Demand -- Is this the end?

Others have closed behind it. Demand has clients like USA Today and LiveStrong and others. Google is cracking down on search engines, but they aren't banning anyone they feel are trying to edit and improve.

I've talked with Google folks, they are more interested in websites that are spam, not people who at least have an editorial team. Does DS need to be ranked as high as they do?

Maybe not, but they did put in the work. People do read the articles. Some people find the information useful. After all, Google often ranked by popularity, not just keywords.

I've seen what the Google editorial team are looking at, and while they do want to make adjustments for quality, the type of websites they are aiming are certainly spam.

I currently am a writer, titler and blogger with DMS.

Do I think the end is near for everyone...no. Do I think there are some major changes in the pipeline...definitely.

I also think DMS will use some of the changes to weed out writers. So technically I guess the end may be near for some.

There will be definite changes, but nowhere near the end for DMS. The question is how negatively these changes will affect good writers. Currently there is a slow down in available writable titles.

Right now they are weeding through the stable of writers and CEs. Now that they are public, they are under the microscope to the investors. There has been a lot of stuff coming up to the surface that DMS must rectify immediately.

This year promises to be one heck of a roller-coaster ride.

Hello writers,

You might have noticed some changes in the Studio lately. I wanted to take this opportunity to tell you what they are, as well as supply some context.

From Sites to Sections
We’ve always tried to more easily pair the right writer with the right title. Ideally, we want writers to have limitless opportunities to write within a subject where they have proven confidence. This means if your expertise is writing about technology or travel or whatever, you can come into the Studio and you see an abundance of titles within your own sweet spot. And yes, an abundance of titles remains very important.

Expertise
We currently define expertise as a writer having at least one or more of the following elements:

1. Substantial experience working in a field
2. Experience writing on or covering a field (published in a magazine, newspaper, journal, etc.)
3. Proven ability writing in a specific topic or category within Demand Media Studios

Our motivation for this is very simple: We believe the best article comes when, as the saying goes, you write what you know. In regards to the criteria listed above, we will be working on additional ways you can display your experience within Demand Media Studios.

New Sections
You may have noticed we’ve already launched two Sections – Travel and Tech. Because they are still in the beta stage, we have purposely kept the writing communities small. We will be approving more writers for those Sections as we put more titles in, and we are also in the process of identifying other categories suited to a Section.

Getting Approved for Sections
We are working on new features to make it easier for you to see all available opportunities and easily apply for them. Until then, we ask for your patience as we continue to define the best ways to match writers with titles in a given Section.

General Knowledge Section
We are committed to creating and offering titles that fall under our “General Knowledge” area. We currently have no plans to remove these titles and, in fact, we are working to increase titles in this area. Right now, we have titles available in this area for Answerbag and eHow.

We’re still working out the details on how everything will look in the coming months, but promise to keep you posted along the way.

If you have any specific questions or concerns, visit this forum thread. We want you to know we are driven to creating more opportunities for talented writers in our community. We are also committed to always improving on the quality of content we produce. We want you to be proud of the words attached to your name.

Sincerely,
Jeremy Reed
SVP Content and Editorial, Demand Media

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Kenwrites said:

This year promises to be one heck of a roller-coaster ride.

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Best description I've seen so far. People would be wise to lay low and stockpile other clients until DMD figures out what it is and where it's going. A quick read-through of their IPO information was enough to forewarn me of these changes.

They'll dance with Google in the PR arena for a while until the IPO heat cools off and Google decides what -exactly- it's going to do about "content farms" as well as whether or not that applies to DMD properties, and which ones. The Farmer Update appears to be just one step in that process.

I do think that quality writers will be preserved... provided they can weather the changes and "shake ups" that will be in place to weed out those who gamed the system instead of providing the best content they could within the ever-changing and often confusing guidelines from the client. I'd expect to see those guidelines solidified as well... investors don't like unclear rules.

There's a storm a'brewin, but I don't think it's the EOTWAWKI for Demand Studios, yet.

I think Demand is changing, not dying. Will a lot of people lose work? Yes. That doesn't mean that the company will be hurt, though.

I've been really frustrated with the titles available and haven't even checked it in a couple of weeks. I've just been focusing on other things. I really hope it's not the end and that this is just a low period.

I haven't written for them in months. The subject I used to pretty much write under has no good titles anymore...or the titles they have listed have nothing to do with the subject matter. It is quite frustrating.

Some titles have been dropping, but seems they are in the segregated groups. However, there have been some really simple titles in eHow lately. For exmple "How To Read The Knobs On a Window Air Conditioner" and "How To Put Checks In a Checkbook."

Good time for these seems to be sporadic between 6:00AM - 11:00AM EST

What do you use for references on something that straight forward? I've always shyed away from them because it seems too good to be true.

gal513 said:

What do you use for references on something that straight forward? I've always shyed away from them because it seems too good to be true.

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You just find what you can. Remember commercial sites are usable as long as they point to the process in some way. When I have to do that I always send a note to the CE alerting them to the loophole in the guidelines.