Is Anyone Else Afraid of Getting Banned?

[ChristinaS]

I'm new to freelance writing and really afraid of my account being permanently banned. I've had three out of four articles come back for (minor) revisions and I'm afraid that I'm going to get banned soon. I'm wondering if I should take a break from submitting here for a few months while I explore other sites.

I'm not looking for a pep talk; I'm wondering if any other new writers share my fears or if I'm letting my paranoia get the best of me.

[mnicol22]

Hello ChristinaS and welcome!

I am relatively new here as well. I was terrified when I submitted my first two articles and they came back rejected because I had read that dreaded rule about getting banned after three rejections. Most of the mistakes I made were minor, but still it scared me for a while. I also had some serious phrasing issues with run-on sentences, which I think I have improved a lot since I came here. I reviewed the articles and resubmitted them and they were accepted. I don't think the editors are strict on this rule, especially if you make an effort to fix the mistakes they point out to you. However, if you keep making the same mistakes over and over again, that may be a reason for a ban.

No matter how thoroughly you review your article before submitting, it is highly likely that you will miss a typo, a misplaced comma or something of that nature. I seriously doubt it that you will get banned for this kind of mistakes. I also find it hard to believe that experienced writers with hundreds of articles here have had less than three rejections during their carreer on CC! Keep trying to improve and you will be fine!

[jellygator]

My approval rate is around 46%, and yes, I was terrified when I first joined here 3 months ago. This was especially true for me since I've never been a "freelance writer" per se. In three months, I've seen my earnings increase each month and have had fewer rejections. The most recent month saw me earn $139 from this site (after CC's cut.) I think that's pretty good considering I've only sold about half a dozen articles so far, but have five times that many still in the pipeline.

[lilybull]

I'm definitely nervous about a ban, especially as I continue to read more and more posts about banned accounts. My first article is awaiting approval so my fingers are crossed. How are you doing with your submissions now?

[SJHillman]

CC is the first time I've really done any writing since college, and even then I got most of my English classes waived. Here are the steps to not worry about being banned.

1) Follow the guidelines. Make sure you're consistent, grammatically correct and for the love of whatever you hold holy, use a spell check.
2) Re-read your article at least once (preferably more than once) before you submit it. It may be incredibly boring to read your own writing, but you'll catch anything major.
3) Make sure you fix anything the editors catch before you re-submit. If you're unsure, ask the forum for help.
4) Sacrifice at least two goats per week at the Altar of the Editors. If you do not have a goat, any livestock will suffice.

[Constant]

4) Sacrifice at least two goats per week at the Altar of the Editors. If you do not have a goat, any livestock will suffice.

They prefer cookies In all seriousness though, if you're diligent with proofreading your work before you submit it, and incorporate the editors' feedback when resubmitting work they've asked for revisions on, you shouldn't need to worry about getting suspended.

[lilybull]

4) Sacrifice at least two goats per week at the Altar of the Editors. If you do not have a goat, any livestock will suffice.

They prefer cookies In all seriousness though, if you're diligent with proofreading your work before you submit it, and incorporate the editors' feedback when resubmitting work they've asked for revisions on, you shouldn't need to worry about getting suspended.

LOL! Thank you everyone I am checking constantly while await to see if it has been accepted or rejected.

[lilybull]

4) Sacrifice at least two goats per week at the Altar of the Editors. If you do not have a goat, any livestock will suffice.

They prefer cookies In all seriousness though, if you're diligent with proofreading your work before you submit it, and incorporate the editors' feedback when resubmitting work they've asked for revisions on, you shouldn't need to worry about getting suspended.

LOL! Thank you everyone I am checking constantly while await to see if it has been accepted or rejected.

I received my first article review and unfortunately it was rejected. The errors appear minimal and I have made the corrections. I am hoping it will now be accepted. Does anyone know how longs it takes for the editors to review revised articles? Is it 3-5 days? I REALLY hope I made the proper changes, nervous!

[Lysis]

You guys are making a mountain out of a molehill. I have an 81% acceptance rate with 30 rejections. Yes, that's not a mistake. 30 rejections. It's part of writing. The "3 strikes" rule is just there to give them the ability to kick someone to the curb if they are always making huge mistakes. I really struggled when I first started here, but every time Ed gave me a pointer, I changed what I was doing wrong. I'm not really a writer by trade, but I am an expert in my field and remember my old high school grammar rules. I'm a coder not a grammar expert, so I make dumb mistakes (the debugger will catch it, right? ). The 3 strikes thing is just so they can kill off the spinners and Engrish writers who are trying to sell junk.

[pmjk]

@lysis

It seems you have a wealth of knowledge and understanding of how to write. Please explain to me why my account was suspended after 18 articles had already been accepted.

Peter

[SJHillman]

Peter, I don't think other writers would be able to tell you exactly why you were banned and your account closed, but your attitude on this forum makes me glad that you're no longer in the same pool as I am. You come across as arrogant and juvenile while trying to make yourself sound sophisticated. If your ESL website and other Internet presences are any indication of your writing, then I can understand why you might face article rejections for grammar. I don't have enough information to say whether they were repeated enough to warrant banning. By this point, most people would accept their account has been closed and move on rather than lurking the forums seeking any opportunity to draw attention to yourself. As a final thought, while that blue hat does nothing for you, I have to agree it looks better than your picture without the hat.

[Lysis]

@lysis

It seems you have a wealth of knowledge and understanding of how to write. Please explain to me why my account was suspended after 18 articles had already been accepted.

Peter

Wish I could help, but I can't. They tell you why, and I've read your other thread and someone asked you if you were sure you were suspended. Have they responded to you? They don't usually suspend someone after they have a decent history (18 articles are decent) unless they've done something egregious like spun content, outsourced to the Engrish writers, copied/rewrote others work, or possibly did something shady like sell for full rights and then sold the content elsewhere. If they suspend you, they tell you outright.

[pmjk]

@SJHillman,

It seems to me your the one that is juvenile. Instead of giving me an answer to my question you attack my personal appearance? Thanks for the help.

[topquark]

I am a little, but I don't think it will happen. Nearly all of my articles comes back for revision, but it's usually for stylistic changes (e.g. the last rejection was for using the phrase "there is" instead of the active voice). If CC banned people on those grounds, they wouldn't have many writers. I just accept that I'll have to make revisions after I submit.

[GBen]

I am new here and I submitted three articles, two of which were rejected. Is it safe for me to submit more articles for review? For one article, I had run-on sentences and the short summary needs some revision. For the other article, I had a typo.