Triond Boycott, Really?
Recently I’ve been getting messages from more than a few writers telling me how they’re going to boycott publishing articles till Monday, the 15th of December 2008. As much as I’d love to be part of rebellions and boycotts like any other human, I think the reasons cited are just plain, well.. retarded.
“Hi, I am organizing a boycott on Triond until next Monday. Will you join? Please send an email to Triond telling them you will not be posting because,
- Security of material.
- Low pay for views.
Please contact your friends and tell them these things. Please do not post until next Monday.”
Someone even suggested as far as spamming the Triond support with insistent emails to get their attention. The name of the person is held back for obvious reasons.
So why am I not up for the boycott?
Because it’s stupid.
Well first we talk about the money; you earn money on Triond for clicks on ads that are embedded by Triond in/around your articles. The amount you earn depends on the topic and the keyword value, like an ad for a mobile is more profitable than an ad for frozen yogurt. What that means is that the more value keywords you have in your articles, the more you’ll earn for your views.
Right now the world’s going through a recession, would someone who just lost their job click on an ad for a digital camera? Irrespective of the recession, the money you earn still primarily depends on the articles you write and the keyword value of your content.
Now, regarding the security, if you read the Terms of Service before you signed up,
Quoting paragraph 18, Triond Terms of Service,
Limitation of Liability
To the fullest extent permitted by the applicable law, Triond and any of its shareholders, directors, officers or employees shall not be liable for any damages, losses or expenses, direct or indirect, sustained or suffered by you by or as a result of the use of the Site or the Original Content, even where notice of the possibility of incurring such damages, losses or expenses was given.
It clearly states that Triond is not responsible for any losses suffered (due to plagiarizing or any other reason) by you as a result of the website.
Besides the Terms of Service, I want to ask what exactly do the boycotters have in mind, what exactly do they propose Triond do to improve security? There’s probably more than 200 articles published every day, do they actually propose Triond employees scan the web for similar copies of the content every freaking day?
I’m not dumb, I’d like more money and better security like any other user, but unless you have valid reasons or suggestions to achieve the same, a boycott is just like a 6 year ol’ throwing a tantrum over the weather…
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December 10th, 2008 at 10:41 am
Amit, sometimes you can be a little *too* honest!! I wouldn’t look for work in the Diplomatic Corps any time soon! Good to get the other side of the coin. I wonder if Triond would publish the reverse arguement? Unlikely, perhaps!
)
December 10th, 2008 at 10:41 am
Thank you for sharing this article. It sheds light to an unfortunate situation. It is my sincere belief that everyone is trying their best Triond Staff and Triond Community.
Blessings.
Sincerely,
-Liane Schmidt.
December 10th, 2008 at 10:51 am
If you are publishing articles on Triond to become wealthy you mind as well become a freelance writer and sell your articles to magazines. I write on Triod because I like to write and if I make some money along the way, so be it.
December 10th, 2008 at 10:54 am
Like you said Mr. E, in the end it’s a business; and besides how much damage would four days of non-publishing by a handful of writers do? I’ll bet there’s more than a handful who’ll agree with me..
December 10th, 2008 at 11:12 am
Wow. What an article.
December 10th, 2008 at 11:27 am
A good point and a good argument.
December 10th, 2008 at 12:38 pm
Like a slap to the face, this is like a wake-up call to the sensibilities. Good write!
-thestickman
December 10th, 2008 at 1:28 pm
Good article! I liked the humor you added to it – well done! Im glad someone actually brought this issue to light and the little bear that sent me the message to join the boycott is being removed from my network as we speak.. The funny thing is – why would you boycott something wherin you have already accepted and agreed to the terms. Idiocracy!
December 10th, 2008 at 1:44 pm
I personally have no problem with Triond, like Bruce, I write for fun.
BUT I accept that if people have a legitimate gripe – then they have a right to act and should be able to act without repercussion – or being told that their actions are \”retarded\” or \”stupid\” – An opinion is valid, but I feel your choice of wording is poor – insulting to the campaigners.
They have simply spread a message – not forced anyone to act against their will – it is an individual decision.
In my opinion, there is far too much apathy in this world – \”there\’s nothing I can do, so I won\’t bother doing anything!\”
I would add however, that without knowing what revenue Triond make from our articles, what their overheads are and the bottom line profit – I cannot determine if payments for writers is reasonable or not – and neither can anyone else.
I note from your article that Triond have limited their liability in respect of plagiarism – Is that reasonable? I wouldn\’t for one second suggest that they trawl the net looking for our articles – but if writers (who feel strongly enough to want to act)approach them for assistance, it seems perfectly reasonable for Triond to assist – put some weight/clout behind the individual writer.
Triond had the opportunity to nip the action in the bud, by issuing a statement, putting forward a reasonable argument – but they chose not to.
December 10th, 2008 at 2:04 pm
I agree Miss Hayes, IF they have valid reason; they have the complete right to put it forward. However, have you ever heard someone impeaching the president before he had an affair? People boycott AFTER their requests have been turned down..
I did not receive any messages asking me if I was having problems on Triond with regard to security or profits, I just got messages asking me to email Triond that I won’t be publishing till Monday..
Is that logical?
And regarding the need for assistance in case of plagiarism, Chris Stonecipher messaged me saying they had replied in due time to his email about plagiarizing issues, they noted it was an important aspect of article-publication and they were looking into it..
Goes to show what other ‘campaigners’ didn’t do; i.e. to contact support before calling out for pitchforks..
Lastly, I did not call the ‘campaigners’ retarded; I said the reasons cited were retarded.
Oh by the way on a side note to the ‘campaigners’, TheStickMan suggested an ingenious way of showing your antagonism towards Triond, why not delete your top ten performing articles from Triond? ‘ll bet that’ll get their attention!
December 10th, 2008 at 3:47 pm
Very good article, and it makes perfect sense. Good job spreading the word and awareness.
December 10th, 2008 at 4:32 pm
I agree with Miss Hayes. You may not be calling the campaigners “retarted” but their acts are? Name calling isn’t necessary regardless of what issues people may have on this site. And yes, a boycott does seem senseless due to the fact that there are hundreds of people here who are willing to write, and yes Triond is not a place to make money. Most writing sites aren’t. But it is bizarre that an article can make thousands of views with little turn out. And if you submit an article to a third party site (like Stumbleupon or Google), it will receive thousands of more views, and still no profit? It doesn’t always have to do with using the right tags. Many people on this site have had this issue. So regardless of whether or not the point is moot, you don’t need to be rude about it Amit, just be sensible when writing.
December 10th, 2008 at 8:12 pm
I also write for Triond because I enjoy doing so, if I could get a fat check every month I would enjoy that too. As far as I can tell they have promoted my work as agreed. I understand we only get a percentage of what the ads on our articles sell. I really don’t understand the boycott. If I knew more I might agree but I don’t have the facts. Everyone has the right to protest and I certainly wouldn’t take that right away from anyone. I hope it comes to a good conclusion and everyone is satisfied.
December 10th, 2008 at 9:16 pm
The other issue is that companies are paying less for advertising. They’re cutting costs (like the rest of us). This is having an impact on bloggers I know. The other day I received an e-mail solicitation from a blog (affiliated with with a medium-sized journal) that I read now and then. First time that’s happened to me.
But the blog simply can’t make it on advertising revenue alone.
I can only speculate, but it seems reasonable to assume that Triond’s advertising revenue has also gone down. Under those conditions, if we write fewer articles, we will not be improving Triond’s advertising revenue; we will in fact be discouraging other (perhaps less affected) companies to advertise here.
For example, when I click on this article, I see an ad for best Buy. This is what Best Buy had to say about its earnings last month:
“For October, same-store sales — an important indicator that compares the sales this year versus last at existing locations — slid 7.6 percent. Best Buy now forecasts that it will wind up fiscal 2009 with a 1 percent decline at these locations.”
http://www.1up.com/do/newsStory?cId=3171274
I think it’s reasonable to expect Best Buy to pay less for online advertising. Don’t you?
Regards,
Inna
December 11th, 2008 at 1:15 am
I agree, Triond is a good site and pays its writers pretty well. The boycott is just a foolish idea at best. Good article Amit!
December 11th, 2008 at 2:23 am
Good article, good point of view. I could not agree more!
December 11th, 2008 at 4:45 am
Name calling can be a relative term Miss Arizona, people have different ways of expressing their opinion; and regarding the money, I must still stress that it depends completely on the keyword value.
Granted my articles have been getting lower views, however, that’s because I haven’t published anything new for a while. But the money I’ve been earning from them is the same as I was earning a month ago.
Hence, if you want to hold a boycott/revolt, give a valid reason to the person you’re asking to support you. Sending a mass chain mail is the equivalent of passing on a blank paper for a petition.
I’ve gotten 9 messages about the ‘boycott’, and would you believe that 7 out of the 9 didn’t even know what it was for, they just passed it on!
December 12th, 2008 at 3:11 pm
i agree that having a boycott is just useless! Why can’t they just suggest more money for views instead of having a boycott?
A kind suggestion would do the trick!
I recieved loads of these messages and they annoyed me!
Well done for this article as i was hoping someone would send this out!
December 13th, 2008 at 12:36 pm
I have to say that I really have had some major concerns with the platform here. I post links in other sites where I am an editor and I was full;y aware of what kind of hits I was receiving and they did not watch up with Triond. I am really feeling cheated and that’s the honest truth.
December 13th, 2008 at 12:37 pm
sorry spelling, forgot my glasses
December 15th, 2008 at 12:15 am
Hi Amit, um I didn’t consciously participate in the boycott but haven’t published anything in the last couple of weeks for my own reasons. I agree with everybody who has stated that they are not here to make money but to have fun because they enjoy writing. I have been critisized before for making these comments and saying that the ‘real’ writers are here for the love. But its true, you won’t be a millionaire on Triond. Not yet anyway. As for the plagerism by other sites, its tough for Triond to police this but would like to see identified sites served with some kind of justice.
Have a good one.
December 16th, 2008 at 7:18 am
I agree completely with you on the topic. I received such a request. I declined the boycott as well. Although, I would love to make enough extra money on the site to help out with the holiday season, I know that what I submit directly influences the hits and income I will receive. Plagerisim, unfortunately, will not be stopped by not submitting content for a few days. It’s an age old battle with writers. I would take some act of a god, not a boycott, to stop it from happening. Boycotts do not work. Never really have. Keep up the good work.
December 30th, 2008 at 12:31 am
People,
Despite the complaints about meager payments here on Triond, my articles have earned consistently during the past three months. I don’t know why and how it happened. And I’ve only written two mediocre articles in December…lol.
Triond boycott? No Way. Try creating your own blog and put some Adsense on it..usually it takes over a year to get your first $100 dollar check. I was able to earn the same amount in Triond within the first 3 months.
Yes, you only earn coins on this site. But the residual/passive income aspect is what I like best. I understand the other writers who feel cheated. Maybe they don’t feel fairly compensated for their work. But we must realize that the Triond money lies on long term royalties, not instant payments.
(Some time In October, my Triond payment was delayed. That’s the only moment I freaked out. But I didn’t do any boycott..lol)
February 6th, 2009 at 12:41 am
I love freedom of speech. The boycotters have the right to spread their message. We have the right to mock them and call them names.
April 3rd, 2009 at 9:26 pm
Honestly, I think the concerns over plagiarism are downright hilarious. I read a lot of the content on this site, and for most of the authors who publish here, the idea that anyone would steal their content is arrogant, at best. I’m more inclined to label it as the pinnacle of delusional thinking.
Never mind the fact that, at least where the “non-fiction” writing is concerned, they’re probably already “borrowing” content from elsewhere themselves.
April 5th, 2009 at 5:17 am
Interesting to know what happened before I joined Triond.I hope we can earn a little more, You have give good tips thank you.
January 21st, 2011 at 12:10 am
Great article. I too love to write and if I can make some extra change well, thank God for that. One cent two cent is better than no cents.
April 22nd, 2011 at 9:52 am
Neat. Would have been totally ineffective. Better to instead of boycott from submitting new material, DELETE your top ten performing articles. Want to hurt Triond? Deny them the earnings from your top ten articles. That might have caught their attention
February 1st, 2012 at 4:02 pm
vry informative, thank you.