Thoughts of Someone About to Start Using Triond

Thirty minutes ago I had no idea of the very existence of Triond, let alone how it worked or whether it will help to refine my ,admittedly rusty, writing skills. Come to think of it, I still don’t really understand how this website works beyond the basic premise of a collection of user-generated content that contributors can share and rate. Nevertheless, here we are, and here are three thoughts about Triond.

1. ’That was really quick!’ First off, I don’t even have a Twitter account. This is my first attempt at anything resembling a blog and this may be revealing of my inexperience in the ‘blogosphere’ but I imagine most contributors on here to have roots in Twitter, blogs or something in that area (see, I cant even come up with a third example, and you doubted my rookie status). I consider myself quite proficient in Internet usage and it would be wrong to say that I fell out my seat as it took all of 3 minutes to sign in to Triond and a further minute to start this piece, but I was certainly pleasantly surprised. To think, in 15 or so minutes I will be a published writer and I only came into this Cafe to get out of the house and use the free WiFi. Of course, this may be the norm for everyone else on here and by enthusing about this I may be setting myself up for a torrent of abuse, which brings me neatly to my next thought…

2. ‘will this actually help my writing?’ I originally came across this site looking for tips on writing a music review, which led me to an article on Writinghood, where I noticed alot of articles and references to Triond, which led me to here. I checked out a few cursory reviews and user comments which either praised or criticised the issue of user feedback on this site, and as such I expect a mix of useful criticism and pointless, partisan abuse. Time will tell as to the ratio of this; my only previous experience of Internet “feedback” is the no man’s land that is the YouTube comments section that, while often hilarious, is rife with abuse and argument. As an unpractised writer looking to improve and develop my abilities, I hope for my own sake that my experiences on YouTube and (nameless) music forums have simply warped my view in this respect. 

3. ‘is anyone out there actually making any money?’  Here we have another topic hotly debated in the same reviews as referred to above, the link to which can be found below. Now, as I’ve repeated ad infinitum by now, I am completely new to Triond and haven’t made much effort to find out how the company actually makes a profit through hosting articles, but it is an interesting question. By submitting this article have I forfeited intellectual rights? Will my email address  now become the preserve of every spammer in the northern hemisphere? Are Triond going to turn up at two in the morning needing a ‘favour’? All questions that need to be asked as I think you’ll agree. To drag this section back on track, I don’t expect to make any money whatsoever from submitting articles on Triond and at present I see it as little more than a gimmick to attract users, but that’s fine. All I need is a place to practise writing articles on various topics that doesn’t cost me anything, with the potential for useful feedback from fellow users.

These are my immediate impressions of Triond, coloured by my personal experiences of the internet and lack of experience with publishing content on it. I have written this as an off-the-cuff experiment in an attempt to get better acquainted with this website and, as such, it doesn’t reflect the quality of writing I hope to be submitting in future. I’m not asking for responses to any questions I have asked in this article, they merely reflect my impressions upon visiting this website for the first time and submitting my first article.

Link to Ashley Sinatra’s review of Triond:

http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/292996/review_of_writing_site_triondcom__pg2.html?cat=9