Are we allowed to have more than one account?

[cgardener]

I was just looking at my affiliate account info and noticed that someone signed up under two different pen names, but the same user name. Are we allowed to have different accounts under different pen names? Just wondering, because I write different kinds of articles under different pen names sometimes.

[audrabianca]

Guilty. Yes, you can.

[Elizabeth Ann West]

Hmmmmm.... that seems like an odd loophole for authors to recoup 5% of the 35% take. If I made a new author account, under my EAW affiliate, I could just sell the lion's share of my articles under the new one, and take 5% to the EAW account. This isn't against the TOS?

Too tired and heavily medicated right now to look this up.... just seems a little against the spirit of the site.

[cgardener]

I would never try to do that! That would just be dishonest! I was saying that someone who signed up under MY account had two names. I don't even know if it's possible to sign up under yourself, and don't want to.

Anyway, I do know of at least one person here who is a customer and an author under different names, so I know that is possible. I also know someone who buys cheap articles elsewhere and sells them here under a different name. That to me is more dishonest than having two accounts here.

[Ed]

Too bad that that goes on. It's a shame.

I can see where having two accounts might be prudent - let's say for the person who wants to write on a topic they don't necessarily want associated with another professional persona. Or a customer vs. writer. For most writers, though, I'd say it's best to keep everything organized under one account and build up both your reputation and your volume of articles.

Ed

[cgardener]

Thanks, Ed. I agree about it being a shame about the dishonest ones, but those people are everywhere. No need to think we could avoid them here.

[audrabianca]

Beware of one hazard of the multiple pen names. In my case, a customer figured out (who knows how, maybe similar writing styles) what my other pen name was and posted my usage rights article under the second pen name with my real name. I complained to support because my real name was not anywhere in that article document but they said to let it be. Now my name will always be out there under both. It still burns that my name was published without my permission. What to do? It's a regular customer.

[Greg]

My two cents: the potential for abuse is too great to allow multiple accounts. As noted, the person could use themselves as affiliates to scratch out an additional 5%. The Terms of Service make no mention of this being specifically disallowed.

[Ed]

I'm of two minds about the whole affiliate program, anyway. While authors should be rewarded for bringing in really good writers who submit great content, most of the time, the affiliate link is not used in this fashion. I can always tell when it has been misappropriated - the queue is flooded with the submissions of non-writers whose work would not have been accepted even in the early days of CC. This comes at the expense of my time, your time, and CC's time.

At this point, I think word of mouth and the strength of CC's reputation brings in good writers. The site has been featured in Writers' Digest and is not unfamiliar to those who desire to get paid for writing. Those who find they succeed at writing for sites with fewer quality standards may try their hand here, whether or not they were referred by another writer.

As for eliminating the ability to create multiple accounts - This would be extremely difficult to police. At any rate, it seems to me that a person would have to write quite a lot of well-written, costly articles in order to see a difference with their extra 5%. I hope this is not a naive statement, but I do think that those who are good writers are proud of the fact that they can write well, earn a fair price, and not have to cheat anyone's system.

Ed

[DSWaltenburg]

I don't recall, when I signed up in July, whether there was an application process, but isn't there someway to seperate the submissions of new CC members, for a 'preapproval' process, before the regular queueueueue gets flooded? Like maybe bring up a page, during registration that informs new members that, in no uncertain terms, their first submission will be their application, and if it is rejected for any reason whatsoever, based on CC's submission guidelines, that their 'application' will be denied, and membership will not be allowed on the Author side?

Of course that probably sounds kind of biatchy coming from someone so new to CC, however, with limited staffing on CC's side, there's got to be some way to make it a much more efficient process. Like, oh say, HIRE ME....(JUST KIDDING!!!):D to review incoming submissions from new members. There's nothing wrong with an application process, especially when CC wants to build a market based on quality vs. quantity. You'd get nothing less if you queried printed media, correct?

Oh well, that's my 1/2 cent for the day. :D

Deborah

[Ed]

Yep, Deborah, it's being worked on. Some options have been discussed, and it's definitely going to be addressed.

[audrabianca]

Well, Ed, you were missed. Good to have you back. it's like that Seinfeld group. If you aren't around for almost a whole week, my week is off-kilter.

[Ed]

Hahaha - thanks. Should be able to stay afloat for a little while!

[audrabianca]

You're not quite as cynical as you used to be. Either someone gave you a year's supply of coffee or something is up. Are you sure they didn't switcharoo the Ed persona without telling us? This could be a new theory...

[DSWaltenburg]

Good news for you, I'm sure, Ed. Glad to hear it!! :)