To be honest, I wasn’t sure how to word this post to reflect my personal opinion and not make it look like I was writing something positive because of my partnership with Demand. It’s sort of damned if I do/don’t situation. I had an amazingly positive experience with the Demand Studios team and contributors. Even if they weren’t a sponsor I would have posted what I did – but I think you raise a valid point. I suppose I’ll have to leave it up to the individual to decide whether or not I’m sincere.

Thanks for your opinion, it matters.

You’re certainly up front about the partnership. I probably wouldn’t have handled the disclaimer the same way.

Thanks for the conversation.

B.J.

Demand Studios sponsors FWJ as an advertiser. However, I wanted to make it clear that my posts about the conference had nothing to do with that arrangement. No one asked me to post what I did, no one paid me to post what I did – the experience made such a positive impression on me I wanted to share it with my community. I didn’t want everyone to write it off as a sponsored post. My post about the conference went beyond my agreement with Demand.

Also, as discussed with the Demand team, if there was a positive experience, or things I don’t agree with, I’ll discuss that as well.

I hope that makes sense?

I am new to this site and this part of the business, and I apologize if you’ve addressed this issue before and I missed it. I really would like to understand the distinction before thinking seriously about trying to find a sponsor.

Thanks.

It was very good to talk to you as well! Thanks for weighing in. I think we were all impressed by what we learned over the weekend. Indeed, we’re not talking about just another content mill here.

You have every reason to be proud – and the Demand team is equally as proud of their writers.

It was great meeting you at the conference! I just wanted to challenge anyone who has doubts about Demand Studios to examine the technologies they’ve developed for their main resources such as Golflink.com, Livestrong.com and Trails.com. Then take all of those mobile and PC applications and team them up with highly editorialized content and a constant stream of new materials and then tell me if they still think the company is still just a content mill.

As all of us saw at the conference this week the company is not only becoming respected by many top writers, but also by content firms looking to create high quality articles for their own online (and well respected) properties. I think this last talking point speaks volumes for Demand Media and specifically for Demand Studios and the people who work for and with DS.

So I don’t mind spending more time per article for DS when I find a topic that interests me and the time is warranted. I look at providing quality writing as an investment in my future.

After reading this post, I feel even more of a sense of accomplishment, working for such a great team.

Thanks Deb!

I did mention it to the Demand team and this is something they’re going to explore.

Thanks for adding in! This conference was such a treat. Being able to talk to managers and VPs and the people who behind the scenes was a one of a kind experience. I never worked for or with a place that was so invested in its community. I know there will be a few snorts from the peanut gallery, but I can say with all honesty they care what their contributors want and they’re listening. We all spent so much time discussion the Demand experience and offering suggestions for improvement and they are taking every single one of our ideas into consideration. I think you’ll all be so pleased.

Demand contributors find the steady flow of work a more attractive means of writing than the query and wait, query and wait method of finding work. They also find it a more attractive option that waiting for days or weeks between gigs. They’re now paid twice a week and don’t have to wait for a check that may or may not be in the mail. We all know freelance writing is a feast or famine lifestyle. I believe it was Laura Spencer who said Demand Studios is ending the famine. I won’t say we don’t all want to write $100 articles, but they’re not as easy to find – or land.

Demand contributors find that there are other perks, such as the ability to work at home and not have to pay childcare. I talked to an out of work contributor who said Demand Studios saved his life after he was laid off. Moreover, they offer mentoring sessions with editors and other tools and guidance for succeeding as a freelance writer.

As for a lot of work for a little pay, the writers I spoke with write 2 to 3 articles in one hour. So 45 to 60 per hour. Many of them didn’t earn this much writing for newspapers and magazines.

It’s hard to convince someone who is just looking at the “but they only pay $15!!” of the benefits, and I won’t try and convince you to drink the Kool Aid if it’s not your thing. However, as someone who writes for Demand Studios I can say I was pleasantly surprised by the ease of use, the availability of topics in my area, and the willingness of the Demand Studios team to work with their contributors and help them succeed beyond the Demand experience.

Here’s to the day we can buy a vowel.

I have been writing for Demand Studios for a year now and, through them, also have written for Modern Mom and Travels.com. The consistency of the assignments is definitely there, but the work definitely feels like content mill as opposed to the more in-depth and researched writing I do for my other clients. I am one of those writers who can whip out a researched, referenced article in 20 or 30 minutes, which makes the pay at least $30 an hour but, honestly, to make the pay worth it makes the process something other than writing, in my mind. It’s not soulful or brilliant or even memorable.

I would like to address the comment about the pay. As a freelance writer you have the choice of how much you want to work for. $15 for an article that you sell all rights for may not seem like much to some. However, it is better than waiting around for an article pitch to be accepted and then having to chase money down afterward. The opportunity that Demand Studios provides for a freelance writer to generate a weekly paycheck is incredible. Many people make Demand Studios their full time income. Myself included.

Again thank you for this positive post about Demand Studios