I’ve finished with the work my clients wanted me to do for them this weekend, and I have some extra time before my hometown football team, the Kansas City Chiefs, kicks off. I log into my Demand Studios account, pick an article about the structure of the United States government, and start to write. The research is easy–I learned this stuff back in fourth grade. Ten minutes later, I submit the completed article. If it’s approved, it will make me $7.50.
I still have extra time, so I select another article, this one about the tips for appearing in a civil court, and pound that out as well. An acceptance will mean another $15.00. I research another article on grief counseling. As a hospice social worker, it’s a no-brainer for me, and the words flow–another $15.00 on acceptance.
Now it’s time for my football game to start, but if all my articles are accepted, and I’ve never had one rejected yet, I’ve made $37.50 in just over half an hour. Not bad for a sleepy Sunday afternoon.
Demand Media Controversy
If you talk to some writers, you’ll come away with the impression that Demand Media, formerly Demand Studios, is evil incarnate. I’ve heard many times how they take advantage of freelancers, how their content is mediocre at best, how they are lowering the standards for the entire online publishing industry, and how some of their titles are ridiculous.
Some of these charges are 100 percent true. Because of the way keywords and titles are generated, Demand Media does come up with some doozies. Those are the ones that smart writers don’t take.
It’s also true that some of their content is poorly written. I can’t control that. It’s a problem for Demand Media to address with individual authors and with their editors. All I can do is make sure that my content is well-written and informative.
Does Demand Media Take Advantage?
I remember a story I read once. A farmer was on his way home on a cold night when he saw a rattlesnake curled up on the ground. The snake was at the brink of freezing to death, and begged the farmer to take him to a fire where he could get warm. “But you are a venomous snake,” the farmer protested. “I can’t bring you to my hearth. You could bite one of my children.”
“Oh, kind sir, I swear I will do no such thing,” the snake said sweetly. “I only want to get warm and live to return to my family in the spring. Please have mercy.”
Reassured, the farmer tucked the snake into his pocket and continued home, where he placed the snake on the floor near the fire to warm him. The snake luxuriated in the heat and slowly uncoiled. Then the farmer’s youngest daughter reached out to pet the snake, and the snake delivered a vicious bite.
As the farmer clasped his dying daughter, he cried to the snake, “How could you? You promised me you wouldn’t hurt my family!”
And the snake, as it slithered away, hissed, “Don’t act so surprised. You knew what I was when you picked me up.”
That’s kind of how I feel about writing for content mills including Demand Media. Most of them are upfront about their policies and about the rate of pay they offer. They don’t deceive writers or make false promises. Like the farmer with the snake, I knew exactly what they were when I picked them up. It’s up to me to make decisions that ensure my time spent writing for them is profitable. If I spend three hours writing a $15.00 article, for instance, that’s not them taking advantage, it’s me making unwise choices about the best use of my time.
In conclusion, I’m not trying to defend Demand Media and some of their more objectionable practices. But before you make the decision to give them a pass based on what you’ve been told about them, give them a look. If you’re familiar with many of the topics and can discipline yourself to write to their very specific guidelines, they can be a good source of extra income when business is slow.
I’ve never regretted a moment of the time I’ve spent writing for them–and yes, I do use my real name.
