The New Internet

  I can't comment on content.  However..   I will say that my experience with these sorts of sites always seem to low ball bids.  $10 per article sounds like a parallel to $100 for a fully function e-commerce web site that integrates with all major payment gateways.   All that said, I think being sensitive to keywords and search engines when writing content for a web site would be a good skill to have. At 10:19 PM 2/2/2005, you wrote: >In my quest for a little extra cash, I went to rentacoder.com (on Erika's >suggestion -- thanks, Erika) to see what writing and editorial work was >available. I was both amused and shocked to see a new Internet emerging -- >not one where content is written for content's sake, but one where content >is written for search engine's sake. There were all these jobs looking for >writers to produce original, keyword-rich content for their sites, to >attract the search engines. Not that the content would have any real use >but to go and raise up their search engine ranking. This is sillier than silly. > >They did specify that these would have to be articles that made the reader >feel like they were really getting something of value -- even though the >target was not the reader but the search engine. > >What was even sillier to me was the idea that they were only going to pay >between $3 and $5 an article and they expected articles (original ones, no >plagiarism or cut and paste) of between 500 and 800 words -- between 1 and >two and a half pages -- for this same $5. Then they were asking for not >just one article, but usually at least 10 at a time, and one site wanted >360 articles. (At least they were willing to pay up to $3600, but $10 is >still too little in my opinion.) > >Now the secret to attracting the search engines is to have lots of content >and have it coming in on a constant basis. Trying to force content (and >pay for it with slave wages!) is not going to give the people quality >content. And if they don't find the content of quality, they won't keep >coming back. > >Have any of you considered paying someone to write content for your >websites? And if so, what do you think is a fair payment to offer? > >Judith -- Jeffry Houser, Web Developer, Writer, Songwriter, Recording Engineer AIM: Reboog711  | Phone: 1-203-379-0773 -- My Books: <http://www.instantcoldfusion.com> My Recording Studio: <http://www.fcfstudios.com> My Energetic Acoustic Rock Band: <http://www.farcryfly.com> -- When did Reality Become TV