. Put them in a spreadsheet and call them again in a month. If they are interested, they will return your call.
You may have to make a lot of calls, but you will get work.
I'm so glad that I've finally found something that makes me feel a bit better about how much I've hated DS for the past couple weeks. Starting out at DS as a freelancer isn't so bad, until you realize what kinds of money you could be making elsewhere.
Aside from the whole copy editor debate, I've found that my biggest frustration comes from trying to find assignments; the ones that would actually be interesting to write/informational are taken in a second, and all the others are bullshit titles generated from the dumb people online searching for ridiculous things that often times aren't even possible to write about.
This is a response to comment by Moll:
Moll -- "Ive seen several CEs say right here in the forum , "If you would catch your mistakes the first time, we wouldn't send you rewrites." Well then how come they are allowed to neglect THEIR duties of catching those mistakes during THEIR review process for us to fix? Just to reject us on something we weren't aware of?
My response -- The answer is that copy editors do NOT edit your copy before the rewrite. Per DS policy, they do NOT have to.
Editors who see something objectionable are ALLOWED to STOP editing immediately and send a rewrite to you. And they DO STOP. The DS Forum is LOADED with editors who admit they do this.
Thus, the "mistake" that they caught the "second" time was, in fact, a mistake caught because they did NOT read the story the first time.
This is UNPRECEDENTED INCOMPETENCE, but it IS Demand policy. Nowhere in the publishing world, where I've worked for 25 years, is this nonsense permitted.
Yes, Moll, writers' work is REJECTED because editors did not do their job -- "their job" as defined by EVERY credible publication in the history of the world, but NOT "their job" as defined by Demand.
In short, Demand Studios staffers and editors are incompetent, lazy pieces of garbage -- and YOU are the one who loses money as a result.
Another thing about the dumbasses who claim to be "editors."
On several occasions, I have received perfect scores, praise for my writing and a rewrite with the comment "I did a Google search. You should be writing about something else" and a link to a website that is blacklisted with an article that will KILL you if you take its advice.
These "editors" ought to be shot for their nerve. These pieces of shit are on a power trip. They're trying to make up for their pathetic lives and a lifetime of failure that has led to a $3 per article job by acting like little dictators on a power trip.
They're sick. And stupid. And even dumber are morons like Richard Lally who permit this sort of nonsense with policies that make editors anonymous, supposedly because writers might kill them.
While I agree with your right to say whatever your opinions are, I must say that this hub shows why you couldn't cut it with DMS.
Some of us make a lot of money over there with rev share and upfront payment, and guess what. Your earnings tab shows you exactly how much your articles are earning. So you're lying about at least one thing.
Ps. - I've made 30,000 off DMS in the past year and they're only one of my clients, so I hope the readers of this hub are wise and not rely on your advice -- which is obviously given out of spite for being fired from DMS. Like we haven't seen this before *eye roll*
Boy, CkhoffmanK, what a crock! Let me get this straight: You are doing so well with Demand Studios that you just decided to hunt down a site that damns them so that you could... What? Surely, you would be researching another article to contribute toward that $30,000 instead. Can you say, "plant"? As an English instructor, writer, I can say unequivocally that Demand went from being a money maker to being an incompetent, power-crazy, CE driven money loser. Hey freelancers, if you are competent and value your time, it is NOT worth it.
Chelsea Hoffman must need something to do since she was banned from Demand's forums. Again. How odd that she is bragging about how much money she makes now. In Demand's forums, she said that she couldn't feed her family because of the slow review times. They even missed Thanksgiving dinner because of it!
Don't believe the hype! This is someone who loves drama and will start it wherever she can.
Demand Studios has no consistency between editors, and the writer is at the mercy of the CE. One will tell you word counts are strict and another not so strict. One will say you have too many examples and the next will say you don't have enough. For every CE that says "Do it this way", there's another saying the opposite.
If you post on their forums for help or say how you really feel, the assimilated, jumps down your throat. You really have no where to turn for help or have an advocate as a writer.
As often the case with most companies that become so large, an elitist attitude tends to develop among staff members. With Demand Studios you can immediately since this is the case. Their rigidity and highbrow attitude comes at their writer's expense and eventually will probably be part of their undoing.
I have also taken a step back from Demand Studios. My problem is the fact that they continue to give us more rules, and demand newspaper type quality but they do not raise our pay. In the end, your losing money if it takes an hour writing the article, 30 minutes researching before that, and another 5 minutes uploading it because you have so many things to fill in.
Hmm, I have been writing for them for a couple of years, not too often, but my experiences have been fine. I can hammer the articles out quickly, and only very rarely have had rewrite requests. I don't think they pay enough considering how much revenue they get from ad space, though.
I've been editing for Demand for a few months now. The quality of writing I've seen is shocking -- I'd imagine that the same idiots who can't put together a three-paragraph story are the ones complaining about Demand here. That said, Eve Lederman is indeed one of the dumbest people I've ever "worked" with. Any time I've had to email her with a query, she's unable to even send a coherent answer. I've finally stopped emailing her at all; I just make decisions myself.
Writers are drama queens. DM drives advertising revenues. It is not a real writing gig. You're all lucky they pay you at all for all the drivvel. Quit your bitching and be thankful there is an outfit like Demand who can help you get by. Suck it up princesses.
Please feel free to edit this comment and provide feedback on grammatical errors and speling mistakes. Yer obviously not writing.
JT:
I don't doubt for a second that there are many writers at Demand Studios who are beyond incompetent. Based on the forums and the few articles that I've looked at, they are dumb beyond belief and have zero understanding of writing.
But JT, my experience with Demand's editors is that they are breathtakingly incompetent. I was the editor of a national business magazine, a magazine that you could buy in stores. I supervised copy editors, editors who made real money.
I am 100 percent convinced that Demand hires editors after hitting them on the head many times with a hammer. They are stupid, rude, obnoxious, and more.
The editors repeatedly insert mistakes into stories. It's astounding. They just make crap up and put it into people's stories. This is what happens when you are allowed to behave without any accountability as the brainless idiots who supervise them allow them to do by making them anonymous.
I have received zero notes from editors in 20 years of writing and editing. Here, about one-third of the editors make rude, obnoxious remarks.
I realize that the writers are incompetent too. But when even incompetent writers use fake names because editors f up their stories, there is a problem with the editors. The editors are the biggest problem.
And 95 percent of the asskissers on the Forum say they use fak names. They say they love Demand although their actions show their contempt for the same people they love.
Editors are supposed to fix stuff, not f stuff up.
The Demand Studios content editors are stupid beyond belief. Incompetent, too. They will introduce grammatical errors into your copy and change information so the article is inaccurate. They bring no value to theequation and have arbitrary veto authority over your work -- so you won't get paid. Get a content editor having a bad day? Boom! No pay. Get a content editor who doesn't know 2 percent of what he claims to know, but plans to lord it over you anyway? Boom! No pay.
The reason content editors are anonymous is so some rightfully infuriated writer doesn't track them down and knock their teeth down their throats.
DS pays shit, hires shit for editors and ultimately produces shit, because they get what they pay for. If that's your cup o' tea, have fun.
Demand Studio, Demand Media eHow is a straight scam. Full stop! All of this banter about how much folks are making writing for this predator organization helps it defends itself against charges that it violates federal minimum wage requirements. No one is making money there -- really. Those who worked there or are working there are all just victims.
Write an article titled "How to stop being a trick"
Step One: Move on from being a freelance writer with Demand Studio.
Step Two: File a claim with U.S. Department of Labor and Employment.
Step Three: Spend your time getting a real freelance writing job. But be careful because current economy and unemployment situation makes for ripe conditions for PREDATORS like Demand Studio / Demand Media / eHow.
That said, Eve Lederman is indeed one of the dumbest people I've ever "worked" with. Any time I've had to email her with a query, she's unable to even send a coherent answer. I've finally stopped emailing her at all; I just make decisions myself.
-- nice to see someone else notices that. if you look at eve's incompetency you can clearly tell why there's so much dissension, confusion and anger between and amongst the ranks
#5 - HORRIFICLY sorted database of titles. I don't know if they use real people or the computer, but either way, I got sick and tired of trying to find an article to write. I once complained about this and they directed me to look at the categories... which of course I was doing. Most of their titles are under the wrong categories. I've spent a couple of hours just looking for a workable title because I had to wade through so many irrelevant titles.
I have a 6, too, but this is your hub. lol
I'll tell you why the editing process is so slow: Most CEs live in dread of what horrible, unintelligible clunker we're about to be forced to read. Unlike the writers, Demand CEs cannot unclaim an assignment after picking it up, no matter how gibberish-filled. So we tend to take a few walks around the block between every story.
And $15 for stories on how to make ice cubes is a pretty good deal, I say.
I'm a CE for Demand Studios and I LOVE it! It's my only job after the company I worked for for 10 years was sold. It took me about three days to slog through and learn the system, but once I did that, I began making $14-$27 an hour (the rate depends on the quality of articles I get). You have to be able to do everything fast, accurately and according to their guidelines. It's challenging, but good writers and editors can make a good living from it. I am living proof of that.
How can you call yourselves "editor" when you don't edit anything? True editors make changes and push through copy. Asking a writer to change the word "red" to "orange" because you think it looks better isn't editing. It's wasting time. It also makes you look like a boob.
Bravo to the OP for this post. I turned to DS between jobs, like so many of us in this horrid recession, and all my experience has done is make me feel demeaned and cheapened - they should call it Demeaned Studios! You toil away for peanuts only to get vile, childish, inconsistent comments from grumpy, inexperienced CEs with a bee in their bonnet. Before any precious CES jump in and say my writing must be bad I can tell you, I know it isn't. I've won many national awards for editing and writing - not bragging just stating it before they attack. I enjoy any writing I do. It's an honor to be paid to write, whether it's $15 or $1500. I did enjoy DS at times, I was grateful for a lifeline in an hour of need. However, it so wasnt worth it. The too common bad eggs amongst the somtines good CEs drove me away. DS needs to evaluate its system before it scares off all the country's writers! Thanks again for the post, I may well just go and sign up with Hub Pages instead. Smiles.
sometimes not somtines! Sorry, I'm on my iPhone and its predictive text is designedto make me look and feel stupid - much like CEs!
An awful company by any objective measure. The DS content editors must be hired strictly on the basis of slope-browed stupidity, for they are surely the dumbest motherphuquers on this earth. Dense beyond belief.
I was rejected by DS and felt bad at first. However, a couple of days later, I was accepted by a specialized editing company in my area of expertise. I now get $600 to $1000 a month and only work when I can. It shows that there are good companies out there. You just have to keep looking, and, if possible, don't work for peanuts.
I have to agree with this article 100%. I used to write for Demand Studios, and it was such a horrifying ordeal, I quit. I put a lot of thought and time into my articles, because I take pride in my work. This means that my total time to write an article was often excessive, driving down my pay per hour. I received incessant rewrite requests, most of them unnecessary and seemingly due more to the editor's ego than anything being wrong with my writing. I realized that I was getting $15 per article (non-exclusive) on Associated Content, when I calculated up my upfront pay along with the performance bonus. I also calculated my rewrite rate on DS; it was a full 10%, despite all my efforts to submit perfect articles that would not need a rewrite. So I decided that Associated Content was definitely a better place to be. They don't require exclusive rights, or send articles back to be rewritten. The content editors pretty much leave you alone.
I don't know what's wrong with the editors at Demand Studios, but I can say for sure that they're not the cream of the crop that DS claims they are. One respondent said they've probably been fired from other jobs for poor performance, and I think this may be right. They are typically rude, short and their rewrite demands are typically ridiculous and do not contribute to the quality of the article. They claim the editors know AP Style, and yet they often will take an article that conforms to AP Style (which you painstakingly learned) and either edit it so that it no longer conforms, or force you to rewrite it so it no longer conforms. That proves that they don't really know AP Style at all. Furthermore, DS penalizes your "ScoreCard" for refusing to do rewrites. So it isn't really "anonymous" as some people claim. They say you're an independent contractor, yet they penalize you for insubordination, which is treating the writer more like an employee than a freelancer.
The only thing that's worse than writing a Demand Studios article is reading one. Despite all these demands that Demand Studios places on its writers, the articles are often factually incorrect or devoid of real content. I habitually avoid eHow when looking for research material for my other articles, because they're so unreliable. I say, don't write for Demand. Find somewhere else to submit your articles, because there's no reason to work so hard and put up with so much annoyance and harassment for such low pay.
This blog is entertaining beyond belief! But some of you sound really upset about Demand Studios, so I just wanted to give you a little insight that may ease your frustrations. EVERYBODY gets rewrite requests. Most of them are minor. Others not so minor. I just got one today from a copy editor that seemed very dense. He asked me to explain the format for an encrypted CD. I kid you not. This person actually asked me if the encrypted CD was a DVD or CD. Wow. Then the person went on to roll off another range of ridiculous points.
But instead of getting upset do you know what I did? I pitched the article to another online company that publishes my Demand Studios rewrite requests 85% of the time. They don't pay as well as DS but they are a great option. And when you really think about it, the joke is on Demand Studios. They pay a copy editor $3 to skim your article. If you don't do the rewrite, then the same article is sent back into the que where some other writer takes a crack at it. So DS will wind up paying two or more copy editors to edit the SAME article. From their perspective it's probably not a lot of money. I mean if 8 editors go over the article, they've only spent $24 between them. Through in the money they paid the writer and it's still less than $50 invested into that sole article. If this blog is to be believed (and I do believe it) DS can make thousands off the article so what's fifty bucks to them? But they could cut down on waste by allowing the copy editor and writer to have some dialogue beyond that one-and-done routine they employ. But whatever. Demand Studios gives you the idea for an article that you are free to sell to one of their competitors.
Ignore the rewrites from the copy editor if they require more than the simplest of clarifications or changes (why the CE won't simply make the change is a mystery) since wasted time on a dense copy editor means lost revenue for you. Just giving you guys something to think about.
My suggestion is that this Forum be a place to Publicize ridiculous rewrite requests WITH the name of the editor. The editors act like they're anonymous but LiveStrong prints the name of the editor.
In response to inquiries here about where these "editors" come from, I can say that I was a copy editor for a national mag, supervised copy editors as mag's managing editor later on, and applied to be editor at Demand.
My editor's application was 'under review' for three MONTHS. Then, in a rewrite appeal, I complained about an editor's incompetence. The staffer responded that I didn't understand the role of a copy editor. I responded that I was a copy editor for several years and had applied to be one at Demand.
Two MINUTES later, the staffer responded "your application for editor has been rejected. I can't tell you why.
The level of unprofessionalism at Demand is astonishing.
You guys must not understand that the CEs are random people from across the nation. all that is required of you is to send in a good looking copy editor resume and complete the editing tests (which you can pay a real editor to do for you). then, when then they hire when they have a need. No one checks your resume to write or edit for DMS, so I could swipe someone elses resume online and pay someone to take my test. This isnt a professional gig, folks.
As a former CE (about a year on staff), it's important to note that CEs are constantly hit up by their bosses about quality. In my critiques, I was usually hit up about the number of returns I sent back to writers (too few, in his opinion). It creates an atmosphere where a CE feels he has to send stuff back -- kind of like a quota for a highway patrolman. You start looking for little stuff, just to please the boss above you. I'm sure that's frustrating for writers, but as a CE, you sometimes feel you can't win.
Former CE:
I'd love to read a column about your experiences.
I was also a former CE. I agree with the poster above. The copy chiefs are relentlessly picky it is beyond maddening for the type of articles that we are editing. There is no consistency at all from our reviewers and their comments are whimsical and petty.
NO WORD ON WHETHER DS WILL GIVE WRITERS A DEAL ON ANY STOCK! THIS COMES STRAIGHT FROM THE GENERAL MANAGER IN A POST TODAY.
You’re a valued member of Demand Media Studios, and I’m pleased to share today’s news that Demand Media officially started trading on the New York Stock Exchange. For all the official details, please read our press release here.
As General Manager of Demand Media Studios, I’ve been here from the very beginning; helping to craft the studio and watching it develop into the innovative and world-class social publishing platform that it is today. From working with those first few writers and editors, to our ever-growing community of titlers, writers, editors, filmmakers, bloggers and experts, I could not be more proud of what we’ve managed to accomplish together.
Over the last few months, we have at times heard terms that described us and our creator community in a negative light. SEC mandated quiet period rules have prevented us from having a voice in the conversation and it has been difficult to standby and watch. All of the hard-working employees on the studio side echo the sentiments of Jeremy Reed, SVP of Editorial and Content, “Innovation does not come without its bumps and bruises. It has pained me to see folks in our community, unjustly, take some of those hits. My hope is today’s announcement gives those same creative people a feeling of success and pride. This is a wonderful, big step forward.”
We delight in your successes and achievements and look forward to continuing being part of them with you.
Though the change from private to public company represents a milestone in the growth and maturity of the company, one thing that will not change is our commitment to our freelance community. You have been a big part of our company’s success and over the last several years, listening to your ideas and concerns has helped us grow and continually improve.
I want to assure you that as we move forward, we are dedicated to helping our qualified community members maintain access to freelance assignments and all the other benefits working with Demand Media Studios brings. The quiet-period will remain in effect for a few more weeks, so we won’t be able to share as many details about our plans for the future as we would like – but rest assured we are still working hard to make all your experiences with Demand Media Studios top notch.
Whether it’s your first month, your fourth year or somewhere in between, on behalf of the whole staff at Demand Media Studios, thank you for your contribution.
Sincerely,
Stewart Marlborough
General Manager, Demand Media Studios
You think DMS is going to give the sweatshop workers stock options? Silly rabbit. If you read between the lines of that note, DMS is going to find yet another way to screw over its freelancers.
Agreed. DMS is a bullshit gig to pay bills while a serious writer looks for far, far better work. Pinch out those little sh!t articles as fast as you can, kids, and slip them past the appallingly retarded content "editors" to get that money while it lasts.
Richie Rosenblatt blew smoke clear up the collective asses of the Street, but when investors take a good bite of this turd sandwich -- which has never turned a profit in its existence -- the whole house of cards is gonna collapse.
Until then, demand media will likely cut payments to writers, or require twice as much content for the same lousy pay. Anything to squeeze another nickle out of this shitloaf. The bastards at demand media are among the sleaziest motherphuquers on the Internet.
If the company isn;t dead within the year, you won't want to still be working for them, anyway.
Here is a representative sample of the drivel churned out every day by demand studios:
http://www.ehow.com/how_4963527_install-wallmounte
Note the response at the bottom of the article from a reader who notes that following the demand studios directions could lead to burning your house down, bodily injury or death.
Yes, doing virtually anything recommended by a demand studios article coulde maim, kill or cause significant property damage. Just more proof that eHow content is written for morons -- usually by morons -- who shouldn't attempt a fraction of the projects being discussed on that silly site.
Demand Media? Internet pollution.
The results of that "how-to" article will be a house fire and possibly death. This has gone way beyond bad writing into dangerous territory.
The public still believes the written word, and these "articles" stay on websites for years. It's a matter of time before a tragedy occurs.
Resulting lawsuits from victim's families would force Demand Studios to change. I would hope DS changes before that happens.
what the fuck!? i've had articles in the que for days! where is the damn ce???? missed another freaking payday cutoff because of it. sorry for the rant but i can't complain in the ds forums. i'll get drowned out. possibly even "fired" and i need the money. they need to hire better copy editors who know how to edit with accuracy and speed. this is ridiculous.
What are all of the people who came on here (and other places on the Internet) going to do now after the segmentation announcement DMS made today? Tons of writers are going to end up getting let go and some of you dumb motherfuckers were so busy defending the company that you didn't bother to think about what they've been up to since the IPO was first announced.
(looks like yet another false start from the geniuses at demand studios. why even mention if if you don't even have a grasp of what you want to do in the first place? smh. the following was taken right off the ds forums.)
Hi everyone,
Here's the honest truth--we don't have all the answers. We'll be keeping you in the loop as things progress and we determine the best solutions to the issues you've raised. One thing I do know is that we won't rely on any one piece of data to identify your strengths, background and passions; whether we end up offering applications with writing samples (as suggested by Michael_S), or explore other options is something we are actively working on figuring out.
We're sorry to have caused confusion and will keep you posted and informed.
Anna
You can enjoy writing insane article titles ("How to Make a Wig Out of Dog Hair" is an actual sample), earn maybe $15 for that deathless prose and face the very real likelihood of having the article kicked back by their crack team of content "editors," who are collectively the dumbest monkeys in the history of publishing.
Have a big time. Watch your self-esteem plummet while you write your way to the bottom of the publishing world.
Demand Studios is a wretched, awful place for any writer to toil. With luck, it will cease to exist before year's end. Following the IPO, the word is out on what a shit company investors have bought.
I have quite a few articles published with DMS and I certainly agree the company has issues. There are incompetent editors, whether DMS wants to admit it or not and I have found that incompetence does plague the entire organization.
I have had college professors at the graduate level give me grades of A's and B's on Topic View articles, only to have a DMS editor turn around and rate it a 2 or 3. The articles certainly should have been 4 or 5.
An editor has to be cognizant enough to realize not all search terms apply to the lowest common denominator of readers. A majority of them, actually don't.
Nothing bothers me more than to know I am writing an article for an educated audience to only find an editor stripped it in down for those with no vocabularies. Most of the actual audience will never read it because it missing vital information.
I simply find that grossly insulting to the readers and to the writer, not to mention encouraging people to be utterly lazy. If one doesn't know the meaning of a word, you have several online dictionaries to help with that.
I had an editor tell me because they are a life-long Protestant, they understand New Covenant Theology (NCT) better than the very theologists I referenced in my article and then rejected the article based on that premise. The most annoying part was the attempted explanation of NCT by the editor wasn't even relevant to NCT. It was obvious the editor didn't even know the basic premise of NCT and why most Protestant denominations consider a doctrine built around NCT an "error". I understood it better than the editor and I am an Atheist. Imagine that!
I have had other editors try to second guess experts in their field of study, experts I interviewed personally. To make matters worse, the help-desk has even insisted the expert wasn't expert enough, although they hold graduate degrees in the field of study and worse, they discounted the actual statement of the companies I wrote about or scientific research referenced.
That is certainly incompetence and irresponsible.
On the other hand, I have dealt with editors who were very helpful, even gave ideas to improve articles and gave credit when credit was due to a well-researched and articulated article on a complex subject.
I have had the help-desk also do the same on a few occasions.
The problem is, that doesn't happen near enough.
DMS is made up of people and the organization is only as good as the people behind it. DMS needs to rethink its strategy for hiring people and perhaps require them all to have a degree in communications. For people so educated in the art of writing, they lack any relevant communication skills.
I think, perhaps, DMS guidelines are seriously over-bloated, do not reflect the type of articles written and often stifles articles rather than builds credibility. I think this creates a bad situation for writers, editors and readers alike.
For the most part, I find DMS does not deserve the effort they get from well-informed writers or readers, nor do they understand how to write to various audiences. Instead, they lump everyone into the same category.
No wonder some many people find their content OFFENSIVE. Before long, Google is going to do the same. It's already in the works and it should be. To write most of my articles, I have to conduct advanced searches and resort to databases. Why? Content firm are clogging the results with simply bad-articles.
Subscription based content is the way to go nowadays and I would encourage readers to go that route. Writers, I would recommend you start looking at the organizations doing this, not only do they pay better, you are treated like a professional, rather than insulted.
I am currently conducting a graduate study on content mills and their impact on literacy. The results thus far are not looking too favorably.
All this without even getting into the horrible presentation and inconsistent formatting of articles on DMS sites.
Ye ha. I quit for the fuckers yesterday. Far too many rewriters, one of the articles I wrote was fun flirting games, so I researched some fucking flirting games. The editor said it wasn't actualy flirting games, but actual flirting. The titles themselves are so fucked up. I love this post, it's so funny. And another thing. I wrote an article on how to unblock a hydrojet drain. Obviously, it was rejected for some dumb reason, so I stuck it on hubpages,which is an eHOW blacklisted site. Why should my work go to waste. Anyhow, I did a search for it on google, and the eHow article came up. The guy had actually used a reference from my hubpages to write the fucking article AND he was paid for it.
I also spotted another instance where another of my articles was rejected, so I stuck it on hubpages. The same article was then published at 1/3 of its word count, and I'd wrote 400-500 words.
Seems that Demand change the rules all the time, or they have favourite writers. I hope it goes under. We are too talented to waste our precious time writing for this company. Rant over, back to chuckling.
i've noticed that the editor's notes section that was once at the bottom of the article submission page has been removed. anyone know why?
now we can't communicate AT ALL with a ce. that is crazy.
I was confused about this as well, but then realized that we can still leave notes for the CE. After you press the submit button the first time, a screen will come up showing the article. At the bottom of that screen, there's a box for you to leave a note for the CE. After you leave the note, press submit again to send the article through.
Demand Studios are kidding themselves if they believe their "segmentation" process (one can only write something if you're deemed an expert in) is going to lend more credibility to the articles put out. This was orchestrated by Demand once Google announced it was going to crack down on content farms.
I am unable to anymore because you have to be deemed an expert now to write for certain divisions, such as Ehow Home and Garden, Ehow Money,etc - all I have written previous articles under until now. Despite having an advanced degree I am unable to write in my area of expertise - from the get go.
What type of experts do they want in Ehow Home and Garden? Botanist? Chemist? Most people for the type of articles put out already have basic knowledge and life experience in dealing with many Home and Garden issues. What matters is whether they are able to write or not, and provide accurate and useful information. Writers of the past typically gathered the facts and produced content, typically with a journalist background. Most were not experts in the subjects they wrote about.
Demand has basically slit their new writers throats, with an impossible list of technical and automotive titles as their only choices to pick from. You have to write 30 articles or more to apply to write for other channels. With titles like "How to Replace a Kawasaki Bayou 220 Timing Chain" and "How to Plug Up an Eaton Powerware 9125 Pdb", that may be a long time coming.
Ehow existed well before Demand acquired it and at the time there were many poorly written articles. Demand Studios should had launched a re-branding campaign of Ehow, and redefined themselves in a different way.
Other complaints: The CE's are so insanely picky and extremely inconsistent across the board. Writers who have been writing for years have low grammar scores. And now an unnecessary caste system, with new writers having to sift through the carnage of automotive and technical tiles in the junk pile. I cringe to think what's next.
Demand Studios places its writers last. There are some writers that blows smoke up their behinds to play favorites, and even now they are too naive to see that Demand Studios have no problem selling anyone out.
Would this company just go out of fucking business, already? Shall we itemize the reasons Demand deserves to die?
~ Terrible pay relative to the quality of work expected.
~ Content "editors" with the collective intelligence of a very slow monkey.
~ Shape-shifting guidelines that are nearly impossible to follow because the "editors" keep reinterpreting them.
~ A bunch of rich cocksmokers at the top who just cashed out with the IPO.
~ And the most cynical lip-service to standards of (nonexistent) quality in the history of web publishing.
Demand Studios needs to turn belly up and die like the diseased parasite it is. This company has been sucking blood from a depressed labor market for journalists for so long. This company is exploitative.
Boycott the bastards. Don't write for them. Forget the quick payments. Better money is out there. Please, please, please, let DS go down in flames.
Fuck this company!
I've read some of these comments, smiled at some of them, skipped past the foul language on others and decided, at the risk of being slapped, to post here. I do write for DMS, however, not full time ... only when I can find something I think I can write. Yes, there are a lot of rules, there are inconsistent copy editors and there are $15 articles that took way too much time to write; breaking down my work time to $5 an hour. But on the positive side, I found DMS when I was really struggling; No job, a career in radio news which is outdated and no practical online or print journalism background. Now, I have a growing web portfolio, thanks in part to Demand Media and Suite 101. Great stuff? I wouldn't say that, but it is a productive way to stay busy when the real world keeps telling me to go to hell after all I've put into it in the way of news, radio, television, public relations and community assistance. Sure, DMS is not the optimum place I want to be and true, writing for that company can be very frustrating. But at least they've given me something positive that nothing else has. AND, I have learned a lot from (some of) the editors, that in itself is worth its weight in gold. And getting paid twice a week is a wonderful thing. DS is a challenge but I will say this: it has made me a better writer.
@ Terise:
"DS is a challenge but I will say this: it has made me a better writer."
ROFLMFAO. I doubt that seriously.
If DS has made you a better writer, you must have been typing with your elbows before you started scratching out drivel for that godforsaken company. That's like arguing that a monkey who blows into a harmonica is a musician.
Seriously, though: thanks for the laughs.
I was formerly a "Demand Fan". Fortunately, Eve Lederman has shown me the error of my ways. I made my own hub to talk about my experience. (I won't link to it out of respect for the owner of this hub.)
I just wanted to say that it's only a matter of time before all these Demand brown-nosers are crying a river over the way THEY were treated.
The dumbass CEs run the show and now they have even more power, per this announcement.
As most of you know, we conduct continual quality reviews within our writing community. We also know that our current system has caused you stress and frustration over scores, rewrites and rejections.
One of our biggest goals for 2011 was to make our review system more efficient, more transparent and less stressful on all of you. We also wanted to find a way to surface the “best of the best.” We want you to think about writing your best work – not the scores you’re getting or that one bad rejection.
As a result, we have developed a new system for bubbling up great work and surfacing struggling writers. CEs will now be able to let us know about extreme cases of the following:
* Excellent article
* Gross factual error
* Plagiarism/duplicate content that was not caught by our automated checker
* Unprofessional behavior
* Composition
* Thin or off-topic content
A writer will only be bubbled up for Writer Development if they receive three citations (excluding “excellent article” and "gross factual error") from three different CEs within 20 articles. After 20 articles, the citations expire and no longer count. In other words, most of you will never be affected by this process. The only citations that don’t follow this rule are the plagiarism/duplicate content citation and gross factual error citation. We will review those promptly after only one citation. If we find the plagiarism/duplicate content citation to be valid, we will handle it the same way we do a confirmed plagiarism flag. If we confirm a gross factual error citation, we'll review it on a case-by-case basis.
Once a writer has been surfaced, an in-house editor will review the citations and determine whether they are warranted. In this sense, it is exactly like our plagiarism checker. Nothing will ever be done without a person (us) on the other end.
If we decide that the citations are warranted and the writer can improve, we will place the writer in our Writer Development program. This means the writer will receive a detailed portfolio review that highlights areas of improvement. The writer’s claim limit will also drop to three to encourage him to slow down and concentrate on improving. In the following weeks, we will revisit the work submitted after receiving the review. At that time, we will reassess the writer’s claim limit.
The “excellent article” citation will be used frequently by site editors when they are looking for articles to program prominently on their websites. It will also be a more efficient way of finding writers for special assignments and giving out queue increases.
Let me take the time now to address a few concerns we anticipate:
Doesn’t this give the CEs too much power? Not at all. In fact, we will be avidly tracking and monitoring abuse of this system. Any abuse will not be tolerated. Also, we will be reviewing every single writer that bubbles up in our Writer Development queue. The in-house editorial staff will not put anyone in development unless it is indeed warranted.
Aren’t some of the citation reasons subjective? CEs have been notified to only surface extreme examples – in other words, the citation should be as far from “subjective” as possible. Also, during the next few weeks, we will be avidly tracking any CE misinterpretation of citations.
What exactly does “off-topic” content mean? This refers to content that does not focus on the angle you’ve selected. If you write an ambiguous title and the CE doesn’t approve of your angle, that is not a reason for citing off-topic content.
What if a certain CE cites me repeatedly because they don’t like my writing style? They can’t. Once a CE has cited a writer for any of the above reasons, they can’t issue any more citations on that writer until the writer has completed Writer Development, the citations have expired or in-house editors have cleared all citations.
Will I be notified when I receive a citation? No, because citations don’t mean anything until the writer has received three of them and an in-house editor has determined them to be valid.
How do I avoid citations? Always make sure the article you submit is a reflection of your best work and you will be fine.
As always, we shall rely on your feedback to improve this new tool. Please ask any questions below. Thank you!
Before any Demand apologists want to come over here and talk about how the new system helps writers, keep in mind that you were lied to. There is no way for CEs to flag excellent articles in this new system. It was a flat out LIE. There is, however, a category they didn't mention: Unqualified for topic. You can be flagged for that if the CE decided your bio doesn't match up with what the article is about.
Wake the fuck up, people!
"The excellent article citation will be used frequently by site editors when they are looking for articles to program prominently on their websites."
Hold on. You mean editors will have the ability to place our articles on their OWN websites? Without having to compensate us????
looks like ds will either have to pay writers more money to write better articles or clost its doors!
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20110225/ap_on_hi_te/us
Google tweaks search to punish 'low-quality' sites
Google has tweaked the formulas steering its Internet search engine to take the rubbish out of its results. The overhaul is designed to lower the rankings of what Google deems "low-quality" sites.
That could be a veiled reference to such sites as Demand Media's eHow.com, which critics call online "content farms" — that is, sites producing cheap, abundant, mostly useless content that ranks high in search results.
Contact Forbes.com and share your experiences.
Stop writing for DS. There are MUCH better outlets for writers on the web.
Contact Google and explain to them that they are ranking hundreds of essentially identical aerticle titles produced by DS. How many articles do you need to explain how to make a peanutbutter & jelly sandwich?
Scribble as much insane bullshit as you can concoct and slip it past their moron content editors. Some genius who went by the pen name of Paul Mann was able to slide $7,000 a month worth of absolutely useless articles through the DS system and got away with it for months before a fellow writer (dumbass) gave him up.
You can, too. The editors at DS are dumb as gravel and dirt. Write as fast as you can while the article supply lasts.
contact this guy and tell him how you feel about demand studios then offer him advice on how to improve their product.
Kevin Morgan, Demand Media Studios
Phone: 310-917-6400 x6630
Email: Kevin.Morgan@demandmedia.com
Demand Studios erroneously believes it can repair it’s image by hiring writers that are only experts in given categories. First of all most experts will not be interested in writing $15.00 articles and have to put up with the BS Demand doles out. They are going to walk away from the inconsistent CE’s, low pay, and all the strict guidelines that constantly change – particularly from one Copy Editor to the next. Only those unemployed or in a state of transition would put up with their crap. They will constantly be searching for “experts” because the ones that do join DS, will not stay for long. Unless, like I said they are unemployed and are in desperate need of money. “Experts’ will be in short supply.
Now they have a new system in place where writers will receive citations for poor content, grammar, etc. “Another reason Demand sucks” explained and provided their announcement several post above. Basically, after three citations, the writer has to go through some probationary writer improvement course. But get this - the writer won’t know about the citation, until the number of assignments he or she can claim is lowered to three. How’s that for appreciation of their writers? They don’t even have the integrity to let the writer know up front that some CE in the shadows have dinged them. And what about the inconsistent copy editors? The writers do not get to rate them.
Now, allegedly if a writer produces a perfect article they would get scored a “5.” But you have CE’s on their forums saying they would never give a 5, because the article has to be “perfect”. There is absolutely no consistency there, and the writer is suppose to believe they can receive a score of “5.” Many writers buy their crap either because they are too naïve or desperate.
Now, there has been a huge surge in writers complaining about their grammar scores plummeting. I think they have told the CE’s to crack the whip on writers and they are going overboard. Many writers, who normally score high in grammar, are receiving ridiculously low scores.
I disagree with many that believe DS puts out poor content. Their requirements are very strict now, but they are also very inconsistent. They have imposed many new requirements since Google’s changed its algorithms – I think all out of fear. A recipe for disaster. Every time I think it couldn’t get worse – it does.
Wow, what a heated discussion. So much passion, the facts get lost. First a disclaimer: I bought stock in the company on the day of the IPO, so my broker and I participated in extensive due diligence.
First, Richard Rosenblatt and others own Demand, not Richard Lally. Rosenblatt has negotiated the sale of two half-billion dollar companies, so he knows a thing or three, and social media is his specialty.
Richard Lally also appears to be the good. A five-minute Google search turned up 10 of his books: The All Star Game Book, Pinstriped Summers, Bombers, Bartenders Guide to Baseball, two books he wrote with Bill Lee, and two more he wrote with Joe Morgan. I found an interview with Victor Kiam (remember him? The "I liked the Remington shaver so much I bought the company" guy), in which he said Lally wrote both of his books. I found all that without breaking a sweat.
To one poster's point, I could not verify any awards Lally has won. But, then again, I couldn't any bios or articles in which he claims to have won any awards. One bio claims that the Princeton University Library awarded his book Bombers a place in the Dixon Collection. Well, that was easy enough to check (the collection has a site), and it turns out the son of a bitch was telling the truth. It looks like fairly prestigious designation, too.
The other officers of the company include Stephen Kydd and Larry Fitzgibbons. Kydd comes out of Yahoo and 20th Century Fox. Fitzgibbons was a honcho with CitySearch. Rosenblatt, Kydd and Fitzibbons have blue chip credentials and impressive track records. They are among the primary reasons the IPO was so successful. The rest of upper management appears to be top shelf, as well. Look every investment is a crap shoot, and I might end up using my Demand stock as wallpaper or toilet paper, but I feel very comfortable owning my shares. When you hear the honchos talk, you realize that the company of today is vastly different--in good ways--to what it was two years ago. I also get the feeling they've only just started another phase of evolving. I don't think anyone here has any idea where they plan to go. Whether they get there is the question. There are no guarantees. But that's why I buy stocks and bet the ponies and dogs. I like risks with strong upsides. Demand fits that.
I'm sure everyone connected with Demand is a top pro with all the bona fides you claim, Dawg, but that doesn't guarantee success. Go to any bookstore and you'll find some version of the title, "Why Smart People Screw Up." No doubt the honchos at Demand have a vision, but the plans any company presents during its dog-and-pony shows are composed largely of gas. The glass is never half-empty in those presentations, it's always full to the brim and overflowing, and the glass itself is usually made of solid gold. Every company expects to evolve, but it will be two or three years before you know whether the company can deliver on its goal. To progress further, Demand will have to continue to improve the quality of its product, and that will require greater capital investment in its primary products, the articles. They have the money to make the investment, but it will--at least short term--lower their profit margins.
So the question is are they willing to take that risk, or are they content to maintain the status quo and grow wide without growing deep? That might satisfy their shareholders--and remember they now have people like you to answer to--but long-term it would be a huge mistake. Watching where they put their money will tell you whether to hold or fold on that stock. So far, you have nothing to go on.
I'm in construction, and last December during my slow season, I wrote about 30 DIY articles for Demand. For three of them, I had this one, sniveling behind wipe of a CE who wrote revision notes in a tone that made me feel like he was my third grade teacher and I had just dumped on the classroom floor. It was humiliating, but I followed his silly instructions just to get paid. The other CEs were fine. They wrote polite notes and suggested changes that improved the articles. I reported the wiseass editor and someone from the company sent me an apology and promised to look into it. Whether he did or not I have no way of knowing. He may have been blowing me off, but the apology was nice. I earned a fast $450 for about 12 hours work. I make more at my regular job, but when things get slow again, I might give it another go if they have any DIY titles. It would take too long for me to write anything else, and then it wouldn't be worth it.
Ha, I just copy edited myself and found a mistake. I made about $350 for 12 hours work, not $450. I don't want my wife asking me what I did with the extra $100 :-).
I would bet every dollar in my wallet that this was the same snippy bastard of a CE who made my life hell around the same time last Christmas. In one article I wrote, "Seal the accelerant and you should also keep any windows open for at least four hours." When he sent the article back for a rewrite, one of his notes said something like, "Since you've already used the conjunction and in this sentence, also is superfluous..." and then that went on and on to give a lesson in how to write what he called lean prose. Hey, I know also was redundant. It was a slip, something he could have fixed in half a second. Instead, this schmuck spent three or four minutes writing this condescending note, like he wanted me to sit in the corner with a dunce cap on. I had a few other tiny mistakes in the article. In the time he spent mocking me, he could have fixed them all and passed the article without bothering me with rewrite. That gets us both paid faster. Imbecile. If it's any consolation, I complained about this moron too, and I think they canned his ass or made him stop. I still get some dumb notes, but nothing with his MO since January. Anyone else seen him?
I would bet every dollar in my wallet that this was the same snippy bastard of a CE who made my life hell around the same time last Christmas. In one article I wrote, "Seal the accelerant and you should also keep any windows open for at least four hours." When he sent the article back for a rewrite, one of his notes said something like, "Since you've already used the conjunction and in this sentence, also is superfluous..." and then that went on and on to give a lesson in how to write what he called lean prose. Hey, I know also was redundant. It was a slip, something he could have fixed in half a second. Instead, this schmuck spent three or four minutes writing this condescending note, like he wanted me to sit in the corner with a dunce cap on. I had a few other tiny mistakes in the article. In the time he spent mocking me, he could have fixed them all and passed the article without bothering me with rewrite. That gets us both paid faster. Imbecile. If it's any consolation, I complained about this moron too, and I think they canned his ass or made him stop. I still get some dumb notes, but nothing with his MO since January. Anyone else seen him?
I think the writers in the forums were forming a lynching party for that editor, and the company cut ties with him. But there always are and probably always will be Demand editors who write comments that they claim will help you to improve your work, when they are really just trying to show off what they know. I feel like sending them a short eHow article that goes:
Do not send back an article unless it contains large errors you cannot fix on your own. If the mistakes are tiny and easily fixed without help, follow these steps:
1) Edit the article.
2) Approve the article.
3) Collect payment.
Tip: If it takes you longer to write a note about some error than it takes to fix the error, it makes a heap of sense to just fix the error.
Second Tip: Keep life simple. It's better for everyone.
You forgot the fourth step for the content editor:
4. Go fu*ck yourself, content editor. You are a fool. Enjoy your $3.50 -- see if it's enough to buy yourself a Happy Meal.
Realize too that the CE's are under a lot of pressure from the Copy Chiefs to send back for rewrite about 70%. Most new CE's are the "fix it and pass it through" type. That is, until their first "performance review". Then it all changes.
Copy Chiefs become Copy Chiefs by doing three things:
1. Rewrite percentage above 70% (with most averaging 85%...yes!)
2. Low rejection rate (because they supposedly give such good instructions that writers do a great rewrite).
3. Low amount of expired articles (because the editors are so nice, the writers will do whatever they ask).
THAT is the record of the Copy Chiefs, and they push the CE's hard to do the same.
Trouble is...most CE's, trying to suddenly go from a 20% rewrite rate to a 70% or higher rate, do a lot of head scratching, trying to figure out a reason to send back for rewrite...and that my friends is the reason you get some dumb ass rewrite requests from CE's.
Most would rather just fix any mistakes they see and send the crap on through. Rewrites do nothing but slow a CE down and the CE hates rewrites as much as the writers do, believe me.
Without sending back for rewrites, a CE can easily make about $140-$175 a day. With the rewrites, a CE has to work all day to earn $100, and most earn about $70.
And yes, I am a former CE and writer for DMS, but I landed a better gig after about three months of it. I don't work there anymore (thank God).
Are ignorant baboons.
Demand Studios had better hire experienced editors, get rid of the ridiculous editing process altogether, or plan to go out of business due to lack of publishable content.
The quality writers are hitting the exits from that company en masse. Demand Studios truly is a cold plate of bullshit for desperate writers in need of quick cash.
I am an editor and Demand is one of my several clients. I know one copy chief and met one other at a Demand Studios event, and early on I asked someone with the company how I could become a chief. There are no quantitative criteria for choosing copy chiefs. They don't have abnormally high rewrite rates or abnormally low rejection or expired article percentages. Chiefs are editors who have demonstrated a solid grasp of the guidelines and whose reviews consistently show they recognize inappropriate content. The approved articles in their files are virtually error-free. It has absolutely nothing to do with percentages. I doubt there are many, or even any, Demand CEs with a rewrite percentage as high as 70%, or even 60%. The company has no quotas for rejections or rewrites. I send back about a third of the articles I edit. I devote four hours a day to my DS work and earn around $100 for $500 a week. The money arrives in my PayPal account twice a week. Not a fortune, but having one client who reliably feeds my income stream twice a week is golden for a freelancer. I have clients who pay more, but it can take 30,60,or 90 or more days to collect from them. I can't always be sure when my other clients might need me, so knowing I can work every day at Demand is a huge plus. Because of my Demand work, I know I won't have to delay paying my rent on the first of every month.
I'm a fairly new CE at DMS and have problems of my own...I am actually an excellent CE; we're NOT all idiots and incompetent. I don't know what the "other" CEs are like, but I can tell you this:
1) The reason I may not stay is the insane frequency of extremely poorly written articles; that are beyond proofreading/editing; stuff that my kids can't believe when I show them. It is SO exciting (but extremely rare) when I am lucky (and that's what it is) enough to pick an article that is well-written and able to be copy edited. I was wondering why there was any application process at all; it appears from MUCH of the writing I see (remember, good writers; you also may not see the "other" writing, like I don't see the "other" editing) that they simply hire anyone who asks, kids, students, little old ladies, anyone who thinks they're a writer because their parents said so. I am VERY good at my job (which, btw, I do full time in Manhattan; DMS is my 2nd job at nite/weekends) WHEN I'm writing for professional writers with talent...or at least basic skills.
2) You wouldn't believe the unfair and picky reviews we get as CEs; it's those comments of what we "shouldn't have approved" that forces us to do more rewrites. We get BLAMED and criticized for passing through articles that break the kazillion amounts of double-standard, opposite-instruction rules on the overlapping and contradicting guidelines.
3) THERE IS NO TRAINING HERE! We're let loose; the good and the bad CEs to guess what is expected of us. And the writers are also let loose; skilled or not. And, clearly, even basic AP and/or obvious DMS rules are constantly ignored, forcing us to make corrections/rewrites.
4) I just discovered that I am the rare CE who spends 20-40 minutes explaining details in the comments so that new writers will learn the rules. But the typical CE who rushes thru and just fixes and approves is not teaching the writer anything; so obviously the same errors will be repeated.
5) There are 2 sides to every story.
no article is "beyond proofreading/editing." for you to believe so proves that you are one of the many poorly trained CEs presently working at demand studios. please find a job more in line with your set of skills -- perhaps washing produce at a fast food joint?
Oh thank you! This is beautifully written and captures it all. I am a DS writer and have had many issues with their editors. There's no uniformity. It literally feels like you can get one nice person in a good mood on a good day, then you can be critiqued by some masochistic dick that wants to unleash his venom about everything wrong in the world...on your underpaid article.
I have many complaints about DS. Including their lack of transparency when it comes to revealing amounts of $ paid for your articles and revenue share. If you ever want to bring a class action lawsuit against them let me know! I'll be first to join that bandwagon. generalemailfrom@gmail.com I assure you I am a real person. That is my all purpose email acct. Thank you.
Yes, oh yes, oh yes!!!
I'm so glad to have found this thread below this revealing article (extremely well written too but I'll bet a DSM editor would find dozens of "improper" things in it - ha-ha).
You have absolutely hit the nail on the head (so to speak) because the editors at Demand Studios either fall very short or they are overboard with edit requests, to the extremer.
How do I know? Because I-too have written for them and in fact am still a member. I discontinued my submissions to them, as of last week because an editor there requested incredible numbers of changes to three articles I submitted and basically told me to re-write them from scratch.
Following, is my opinion of what the problem is, that is being masked as "high standards":
"Some" of the editors there feel that in order to earn their pay and to be recognized as a top notch editor for DS, they must find many things wrong with articles submitted. What some of the requests for edits actually amount to, is stripping writers of their personal styles. They seemingly want mono-tone articles that basically read like the instructions that come with something like a build bookshelf you bought. You must be straight to the point and not overuse certain types of descriptive words. The problem is that your average reader likes descriptive words that add to the understanding of an article.
The editor who offered the critique on my articles (yes, this rather than "edits"), actually used the term "poorly", saying "Your sentence structures were often poorly offered". This is a completely uncalled-for type of comment from an editor.
I actually agreed with much of what this editor pointed out however, it was the nit-picking that truly reached ridiculous levels that made me decide they aren't right for me (rather than their likely claim that I was not right for them).
They will of course continue to tout the claim that this is all being done in the name of unsurpassed quality for a content site but at their rate of shared revenue, this is too far out for me. Desperate writers, who believe their hype about being so great compared to counter-part revenue sharing sites, will continue to join them and will allow themselves to be unrightfully buffeted by obsessive compulsive editors but as for me, I believe I'll bypass them and retain my personal writing style and self-respect.
No thanks Demand Studios; you're just a little "too-special" for me!
(Just think of how many dozen corrections they would want on this post I just wrote! Oh the humanity!! We must save the world from badly structured sentences!! hee hee)
Oh, the content "editors" are indeed the dumbest motherfu*kers in the business. Publishing has sunk below the level of raw sewage for these inbred cretins to be working with words.
No self-respecting writer would put up with DS any longer than absolutely necessary to pay bills in a bad economy. Bastards.
I recently had my blog accepted with Demand Studio Media's blogger program and while doing some search on it, I came across this message board and article.
I really haven't entered the writing directly for them venue as yet but I have to say I'm excited to have my blog ran through their system and it seems like a great program if your blog can be accepted into it. This is one way maybe, that they are reaching out to those who prefer not to have the strict editing done to their submissions. At the same time they do ask for blogs submitted into the program for consideration, to be quality ones.
I'm thinking this will be a good program to promote my blog and I may politely steer clear of doing direct article submissions due to mt schedule and health problems that limit me to an extent.
Just thought I'd mention the blog program they have.
After just getting yet another petty rewrite...basically the CE wants me to find the references for my references...I am ready to rage. Thank you to all who gave examples of why DS sucks ass. I feel like I am in good company.
I actually spent a good deal of time getting plenty of sources for this particular artice and wrote extra sections to be thorough and because I know the subject well. The CE ends up taking out the most important parts and questioned all the rest. For $15 it's not even worth writing once, let alone doing a rewrite. Seriously, are they kidding?
...to say that Demand Studios is a bullshit gig that writers would be wise to avoid like herpes unless they are genuinely & truly desperate for coin.
Thatm, and the content editors are stupid idiots, just unbelievably dense. You can believe it, or you can be a masochist and find out for yourself.
Jamming a stple gun to your forehead is about as much fuin as dealing with the surreal netherworld of bull$hit that is Demand Studfios.
I've never encountered more incompetent editors in more than 20 years of working as a writer. I had to let Demand Studios go. That is a terrible company run by fools who have no business working with words. They use content strictly as a placeholder for Google AdSense. That's all they are interested in. The "editing" is just a bullshit smokescreen so they can pretend to uphold some sort of standard that changes daily, regardless.
Demand Studios is about as bad as it can get for a serious writer.
This page is hilarious. But there is so much anger here. And I suppose rightfully so, but my point of view is that it's only $15. I do no rewrites. If any articles are sent back then I just sell it to another company online. No headaches. No questions. I have a journalism background and was used to being paid so much more as a beat reporter. The paper didn't fold but they let go of so much of the staff it was ridiculous. They quadrupled the work load with no pay increase. So now I'm bidding my time at Demand Studios while looking for something else. The sad part is that most newsrooms aren't hiring now. When I get another full-time writing job, Demand Studios won't even be a memory. I put as much energy into Demand Studios as I would a job at Burger King. The only difference is I can write two $15 articles an hour for Demand Studios with the smallest amount of research. If some lowbrow CE sends it back for a rewrite, I submit it to another content mil or put it up for sale on another site -- one that allows clients to pick and choose the type of articles they want for their websites.
If you look at Demand Studios and consider them to be the Burger King of the written word, you won't become upset about their obviously skill impaired editors or editorial process. Works for me anyway.
Just received my fifth or sixth nasty, obnoxious note lecturing me for violating the "guidelines" for using "pounds" instead of "lbs."
Oh, by the way I have received five or six nasty, obnoxious notes lecturing me for violating the "guidelines" for using "lbs." instead of "pounds."
Are there two ways to spell "incompetent?" How about "D-e-m-a-n-d M-e-d-i-a?
...that all the people who've shared discontent with demand studios, are "....just doing it wrong."
Seriously--denial much?
This is my first month with DMS and I'm frustrated too.
I got some really subjective, and silly, re write requests on three articles (I've done six so far).
One I wrote about "How to choose a mental health facility," and I wrote that people should choose a facility in their area that will allow follow-up treatment to continue after a patient's release. The CE wrote, "You need to explain why a patient would be released."
I just thought it would be obvious a patient would be released at the end of a program, or when they were well enough. Plus DMS insists that all matter be in direct relation to the title, or at least that's what they stressed during my probation. So why the patient was released would have nothing to do with how to choose a mental health facility.
At this point, I'm not bothering with rewrites because the money is not worth it to please a subjective, nitpicking half awake CE. I'll keep writing to see which one's get accepted, but I refuse to do any re writes that request more than format or source verification.
If they fire me, that's fine because I've got other freelance work. I just don't understand why so many put up with it. It's $15 for an article, one to two hours to write, and then to get a re write request puts a person at way less than minimum wage. I won't work for third world wages. Forget it!
If you invest even an hour of time for a $15 article, you are doing too much for that suck-ass company.
Good writers who need extra coin can be found all over the Internet discussing Demand Studios. You will find that a typicaly target is two articles an hour, which is $30. Not a bad wage in this economy, plus you get paid 2x a week.
Yes, the "editors" are dumb as anal seepage and you are correct to abandon idiotic rewrites. In many cases it is faster to write another article than risk rejection by some in-bred cretin editor.
If you do abaondon an article, save the content and keep an eye out for similar titles. This ridiculous comapny will publish 40 variations of making peanut butter & lly sandwiches just to get AdSense clicks, so chances are your article will go to a different editor and get approved, no questions asked. This happens all the time.
DS is a joke. Their editors are a joke. A bad one.
Take the money and run.
Oh, and for God's sake use a pen name:
The DS rep is pretty bad out there. You don;t want to get tainted by association.
Good luck.
Thanks for the tip, Eh? I will be sure to save my content for another possible assignment.
Yes, I noticed the 40 different variations of titles, too. With so many writing the same things over and over, it's amazing to me that more people aren't flagged for plagiarism.
Good luck to you too.
Like I said, it's a joke. The procedures and processes flow like a cesspool stirred by the whims of incompetent editors. There are any number of these "editors" who have claimed on various forums that they paid someone to take the editing test. Once they got in and were turned loose, they devote their time to fu*king up writers' content and asking for rewrites that betray their astonishing ignorance of the subjects they are editing.
My best suggestion is to diversify. There are many, many people who claim to depend on this mercurial company for their sole source of income. That is a foolish mistake.
If you are going to freelance, find as mnay clients as possible to carry you through the dry spells. And there will be dry spells. When you hit a lull, you can always bang out gibberish for DS. The company has a ghastly reputation, but they do pay 2x a week. Problem is, some people get dependent on that 2x PayPal deposit and the fees are so pitiful that they must work constantly to make enough money to live. It's a perverse sort of addiction/dependence.
Life is too short to enrich a bunch of a$$holes wcouldn;t care less about you or me. They can always find one more desperate scribe to pen such deathless information as "How to Make a Wig Out of Dog Hair."
That was an actual title that would have fched someone a whopping $15, provided the article included a verifiable reference. I am not making this up.
Demand Studios is the lunatic fringe of online publishing.
I was feeling bad until I read these posts. I wondered if I was alone in how I felt about DS or not. I have gotten back a number of rewrites and most of the reasons would dummyfy (spelling) the article down that who would want to read it.
I thought I had finally found a way to pay my bills when I came across gardening articles. I have gardened for over 30 years and worked in a greenhouse for 10 of those years, yet the CE's leave me feeling like I am a complete dunce.
I even appealed a rejection, but they upheld the CE's rejection, so I decided to never do that again. Tonight I received another rejection. I rewrote the article and answered the questions that the CE requested, but the CE still did not like my answers. Apparently I didn't explain things the way they wanted and some of the questions could not be explained. I am going to put a sticky note on my computer reminding me to never do another rewrite. I have 9 rejections and have found that they always come in puddles.
LIke the rest of you recommended, I am just going to submit those articles to another site and not look back.
So, thank you everyone who posted. You made me feel much better.
New writers,
You guys are having a lot of trouble adjusting. Did you try to ask for help from other writers? DMS has a very specific style...like any client they want you to sound a certain way.
Wikipedia is not a source for a high school research paper. Why would it be for DMS?
The CE comment box isn't gone, it's on the second page right before you submit.
The wage is paid to a freelancer, not an employee. As a freelance worker it is up to YOU to set your rates. If the rates don't agree with you then you can find another gig...but there isn't a case for minimum wage violations.
As to the pace, you can pop out articles quickly...if you know what you are talking about. If you have to spend forever researching something, maybe you should try another field? Or get more comfortable interviewing experts on the phone?
DMS does not tarnish your name. It's a stepping stone. If DMS is the only thing you've done (and you aren't performing very well) then you will not be taken seriously anywhere. If you are freelancing with other clients and put in the effort to brand yourself, there's nothing wrong with including DMS work in your portfolio.
Supply and demand dictate the going rate for this style of writing. There are a bunch of writers...so you get a lower rate. Everyone can't be a stay at home blogger...Everyone can't be a 12 to 2 feature columnist...
If you have a cushy office job with 401k and other benes, you'd be stupid not to have a backup plan. Why would DMS be different?
Rejections don't come in groups, or puddles. YOU might be having an off day, but unless you write all of your content in the same niche you won't be getting the same editor.
72% of my articles are accepted without rewrites. That's a good chunk. Only 1% are rejected--5 pieces rejected in the entire time I've been with DMS....
I've seen posts in other forums where former DMS writers and editors tell new writers to "write hastily." Just research and pop crap on a paper. Why would you do that? How does that benefit you?
Use DMS to get some quality samples, samples you aren't afraid to sign with your real name. Then move on to the next big thing...after all, nothing lasts forever...
@ Silly:
You've chosen an apt name.
Only a fool would use a real byline on Demand Studios content. The company has a reputation three steps below contempt with almost every legitimate publisher in the industry. Your advice is wrong on so many levels that the best I can offer new writers is to ignore everyting in your ridiculous post.
Good for you on your low rewrite and rejection rates. Those numbers don't mean shit. To make decent money at DS, bang out that drivel fast as you can. The content is nothing more than a placeholder for Google AdSense. Anyone who doesn't understand this hasn;t done due diligence on this "client."
I'll bet "Silly" is a paid DS shill to promote the (nonexistent) merits of this shitty company. Those who are smart will avoid "Silly's" advice as they would a social disease.
If you scribble for DS, you are not a writer. You are a day laborer doing menial peicemeal work. If you need the $15, then do what you have to do. But DS IS NOT a stepping stone. It is a dead end.
Anyone who puts DS on a resume is just begging to get round-filed.
Get the money and get out. DS is BS. Work those bastards to your advantage, because they are trying to work you to their advantage.
some dickwad who turned out to be a mod over at demand media sucks banned me for telling him to fuck off. he puts in his ban reason "messed with the wrong guy." LOL! what a pathetic little bitch. sounds like the same type of napoleon complex that copy editors at demand studios suffers from is also prevalent in the anal cavity of demand studios sucks mods! you have to love the good laugh that pathetic guy gave today.
Lesson # 14 for all DS writers: When a CE sends back a rewrite request that's actually longer than the article itself, he's doing it wrong.
The "editors" are paid $3.50 for eiting an article. You get what you pay for: mouth-breathing, illiterate monkeys. D@mn, those editors are incompetent.
You will never meet a serious writer who will admit to writing for demand studios. Writers who care about their craft, but more specifically their reputation, use a pseudonym and write for those idiots only because times are tough and money is needed.
As for their content 'editors," those fools are deliberately told to remain anonymous lest some rightfully irked writer beat their fu*cking brains out.
To say Demand Studios editors are dumber than snail slime is to insult snails everywhere. These morons have zero business editing a writer's work. Most of the content editors, through their own comments, betray an astonishing illiteracy.
Demand Studios writing and editing guidelines are constantly under interpretation by these idiots. There is no consistency. An article rejected by one fool can be pasted into the template for a similar title and another fool will approve it -- no questions asked.
Demand Studios' claims of quality are a bs joke. Everything this lousy company does is desinged to get AdSense clicks. The content submitted by freelancers is simply a placeholder to trick the Google search results into giving DS BS higher page rankings.
That is their game plan. They have nothing else to offer, except ludicrous expectations, terrible pay and the most amazing collection of imbecile editors ever assembled -- the dregs and rejects of backwoods weekly papers and shoppers who didn't have a clude even when they werre working for quasi-legitimate publishing companies. DS is the bottom of the barrel for these creeps. Working for free is the next step down.
To hell with Demand Studios. Take their money by writing as fast as you can and look for better work.
DS deserves to go out of business. The company's founders and executives belong in prison for polluting the Internet with trash and smiling about it.
Hey, a$$holes! Always remember: I make more than 5x as much as you do when I feel like scribbling for demand studios.
You are not qualified to edit my work. You are fools.
Just approve the damned articles, push the copy through and STFU. Or die.
One or the other. Or both. I don't care.
Just approve the f**king article first. You microcephalic cretins.
Ah ha... I just started there and it does suck. I only do it because I'm in school and can't afford to have much fun. I only do two a day because I don't want to risk losing my school loans and pell grants. Still, I make over a hundred dollars a week which is enough to go out with my friends on the weekend and buy myself a tube of lipstick if I want. Like someone said above, I don't do rewrites either; if I don't get paid then neither will they. I've written over a hundred articles and it seems the rewrites usually get rejected.
Still, I laugh because the person up there is like "72% without rewrites," AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH!! ARE YOU KIDDING ME??? THAT'S TERRIBLE!! 40% REWRITES IS FIRING LEVEL!! LOL....
Guess that's what you get when you're "banging it out." Lol, you say why would you do that to yourself? Yet you mention taking too long? If you're putting an article together in less that 45 minutes, it's guaranteed to be crapola. Yeah just reading a sentence and putting it in the DMS is brilliant! You're a REAL success! AHAHAHAHAHAHAH
Oh and yes... DSS (excellent name) will go out of business. Not only is their stock underperforming, but it's speculated that they've been operating at a loss for quite some time.
Just like a telemarketer, DSS is gonna take the money and run when the time is right or go bankrupt. Just give it some time. Nothing wrong with making ends meet, but don't make DSS the end all - know all, or whatever that saying is. Yes, the world of publishing is changing but, just like the dotcoms, a lot of these companies are gonna go down. It's speculated that DSS can't even afford to pay the $15 which is why I would bet $1,000 that they'll be the first to file bankrupty.
Hello all, I just wanted to thank the commenters on this blog who have saved me a lot of time and headache. I went ahead and tried Demand Media anyway (like an idiot)...but I went ahead and left this message on their forums and figured I'd drop it off here too.
So I've just waisted a good 6 hours of my life attempting to write 3 articles for Demand Studios. 3 articles...that's 1200 words (which I can normally spew out in an hour) I've just waisted 6 hours of my life on. After this expenditure I figure I'll be needing something from this company, and since I won't be receiving any money I figure I'll just put some things out there. I'm a desperate person, I've actually been unable to feed myself at times for the last 6 months and I thought Demand Studios was the place to be. I could not have been more wrong.
As I said before, I am accustomed to spewing out $5.00 per 500 word articles that take me an average of 15-20 minutes to write. While the website(s) in question may not pay as much per article, they do not send my work back for revision. In fact I cannot recall the last time my writing has been questioned this much. Now, many of you zealots will chalk this up to the inadequacy of other websites' standards (or my writing), and you are free to do so. In fact though, Demand Studios has little to no standards to speak of, the format being imposed upon writers is 3 parts SEO, 1 part fluff and 1 part usefullness (assuming each part accounts for 20% of the dribble here).
I understand that there are some talented, desperate and scared people writing for this company...up until 10 minutes ago I was one of them. In fact, many of the people working for this company are very smart and creative people who are being oppressed. I empathize with you all and bestow upon you what little wisdom I have to offer in my 20-some years on this earth. "This too shall pass" is my best advice, this is the single best thing I can share with you, my freelancing brothers and sisters. We have to stand up for ourselves and not admonish these monsters, but abandon them...nightmares disappear when you pay them no mind.
I cannot share with everyone where I am headed (my little secret), but I will say that the pay is better and the editors are only as strict as they need to be. I will not waste my time talking about the editors on this site (that has been done more than enough by other people); but, what I will bother to share is that the people of the world have had enough. Companies who abuse people and put them through a meat grinder have much to answer for not in the court of popular opinion or even a court of law...no these people have to answer for their indiscretions right here on the Internet.
To the zealots and baffoons who will defend this monster of a corporation I can only encourage you to either open your eyes or come at me /b/ro, I'm right here and I'm not afraid of any of you. The people in this country are waking up fast, we're realizing that dreams are realized in the gutters...not on assembly lines. Once you check into a roach motel like Demand Studios you will not be checking out. I really did give this place a shot and (much to my chagrin) was let down in droves. I will prosper because I am not a writer, I am a marketer. I plan on making my own money much the same way Demand does, but I will not be abusing people.
Wake up or fall by the wayside, the choice is yours.
This message will be posted to every major article distribution network I can lay my hands on, and every blog I can comment on and believe me, it will have an impact.
"He who cannot obey himself will be commanded."
-Friedrich Nietzsche
Judging from their moronic comments, this company's editors all appear to be afflicgted with Syphillis, based on the astonishing brain-rot on display.
If you like dealing with idiots who control whether you get paid, if you don't mind locating and providing authoritative references for such "articles" as "How to Open a Door," then enjoy the BS world of demand studios. Bottom of the barrel stuff, boys and girls.
What do you call 20 content editors lined up against a wall and machine-gunned to death?
"A fine start."
this is just a rant. what's the point of having over $300 worth of articles in your que when these lazy copy editors take their sweet time sending them in? Over the last three days I've only had TWO ARTICLES reviewed and cleared for payment. THAT'S RIDICULOUS! get to work you lazy fucks so i can get paid! if this keeps up i'll have like $700 by next week built up in my que. thanks for nothing fucking ce!
Posted on craigslist today:
Editorial Internship (Santa Monica)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Date: 2011-04-26, 1:40PM PDT
Reply to: see below [Errors when replying to ads?]
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
We’re not the New York Times. We’re not CNN. We’re not Martha Stewart Living – and we don’t pretend to be. We’re not yesterday’s news, we’re not tomorrow’s political predictors, and we’re not today’s celebrity gossip columnists.
We are fitness, fashion, health, and home and garden and so many things in between. We are publishing what the world wants to know. Between eHow, LIVESTRONG.COM and typeF.com, Demand Media is a vanguard in online publishing.
We areThe Demand Media content team . We are is a groupcompany of creative, innovative and forward-thinking editors, and we are looking for interns who are excited about the future of the publishing world.
WHAT WE OFFER:
- A look into the fast-paced world of online publishing
- Workshops and learning opportunities in software, SEO and more
- Resume workshop to get your resume into top-notch shape
- A great office location full of friendly people and encouraging managers
RESPONSIBILITIES:
- Work with the editorial team to develop and maintain high-quality content at scale
- Assist in building out the editorial strategy
- Become a part of the team on properties like eHow, LIVESTRONG.COM and our content studio.
- Attend weekly editorial meetings and participate in brainstorming sessions.
- Complete a long-term final project – great for your résuméesume!
QUALIFICATIONS:
Demand Media internships are extremely competitive. All applicants must be eligible for college credit and maintain a GPA of 3.0 or better.
- Proficiency in Excel, PowerPoint and Microsoft Office.
- Previous work or internship experience
Please send your resume to intern@demandmedia.com
--------------------------------------------
Apparently, cheap labor via writers and editors is still too much money to pay out for Demand Media. So now they want to exploit students.
Those minimizing complaints about this company, be warned...they're seeking interns. It's only a matter of time before they no longer pay out for those crap articles and just get the free labor (via interns) to do it.
I just finished my first month as a copy editor for DMS and after receiving my performance review doubt I'll be around for more than another month. It seems I'm too slow (I'm not editing the required minimum of 300 articles per month), and I'm too soft. In other words, I'm not rejecting enough articles. I'm a writer and copy editor with more than 25 years of experience, but it appears I'm not up to DMS' standards, although the copy chief who strafed me recommended giving me another month for one more review round. Gulp. Sounds like my neck's on the chopping block.
My plan at this point is to just push the stuff through, run spell check, confirm the URLs for references and resources, and call it good. I should be able to get 15 articles a day, 75 articles a week, 300 articles a month before DMS tells me I'm useless. In the meantime I can look for other freelance jobs.
The sad thing is I really like working with other writers. It's great to be able to give writers positive feedback. And good writers appreciate the feedback, as long as it gives them something to work with. Telling them their piece "needs improvement" or "this is weak" does nothing to help them. Giving them specifics of how they can improve a piece does. In my experience, a good writer appreciates a good editor. It really doesn't have to be an adversarial relationship.
Anyway, I just want to rack up the titles next month and then move on. I'll try writing for DMS, too, but from what I've seen here I don't expect that to be any more satisfying an experience than editing has been.
You sound too good for them. Seriously. You care, and want to "nurture" writers, especially when you see promise and talent. That's what good editors do. (HINT HINT--there are NO good editors at Demand studios. Just people going through the motions to make some money).
Have you read this thread? If you haven't, you should. Please, pay close attention to what the writers have said about the feedback they've recd from the alleged editors at Demand. That company is a massive joke, and it pains me to see someone who seems to give a damn about the industry toiling there.
Go freelance elsewhere. There's ALWAYS other work. Sometimes it just takes time to find it.
No one who cares about their career can use Demand as a reference, for anything. Get out now, while you still can. The pittance they pay you is not worth what you will continue to endure there. (More frustration and anguish than anything they'll pay you is ever worth).
You've been warned. Be well and good luck to you.
Ah haaa... I thought I'd come back and post this for amusement. I'm the student, "Lady," who posted a few weeks ago.
Wrote a "topic view" article about transferring records to CD. I wrote about using converter boxes and USB turntables to transfer sounds as well as software that will fix sound issues (such as scratched vinyl). It was a brief intro, as it's supposed to be no more than 75 words. The CE wrote, "Where do you transfer it to? Needs clarity."
New job prospect on the horizon! If all turns out as I hope, I can stop writing $7 and $15 articles for Demand Studios. I truly hate that place but money was an issue. Have never looked forward to a new potential prospect as much as I am now!
I have written over 1200 published articles for Demand Media, and believe after that much experience I hold a balanced view. There a lot of dissenters out there these day regarding DM and their policies, and I have to say that as every day goes by, I find DM a company that through its actions become less and less relevant as a respectful place for freelance writers to work. Is all the content written for DM useless twoddle just to promote hits for ehow, and the like? No, many articles are well written, offering solid information. The problem is, there are so many articles offering the same advice/guidance (I myself wondered why there were so many articles that needed writing offering very similar info -- the sad answer, I must say, is that yes, it's there to generate hits, even it the majority of it is well written). Even though the majority of articles pay $15, and I'd say the average writer can make about $20 an hour after writing, researching, rewriting, etc., that is still fairly low for decent writers. Also, the appeals process for rejected articles, in my opinion/experience, bends largely towards the editor's point of view over the writer's. I guess perhaps it's harder to get editors than writers so don't upset the editors. I've never once had an rejection overturned, and must now consider the whole process a waste of time. I used to recommend DM to folks who needed extra income; now I wouldn't. I'll hopefully be moving on to better things, and I do feel that a company that treats employees in this respect won't be around in the long term.
I started writing for DS in January of this year. At first things were going okay. I did get a few sensible editors, but the majority of them were just as you all have described here so accurately in your posts. I started getting rejections for petty reasons, such a semicolon that the editor claimed I misused. Well, let's see, you are the editor, can't you fix it? And, websites--I was told to use the website name not the URL, but has it happens they were one in the same. The CE obviously didn't bother to look. Some CE's went absolutely crazy over a typo. I was put in what they call "writer development" and as soon as I got a rejected article they informed me I lost my writing privileges.
I did manage to sell my rejected articles to other websites, so the time wasn't completely wasted.
One another note, before losing my writing privileges, I was reading posts in the forum and a lot of writers were complaining about being put into this new "writer development". Hmmm?
I think was upset me most is that I wrote hundreds of articles that went through easily, despite the moron CE's, but then in the last few weeks before I was canned, I had three rejected article in a row-- all without good reason. Also, I might add I write for other clients who have no problem with my work. So, I believe the problem with DS lies within the editing staff, not the writers.
You are better off. DS is not worth the aggravation of dealing with unbelievably stupid editors and the barely-out-of-college $hitheads that DS employs as staff on-site. This is the same generation of a$$wipes who've been told all their lives how special they are -- and many of htem have actually come to believe it. The only thing "special" about DS is that the employees are shuttled to work on a short, yellow bus.
Good luck. Like many who have moved on, you will be happier. The $15 just isn't worth it, no matter how tough the economy might be.
I agree. I found DS very stressfull because my paycheck depended on a nameless, faceless editor's opinion. I will have my BA in writing this summer, and I had a anthology of short storiesreleased in March, Tales From Imagination's Closet, and one coming out next year. I thought DS would help me pick up extra income while working on my fiction projects, but it didn't work out that way. I do have other options.
Oh, this is how stupid DS is--they send me a rewrite request on an article after they told me I lost my writing privileges. Let's just say I didn't rewrite the article and sent back a little note explaining why. :)
I agree with everything you said, but I still write for them in order to make ends meet between gigs. I use a pen name and a pen "face" (stock image headshot) because I don't want my name associated with my legitimate articles at reputable publications to appear next to Demand Studios articles.
I can say that I have a very good sense of what I can write quickly. It's not unusual for me to be able to write 2 in an hour, at $30 an hour. I can write 20 a week without too much trouble. Do I feel great about it? No. And it's not worth it if you can't write this type of material easily. I only get revisions on roughly 40% of my articles, and they're usually minor. Occasionally I get frustrated with the process.
I have written my last article for Demand Media, and I would like to add to the list of legitimate criticisms put forward in the above article. For those who love Demand and shun criticism, just sit back and play with your crayons for a while.
The topics are ridiculously broad for 500 words and 15 dollars: For example, one writer took on "Technological changes since the 1900s." After doing enough research and fitting that info into 500 words, you are making about two dollars an hour.
Secondly, the choice of topics is a joke. They are supposed to reflect the expertise areas of the writers, not just the interest areas of the readers. You are given about 80,000 topics to page through, most of which are geared to handymen or housewives and ranging from building a gazebo to dealing with a sick child. The writer informs Demand Media while applying what his or her interests and areas of expertise are, and is assured topics will be there to meet those areas. They are not. You will go through page after page of topics outside your area and finally have to bear down and take something you have no experience in: Great learning? Yes. Great money? No, because you have to spend a day researching an area you have no expertise in.
The result: You struggle to squeeze your 5 hours of research into 500 words, only to be criticized by the editor for lack of attribution. Yes, you cite your sources at the bottom of the article in the reference section, of course, to give recognition to those who have provided you with the information. But proper citing within the 500-word article costs you at least 30-50 precious words you need to cover your topic. You are compromised both ways.
The pay schedule is ridiculous. I have had as many as five articles in the queue waiting to be edited and paid for, but Demand would only take on two or three more articles per week, meaning I was making about 30-45 dollars per week. And then, of course, was the delay waiting for the money to be transferred into your bank account through Paypal (Canadian writers will know what I am talking about), in addition to an unfavorable exchange rate, which gives you about 13.47 per article, and you are just begging to be taken advantage of.
Finally, I want to recognize I have been a tad lax in my grammatical concerns in this comment. The difference between myself and many Demand editors is I know it. I have had Demand editors demonstrate their lack of editing ability in a variety of instances. For example, what is a comma splice? While any capable writer will know you can not connect two independent thoughts with a comma, many Demand editors do not know this. I have seen this kind of glaring mistake in their featured "Top 5 to Try" articles: THEIR FEATURED ARTICLES.
For those who will whine these are all sour grapes and they love writing for Demand: whatever. You do with your life what you will. For those who have been in the system and know what I am talking about, we can only dream what we would have done if we had been paid properly for our contributions to Demand's millions in profits.
You are mistaken. Demand has yet to turn a profit until the first quarter of this year when they eked out a thin, wet-fart margin -- and even then, only with some slippery accounting. The company is not expected to sustain profitability during the remainder of 2011, either, by its own admission.
Lately, they have merely been losing a little less than usual. But the losses remain in the millions.
Holding Demand stock is a slow ticket to bankruptcy.
@ Profits?
Thanks for the update! One more reason to walk away as quickly as possible. At least that money was not lost on the writers, most of whom are living from one promised payment to another.
Thank you for the article as it did lift my spirits a little. I was just let go by Demand Studios today, as a writer. I wrote over 80 articles for them in the past two months. However, they put me on probation and limited my articles to 3. Then, today, one of them was rejected :O(
I don't have a big ego and I accept responsibilities if things were my fault. However, the CE's reason for rejecting my article was that I didn't write specifically about people's noses, and only about their faces (The title was "How to treat oily nose").
I tried as hard as I could to pertain the article about skincare for the nose. However, it is difficult to tell the readers to "put lotion on your nose only."
It was heartless how a nitpicking CE could ruin any extra money I could be making. I am a struggling stay-at-home mom by the way. And I am completely devastated :O(
@ Former DS Writer:
So you are "devastated" that you were canned from a gig where, by your own admission, you averaged less than two articles a day?! If a lousy $30 a day makes that big a difference in your finances, you just aren't cut out to be a freelance writer.
Many, many writers for content mills churn out more than 80 articles a week. You act like it was a struggle to write 80 articles in two months! That kind of output is negligible to a company that pushes quantity over quality in everything it does.
I'm pretty sure you are the same whiner who was crying at DemandStudiosSucks.com about geting canned from DS. While I sympathize and agree with your lament that Demand Studios is a lousy company staffed by assholes, you still don't come across as someone who should be writing for a living -- or even extra income.
They told you as much at DSS.
Stuff envelopes or run a home-based daycare. You are not a writer. The sooner you accept that, the happier you will be not toiling at Demand Studios or taking away titles that the rest of us could pump out in minutes, not months.
DS content editors are too stupid to live. The lowest rung of asswipes in the publishing business. If they could find better work, they would. Bunch of degenerate fuck-ups.
"What's a screwdriver?" one of the douchebags wanted to know. "Which end do you use? Please provide a reference."
Answer to CE: A screwdriver is a comfortable tool for a content editor to ram up his ass and twist around until his legs fall off and he dies from internal bleeding. Use the sharp end, bitch.
Source: Me, you miserable motherfucker.
...who else would put so much effort into donning pom poms and cheering for demand studios?
posts from those expressing so much concern for others possibly,"giving up a potential source of income that could really help them..." are ridiculously transparent.
translation of such "concern":
"demand studios is constantly losing it's cheap labor and is losing even more money. The company has a horrible reputation, and it's getting worse. It's getting more difficult to find new slaves to work the fields."
yeah....uh huh. we hear you loud and clear.
(eye roll)
I would genuinely like to crack a few of their skulls with a baseball bat. Demand Studios would be the easiest money if that damn company did not hire absolute morons to edit content. Too stupid to live.
The problem is NOT the copy editors!!!
The problem is the people who hire the copy editors!!!
Richard Lally, Eve Lederman and the others are BRAINLESS. You just can't do anything about brainless people because they are, well, BRAINLESS.
A third-grader would know better than to hire people sight and voice unseen and give them more power than copy editors at reputable publications who earn six figures amd are known by their colleagues.
Only BRAINLESS pieces of garbage like Lally and Lederman would let editors be anonymous, so they can evade responsibility for their incompetence.
And the problem of editors introducing mistakes into stories has been around for who knows how long? And they continue to employ editors who introduce mistakes into stories?
YOU'RE BRAINLESS LALLY. YOU HAVE NO FUCKING BRAINS
Hard to believe the publishing industry (which I have been out of for a few years) has actually gotten worse!
Leaving Demand was the best thing that ever happened! After over 1,000 articles I was dropped into the Writer Destruction Program and then released. What this program did was thin out the herd. There are still plenty of crappy writers there and it shows in the articles. Since I was released (given my freedom) I found a nice brick and mortar job and I still have other stuff out there churning a few beans in. Finally I am getting paid decent money and only working a few days a week. If you are at Demand get out. It is like a drug habit, you get used to it and then your fix gets thrown in jail and you can't get your junk.
I write for Demand Media. My feelings are mixed. The good points are that they pay regularly and it gives me a foot in the door as a writer. I choose topics that interest me, which means that I get paid to learn.
The bad news is that even though I get paid 25 dollars to write nutrition articles, the amount of research it takes to do a credible job means that I am working for below minimum wage. There is simply no way to write a good article, even a short one, on a scientific topic without hours of combing through abstracts on pubmed.
What burns me, though, is that some of the CEs go beyond criticism and into sarcasm. It is difficult not to take this personally.
An additional issue is that their topics are sometimes miscategorized. My first assignment was on how to teach yourself algebra. Note that the topic did not ask how to solve algebra problems. I wrote a good article about general attitudes to take and strategies to use. It was rejected because I never explained how to solve algebra problems. Uh, Duh. There are dozens, if not hundreds, of different types of algebra problems. How could I possibly write an article on such a broad topic and stay within a 500 word limit? Also, because of the way their computer program counts words, x + 3 = 7 counts as 5 words. It was impossible.
To Elizabeth Foster
Your first problem is that you try to do a "credible job." Good for you, but most Demand writers make ZERO effort to do a credible job because the company itself does NOT care. If it did, it would pay you four or five times more for your articles.
I write Nutrition articles also. You should NEVER spend hours researching an article. The key is to write SEVERAL articles based on your research. You should claim articles with similar titles.
At this stage, after writing for this company for one year plus, I do not write an article unless I know exactly where I can find the information that I will use in the article. I have about 15 books that I use and know where the information is. I NEVER do a blind Google search for information or even a search through credible websites like you do.
In short, I spend ZERO time researching.
As a new writer, you should know that Demand will do NOTHING for your development as a writer. It is the MOST INCOMPETENT company on the face of this planet. I say that as someone who has been a reporter for major newspapers and the editor of national magazines and a copy editor.
Their copy editors are BEYOND INCOMPETENT. You can find smarter people serving burgers to you at McDonald's. And they get paid less than burger servers because they deserve less.
Do NOT ever do a "rewrite." EVER. EVER. EVER. NEVER.
Answering a question or two is not a "rewrite." When you get a genuine rewrite. ABANDON the article, reclaim it when it goes back into the bin (ONLY you when that is), and resubmit the SAME article.
I have done this 20-plus times and the article has been approved without question ALL 20 times. Do NOT spend one second dealing with an incompetent editor.
FYI: I have very high scores despite the incompetent editors, even winning a large prize in one of the company's bogus contests.
I have been working for DS for the past 2 years. Lately, there are no titles, and bullshit re-writes that don't make sense. I feel I've had it! I would ignor the crap before, but after seeing titles drop by 60,000 in the past four months, I know it's time to go. I couldn't agree more with writers on here who have open their eyes to the crappy reality of DS. This company seems to be going under, fast!
I've been working for Demand as a writer since May 2011. To be honest, I find that it pays better than the other sites that I've worked for, requires less effort and I like that I don't have to deal with the widely varying needs of individual clients who want to pay less and less per article. Some of the titles are also fun to write, but I'm a tech geek and I enjoy any opportunity to geek out. Additionally, I can't get a job in my field unless I work for free, so Demand is my financial lifeline right now.
I will say, however, that some of the editors introduce errors into articles or leave unnecessary negative feedback that affects your rating as a writer. I've had several articles published with misplaced apostrophes and improper capitalization after a period. These errors were introduced by the CEs. I've also had serious grammar errors added to articles. I've gotten a few rewrites where I've noticed errors introduced by CEs and fixed them myself. And, I completely agree that some of the rewrite requests are completely absurd. However, they are usually very easy to fulfill.
What I really don't appreciate is the commentary left by some editors. It is not right to accuse a writer of making several grammar errors when the only change made by the CE is to add a word to a single sentence that was grammatically correct or to change a number to its spelled-out version. As a writer, the last thing you want to be accused of is lacking basic grammar skills. I also hate when they refer to me by name in their negative commentary; it makes me feel like my mother is talking to me.
I think that Demand Studios is a waste of time and the copy editors abuses their authorities. When I first signed up, they accepted me and stated that my writing was good enough to be considered for claiming twice as many assignments. As soon as they added a feedback system on the copy editors. I added feedback about how badly they butchered my articles and less than a week later my writing permissions were removed. I was sent an email stating how my writing did not meet any of their quality standards. Demand Studios keeps a scorecard on an individual. I only received one rejection during training and my scorecard was at from average to proficient. My research rating was always high. It's quite obvious why they dismissed my writing permissions. Simply because I politely addressed my concerns about the excessive markings the copy editor was putting on my work. In fact, the copy editor was changing my words and adding their owns, something that they was NOT supposed to do. Demand Studios and their copy editors are liars who never expect you to disagree with them.
I have read through every single comment in here and although I thought of staying out if it, I couldn't help myself. First, I noticed a comment up above that glorified the work of Richard Lally. Rocketed Myspace to fame eh? Well it doesn't appear to be working as well for him now does it? Myspace has been failing for quite some time now. It is crawling with creeps, freaks, and perverts. So much for fame there. If you want to talk about fame, well, I suggest you invest in some time and research Mark Zukerberg, founder of Facebook. While Facebook isn't exactly a top of the line social website either, it is definitely more than a step above Myspace in more ways than one.
That being said, I shall proceed. I was a writer for Demand Studios. Am I going to act like a jilted lover? Absolutely not. Do I think the site has issues? Absolutely yes. So, for a REAL review of the site, one that does not provide bickering and obscenities, I offer you the TRUTH about Demand.
Let me start by saying, I was employed by Demand over 2 years ago. I started out making a decent amount of money - an average of $700 - $750 a month. While that may seem like "bottom rung" labor to some, for a single mother, it is worth every key stroke. It definitely helped pay the bills every month. Do I realize that I am not making nearly as much as I should be for my hard work? Yes I do. However, their pay scale is not my complaint.
I do agree with most of the comments against the editors at Demand. However, not ALL of the editors are on a Nazi power trip (as I like to refer to it). Am I going to place all of the blame on the editors? Again, no I'm not. Demand obviously needs a complete face lift. You do NOT get the chance to edit your article twice if you are asked for a rewrite or a revision. You only have one chance. After that one chance is over, if it is still not up to par, you are automatically rejected without the chance of another rewrite.
The problem with the one rewrite is that while one copy editor instructs you to do one thing and another copy editor instructs you to do something completely different, this creates confusion for the writer. I, like Jenny McClease 2 days before me, addressed my concerns with the copy editor. I was simply told that my references were wrong. Those were the only instructions I received. I had no way of contacting the copy editor to find out if I had used blacklisted references (which I know I did not because I research everything thoroughly and had used books and credible website sources. I even double checked the blacklist to make sure). I had no way to find out if I had inserted them wrong into the reference section (which I also double checked) or if I had cited them wrong in the body of the article....Need I say I double checked that too?
Unfortunately, I was left stranded without knowing what to do. I did what I could to try and figure out what the copy editor wanted and submitted the article back to the editor for further review, knowing full and well that I would not get another chance to redo it. Honestly, I had no problem with that and I was not upset with the copy editor. I politely left a comment with my article stating that I had one copy editor suggest a reference format for me and that another editor had suggested something completely different and that it had created a bit of confusion. I went on to say that I would completely understand if my article was rejected but if the editor could kindly leave a comment letting me know what I did wrong so that I could see it if the article was rejected. The editor pushed it through after the max waiting time for an article to be reviewed but left no further commentary to help me out. This was a bit frustrating since I do think that issues like that should be addressed.
A website like Demand needs to operate as a team. That means that if a question is asked, or if there is a problem, they should be responded to rather than ignored. There is no room for improvement to avoid further mistakes if inquiries such as this are left unanswered. There is no system that allows you to at least send a message to the editor to ask for further explanation of what is needed. I can understand that an editor does not want to be harassed by upset writers, however, they can add a contact system and allow the editors to report an malice directed at them. If a writer wants to harass a copy editor, they should be suspended or dropped at the very least. Introducing a system like that would clear up all of the confusion. That is why I blame the website rather than the copy editors themselves.
As far as hiring professionals, that is not always the case. I have a friend that asked me what I do for a living and when I explained it to her, she expressed interest in signing up. I told her she most likely would not be accepted since she had not completed high school. However, I will agree that her writing is substantial, though I wouldn't call it professional.
She applied for the job, lied on her application about holding a college degree, submitted an article sample of mine (that I had not given her permission to use) and was accepted within 48 hours of applying. She has continually ignored rewrites and has received a great deal of rewrites. Not that I'm complaining about her so do not get me wrong here.
The point is, My scorecard claimed that my grammar and research was spot on. Rewrites were not common for me either. The only problem I came across is that I stopped writing for them for approximately 6 months. To further explain this, I had a child that passed away and as a result of my grief, I knew that I would not be able to produce quality content. I ended up taking some "time off" to deal with my grief, take care of my other children, and support my family and myself emotionally.
I came back to write for the company almost 2 weeks ago and had been doing very well. I did not receive a rewrite until the copy editor made the comment about the references. That is 1 rewrite out of 60 submitted articles. That means 59 articles had gone through with no problems. Imagine my surprise when I received an email letting me know that my writer permissions were blocked and that they wished me luck on further endeavors.
I submitted a response in regard to the email. I explained that them releasing me over my "lack of quality" did not make sense considering the glowing remarks I had received from the editors. I also explained that I had lost a child which was my reason for being inactive for a 6 month time and I apologized for my inactivity (although let me tell you, no parent should have to apologize for being as grief stricken as I was, and still am). I asked if they could review my work and perhaps let me back into the system under an evaluation or temporary suspension that would allow them to minimize the number of articles I picked up until they could verify that my quality was not the problem. The response email I received in return to my query? "We have the right to terminate whom we see fit. We will keep you in our system and let you know if anything suits your quality in the future". Harsh if you ask me. Who can respond to an inquiry like that with little more than what sounded to me like a "go cry about it elsewhere".
So as far as Demand goes, no....it is not a website worth writing for. There are others out there. They are sub-par at best. Is this because I'm angry over being "fired"? No. It is because they could at least have the decency of not sending a "blanket" email. They could have taken the time to at least give me a legitimate reason why they were letting me go.
Also, the articles that they have had available lately are so far from legitimate that it scares me. They had at least 2 dozen origami articles last week and I wondered how anyone could write them. One was "How to Make an Origami Money Toilet". Now, for all of you former, and even current, Demand workers out there, please explain how you would begin to write a quality article on a topic like that? And granted, that is just one out of thousands, but I know
PS....To the author, I do apologize about my rather lengthy comment above. I am a writer at heart and I always given an honest and forthright statement when I do choose to respond.
The funniest thing is Demand's stock is crashing and they're laying off people.
Sign me as another writer who quit working at Demand after dealing with idiot editor after idiot editor. The company is run by morons and fools who are screwing over their writers, paying them subsistence rates and treating them like garbage.
Anyone who continues to write for Demand deserves the bad treatement they get IMO.
DM gets what they paid for.
The worst bucket of sh!t on the Internet. The company is run by children. The content "editors" have less intelligence than monkeys. And the pay is bullshit.
Avoid Demand Studios as you would avoid stepping in dung or acquiring a veneral disease. Just stay away from these scumbags. You will be happier.
I hate them and your article promoted me to say why. http://iramency.blogspot.com/2011/09/demand-studio
The McDonald's on Internet publishing. Their articles are Mc$hit.
I would often write essentially the same damned article 10 or 15 times, with slight changes in the wording and make $160 for the repetition. If one of their fool editors ever kicked it back for a rewrite, I'd let it expire and cut & paste the drivel into a new article with practically the same title.
It's a license to print money, but the company still sucks shit and employs idiots to edit.
Screw the bastards while you can; they won't be around long.
Wow. I was seriously considering applying to DMS and after reading for several sites for the past hour. I most certainly will not. I am a published music critic of many years experience, as well as a historian, and I get paid considerably more per article than DMS offers. All the comments I have read, especially about the compentency of the content editors, has convinced me that this is not a company I want to work for!
Just so you know, if given the opportunity, I will not miss my chance to crack your fu*king skull with my baseball bat, you sonsofb!tches.
Die in a fire.
Here's what I don't get... the writing has been on the wall for MONTHS now, so why are writers wasting precious time responding to those inane forum posts and emails that DS sends about "First Look", "Special Sections" and "Fewer Titles?" All this time spent asking what you can do to boost your scores for a program that was obviously implemented to weed out writers; think of all the respectable gigs that you could have applied for during that time. I saw this coming months ago, and prepared myself.
There are tons of other writing jobs out there. If you're a good writer with solid business skills, you will get work -- well-paying work. Why would you want to write for a company that you have no future with? Read the responses to this blog and you will see the many warnings that were given about DS and the idiots who chose to defend the company. Who defends a company that they are not even employed with? Only a idiot. A true writer believes in his or her talents and wouldn't be spending valuable time begging that stinking company for explanations or chances. God, it's painful to watch.
It's funny how all you hear from DMS writers is how they want to strangle, beat with a baseball bat, see rot in hell, gouge the eyes out of, or cut the throats of DMS editors. No wonder the editors' identities are kept secret. I used to be an editor for DMS, but I got tired of having to rewrite articles because I felt sorry for the writers and didn't want them not to get paid. How many times did I earn significantly less than I WANTED TO per hour because I was making an article publishable so the writer didn't get ZIP? I guarantee, writers, you have no idea how many times an editor has saved your badly written, factually incorrect, muddled "article" from being rejected. I know that I routinely fixed major problems so that some old lady in Peoria writing about knitting or "doggie crafts" didn't get screwed.
I've had good editors and terrible editors at Demand, so your post goes both ways. The bottom line is good writers and editors do not stick around for too long at Demand. If they do, they likely have other clients and merely use Demand as a backup. I understand making a quick "buck" when titles were plentiful -- I've done it myself and don't regret it. The titles were relatively easy and the money was there to be made -- no reason not to take advantage of it. However, to rely solely on Demand and not seek out more lucrative venues is nonsensical from both a writing and editing standpoint. I had private clients even while writing for Demand who was just another client. Once I built up my client base, I stopped writing for them.
My point is real writers and editors generally don't stay with Demand. The awful writing you say you were subjected to was probably from writers who have no intention of leaving Demand or branching outside of the company except if shoved out by force. The same goes for the editors.
STFU & DIAF.
And to you, TSRFY (take some responsibility for yourself). You guys are the biggest bunch of crybabies I've ever seen. Editors make you cry? Well, quit the gig and get another one. Maybe you're not cut out to write for a living. One only has to visit demandmediasucks.com, the disgruntled writers' forum, to see how bad half the DM writers are. I was laughing with my wife reading a couple of the posts on there last night. The posters get into it with each other all the time because many can't even express themselves clearly in an informal online forum.
I was professional when I edited for Demand. I can't vouch for anyone else. But I never sought to put anyone down or make anyone cry. In fact, I gave compliments all the time, and my rewrite comments were always constructive. My conscience is clean.
I mean, geez, in the Great Depression, whole families used to sharecrop just to survive, and they often had an overseer who would yell at them to pick faster and even beat them. Kids are forced to work in battery factories in China and are punished severely if they leave their post. If you can't handle someone asking you to change a few words in an article (as you sit in the comfort of your home or local coffee shop), you really need to toughen up a little. Life is hard for the vast majority of people in the world, a whole lot harder than you have it. And it looks like times might be getting even tougher.
I told you to STFU, buck. You f*cking shmuck. You sanctimonious douchebag. DIAF already. Nobody gives a flying f*ck what you think. Go back to "editing" with your crayons, you cretinous lump of sh!t. LOL
Seriously, dissing all writers and lumping everyone into one packet makes you look like a prick. You act as though editors can do no wrong and like it's all the writer's fault. The glaring truth is that some editors have no clue what they're doing; they're obviously drunkards, drug addicts or just plain clueless. Geez, your condescension has me convinced that it's the ONLY thing that gets you off. Something tells me your wife is useless to you in that department. You don't know what type of editors these writers encountered, so think before you indulge in your obvious need to degrade others.
Hahaha! Those mean old editors must have really hurt your feelings, dude. How sad. I hope it hasn't scarred you for life.
is on the scene. Not a compliment, Buck.
I'm not lumping all writers together. My comments were directed at the whiners on this thread who are being so vocal about wanting to maim, kill, and destroy the CEs they feel abused them. CEs have to be paid, too, and they have to enforce DS rules. They get audited regularly. Sure there are bad editors out there, and there are also editors who apply the rules inconsistently. DS changes the rules a lot, and often in very confusing, conflicting ways. And its moderators and copy chiefs don't do a good job (at all) of explaining the changes, even to the CEs. So, in the end, they are just as confused as the writers about the changes. The CEs are just trying to earn some pay, just like you. They are not all out to abuse or "degrade" you. There are sadists in every bunch. But they are audited regularly, and hopefully an editor who steps too far over that line will get weeded out. So many of the comments I see on this subject by DS writers or former DS writers seem like tantrums. Is this the first time you haven't gotten your way? Is this the first time you've been treated unfairly or inconsistently in your life? Is this the first time you haven't been treated with kid gloves? Well, buck up. This won't be the last time. You guys need to move on.
You're taking these comments way too seriously. These comments do not mean that the writers haven't moved on. "My conscience is clean." Yeah, right. Obviously, you MUST have the last word... I pity your wife.
You guys are talking about my wife, and I'm the one taking it too seriously?
Bucky's wife doesn't get him off? Word is, for $15 she'll give anybody a little half-n-half. Just think, Bucky would only have to "edit" 3 1/2 articles to earn enough to get off with his own wife. Get cracking, Bucky. Sharpen those Crayolas and "edit" some content, you silly little monkey.
Your reading comprehension must not be too good, "STFU boy." I don't work for DM anymore, and my new job is at a real publishing company editing real books for real pay.
"STFU boy," I think you should sue DM for emotional distress. Being bitch-slapped so many times by the CEs has given you PTSD. Usually one has to fight in a war or be tortured to suffer from PTSD, but you are obviously one of those delicate little wimps who can be traumatized by someone condescending to him.
Fess up, you still work for DM, right? You take it up the keister all day from CEs, so you get on the Demand Media Sucks forums all night to anonymously vent your impotent rage. Good-bye, "STFU boy." Good luck on those rewrites! : )
I forgot to mention how much I enjoy bending over for men. If I was a real man, I'd publish my name and address so all righetous writers could stop by and punch me in the throat. But I am a pu$$y, so i must pretend I have a real job. I really should choke on my own vomit and die. Think I'll Google an eHow article for that.
Good idea, Buck. You are just another interwebz loser. Tell your wife I said "thanks." The check is in the mail. LOL, LOL.
Ah, peace at last. Eunuch Buck the Shmuck has gotten the f*ck out of here. I've got fifty bucks sez he's off somewhere introducing mistakes into writers' copy and dreaming of the day when he can satisfy his wife. Oh, wait: She's on the street taking care of bidness.
Good riddance to another demand studios "editor" with his head up his a$$. None ofthem have a clue as to what they are doing.
Don't worry, Bucky. There is a solution to your inadequacy. Die. Just die.
I just finished this piece and all the comments. Good laffs. Came across it by accident while considering Demand Studios as a client. Think I'll pass.
If the arrogant prick who calls himself "Buck3000" is representative of the content "editors" employed by Demand Studios, I pity the writers.
I will avoid demand studios -- and jackasses like Buck3000 -- as if they have leprosy.
I just finished this piece and all the comments. Good laffs. Came across it by accident while considering Demand Studios as a client. Think I'll pass.
If the arrogant prick who calls himself "Buck3000" is representative of the content "editors" employed by Demand Studios, I pity the writers.
I will avoid demand studios -- and jackasses like Buck3000 -- as if they have leprosy.
Wow, the comments are hilarious here.
All except the DMS supporters who can only bag on the lady who got her feelings hurt. You guys are bigger turds then we thought you were. Out of all the comments and accusations, that's the one you DMS supporters continue to harp on. Why? When there are so many legitimate accusations against you? Why do you choose someone who is soft in the heart? Is it because you are low class turds?
How lame is that? How lame are you?
You should just admit that you're a bunch of turds who don't encourage real writing talent, so that she doesn't have to feel like the REAL failure here. Honestly, no matter what, picking on someone because you think them weak is not a sign of nobility, just that you're a real big fuck head.
Stop being such a queen, Bennie. You're always squealing on the Internet like a little weenie.
I hate Demand Studios. I am a former writer, titling editor and duplicate checker. They give these really bogus quizzes which I think is way to get rid of people.
Experience shows conclusively that 99 out of 100 Demand Media content “editors” are so ridiculously stupid as to die of suffocation if breathing were not an involuntary reflex.
I have expanded my marketing business dramatically since firing DMS as a client. I may need to sub-contract some of my extra work. But I tell you this: any individual who applies to work for my organization and lists Demand Media content “editor” on its resume, you’d best believe that resume will be an instant firestarter for my very nice fireplace in the den.
If I find out someone worked as a content editor for DMS, I will fire them. Every legitimate publishing professional within my circle will be informed that DMS content editors should be avoided like a skank whore with venereal diseases galore.
I’d like to catch a few of the little motherf*ckers and activate their goddamned dental plans. I really would. Stupid, incompetent, petty scum. I wish you harm.
TL;DR?
Fuck you. I don’t care.
DMS is no longer providing titles for writers. Translation? It's over. This was snagged from the DMS board:
"I'm not sure why I updated my contributer's agreement since there has been 0 titles each time I look for over a month. No eHow. No LS. No LSN. I applied to business titles but never heard a word. Does anyone have any real news about whether or not this is how it's going to be from now on. I know there have been droughts in the past, but not this bad for this long. This is the worst part about working for DS, you never know what's going on or you're given vague messages."
I no longer have any titles available and therefore do not have a way to raise my grammar scores. Yet, DS keeps hiring more writers who are basically in the same boat.
I feel bad for a lot of the writers there who are still holding out for hope. They are unable to see that DS is stringing them along just in case something might come up.
DS does not care about the writers, copy editors, or any one else for that matter. They are elitist who have been knocked down off their high horse, and they have no problem screwing over anyone to suit their own purpose.
Yes, we are (or were) contractors, but DS has no idea about running a business in an ethical manner.
Every content editor at that godforsaken piece of sh!t company should have his throat slit with a rusted knife. All of them should be bled out like swine.
If you come across a resume where one of these morons lists Demand Studios content "editing" under work experience, throw away the resume and waste no more of your time.
I have more than 20 years of publishing experience in many disciplines. I know of what I write. DS "editors" have no business in this profession.
Grill any candidate for an editing job and vet these people thoroughly. They are small-minded, ignorant of their craft and embittered for being reduced to a job at Demand Studios where they earn a pitiful $4 per "edited" article.
Demand Studios content "editors" are the stupidest, piss-poor excuses for human beings ever encountered in the publishing industry -- or any other field. Hiring one of these lunatics is merely opening your company to liability. They are incompetent. Hire one of these imbeciles at your peril.
Blocklist any and all Demand studios "editors" for they are worthless.
Demand Studios is an utter waste of time for any writer who values the craft. Lousy pay, stupid assignments and moronic editors make this terrible company a triple-threat headache.
Almost any type of writing work is preferable to Demand Studios, which is shuttering its publishing section, anyway, so why would anyone bother?
The published articles are often unreliable and full of factual errors.
The articles are merely placeholders for Google advertising to make click revenue.
Really, the entire operation is a bad joke and a low-rent hustle.
Blacklist, Blackball, Blacktongue, Blackc*ck and whoever else is the same guy, and he's full of crap!
It's amazing that you guys are still at it! I've been getting these annoying e-mails each time a new comment is posted on this thread, and I decided to click on the one I got today and see what (and why) people were still commenting.
I would never even consider putting my old Demand Media gig on my résumé, so I don't really have to worry about being blackballed. Probably most other CEs don't list DS as a client, either. DS's reputation is in the toilet, so I wouldn't recommend anyone highlight work for DS on a résumé.
To blackballing dms content "editors," since they are ashamed of themselves and their hack work, would be to punch one in the throat if he identifies himself as a dms hack. Little sleazeballs is what they are.
That'll work: A good, trachea-crushing punch in the throat. Where are ya Buck? You dumb fu*k.
Come and get one in the yarbles, if ya have any yarbles. LOL.
Demand had its Valentine's Day Massacre yesterday and fired most of their writers, so this whole thing is probably a moot point. That company is circling the bowl anyway.
Well, I got my report whether or not I can continue to write for DS. They turned me down. Why: They said I didn't meet even one of their requirements." Their requirements are:
• First-hand experience in a gardening related field such as garden & lawn, plant care, landscaping, indoor plants, tools & equipment or garden projects & crafts
• Experience writing on gardening topics for an established online or offline publication
• Degree or Certification in a gardening-related field
OK, I guess that 10 years of working in all areas of my local greenhouse does not meet the requirements. Gardening for over 30 years does not meet the requirements. Writing over 1000 gardening articles with them and over 2000 articles for other online sources does not meet their requirements.
What does meet their requirements, I wonder. Good bye DS, I'm done.
In scrolling through this thread, you will see that there are several postings by one Kenneth Crawford, who at one time was arguable the biggest supporter of Demand Media. as a contractor and freelance writer, Crawford defended this sleazy company for free. He never once allowed logic or common sense to get in his way.
Kenneth Crawford on his poorly-written freelancing blog now claims he attempted suicide on March 11, 2012 by consuming an overdose of "heart medication." This blip of information is buried deep in his criticism of -- you guessed it -- Demand Media and how the company lies to its contractors.
Draw your own conclusions.
Demand Studios do not even have the professional courtesy or integrity to send an email alerting you they no longer require your services. Thought I would just check in and can no longer log into their site. But really - I should not be surprise.
Kenneth Crawford's piss-poor "riting gud fer money) wwebsite is gone...no more...poof! And nothing of value was lost. Good riddance to little Kenny. The joke is on you, skippy!
Meanwhile, a private equity firm recently could not churn up enough interest in Demand Media to buy the piece of shit company, even with its market cap down by nearly two-thirds since that foolish IPO in Feb. 2011.
The laffs roll on.
While I can clearly understand making light of Kenneth Crawford's disappointment towards Demand Studios, my heart actually goes out to him. He probably had a good thing going with the company. As far as we know, he could have been making enough money to pay for his grocery bills, as some writers claim they are able to do.
Being dropped by the company might have ended a steady stream of much-needed income that he and his family really counted on. It's a cruel thing to be dropped by your employer in times like these.
Maybe Kenneth Crawford was obnoxious, but you shouldn't make fun of him.
Feel sorry for him.
Crawford got what was coming to him. He talks out of both sides of his mouth and his ass. He is so stupid he doesn't even know that he doesn't know anything. A fake. A fraud. And above all, a fool.
Have fun in the thriving town of Weed, Kenny!
Oh, and for all their pretensions to qwality ritin', the goons at demand media do nothing more than polish turds. eHow is possibly the most useless site on the Internet -- and that says a lot.
Guest 2 years ago
Interesting.