Critical Mob -- Anybody have any experience writing for this site?

[Kris]

I talked to an editor / writer there today who said that Peter, the site founder, had "asked him not to mention an amount" when talking to writers.

Yet he also says that writers get a check every month depending on how much they contribute.

He also said that they want to offer writers 1/3 cash and 2/3 "equity."

Anybody have any experience, good or bad?

[veinglory]

If it is a content site I would not sign up without knowing at least approximatly how income is calculated. There are a lot of content sites and same pay a hell of a lot more than others. Why take a shot in the dark?

[Kris]

If it is a content site I would not sign up without knowing at least approximatly how income is calculated. There are a lot of content sites and same pay a hell of a lot more than others. Why take a shot in the dark?

Yes, thanks. I'm going back and forth with the writer/editor, and I'll post back when I find out more -- meantime I just wondered if anyone had any experience.

[veinglory]

They have a total of 21 contributors (almost all of whom live in New York) and a PR of 3, which for this sort of site is very low even given that the site is only 6 months old. I suspect many of the current contributors are associates/friends of the owner?

One approach would be to ask for the name of any other 'cold hire' you could approach to see if they would recommend the site, or give a ballpark of what they are earning.

[Kris]

They have a total of 21 contributors (almost all of whom live in New York) and a PR of 3, which for this sort of site is very low even given that the site is only 6 months old. I suspect many of the current contributors are associates/friends of the owner?

Well, when you say "this sort of site," what do you mean? Are you comparing it to magazines, or to content sites like About or Examiner? Or to news aggregators like HuffPo?

I don't think a small staff is necessarily a red flag.

Obviously there are other red flags, though. I just wondered if anyone had any experience... it would help me know how much trouble to go to.

[veinglory]

It is a public-facing review site which will depend on advertising and/or affiliate links for its income. It will depend on traffic for both. The actual absence of any obvious source of income other than a few poorly place adsense blocks doesn't reassure me--I would suggest asking them about that. The absence of Google ranks suggest a lack of traffic.

A small staff of associates and friends fails to demonstrate that this is a 'real money' gig. It also means the odds of anyone here having direct experience of them is slim to nil, the chances of them being impartial erring on the 'nil' side. Although AW's google rank (PR5) I suspect they will appear here shortly.

All signs are that this site would not have a high income and could not pay a decent income even if you compare them with low rent 'content' sites, not professional 'online magazine' sites. If I am wrong I shall stand corrected. But none of the signs are there.

[Kris]

x

[veinglory]

I thought I would help out by having a look at the market and giving you my opinion. My opinion of the market was not all that positive. I conveyed that in a series of factual statements. My only intent was to be helpful.

[Kris]

x

[veinglory]

No worries, and you know--if you like writing reviews it doesn't hurt to give a new market a try.