Comments on Swan's Blog: Is Associated Content ripping off their writers?

Anonymous --I have read the performance bonus poli...

2007-08-20T08:50:00.000-06:00

Anonymous --

I have read the performance bonus policies. It says:

Payments will be made on a monthly basis. Each time that we send you a payment, we incur administrative and other costs. For this reason, we will not send you a payment if the amount owed to you is less than $15 (the "Minimum Balance"). In the event that you have not achieved at the end of a given month, your balance will be rolled over for payment into the following month.

Aside from the fact that it's written in the worst legal language I've ever read, the policy clearly states that payment is made once a month, providing you have accrued the $15 minimum.

I'm not sure what else you think I'll find in the policy. Perhaps it's this:

Beta Phase
The data presented in the Performance Bonus Beta may not be 100% accurate, and you should not rely on those numbers, as they may change during the beta phase. While AC will use its best efforts to report and pay the bonus payment accurately, and in a timely fashion, because we are in a beta environment there may be some errors and delays.

Interestingly, I think that actually proves my point for me. If Associated Content puts into their official policy that they are justified for not paying their writers on time or the correct amount, wouldn't that be considered evidence that the payment issues are premeditated and deliberate?

Alicia --Thanks for your email. I haven't serious...

2007-08-20T08:40:00.000-06:00

Alicia --

Thanks for your email. I haven't seriously written for Associated Content since early on in my freelance career, and I stopped precisely because of the ridiculously low pay. Regardless, though, I want whatever performance bonus I am owed -- it helps to make up for the low pay I received on those articles!

Thanks for your suggestions regarding blog-buzz.com and sitrrdup.com. I will look into setting up accounts with them, but it'll have to wait until next week -- I'm trying to finish up a big summer project this week.

Thanks again for your visit and your comments!

You should probably read the actual policies of th...

2007-08-20T08:25:00.000-06:00

You should probably read the actual policies of the performance bonus. Might clear up some of your confusion.

They'll take it as far as they can, as long as wri...

2007-08-20T04:57:00.000-06:00

They'll take it as far as they can, as long as writers keep opening accounts and submitting articles - and I seriously doubt every writer out there (especially those who are desperate to break into the writing business, like I was when I first opened my AC account) is going to say, "You know what? Screw this."

Their pay is ridiculously low, if $10 is the high. Shoot, a writer could get a low-paying content article writing job and make more money, because at least that would be steady.

I thought of your situation one day last week when I happened upon a writer's website - it was sort of half-portfolio, half-whatever else he wanted to put on it. Anyway, he was a beginning writer and had listed, "I'm a freelance writer for a company called Associated Content." I just shook my head. If I remembered his site address, I'd send him this post.

I'm glad you're not going to write for them anymore. Do you have a blogg-buzz (http://www.blogg-buzz.com/) or Stirrdup (http://www.stirrdup.com) account? If not, you should seriously get one (or both) and send in this blog post so others can read it.

Oh, and thanks for letting me know you wrote this! I'm about a week behind on my blog-reading (and writing!), so I really appreciate it!