Active authors

[Celeste Stewart]

AC has the little planet thing with the number based on page views. eBay has icons based on whatever (I haven't been on eBay in forever so forgive me). A little gold star might be nice for top sellers, a blue one for active sellers, and perhaps a pink one for someone who just made the "I sold five articles" list. I don't know. Just a thought. But that idea does stir up the hornet's nest even more about unfair recommendations.

I see the need for customers to know if an author is active or not. After all, if I found one of Gypsy's articles, say her classic dog-humping article , and wanted something similar, I'd be disappointed to send her a private request and never hear back because her account is inactive.

In fact, I know that this same thing happened to a BIG customer recently. He had requested an article privately to someone, I don't know who, and didn't hear back promptly. So this is an issue. The main thing isn't so much which writers are getting recognized but rather this - is the customer being served? Without customers it doesn't matter if your name is Word Gypsy, Celeste Stewart, or Joe Blow.

Maybe restrict those who can accept private requests to those who have demonstrated some sort of recent activitity? Maybe have a form that each writer fills in and can edit in their account area saying "currently available for private requests" or "not accepting new clients at this time" (really? I don't know. It's late and I'm tired.)

[dsletten]

(Celeste said: "Maybe restrict those who can accept private requests to those who have demonstrated some sort of recent activitity? Maybe have a form that each writer fills in and can edit in their account area saying "currently available for private requests" or "not accepting new clients at this time")

Celeste - I like this idea better than dating the last article posted so the author has control of whether or not they wish to be available. Of course, like with the Private Requests, there will be authors who won't let people know their status but on the whole something like this might work.

I'm a little concerned with how much importance is being put on lists and profiles and rewards. Isn't our reward being paid for an article well written and sold? From what I see, customers spend more time searching for articles of particular subjects, not searching profile pages or lists. Maybe if a customer likes a particular author he might take a peek at their Profile page to see what else they have for sale, but they are more likely to buy because of the content available instead of a star that says this is a great selling author. Just my opinion.

CC did fine before the Profile pages so it seems getting personal about the authors is just a plus for the author, not for sales in general. I'd hate to see this site start to look like AC or some of the other writing sites where writers put more emphasis on being popular instead of being a good writer.

[Celeste Stewart]

I agree. The beauty of this site is that you write the article and the article stands on its own merit, not the pedigree of the writer.

[jak]

I do seem to have stirred up a hornet's nest with this thread. I have read all the contributions with interest.

I'd just like to point out that Im still not able to edit anything on my profile, or add a blurb. And I don't suppose I'm alone in that. So it will need some work before all authors can have control of what appears.

[grouchy]

And that's exactly it - the article should stand on its own merit. In order for that to happen, the playing field has to be level.

CC should be showing evidence of their belief in that fact somehow. The current lists do not indicate that in any way.

AC has the little planets because they benefit from the effect that that recognition has on the writers - i.e. to constantly generate "stuff." The mill never stops. Ebay's icons are based on customer reviews, not their own opinions.

I kind of like EAW's most recent suggestions, where everyone has the opportunity to earn valid recognition of one kind or another. Right now, it will be a long long time before the new writers "earn" a place on either of those other lists. And they are not effective motivators for the rest of us, I don't think.

I like the idea of a revolving spotlight, for example, here are our top 10 technology writers, here are our top 10 family & parenting writers, etc. Everyone has an equal chance to earn that kind of distinction.

Celeste and Gypsy, you definitely have earned the right to be recognized. You are generous with your time given to helping new writers, you share your wisdom, you always have words of encouragement, and you continue to be very productive. That's why I believe CC should value, then recognize, those traits above the other dubious honor rolls. You help new writers continue to plug away, your suggestions help them improve their writing, you set great examples, you price your products fairly so others will follow your example rather than undercut everyone else, and it's a win-win-win for everyone - CC, buyers, and writers. (And there are a few others like you, too.)

The recognition has to promote a value. 'sall I'm sayin.

[Celeste Stewart]

I really think the playing field IS level and that the articles do stand on their own merit. Both Word Gypsy and I have vouched that being "listed" hasn't given us any noticable advantage.

If each of us in this thread were to write to the same public request right now, I seriously doubt the sale would go to Gypsy or me because the customer was impressed by our sales numbers. One of us may get the sale but I don't think that our sales numbers would be the reason why. The same likelihood exists that neither of us would get the sale because some other article met the customer's needs better than ours did.

I don't know about Gypsy, but I can't remember the last public request I answered. It's been months. Honestly, I'm too busy working on other projects that I simply don't have time. So, right there, even if my sales numbers mattered to a customer, I'm not even in the playing field to start with.

[grouchy]

Hey mama jak - please don't go thinking you stirred up a hornet's nest. If we were not a virtual community, this would be a lively discussion among all interested parties over a pizza. If people think discussing a topic is like fighting, they will not participate so they don't look like troublemakers. To me, these are healthy exchanges. Sometimes I feel misunderstood, so I try to say things different ways. I'm not just expounding until everyone sees things my way.

Celeste, in a way you've helped me make my point (although I give more weight to those lists' effects than you do), which is this: What is the point, then, of those lists, other than to convey to prospective buyers that they represent CC's values?? The categories they honor are, for all practical purposes, closed to new writers. CC should be promoting all active writers in the interest of growth and writer motivation. The new premium article category is a good attempt to do that, and the great profiles pages are too. So... out with the old, in with more new.

Peace.

[Celeste Stewart]

Well, now I want pizza for lunch :0

[jak]

Cheers grouchy. I think my choice of words was inappropriate - I didn't mean to imply that I thought this discussion was a fight. I agree it's healthy and useful to get these ideas visible. I just wasn't expecting my little suggestion to generate so much chat. But I'm real glad it has.

More pizza, anyone? (Actually it's supper time here.)

[Celeste Stewart]

I actually ended up making pizza that night. It was a disaster but that's another story for another day.

Anyhow, I've been thinking about this. What about some sort of "Author Spotlight" that randomly circulates on the Authors page, or even the home page if not too cluttered/cheesy.

Perhaps profiles can rotate through this area or maybe interested writers can submit a brief "interview" or bio (perhaps fill in a standard form) that would rotate through the area. This could provide potential and existing customers with a snapshot of different writers each time they log in and give exposure to everyone. May want to have criteria such as the five articles sold criteria or some other measure to prevent spammers from joining and being "featured."

[Ed]

Hi All,

I have always advocated for CC to avoid rewarding some writers and not others. I hate sites with contests and top sellers, and all of that commercialized, competitive stuff. The reasons for this are twofold: it doesn't mean a bean, and if I were subject to having to prove myself beyond what's important, I'd walk away rather than play the game.

I'd rather all lists be eliminated than for CC to add more. I think the solution to the problem of whether or not an author is active is easy to implement if development were to choose to do so. An author's profile could say something like, "This author may not be currently accepting private requests" if he or she has not signed on in the past 30 days.

Here, it's the writing and the quality of the writing that matters. That's why we have a Premium Articles category and not a Best Writers category. Everyone has the same opportunities. When writers come onto the forum and talk about being in competition with others, I just sort of shake my head. Sure, you can look at it that way, but writing for CC is the closest you'll come to only having to compete with yourself.

Customers have different tastes, and each purchase is subjective.

None of you are writing just to say you wrote 20 more articles that someone else. Many of you are writing because you want to make more money. You probably also enjoy it. The rewards are personal, and the community is stronger because there isn't a hierarchy of "top" or "best." And really, because you guys have chosen this venue as one of your writing "homes" speaks volumes about your integrity and priorities as writers. As you work harder, CC works harder for you. Things are only going to get better and better with interface changes, promotions, and - it would be logical to assume - sales as well.

All of you have different values as writers. Placing emphasis on number or speed really doesn't contribute to or help explain the scope of what the writers' community offers here. Some of you excel at writing 300-word informative articles, others write lengthy, researched articles about history. No one can predict what will catch a customer's eye, and - as has been said before - real trends are rare at CC.

Ed

[CRDonovan]

Ding Ding! You nailed it, Ed.

[Cyndy Hardy]

I haven't checked in for a few days and it's been much longer since I submitted or had something to say.

If adding a list helps encourage new writers, CC should probably do it, even though I think it may sway some buyers away from those of us who don't submit regularly. I think the morale benefit to new writers is worth it and more important than any ego bruise I might think I'll suffer.

Truth is, to me anyway, I write or don't write based on my interest in the subject, the buyer's stated budget and whether I can juggle the project with my other gigs.

If a CC project comes up that sounds good to me, I have the same initial exposure to the buyer as an active writer.

Rather than guessing what the buyers look for, why don't we use their portion of the forums and ask for input?

[Lisa-Anne Sanderson]

These suggestions worry me because I have many other commitments and I think that many other authors probably do as well. I have to care for my mother a lot - she's frail and ageing. I sometimes make a lot of submissions but often I can only submit every few weeks or so at the most.

Perhaps there should be some mechanism to see if authors who haven't used the site for six months still want to keep their accounts active. I personally don't think that they should be penalized.

[BarryDavidson]

I've seen sites which will remove (make invisible) all materials posted by an author if they haven't signed in for thirty days. This is helpful for most of those sites because they are simply forums to give and receive feedback on their work. No one wants to give feedback to an author and not have them answer.

In CC's case this is a completely different prospect. It looks like some authors will upload several articles over a short time, and then just leave them - much like a consignment shop. These last few months I haven't been able to submit a lot of new material, but I am still making money off what's available. It's nice to make $50.00 or more dollars in a month without having to actively do anything if you haven't got the time to write or submit.

I