Comments on: Being an About.com Guide

By: Earthwind

Earthwind — Fri, 06 Jan 2012 01:59:48 +0000

You know what, I’m very much inclined to agree.

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Wed, 19 May 2010 21:37:57 +0000

Having done it myself as well, I can say that there is merit to being a Guide but not financial merit. In this day and age, SEO and community management are assets and About.com is pretty much king in those arenas (having also been around a while). The NY Times name is a plus.

Most of all, it’s great for keeping you in the loop with new things going on (that can seep into other freelance work for other clients) and getting to check out events and new places as you end up on a load of publicity invite and mailing lists.

Beyond that, I the pay is a stipend if that–I wouldn’t envision making a living off of it.

By: The Lone Writer » Blog Archive » About.com

The Lone Writer » Blog Archive » About.com — Wed, 17 Mar 2010 12:57:42 +0000

[...] Here’s the article, “Being an About.com Guide.” [...]

By: Vern

Vern — Thu, 12 Mar 2009 14:49:13 +0000

I debated whether or not to post this – why would you not give your name if you were really a guide for over 9 years? Why the need to remain undercover?

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Thu, 12 Mar 2009 11:29:45 +0000

Another 9+ year ex-guide here. About.com is a business operating toward the bottom line for its stockholders. It may have started out with a ‘heart’ but the dollar is the end goal of any business. I would have understood a business reason for losing my site but not ‘you’re doing a bad job’. After 9 years?

By: Vern

Vern — Thu, 05 Mar 2009 15:27:20 +0000

Sure – the NYT is struggling to come up with a monetization strategy that works – like all newspapers. Bet they do it though… There’s not much prestige in a writing position at About.com because one can’t write anything that resembles a story. It’s more like just a glob of facts in bullet points and callouts. It didn’t make me feel the least bit creative. It didn’t give me any personal satisfaction at all… :( Thanks for the comment Matt.

By: Vern

Vern — Thu, 05 Mar 2009 15:24:44 +0000

Thanks for comment… you’ve stated my opinion about the look of about.com’s site as well. It’s junk. It’s just filled with ads that make the content secondary and the content is not what it could be with larger photos, and videos. Where are the videos people? We’re in a video age here… they’re missing it. Completely.

In fairness – very difficult to create a Thailand site and make more than a few bucks a day in 6 months. Very difficult. But, produce content for 2 yrs and you’ll be rockin’. I’m getting there with ThaiPulse and Joy’s Thai Food. But not even close to $675/mth.

So, about.com offers writers a way to get some immediate income, with no long-term promise. For me that’s a model that doesn’t work. I like the opposite… short-term nothing, just banging out content – and long-term I have something nobody can take away. Makes more sense to me.

Thanks for writing perceptive traveler…

By: perceptive traveler

perceptive traveler — Tue, 03 Mar 2009 16:58:12 +0000

Thanks for the background on the CMS system. I only go to an about.com page when I land on it from a search, then I get the heck out of there as soon as possible to avoid the torrent of advertising coming at me from every angle. It seems like the content is just a sideshow and annoying visitors is not even a slight concern. That is reflected in the sweatshop working conditions too I guess. You could set up your own more attractive Thailand page and probably be making the same amount per hour after six months, with more control, a more attractive layout (anything would be) and far less stress.

By: Matt Keegan

Matt Keegan — Tue, 03 Mar 2009 14:05:07 +0000

For a part time gig, this may not be a bad position to have, but I can see where the hours can add up. Given that is run by The New York Times should add some prestige to the position, but this newspaper has had its own troubles of late too.

By: Mike Daecher

Mike Daecher — Mon, 02 Mar 2009 18:10:54 +0000

Hi Vern,

I agree with much of what you say in your post. Being an About.com Guide is not for everyone. Building an About.com GuideSite takes a lot of patience and dedication, especially in the early days. We ask a lot of our Guides because we’re trying to create the best experience on the Web for any given topic. If a reader comes to About.com and finds an outdated blog and thin content, the competition is only a click away. So many of our Guides have been on About.com for 3, 5, 10+ years because they’ve embraced the long-term challenge, and it’s paid off for them. I’m sorry it didn’t work out for you at About.com, and hope you find the site that fits your needs.

~ mike

By: Vern

Vern — Sun, 01 Mar 2009 03:15:42 +0000

Nine years and dumped? Wow, that’d be tough getting over. Sounds like you have no animosity about it though… ;) It’s likely that the CMS didn’t change for the good in 9 years. (a guess… ok?)

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Sat, 28 Feb 2009 15:45:40 +0000

I worked for them for 9 years, and was unceremoniously dumped after all that time by a new editor that had only been with them a month. It was a rotten situation, and she stunk. Most of the current issues came when the New York Times took over, before that, it was a much better place to work, and they did not require the amount of workload that Vern refers to. The CMS is as terrible as he makes it out to be, too!

By: Vern

Vern — Sat, 28 Feb 2009 12:26:32 +0000

Ok, got it. Yes, I’ve met some writers that seem to be able to create the article and sell it without fail. They basically write what they want. Sometimes it’s commissioned, sometimes not – and they just farm it out. Some writers are able to consistently find buyers. Sometimes established connections, sometimes a one-off.

I’ve been offered a position at b5 media, writing their “Honolulu” or Hawaii site – I can’t remember which now, this was over a year ago. When they sent me the contract I laughed… there is just no way in the world I was going to sign that!

I think the best idea for me, since I’m already established with this site and a few others, is to just focus on loading them with content that provides value for visitors. What else can I do, but that? I enjoy it and I write what I want. This must be my focus with writing… Doing this might not pay off for another year or so, but, no worries – I have time I think. At least I think I do!

Thanks for your comments Andrew.

By: Andrew Spooner

Andrew Spooner — Sat, 28 Feb 2009 12:18:21 +0000

Vern
They didn’t approach me but I’ve been approached by other similar websites. I’d avoid them all to be honest.
And yes, you can write stuff you find interesting without much of a leash but it takes time to get established.

By: Vern

Vern — Sat, 28 Feb 2009 10:30:05 +0000

I’ve never heard of About.com searching people out to write for them – but it’s good to learn something. A full time travel writer – whether full time for a company or full-time freelance seem to work quite hard, and aren’t paid enough – ever. It is a dream for a lot of people, but the reality is not so sweet. How many times do you get to write about what you want to write about, in the format you want to write it? I’ve met such writers here in Thailand and while they’re happy to have the freedom that writing provides – they’re tied to a leash, or many leashes. Some leashes are long – some short. It takes a certain type of person to write full time on the road. Sounds like you’ve got a good grasp on what it takes. Good luck and best of life to you…

By: Vern

Vern — Sat, 28 Feb 2009 10:25:09 +0000

Well – maybe you’ll get another chance. Not sure they’ll hire for it immediately or not – they cut pay and things – and it will be interesting to see if they think the site will do well enough to justify hiring someone quickly or not. Good luck if it’s what you want, as I said – it may be right for someone depending on where you’re coming from.

By: Andrew Spooner

Andrew Spooner — Sat, 28 Feb 2009 08:05:17 +0000

Interesting stuff…
I’m a well-established travel writer and have been approached on many occasions by web-based companies such as the one you mention here. To be honest I avoid them all – the pay is garbage, the terms often shocking and the people you run them are mostly completely amateurish who have no idea about what it means to be a real-life writer doing in-depth research.
But, the dream of being a travel writer is very different to the reality – it is NOT a long holiday but often hard work, with little financial reward that involves being away from loved ones and home for long periods of time. There are some incredible upsides but, in my experience, if you do want to be a travel writer than approach like you would any other job. Expect to paid a living wage, on time but also expect to back that up with a thoroughly professional attitude.

By: Spot Cool Travel

Spot Cool Travel — Sat, 28 Feb 2009 04:31:13 +0000

This is really interesting. At least to me — I almost applied for the Thailand About.com gig myself.

I wonder if the reduced pay will mark the start of the end of About.