Some suggestion to Content and authors

[libertate]

Content - Get an asbestos suit

So far I have made two purchases of several articles.

#1 problem: PLEASE GET RID OF THE ORANGE TEXT ON WHITE/GRAY BACKGROUND! IT BURNS MY EYES OUT!

As a color blind person, I cannot read it. AT ALL.
I have to select & highlight the page text just to see what is going on. Or I print it. I am running out of toner...

Why can't you zip the files up for me, so I can DL it as one?

The system emptied my grocery basket when I wanted to return from the checkout. I had to go and dig for all the articles again.

I still haven't figured it out how to download
PDF articles. It shows up, but it won't DL anything...

Why can't I see what are the "response articles" to my request?! I don't remember what I asked for!
The digging for articles is a pain. I don't want to dig. I want it on a silver platter. And if you don't have one, I will take a list of articles, JUST the articles that were posted as a response to my request. Why are you making me dig through all of them? I made the request because I didn't find something I wanted.

I have to tell you I almost abandoned the purchase twice because of the orange, and the basket thing.

There are several articles that are barely vailed attempts to make the read to go to affiliate sites. I think they dilute the other articles.

Since "all products remain as the author’s sole property", is there secured copy of contact information for the copyright holders, other then this web site? In case you (or constant-content) are no longer available, how do I contact the authors if issues come up (like copyright, libel, etc.)?

Dear authors -
* include a byline! I cannot publish without your byline, so put it IN THE ARTICLE. Yes, I know constant-content lists one. I want it in the article so when download it, I don't have to search for it.

* PDF is beautiful, but it is an extreme pain to post. I have my own article system to which I have to port each and every article. Adobe Acrobat takes 3 years to load, the 2 extra to copy, remove extra stuff, then paste. Use RTF, HTML, or hard formated text please. I can even survive .doc, just afraid of your cooties.

* Spell check. Then have someone else read it. Steer, - stear, advice - advise, through - thorough, belief - believe, et al. Just because the spell check returns no errors it does not mean there are no errors.

* Provide at least one free article. It is very very hard for me to pay money, when I haven't seen any of your work.

Otherwise, I have no issues...

[libertate]

Did I mention articles of advertisement for your website/product/services?

I might be slow, I might be cheap, but I am sure not a schmuck.

Do not require me to include your web site, affilate link, unless you plan to pay me.

[carpesomediem]

Provide at least one free article. It is very very hard for me to pay money, when I haven't seen any of your work.

Since some of us do this for a living, like myself, it's not in our best interest to give away our work for free. While some authors may not be producing quality content, there are some like myself who feel we try our best with all attempts whether we aim to get published, purchased or not. I'd hate for you to lump us all together and have a sour experience because of a few bad grapes.

[libertate]

I understand your point carpesomediem.

Unfortunatelly, any publisher is an unknown entity until I can see their work.

I can handle the fruit in the grocery store, even try it if asked.
I can try on my clothing and an other store.
I can test a software, and return it.
I can cancel the purchase of a home within a certain period of time.
I even get a free consultation from a doctor or lawyer.

With each, I get to find out if your product or services are fit for me, prior to financial commitment.

How can I do the same with articles from authors here?

[Carrie]

You can read a good portion of the article you're planning to purchase just in the article description. That'll give you a good idea of the writing style and quality of the article you're planning to purchase. If the excerpt is loaded with typos and spelling/grammar errors, then you know it's not for you.

It seems that a lot of the things you are asking for are workable, you just need to specify exactly what formats you want in your request, and then take the time to look at each article before buying it.

[carpesomediem]

How can I do the same with articles from authors here?

Carrie makes an excellent point. The excerpt is typically the way you can gauge the author's skills for free. This site is about selling requested articles, not giving them away for free, though some writers do that as is their right.

Most freelance writers are advised against doing work for free, as many online have been ripped off by finding their work published for free by doing "sample" articles for potential publishers. Unfortunately, this is the world we live in, and by selling our works in this format, we take steps to prevent our work from being used without our consent or payment.

[libertate]

I do not disagree that all of the points I made can be worked out.

I didn't ask for a free article. I asked for a free reading of a complete article.

I am not interested in getting anything free, and find it your comment slighty patronizing, but never mind... I have purchased all the articles, and not one of the articles I use were free. (Not by choice, but because they were horrid, or couldn't DL).

As for the synopsis - it is not sufficient. I would love to reject some of the articles I purchased once I read the whole piece. Although the initial paragraph, or synopsis which I read, might make sense the rest of it was incoherent, or irrelevant.

I am not trying to be difficult, simply get the most for my money.

[carpesomediem]

I am not interested in getting anything free, and find it your comment slighty patronizing, but never mind...

I wasn't patronizing you in the least bit, I was just telling you how it is from the writer's standpoint. Sometimes people forget that we, too, are trying to make an honest buck.

I'd think if you were having problems downloading an article, you could talk to Chris (the Admin) about it, so, that you could get a complete copy of the article for your hard-earned dollar, that's the least that can be done on that concern.

However, I must point out, the problem with a free reading of an article is that people could copy and paste that - at least the way the current system is set-up - and use that as they wish elsewhere without even paying for the article. That's why when you submit free articles to CC, you're asked to put all of it in the synopsis box, that way people don't have to download the article, they can simply cut and paste it for the leisure.

[AnnM]

PDFs or HTML: You may put in your request that you only want Word files and no PDFs.

Links: If you want the byline in the article, but no author or other link - mention that in your request. I personally often choose to leave my byline out, but will happily make sure it is included if it is important to the requestor.

Quality: I understand that you are trying to purchase a lot of content for your site and that you have a limited budget. However, I must point out to you that most of the really experienced writers I know - including several who write for this site - will not sell their articles for below a certain amount of money. Or, if they do, they see it as an advertising opportunity for themselves and will only do it if they can include their own website links etc. For example, on this site, I personally will not list my work for below the $30 - $40 range. It just is not worth my time when I have plenty of paying work.
I am not saying that you may not get great articles for less money, or trying to disparage those who charge only a little. However, I do believe you often get what you pay for and I know that many of the people who are making a living writing professionally are not going to list an article for $15 here.

Whole vs. partial article: Finally, while it is simply the way the system is set up that you can view only part of the article, many of the authors put quite a bit in their sample - I usually place at least 1/3 to 1/2 of the article for viewing, so you really should have a good idea of what you are buying. And, if the quality of the article is substantially different that the sample, I would recommend you contact Chris (site admin) and make him aware of it since that is not good business for any of us.

Getting the articles you requested: I believe there is a way for you to subscribe to get all of the articles that are written in the categories where you made requests (ie Health/Weight Loss).

I hope this helps you find the content you are seeking...

[libertate]

Appreciate all the comments.

I have already asked the admin here for some of the things.

I want the author's name in there. Just not links.

About the price - I have paid $0.10 to $0.35/word for freelance authors on various articles (not for the one I purchased here). On each and every occasion I had the opportunity to review the pitch first, then whole article prior to purchasing.

I guess it is a trade-off for the price. Paying $0.02 to $0.05/word gives me the opportunity to review part of the article, and no pitch discussion.

[nunnmom]

Maybe cc can give writers the option of posting a sample of their writing that requestors can read but not download. I don't know if this is feasible or whether any other writers would mind, but it would be their choice. I wouldn't mind.

[AnnM]

If it is posted, they can take it. There is no reasonable format they could not get the text from...

[nunnmom]

We would have copyrights. This doesn't mean they couldn't copy and past, but if they did, it would technically be illegal. Also the samples might be another selling point for the website thereby generating more potential buyers for our work.

Just a thought anyways.

[mattsterrr]

Freelance writers are basically doing a job. If you were to go for a job interview, and your prospective employer asked you to do a month's work for nothing, to see whether you were any good. Would you do it?

Some authors write free articles, and they do it for the publicity or for the clippings. I guess these are the same sort of people who would do voluntary work to put on their CV and good look to them.

If you buy a DVD because you like the cover, you can't return it because the film's crap. Same with a book. The two to three paragraphs you get is the same as the blurb on the back of a book or a trailer for a movie. It's the same wit MIDI samples sold as software. Once you open the package they won't give you your money back unless it doesn't work. Unfortunately, people are always after something for nothing (I'm in no way saying the visitors on this site are like that, but there's a good chance) and they're willing to flount the laws, no matter what the possible consequences are.

[nunnmom]

If I were going to a job interview I would bring a portfolio of completed jobs, yes. I am definately not saying that I would create an article just for this purpose. Since you are not selling the article, you can put something you have already sold is what I was thinking.