Are content farms dead? (Associated Content, etc) Also, open to suggestions

[themindstream]

While my job hunt progresses slowly, I've gotten it in my head that I might like to do something on a 'once a week, earn a little spending cash" basis. (The previous thing I picked up with that in mind is fun and a thing I want to stay involved in but it's a lot more work and time than I planned and I need to re-prioritize my time in the short term.) So the idea of looking at the content farm sites again came about, although I've looked askance at them in the past because the content just wasn't very good.

...and it seems to have caught up with them? Associated Content sold to Yahoo in 2010 and then Yahoo shuttered it in 2014. The other site mentioned in the article I followed was also gone, the URL repurposed for another product. I cannot for the life of me remember the names of any others or how to find them. Do they still exist? Are the ones that still exist worth bothering with?

Any more general suggestions for things I could do/places I could submit to?

 

[treehugger]

I've been wondering the same thing. I used to write for Demand Studios, which was not the greatest but was a nice low-commitment job for quick cash. DS seems to be out of business, and I haven't yet found a potential substitute.

 

[cool pop]

I look into them here and there and recently tried to find something and not finding anything decent that pays well. Most seem to be writer mills who snatch up writers to get as much content as they can and not pay. Many have turned to where you gotta bid on clients. I'd rather find something where I can write for the site and be paid decently. I'm not saying I gotta be paid tons of money but more than pennies for an article or post!

 

[WeaselFire]

Not dead, changed markets. You'll still find some of these working with select groups of authors and clients, but but the pick-up business has gone to the various bidding sites. When price is the only factor, nobody is looking for knowledgeable, talented writers. Kind of why I see so many "financial advise" sites now with articles by distinctly non-English authors.

Jeff

 

[Ali B]

There are some...

There are some places out there still. Here's a list of 30: http://alinabradford.com/25-sites-offer-quick-freelance-writing-gigs

While my job hunt progresses slowly, I've gotten it in my head that I might like to do something on a 'once a week, earn a little spending cash" basis. (The previous thing I picked up with that in mind is fun and a thing I want to stay involved in but it's a lot more work and time than I planned and I need to re-prioritize my time in the short term.) So the idea of looking at the content farm sites again came about, although I've looked askance at them in the past because the content just wasn't very good.

...and it seems to have caught up with them? Associated Content sold to Yahoo in 2010 and then Yahoo shuttered it in 2014. The other site mentioned in the article I followed was also gone, the URL repurposed for another product. I cannot for the life of me remember the names of any others or how to find them. Do they still exist? Are the ones that still exist worth bothering with?

Any more general suggestions for things I could do/places I could submit to?

 

[cool pop]

The issue is not if they are dead but many don't pay enough. Most pay peanuts, nothing someone can do anything with unless they already have another job or two. I've yet to see one still around that is paying a fair wage. They all pay slave wages, trying to get content for next to nothing. I've given up on these places. You can make more money filling out surveys if you just need extra cash. If you want to build up your writing resume, these peanut-paying places aren't going to do it for you. I mean, they wanna pay you $3 or $5 dollars for an article that's ridiculous. And that's considered good when you look at what some are trying to get away with paying. It's a racket.

 

[veinglory]

I would say a good many of them have died in the last three years. Yes there was always a pay rate issue but Google updates intensified this by downgrading content mill sites and also a lot of the material sold through content marketplaces. There is still a small amount of activity in these areas but less than their used to be.