Every time Deb Ng posts something like this, defending her right to take on a sponsor, it makes me angry. Before I go off on what many will consider a rant, let me be clear about my own affiliations.
1. I sell my writing services to Demand Studios.
2. I sell my services to Deb for the FWJ Newsletter.
I am not a paid mouthpiece for either. If either offered me payment to agree with every aspect of what they think, say or do- you can bet I'd fall back into a cruder form of communication which would involve an unsavory bit of sign language. Then I would resign from both.
Before coming on board with FWJ, I supported Deb and FWJ. When a writers asked where to go for advice or leads, I pointed them here. My encouragement to visit always included 'the readers are not just readers, it's a community of smart, helpful folks.'
Then the Demand s***storm came about. Like a lot of you, I was shocked that Deb had them as a sponsor. You see, about 2 years ago I applied to DS. Anyone remember when you wrote sample articles and posted them on eHow for evaluation? Yep- that's when I had gotten on with them. I never saw payment for those articles, either. They ticked me off by claiming they'd moved to new management and a new system- my files were 'lost'. Seems my invoice was lost in the mail, twice.
So I went on a raging crusade against them. I told writers to beware. I refused to touch my account there. Then, as I said, Deb posted her news about DS sponsoring FWJ.
I had hit a rough time, finacially. A short time before, I'd lost almost $2,000 USD a month when a client decided to use an article spinner. With a family of 6, you cannot afford losing such a client. So I wondered if my account with Demand Studios was still active. Lo and behold, it was- I logged in and started tooling around the system. The titles seemed easy enough and the guidelines, pfeh- any professional writer already follows most of them.
My first week back at Demand, I was able to catch up the bills. I had cash left over. I had a tiny safety net in case the emails sent out over the week received no replies. No, it was not and is not the best source of income out there. Still, DS supplies more than $1 per 500 words that you see on Craigslist and some bidding sites.
When the insults and flame war around the blogosphere got going, I jumped in with both feet to stand up for Deb. In forums. On the blogs of others. I saw Deb out there defending herself and being torn apart- with hardly a peep from anyone else in her corner. Sorry to any of you that were in her corner- but I didn't see you.
Like other DS writers, I've been called trash, a hack and the reason that rates for writers has dropped. Can you imagine how that makes someone that is working hard to support their family feel? If I or other writers working for DS dropped our workload and ran to grab a welfare check- what would we be then? When we are working, we are not leeching from taxpayer money.
Which would you prefer?
During the DS S***Storm of '09, I spoke to Deb at length. Through Skype and through email. I vividly recall Deb wondering if what she was doing was right for her community. The stress she went through. The way she handled herself with grace and treated those-even those that insulted her viciously to her face- with respect. The manner in which she held to her decision to help all writers- in every income bracket- and not back down.
Sure, there are those that will say it's easy to stand up for what you're PAID to believe in. If you believe that of Deb Ng and FWJ- you're a fool. You were not there or privy to the inner debate. You do not KNOW Deb. Sure, you might read the blog and assume you know how she thinks. What you see is the final result of a long, hard road paved with insults, finger pointing, doubt and hurt feelings.
In the end- I believe in Deb Ng. I believe in Demand Studios to a lesser degree. Maybe because I consider Deb a friend and DS a tool, is why Deb gets far more of my belief and trust. I also know that regardless of what DS does- Deb won't blow smoke up my rear.
Oh, one more thing. I mentioned I put together the newsletter each week for FWJ. At the time I was running through the Internet cheering Deb on- I was NOT part of the FWJ Team. There goes any conspiracy theory I might have been slapped with.
2 comments:
I have a great deal of respect for Deb Ng and appreciate those willing to stand up for her. It's sad that the writing community can be so judgmental. I signed up for DS too as a way to exercise my fast writing muscles. I have a business so I saw the money as a plus to flex those muscles. In addition, rather than write my own free articles to post on article sites, I could get paid and get promoted with sites that have good P/R. At the end of the day we all have our own lives and businesses to run. Until someone is rushing over to pay your mortgage and bills and feed your family then they really don't have the right to judge.
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