Writers Have a Choice About Which Sites to Submit to
Online writing sites provide a service to writers. Writers have a choice about which sites to use.
Lately there’s been a new spate of articles dealing with which sites to write for and which sites should be avoided. Following these discussions and articles becomes fascinating as I believe they say more about the writer submitting articles than the sites themselves.
We all have responsibilities as writers. We write to the best of our ability on subjects we choose to write about. If we submit work online, especially to those where we enjoy instant publication, or where we can write on any subject we choose, we also have a responsibility to the reader. Write what the reader wants to read.
Some subjects are naturally going to be more popular than others. Those subjects receive more views and consequently receive more payment. Some writers are more adept at using social networks and other online promotional tools than others are. Good luck to them.
Those of us who rely more on the subject matter than promotional tools choose to do it that way. We enjoy our writing and the subjects we write about. We gain pleasure from working with words, striving for the best way to express ourselves. If we expected to get rich from our writing we’d be submitting to print publications, not online content. We do not need others sending us messages to abandon a particular site and change to another. We often choose to stop reading about why one site is better than another.
We are presumably, well most of us anyway, adult writers. We are mature enough to make decisions for ourselves about where we choose to submit our work. Like may other writers, I’ve searched around, followed suggestions and joined many sites – but I write for only three. That is all I can handle. Well, in truth, I really only handle two, the third is an after thought that I occasionally submit to.
What I’m saying is, we all make our own decisions. We all have different needs and different ways of writing. Those with any sense will walk away from a site they don’t like. Why continue submitting to it if it doesn’t meet your needs. Complaining through articles that say why this site or that site is treating you unfairly is a personal choice. And yes, those writers have as much right to complain as I have to say be positive. But, complaining doesn’t change anything. It just enables bad feelings to fester longer.
I would like to see online writers making decisions based on their publishing experiences. Enjoy your writing. None of the online sites owes any of us anything. They are not there to look after us. They provide a service for which they hope to make money. How they pay us is their business. If we don’t like the way they do it, walk away.
Let’s be more adult in our decision making and be more positive. I personally would prefer to read a positive article that makes me feel good, than one that is rallying up support for someone who is unhappy.
Let’s all write what we want to and submit it where we are happy with the service provided. That makes sense.
Liked it
Click the icon to the left to subscribe to Writinghood with your favorite RSS reader.
May 3rd, 2010 at 2:07 am
I agree with your views.
May 3rd, 2010 at 2:16 am
i totally agree… right to the point.
May 3rd, 2010 at 2:18 am
Nice one, I don’t rely on Triond anymore
May 3rd, 2010 at 2:39 am
great post
May 3rd, 2010 at 3:42 am
Spot one. I do not respond to inbox invitations. For one thing they are for the benefit of the person offering the invite. They write not only for pennies but for points, as well…like a pyramid scheme.
May 3rd, 2010 at 4:36 am
You are right in that one. Personally I would never tell people where to write for or not, but I lately just quit a site, since it allowed me to publish, but would not pay or in extreme conditions, since I am not a US inhabitant. Let me put it that way: I love writing and do it for the benefit of it and to inform and inspire others. But this site pays some writer and others not, I am gone, since I hate discrimination.
That is why made up my mind and decided to go for just three sites, since that is all I can handle as well. I do repost on Bukisa, the fourth from time to time, but barely get views there.
So for me it will remain the sites I feel best with, being Factoidz, Triond and Helium. Not because of the money, but because they equal all writers, although some might start to disagree there as well.
May 3rd, 2010 at 7:06 am
A very good article indeed. I believe there is always a one off chance that a publisher or a magazine, may view your work and perhaps contact you to write for them. I know its a very vague and perhaps unlikely senario but if you get down about writing online just think maybe? LB
May 3rd, 2010 at 8:14 am
Interesting article indeed.It’s a must-read!
May 3rd, 2010 at 9:06 am
I agree with your views. I enjoy writing. I am writing with sites like Triond, Bukisa and Factoidz. I too had some problems with various other writing websites, but that is my personal problem and will not influence others to get away from those websites.
May 3rd, 2010 at 9:19 am
I write for Triond, Textbroker and my personal blog. That’s all I can handle. And I like all three.
May 3rd, 2010 at 9:59 am
Excellent post. When you write about the things you know and enjoy, you will gather a readership of likeminded folks, and hopefully make some good friends.The best thing about Triond is the sense of community here.
May 3rd, 2010 at 11:58 am
There are some limitations to what you can choose though. I was posting my stuff on Associated Content, but then starting this month they won’t pay me any more because I live out side the US, so they are not really an option for me anymore. It has something to do with taxes.
May 3rd, 2010 at 1:50 pm
Interesting Post.
May 3rd, 2010 at 2:26 pm
I’m glad this is generating some discussion. Thank you all.
May 3rd, 2010 at 4:37 pm
A must read article for everyone. Excellent post!
May 3rd, 2010 at 4:42 pm
You all are going to hate me for saying this, but this article was probably just written to get money. He doesn’t care about how he writes, just to make money. The author is probably laughing his butt off about how many people took it seriously.
May 3rd, 2010 at 8:09 pm
Good Post.
May 3rd, 2010 at 9:07 pm
Thank you for sharing these very valuable insights. Like many of us here, I enjoy writing, and am continually enjoying all the more because now I write where I am welcome, so the efforts are very well maximized. Great article.
May 3rd, 2010 at 11:09 pm
I enjoy this.
May 4th, 2010 at 1:58 am
I loved this article. Great work.
May 4th, 2010 at 4:05 am
very interesting article..liked it.
May 4th, 2010 at 7:22 am
Will this is the site for me.
May 4th, 2010 at 10:06 am
I think slowslow got up on the wrong side of the bed…. I, like you Val, write because I love to do it. If I was in in for the money, I (for sure) wouldn’t spend my time writing poetry for pennies. Great write!
May 4th, 2010 at 10:14 am
Well said!
May 4th, 2010 at 11:25 am
Writers should read your below lines before they start writing
“We all have responsibilities as writers”. “We write to the best of our ability on subjects we choose to write about”. If we submit work online, especially to those where we enjoy instant publication, or where we can write on any subject we choose, “we also have a responsibility to the reader”. “Write what the reader wants to read”.
May 4th, 2010 at 11:55 am
Online reputation management and article marketing could be some other reasons to write online.
Well Written | Good Message
Eric Pinola
May 4th, 2010 at 4:22 pm
Well, I don’t know why, I started it is now touching on compulsion…. but it does loosen my bolts good post Val. cheers
May 4th, 2010 at 5:29 pm
This article reminds of some articles I’ve read about not liking some sites. Wise advice.
May 4th, 2010 at 8:58 pm
i can tell you have put alot of thought into this article.
May 4th, 2010 at 9:17 pm
Great advice, stay in your happy place and do your thing. : )
May 4th, 2010 at 9:42 pm
Good sharing! I agree with your suggestion to invite people to write something positive.
May 5th, 2010 at 12:47 am
Well I can only agree with some of your arguments. The controversy is probably what you’ll acknowledge anyway so I’ll start with that. I don’t think writers should be chastised for putting pressure on companies to improve their standards for their contributing members. Writers complain about being treated unfairly in order to change the way they’re being treated. “Walking away” might sound like the rationale approach but we can never reach progressive change that way. Even this article is your own way of trying to change the minds of those whom you considered annoying complainers. If Dr. King or Ghandi had walked away, we might not have the great relationships between nations and peoples that we have today so to my writers I say continue to push the envelope and try to make progress. I tip my hats to you
May 5th, 2010 at 3:35 am
I agree with you on this one Val. I subscribe to two sites – Triond and RedGage. I enjoy RedGage as I can read the UK national papers online and share links with friends without having to write an article first. I can also upload my own photographs easily but I turn to Triond when I have time to research and put more thought into writing articles. However, at the end of the day, I’m writing for love not money! Same goes for wanting to share interesting or amusing news items and/or photographs I’ve taken.
May 5th, 2010 at 3:50 am
Enlightening write Val.
Liked!
SU’d!
May 6th, 2010 at 2:05 am
Fantastic article and well deserved on the hot content list. It has some very good points and you are definitly right, Triond doesn’t owe us anything. It’s up to us at the end of the day whether we write for this site or not.
May 6th, 2010 at 6:51 am
I have articles on Triond which get good reader figures everyday but make very little. The same articles published elsewhere make good returns.
I have tried to delete the articles from Triond but the delete button does not work. Why do you think that is? Where’s the adult choice in this scenario?
May 6th, 2010 at 8:53 am
Very neat work. I suggest posting this topic onto http://www.triond-articles.webs.com for traffic and commenters.
May 6th, 2010 at 4:28 pm
ha to bad nobody visits ur site dude. nice man
May 7th, 2010 at 3:03 am
excellent article…well said
May 7th, 2010 at 10:01 am
I argee I write for Triond and Bukisa. I do have accounts at other sites but have not done much with those as I love writing for these two. My readership on Triond as gone up and I’m very happy.
May 7th, 2010 at 10:58 am
thanks for that Val…
May 7th, 2010 at 8:10 pm
I agree with you, writing is my passion. I write what I want to write even it is read or unread, if there are many people read my writing, I am so happy with that, if I gain money from it, it’s a bonus. Love this article.
May 8th, 2010 at 9:28 am
You make some good points.
May 8th, 2010 at 11:22 am
To me, this would have served better in the forum, but I guess yer gettin clicks so good job.
May 8th, 2010 at 5:54 pm
I agree…why bite the hand that feeds you. It is a great thing to be a published writer…we should all be proud to be here. Good job.
May 9th, 2010 at 12:31 am
Thank you for the article. I found it to be very educational as well as a piece of advice that everyone should keep in mind
May 9th, 2010 at 11:51 pm
Great article. It was the link to my Triond site and my on-line articles that helped me finally sell my book.
May 14th, 2010 at 6:27 pm
I like this very much “But, complaining doesn’t change anything. It just enables bad feelings to fester longer.” Very True!
May 27th, 2010 at 10:04 am
Throughout my career, I have read and written many articles. Some fell into the category of outstanding. Many others were fair to midland. And of course, I can’t forget those…well let’s just say they were not my cup of tea, or anyone else’s for that matter. With this said, in my search for switching careers; not by my choice, but an accident that kept me from returning to the work that I love so much. I have been searching for something else to do. My aim is to do something that I enjoy just as much as my previous occupation. I said a little prayer and hoped that I won’t find something that could lead me into a path of unrighteousness, or destroy my name sake. Well, one day I started surfing the net and came upon freelance writing. Of the many articles that I read about “how to get started”, I became somewhat discouraged. They sent me looking at other careers that were not affiliated with my passion to write. That is until I came upon this one. It is well written and informative. Thanks for sharing your opinion and keeping a positive perspective on this skill. Perhaps others seeking to engage in such a profession can see the worth instead of the loss for such a beautiful art form.
July 1st, 2010 at 7:28 am
this one is a great article….
i just lov ed it\
wpwowowowow