New Examiner.com thread

etrader · May 13, 2009

You are quite write, blueobsidian, that articles in such websites are active as long as the site is viable. However, the case is somehow different for Examiner, as some of the examiners are for temporary events. I'm curious to know if the site policy is to focus on current events for evergreen topics.

Health_Geek · May 13, 2009

I thought about your question, etrader, and something I think you could do (somebody please correct me if I'm off base!) is write a targeted local article on your topic and then write one or two evergreen articles to link to from it. So for example you could write that Tuesday is National Lava Lamp Day, and highlight some things in your city that are celebrating, with links, how-tos etc. Then you could write an evergreen article or two about the Lava Lamp, and assuming you were a business writer, you would write about their business practices or how their stocks have performed, or whatever. I would post the evergreen articles first, and then post the local article with links to the evergreen articles. Then you have two relevant articles to read, but one is current and the others are evergreen. Every subsequent year you could link to the evergreen article.

etrader · May 13, 2009

Health_Geek, you proposed a practical approach; however, my question is about the general policy of Examiner. Since Examiner.com has no official forum, I believe here is an appropriate home for Examiner discussions.

veinglory · May 13, 2009

Examiner does have an official forum, the Epicenter.

SouthernFriedJulie · May 13, 2009

etrader said:
Health_Geek, you proposed a practical approach; however, my question is about the general policy of Examiner. Since Examiner.com has no official forum, I believe here is an appropriate home for Examiner discussions.

Didn't you say you were an Examiner, etrader? Didn't your channel manager send you the links? Get in contact with them for more info, they're all very friendly.

Also, link us to your Examiner site so we can link to you. We all have been listing each other.

veinglory · May 13, 2009

In my experience channel managers are hit and miss. I only hear from mine when I post something online that isn't 100% pro-Examiner.

Thrillride · May 13, 2009

etrader said:
Health_Geek, you proposed a practical approach; however, my question is about the general policy of Examiner. Since Examiner.com has no official forum, I believe here is an appropriate home for Examiner discussions.

There is no general policy. Examiners are asked to be experts in their field with a strong emphasis on local events. Health Geek's response was well thought-out.

One thing that's good to keep in mind is that if there's any worry about Examiner using your work in the future in other places (as they are allowed to by contract), the local/current angled articles don't have the same pinch. That is, it feels less offensive - not to mention less likely if it isn't an article that took hours of research as an evergreen article can.

BTW: My channel manager is awesome!

MrAlex'sMommy · May 13, 2009

You're lucky, Thrill.

I can't even get through to my channel manager. I get the assistant channel manager, and I'm not too pleased with her.

Thrillride · May 13, 2009

MrAlex'sMommy said:
You're lucky, Thrill. I can't even get through to my channel manager. I get the assistant channel manager, and I'm not too pleased with her.

*sigh* Sadly, my channel manager just got promoted. So a lot of the communication will be handled by her. I'm sad. My channel manager and I "got" each other.

stldenise · May 14, 2009

Sorry some of you guys have bad channel managers. My first one was awesome, but she was a temp. The new gal doesn't talk to us as much...but is ok when fielding questions, or when she does have an update.

Regarding evergreen/current event stuff. I'm in the parenting channel. My first ch. manager said to alternate between evergreen, local and national issues, but always tie the national stuff to a local source somehow. So, if I'm going to write about the Octomom, I could thrown in a link to local resources for moms with multilples in my town.

Anyway, she said to alternate. The idea was to build (and keep) an audience with current local info, but drawn in new readers with hot topics issues that might pop up on Google.

I haven't noticed any examiners for temporary events...but I haven't looked that hard. Could you list one, because now I'm curious.

inkkognito · May 14, 2009

My topic (Orlando Theme Parks) lends itself to evergreen content on hints and tips. I tie in to news whenever possible (i.e. new roller coasters opening, woman arrested for selling fake vacations, etc.) but I always include at least three related links back to my evergreen articles.

MrAlex'sMommy · May 14, 2009

Denise, I actually just saw one for a temporary event. I can't find it now, but there was an examiner specifically for Obama's "First 100 Days" in office.

Health_Geek · May 16, 2009

Cross-linking between networks

If you wanted to write a series of articles on a topic for Suite101, but wanted to cross-link to articles you've written for Examiner, is that frowned upon? I'm thinking of a nutrition topic for Suite, but want to do book reviews related to that topic for Examiner because I don't get the impression that Suite is much of a review site. I would cross-link between both.

Thank you!

Shadow_Ferret · May 16, 2009

veinglory said:
In my experience channel managers are hit and miss. I only hear from mine when I post something online that isn't 100% pro-Examiner.

You mean something not pro-Examiner in your own personal blog or what?

stldenise · May 16, 2009

Health_Geek said:
If you wanted to write a series of articles on a topic for Suite101, but wanted to cross-link to articles you've written for Examiner, is that frowned upon? I'm thinking of a nutrition topic for Suite, but want to do book reviews related to that topic for Examiner because I don't get the impression that Suite is much of a review site. I would cross-link between both.

Thank you!

I think that's a great idea! I know my channel manager at Examiner encourages cross-linking whenever possible. I wrote a couple of Demand how-tos and tied them to my Examiner posts (using Examiner as a resource for the how-to article).

I don't think anyone at Suite would bat an eye at a link to Examiner, so long as the Examiner post is a solid resource.

veinglory · May 16, 2009

Shadow_Ferret said:
You mean something not pro-Examiner in your own personal blog or what?

I mean on the Examiners-only Google group.

Thrillride · May 16, 2009

stldenise said:
I think that's a great idea! I know my channel manager at Examiner encourages cross-linking whenever possible. I wrote a couple of Demand how-tos and tied them to my Examiner posts (using Examiner as a resource for the how-to article).

I don't think anyone at Suite would bat an eye at a link to Examiner, so long as the Examiner post is a solid resource.

Yup...mine encouraged me to do this as well.

Health_Geek · May 16, 2009

Thank you so much, STLDenise and Thrill_Ride! I'm going for it then

Mountain Mom · May 16, 2009

etrader said:
I wonder why my page view is always below the average; is it something usual ? or just because I am new there, and it will be improved in the course of time ?

I have only posted 2 articles ...I am very new and I have above average views. Just keep posting and best of luck!!

Cassiopeia · May 16, 2009

I've been given a second topic to write for the examiner. I'm now the Salt Lake City Wellness Examiner.

I'm happy about it as it will give me a chance to be more positive where the workplace issues one requires a different POV. I get to be all touchy feely in this one.

Cassiopeia · May 16, 2009

Mountain Mom said:
I have only posted 2 articles ...I am very new and I have above average views. Just keep posting and best of luck!!

If you give us the link to your column I can add you to the other thread where there is a list of AW examiners.

Orientalist · May 17, 2009

KEllis said:
I would think it would make more sense to have a small number of good writers for each city and pay them more, rather than 100s of writers for each city.

100s?! Are you serious? I had no idea but I've been busy, so maybe there's a whole discussion somewhere.

For those considering Examiner, it may be counter-intuitive but .... you're going to get more page views as a local examiner than as a national one. Then there are certain topics that also are better PV pullers. I'm not sure what they are--business? health?-- but not travel.

So being a national (which includes international) travel examiner is very near the bottom of the totem pole. I nearly always pull more than the daily average for the travel channel and very occasionally more than the national daily average, but I can't imagine ever getting 1,500 views in a week.

veinglory · May 17, 2009

Most of the larger cites do seem to have a few hundred Examiners.

KEllis · May 17, 2009

Orientalist said:
100s?! Are you serious? I had no idea but I've been busy, so maybe there's a whole discussion somewhere.

For those considering Examiner, it may be counter-intuitive but .... you're going to get more page views as a local examiner than as a national one. Then there are certain topics that also are better PV pullers. I'm not sure what they are--business? health?-- but not travel.

So being a national (which includes international) travel examiner is very near the bottom of the totem pole. I nearly always pull more than the daily average for the travel channel and very occasionally more than the national daily average, but I can't imagine ever getting 1,500 views in a week.

As of February, there were over 2,000 Examiners. The company aims to have 12,000 by the end of the year over 60 markets.

http://www.examiner.com/p-299037~Ex...aminers__in_2009_Across_60_Local_Markets.html

-Kori

herdon · May 17, 2009

Orientalist said:
For those considering Examiner, it may be counter-intuitive but .... you're going to get more page views as a local examiner than as a national one. Then there are certain topics that also are better PV pullers. I'm not sure what they are--business? health?-- but not travel.

The difference between page views as a local vs national examiner will ultimately be so small as to be irrelevant. The vast majority of traffic comes in through Google, which is blind to the whole local/national thing.

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