Why AC's New Homepage is Bad for Content Producers
AC's New Homepage Advertises for Writers Not Readers
Associated Content's new homepage is fully intent on gathering more writers. That's great for writer's looking for a new way to share their writings and find a writing community. However, if writers think AC will attract the average reader who stumbles upon it they may want to reconsider.
AC's prior homepage was inviting. It was exciting when it first popped up on your screen. There were interesting topics; pictures and graphics that made you want to take a second look. Now, it's a huge advertisement to write for Associated Content with a bottom corner with a few highlights of what's inside. Once inside the site things are better, but if a reader is just that, a reader, they could care less about the advertisement for becoming a writer for AC. Thus, moving on to a more inviting site.
Writing for AC is certainly fun and good way to make some extra money, but AC seems to be more concerned with gathering more writers than professionally presenting the writers they do have. And it's not like they are hurting for writers or Content Producers, as they are called, with over 120,000 according to their records. Also, there are very few bad writers on the site; many are very talented.
It's a disappointment to see Associated Content take this road. The writers want their works presented not only to fellow writers but to the outside world, as well. In fact, the readers are the people writers are really trying to reach in the long run. Sure, they love the fact that other writers notice their works, but they want to expand beyond the captive audience of AC.
Published by K. Jai Estes
Freelance writer and poet. View profile
- Does a "Bad" New Years Eve Mean You Will Have a Good New Years Day?
- Surviving the Big Bad Break-Up
- The NEW Wheatley High School
- New York Subway System Flooding Takes New Yorkers-And MTA-"By Surprise"
- Kennedy and The Honorary Title Get Ready to Release New Music to the Masses
- Bad Behavior in a Cat Could Signal Health Issues
- New York New Year's Eve Celebration: Manhattan
7 Comments
Post a CommentI have not been to the homepage thru the outside yet, and I have to check it out, but according to this well-written piece here, It does seem to be more about AC than about the folks who write for them.
Hi again K - see AC's response to this issue on my similar article http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/821551/how_do_you_feel_about_acs_new_home.html. ... I had written them a message about it, asking them to read similar sentiments from the people who responded with comments. It turns out, they ARE just trying to attract more writers. They feel traffic searching for issues will come straight to our articles.
Great points on the new homepage. While I love interacting with other writers here, it was my intention to reach readers with my articles.
I'm going to have to study the home page more. I haven't been paying enough attention to it. Thanks for the heads up. :-)
Thanks for wring this. I hadn't taken notice seen I never log out which I will do now. I am sure that what you wrote in this article is true and if so then Ac should really take notice as well!
Very matured discussion, well done.
Hi K - thanks for leaving a message on my ethanol article, or I wouldn't have found you! I so agree 100% with this piece! I was just about to write a message about it to AC in fact! Most of us here, whether we write on politics or great movies to see, are taking advantage of AC as a way to get really good info out to people, and some of us use it as a place to post pieces we've worked hard on researching or stories we've written that we haven't sold anywhere. And the new home page is totally not professional looking. At one time, AC's powers-that-be said they wanted to become more of a respectable source. this will not help their case. I've also noticed way fewer calls for content where they offer $$. I'm discouraged, and have actually been considering cutting back the time I spend here especially writing on serious subjects. I will post something on my page leading people to your article. Maybe we can all write to AC about it.