2007 People's Media Awards Preview: AC's 2006 CP of the Year Looks Back (and Looks Ahead)

Right now I think we all have to admit that I probably have the longest odds against winning the Content Producer of the Year award this time around. (Okay, with a few exceptions that I won't name.) It is hard to believe it has been almost a year since I was named the inaugural winner of AC's top award. Last year I was asked to write an acceptance speech; this time around I've been kindly asked to write about my experience as AC's first CP of the Year and to look forward to this year's awards. I hope that this article will serve as an inspiration to all those who will win a PMA award this year and in the future, especially to all those writers who occasionally wonder if rejections, low offers, and the other pains that come with writing for AC (or any other site) bring.

This year's PMA awards are a bit different from last year's. This year the focus has narrowed down to the following:

Best Content Producer of 2007: $2,000
Top Performing Content of 2007:
Text (article, editorial or other written work) $1,000
Rich media (video, audio, or slideshow) $1,000
Three text winner $1,000 (each)
Video $1,000
Audio $1,000
Slideshow $1,000
AC Top 1000 of 2007 Recognition

In case you weren't aware, you could put in your two cents worth by nominating deserving CPs in the AssociatedContent forum. As far as the nominations for CP of the Year, some of the names that regularly keep popping up are Carol Gilbert, the Barefoot, Pam Gaulin, Michelle (Michy) Devon, Gary Picariello and Donna Porter. That isn't to say that others aren't receiving their fair share, nor that many deserving writers are being overlooked. (Jeff Musall and Brian Rice I'm looking at you.) In fact, it is entirely possible that someone not mentioned will win the top prize. I'm familiar with the work of all those mentioned as well as many of the others receiving a few nods and I believe any would be a deserving choice. The thing about CP of the Year is that it is and should be based on the overall canon of the writer, as well as their commitment to sharing their expertise and knowledge of how AC works with others. Each of the above writers, as well as other deserving CPs have written well-crafted articles on a vast range of topics, and have been especially helpful by offering advice and guidance to other writers in the forum. And I should mention now that whoever is named this year's CP of the Year can expect to receive an abundance of private messages from eager young newbies looking to make an impact. One of the most satisfying things about this past year has been my ability to help nurture some of the writers. I am confident that if any of the aforementioned names do in fact become the next CP of the Year that they will be probably even more eager than me to dispense advice.

In addition to awarding one content producer for her overall contribution to AC, the PMA awards also target specific content. That's good because while there are plenty of writers who consistently publish solid quality work, there are others who are a bit more uneven. You should never judge a CP on the basis of just one or even a handful of articles. Some people are just better equipped to crank up the talent on a specific topic, or a subject that really moved them. The award for best article gives really just about anyone, regardless of how long they've with AC or how many articles they've published a chance to be noticed and rewarded. One of the most nominated articles in the AC forum is T.H. Pankey's Hurricane Katrina: People Still Dying Two Years Later. Pankey's article may well be one of the longest, most in-depth and well researched articles ever published on AC. If it were a movie you can bet it would be a front-runner for Best Picture because it is truly epic and important. At the other end of the scale is the Barefoot's Netflix is Scaring Me, which is the equivalent of the smart comedy that never even gets nominated. Coming in at about one-tenth the word count of Pankey's article, Barefoot's is worthy of contention because it is also well written, many readers can relate to the subject, and ultimately it makes a fairly serious comment about the intrusion into our privacy by commercial interests intent on knowing our every thought. There are plenty of others, obviously, but these two continuously pop in both the forum and in articles that review the best of 2007. I think they are also quite representative of the vast wealth of content to be found here. Say what you will about the range of writing ability that makes it onto AC's pages; the best writers here are capable of making the writers in any magazine in America look like amateurs when they hit their home runs. I nominated what I feel is a very deserving article, a useful piece of cautionary advice forwarded by Carol Gilbert titled Pornographic Hijacking: How to Remove Your Name from Google Search Porn Link.

Of course, not everybody on AC just writes; this is a great place for original videos and slideshows as well and there will be winners in both those characters. The forum was a little skimpy on who appears to be in the lead here, but if Emma S. doesn't come out on top simply because she has such a wealth of videos that contain such a wealth of information it will mean that the winner made something astounding well produced. The slideshows are a relatively new addition to Associated Content and that category appears to be up for grabs as well. One lucky winner will also receive an award for the best audio content submitted in 2007.

What can winning a PMA award do for you? Attention, for one thing. Even though I won the CP of the Year for my content I produced in 2006, I believe I had a more award-winning year in 2007, in part because of the attention my writing began to get. Although I don't know the extent to which my having won the award contributed to the following, I'm convinced there must be some connection. Although the most infamous event of 2007 for me was my possible brush with greatness in the form of Jon Lovitz perhaps contacting me about an article I wrote about his altercation with Andy Dick, I must say the single most satisfying moment of the year was when I received an email from a member of the Louisiana state law enforcement department. I had previously written an article that warned people to stay away from a certain person because he was engaging in contractor fraud by ripping off people whose houses had been damaged as a result of the string of hurricanes along the Gulf Coast. This official contacted me after reading that article because he wanted me to identify a photo of this individual and give him some information about him. Once I identified the photo of this criminal, he told me that it was enough to initiate warrants and begin the process of bringing this low-life scumbag to justice. (Associated Content does America's Most Wanted!)

Second on the list of satisfaction would have to be the day I got an email from Vanderbilt Univ. asking me for copyright permission to use an article I wrote about Dick Cheney's attempt to dismantle a section of the National Archives in a law packet for a legal course to be taught by the school's Dean of Law. In addition to these satisfying recognitions of my work, I've also been contacted by other people I've written about. For instance, I wrote an article about fads and briefly mentioned Slap Wraps. Imagine my surprise when I was recently contacted by the inventor of Slap Wraps and he consented to an interview about next-generation Wraps. I've had my articles linked to and analyzed on a multitude of internet sites ranging from the Village Voice to Rev. Billy's Church of Stop Shopping site to an online site devoted to timeshares in Hawaii. Heck, even CNN has linked to a scathing article I wrote about Wolf Blitzer! (I guess there really is no such thing as bad publicity.) A recent Google search effort by my wife revealed that my articles have been discussed, referenced, or linked on a mind-boggling number of web sites. (Unlike Carol Gilbert, however, I've yet to be contacted by anyone interesting in making a film deal for my writing.) The lesson from me and doubtlessly countless other CPs who have stories similar to mine is that writing for Associated Content means more than just writing for other CPs and your subscribers and those who stop at the showcase page. Simply put, once your work is published on Associated Content, the potential is infinite; you just can never know for sure who may stumble across something you've written, or where else on the internet it may turn up. Therefore, it behooves us all to write every article as if you wanted it to be worthy of winning an award.

Winning a PMA of any type is also a pretty decent thing to put on your web site or resume. AssociatedContent is quickly being recognized as a site that consistently showcases high quality writing. (Yes, there is plenty of low quality writing, but that's real democracy in action, not like the Iowa caucus parade of millionaires.) When you consider that tens of thousands of writers are published every single day on AC and that a strikingly high percentage of those writers are quite talented it tends to impress people when they see that your writing was singled out. As a direct result of winning CP of the Year last year I have received a number of writing opportunities. In addition, putting the fact that you did win an award at the top of any writer bio on the other freelance writing sites will definitely get the attention of any potential clients.

I want to conclude by expressing my best wishes to all those who will win a PMA award, as well as to all those who must by definition be unfortunately overlooked. Considering the astounding level of talent on Associated Content I feel utterly confident that all the winners will be quite deserving, while also remaining certain that many writers I admire most will once again have to wail till next year. I really like the addition to this year's awards of the AC Top 1000. True, the only prize these people will receive is recognition, but considering that there are literally thousands and thousands of writers deserving of being recognized for their work, those of you who miss out on a cash award but wind up on that list should have a right to be proud. Picking just one person to name as the best of the year would be a job I wouldn't care to have; I'm not even sure I could limit my list of the best to just 1000.