Constant Content

I mentioned a few days ago that I am discouraged, and I think a couple other writers expressed similar thoughts. So I'm in problem-solving mode, and a thought occurred to me today.

Has anyone ever considered the possibility that readily seeing the list of most prolific writers and the list of best-selling writers could sway customers who come to the site and are trying to decide between similar articles, one by a star and the other by a rookie? I know that would influence my decision if I were shopping around.

Which leads me to another question... why are prolific writers rewarded this way, when being prolific doesn't equate to providing top-quality writing?

If Constant feels these questions deserve any amount of deliberation, I very respectfully request that they kick around the idea.

Since the newbies don't have a snowball's chance of ever catching up with any of these writers, the lists serve more as a demotivator than a motivator.

IT IS IMPORTANT TO NOTE that I am all for special recognition for these stars, and if Constant determines that this is the way they want to do it, I
certainly won't argue the point in any way, shape or form. I'll repeat: I believe special recognition is very important to those who excel at meeting the goals and needs of the organization. I'm just wondering if this practice (the lists) persists because "that's the way we've always done it" or if it is indeed a top priority for Constant.

Please don't anyone jump on me for raising this issue. I'm on the verge of a making a decision to take a break for a few weeks just to try to renew my spirit so I can come back remotivated. I do want to keep plugging away.

And I'm not being "grouchy" -- my daughter has called me that for several years & it has kind of stuck. For this post I will be...

Marge

Hey Marge/Grouchy!

I once saw my name on the "prolific" list and was actually horrified. To me it meant I had a bunch of stuff that hadn't sold! So, I get your point completely.

The top-selling list is also a bit of a misnomer because it is based on article count alone, not total sales in dollars nor even word count. It's a rough measurement at best.

Some of us could race to the top if we didn't bundle articles - but would that be best for the customer? I know many writers here who are writing dozens, even hundreds, of articles and submitting them as one submission. One $1000 submission equals how many $10 or $20 submissions? Do the math. These authors don't get the recognition for that so nods to all of you who are doing so and serving your customers!

The list is nice but what matters most is how you measure up to your own standards.

As far as customers seeing the list - I don't know. It adds credibility to be able to say you're a top-seller here with XX amount of articles sold. I have been known to use the list as bragging rights from time to time with potential customers so I do believe making the list does offer an advantage. And it is nice getting the recognition, I must admit.

However, I have NEVER had a customer approach me because they saw me on the list. All of my private requests have been the result of submitting to public requests and communicating with customers. In fact, when I do play the CC top-selling card, it's almost always on other websites such as iFreelance where I'm trying to stand out in the crowd. With CC, we get to write on spec and let our work show, not our resumes. I just sold one today with a basic "Here you go/thanks." The customer wrote back saying he liked the article's unique approach to the topic - so the article sold itself, not a link to the "list." As far as I know, he didn't know me from anyone else.

When I first started, I saw it as a goal: get to the top ten. It was motivating to me. Maybe if they had a Top Ten for the month or week -- that way everyone would be on equal footing each time period....

I don't know the answer Marge, if it's depressing/demotivating ignore it - it's just a bunch of numbers. Set your own goals instead. If your goal is to sell 2 articles per month, the list will depress you because I guarantee you many of us will be selling many more and you'll never catch up. But if you hold yourself to your own goals and meet them and exceed them, then you should be proud of yourself and enjoy your paycheck. What matters most is how you measure up on your own list.

Also, most of the time, I think that many of the top-sellers are too busy with private requests to even look at the public ones and I believe that several are inactive as their numbers haven't moved much over the past year. I only answered this recent public request because it was a topic I could write in my sleep . . . (I think I did)

My best advice right now when answering public requests is to post the entire article so they can see you for the writer you are. When they see how awesome you are (and you are - I've read your stuff) it'll go from there.

Celeste, you are such a classy woman. I admire you so much.

Just to clarify--I didn't think of it from the angle of someone approaching you. I meant if a "shopper" gets two submissions in response to a request, and he can't decide between them because they're both good, he could then check & if he finds one of the submitters on the "star" list, it's almost a no-brainer for him.

And yep, that's my problem--I am not meeting my own goals and I'm not used to "failing." I wish I knew the secret. If it's patience I'm s-o-l.

p.s. thanks for the compliment - it means very much to me.