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Would you write for Links.com?

Posted by richrf • 5/27/08 • Subscribe to this Discussion [RSS] • Report This Topic
Topics: bloggers wanted, links.com, writers wanted

Hi everyone,

I am switching over to a new theme for www.links.com, that will look something like this:

www.revolutiontheme.com/news/

Because links.com has lots of visibility, and potentially much more visibility, it has been suggested to me by a member of this Blog forum, that I might want to seek out additional writers, who could write for the News site, in exchange for a link to their own blog/website.

I would be looking for some really good writers, in any of the popular subjects, e.g. entertainment, technology, games/gadgets, humor.

Let me know if you are interested, so I can decide whether to go ahead with this concept. Thanks.

Rich

User Comments

5/27/08

BennyGreenberg

and it pays....

[reply]
5/27/08

richrf

Hi there,

At this time, until I see what revenue I can derive from the project, there is no budget for writers. A writer can expect a link to their own blog, so it should be considered a way to market a blog/website as opposed to a revenue making proposition.

I was originally thinking about handling all of the writing myself. I have interests in finance, politics, health related matters, reality shows, news events. I am weak in other areas, which is why I am looking to see the level of interest that others my have in writing for the site. If there is no interest, then I'll probably go back to my original plan and build slowly.

Thanks for your interest.

Rich

[reply]
1. 5/27/08
  
  richrf
  
  Hi there,
  
  Yes, I am very aware of this from past experiences. There is an issue of quality control and continuity of perspective. So, I agree, that if I go in this direction, I would have to go at it very slowly to see what happens. Thanks much for your suggestions.
  
  Rich
5/27/08

drdental

My personal opinion is never to build too fast. Introduce guest writers slowly or you may have a problem controlling quality.

[reply]
1. 5/27/08
  
  richrf
  
  Hi there,
  
  Yes, I am very aware of this from past experiences. There is an issue of quality control and continuity of perspective. So, I agree, that if I go in this direction, I would have to go at it very slowly to see what happens. Thanks much for your suggestions.
  
  Rich
5/27/08

cooper

Not only quality, but I think anyone writing would want to see the quality of content ahead of time to be sure it wasn't just a copy paste or the same old thing as "Now Public" or trying to be "Newsvine" etc.

I think the guest writer to permanent writer might be an option to think about, and more people might be willing to give it shot that way.

[reply]
1. 5/27/08
  
  MadameX
  
  That makes sense. It would give people the opportunity to find out whether their sites benefitted from the relationship.
  
  Personally, I'd shy away because of the bad neighborhood associations and the high incidence of the word "links" (commonly associated with spam in the search engines "minds"), but for certain types of blogs/sites it might work out.
2. 5/27/08
  
  richrf
  
  Thanks, I am open to any ideas that writers might have. I am seeking out comments and suggestions from the community on how to best go about doing something like this. So I appreciate your comments and suggestions.
  
  Rich
3. 5/29/08
  
  PetLvr
  
  If I knew anything about SEO - i would probably write what MadameX said on a piece of paper, and try every new post to EFFECT change in the search engines ... to tie in some new phrase to be associated with Links.com
  
  You know - so when you do a generic google search for "best links" (or other term or phrase) .. your site pops up.
5/27/08

richrf

Hi,

I do understand the need for quality. Links.com is a very valuable name, and I am not going to undermine it with poor quality copy. My goal is to increase traffic and repeat visitors, with excellent content. At one time, I was getting about 2000 unique visitors/day. Even this is far short of the potential. Right now it is down to about 600 visitors a day, because I am bored with the subject matter. I rather write here than on my blog. So I do need to change direction and get something interesting going.

Any recommendations or suggestions are highly appreciated, and if you are interested in direct participation, let me know. Thanks.

Rich

[reply]
5/27/08

Chas2002

Hi richrf - I'll write.

I'd suggest that you have the potential writers detail what they expect to get out of writing for you (your domain name is a big plus and many will write just for the link).

Next they should submit two articles (not to be posted until you approve of the writing style and content). Once you approve - then setup an account and allow them to post the two articles.

Keep an eye on them for a while.

In addition, try to create catchy categories:
Shaken not Stirred (Spy genre) or is it Stirred not Shaken?
Mass Tender (Romance genre)
Finger Food (not sure) but you see where I'm going.

[reply]
1. 5/27/08
  
  richrf
  
  Hi there,
  
  Thanks for your comments and suggestions. I really like your recommendations, and would like to discuss this more with you. Where is the best place for me to get an idea about your writing style and the subject matter that you most like to write about?
  
  Thanks again for responding to my inquiry.
  
  Rich
5/28/08

Chas2002

Hi richrf,

I'm a technical writer and author:

ezinearticles.com/?Seven-Steps-to-Safeguard-your-PBX-System&id=226715

ezinearticles.com/?Management-Span-of-Control-and-The-Power-of-Models&id=10...

ezinearticles.com/?Contingency-Planning-and-Management---Disaster-Recovery&...

My Book: "Chaos Theorem" calendars.lulu.com/content/249842
"What is chaos? Some say it’s a state of extreme confusion and disorder. Others say it’s one of the earliest gods; a god that represented the eternity, the infinity of space as it existed before the creation of the universe. Chaos Theorem: “A time catalyst system that drifts by planned and unplanned actions, producing projected and random results.” Chaos Theorem follows the Director of the House Committee of CIS Administration and U.S Senator, Abja Monis. Joining her are Dr. Joseph Mark DeSantis, a troubled mathematician and the stylist of the Chaos Theorem. A government geneticist, Caroline Brown and her father, a convicted criminal, Stephen Brown. The characters have plans and dreams like we all do and strive to fulfill them with actions and re-actions, but time and its hidden companion, teaches them a lesson – only one thing continues on forever, only one thing continues to grow and it battles chaos with each passing second."

But I've started writing other stories and other articles. You can see my new writing style here: www.vnertia.com/rss-feeds-yahoo-pipes-cool

Chas

[reply]
5/28/08

Chas2002

To the first person who can guess the answer to the above/below - I'll register and post a good article on your site..

"The characters have plans and dreams like we all do and strive to fulfill them with actions and re-actions, but time and its hidden companion, teaches them a lesson – only one thing continues on forever, only one thing continues to grow and it battles chaos with each passing second."

What is the hidden companion to time?
What is the one thing?

Chas

[reply]
1. 5/29/08
  
  rearvumirr
  
  fear?
2. 5/29/08
  
  thenibblers
  
  Chas,
  
  My guess would be knowledge...
  
  making order of chaos - thus the battle
  and it has grown in each species either genetically or learned since life began.
  
  The only problem is without life it is non-existent so it has not existed as long as time, and theoretically has the possibility of vanishing.
  
  just my thoughts
3. 5/29/08
  
  richrf
  
  "The only problem is without life it is non-existent so it has not existed as long as time, and theoretically has the possibility of vanishing."
  
  Maybe only as life as we know it. But life can exist in forms, that we are still discovering as we search and learn.
4. 5/29/08
  
  thenibblers
  
  very true!
  
  I feel it is a pretty good guess!
  
  We will have to wait for Chas and see
5. 5/29/08
  
  Chas2002
  
  thenibblers is the winner.
  
  "My guess would be knowledge..."
  
  That's the exact word I was looking for and that's what "Chaos Theorem" is about.
  
  I shall post on your site as agreed.
  
  Thanks,
  Chas
5/29/08

richrf

Very cool.

In my cosmology, I would answer your riddle with Mind. Mind, for me, is eternal and always expanding (learning), and it is constantly creating form out of chaos.

I'm going to check out your articles and thanks for getting back to me. I really like your work.

Rich

[reply]
1. 5/29/08
  
  Chas2002
  
  So close - I'm looking for one word.
5/29/08

PetLvr

it has been suggested to me by a member of this Blog forum, that I might want to seek out additional writers, who could write for the News site, in exchange for a link to their own blog/website.

For 600-2000 visitors a day .. it's hard to believe that you are not earning any revenues from the ads - but, in case you are not - you have two choices

1) make sure that you have an "Advertise Here" link on the new theme and offer both text links and banner advertising options - this way, you can earn money and put it back into the 'business' and use the proceeds to pay for writers

2) If you are not making anything now - it doesn't hurt - does it? Come up with some shared revenue option for the writers .. say, perhaps you get 30% cut and the rest is split prorata by the number of posts per month as a hole (e.g. if you post 60% of the posts, you would get 30% + 60%of70% and 40%of70% is shared among the other writers.. // or, you could share it based on traffic - but, that's hard to manage by posts or by author, and sometimes the success of a multi-author site is based on the total picture, not just the efforts of one individual.

[reply]
5/29/08

akaneikegami

It is good. May I ask, how to join the board?

[reply]
5/29/08

ccRicers

Some topics, including games and tech are very competitive and being the first to report about something is incredibly tough. I suggest that you don't get burned out by writing on such a breadth of topics, and steadily take in additional writers.

I am particularly interested in being a games writer, as I know a wealth of gaming-related sites, some big, some overlooked. I wasn't able to keep my own gaming blog afloat as its only staff member, but on a site with other writers and visitors, my writing would be put to more constructive use.

BTW, that's one of the best domains I've seen. I can only imagine how much money you had to fork over to get that domain!

[reply]
5/29/08

richrf

Hi there everyone,

Thanks for the comments and suggestions. Let me try to catch up and respond to everyone who was kind enough to offer me some assistance:

@PetLvr

I think your comments are right on point. I should be able to make much more revenue, if I can find a theme that will attract and keep visitors. Finding a good theme that I can stick with has been a challenge. I was thinking about finding advertisers, but I thought it might be better to first stabilize the site content and demographics before trying to sell ads directly (Adsense is unfortunately a joke nowadays).

Revenue sharing is always a possibility, but somewhat of an accounting nightmare. Also, as you suggest, it is difficult to come up with a formula that is fair to everyone. My approach will probably be to test out ideas, and if things start working out, to pay good writers for the work that they are providing. I always think it terms of win-win.

@akaneikegami

If you, or anyone else, is interested in writing for Links.com, just leave a message here, with some idea of what you would like to write about and some samples of your writing, if you have any. I am still working on installing the new theme for the site, Revolution News, so once that is in place, and i have had a chance to think through the strategy for the site, I can approach all individuals who have expressed interest. I apologize, that I cannot discuss things with you immediately, but I have to put things in place in the necessary progression to avoid chaos.

@ccRicers

I think I game column would be superb. Right now I come up in the top ten Google SERP for "game links" and number three for "video links". "TV links" is a competitive set, and I am still trying to keep myself in the top 20. I think I was number 14 on my last look. At one time I was in the top ten, before it became so competitive. I think I am in the top 10 for Best Links, though it is very weird for "Links". Sometimes I am in the top three and sometimes I am not there at all. Not sure why.

I've had the name registered since 1998, so I didn't have to fork over anything for it. It is a very nice name, and I am hoping to build a very nice site on it, that is fun and interesting for people to visit.

Thanks everyone for all of your assistance, comments, suggestions. I am very open to any comments, positive, negative or what ever. I appreciate them all.

Thanks again,

Rich

[reply]
5/29/08

Chas2002

Thanks Rich,

I think you're spot on in your approach and the name is your goldmine. You should rally around your thoughts to get the best theme/concept for your site.

Ever thought of hosting other sites who might want your lead "Links.com"? For example: Maybe links.com becomes a blog host site, hosting sites centered on Videos and Movie blogs? Just giving you some ideas.

Chas

[reply]
1. 5/29/08
  
  thenibblers
  
  Hey Chas,
  
  You did not tell us how close we were with the answer above???
  
  thanks - now the curiousity is killing me!
5/29/08

richrf

Hi Chas,

In terms of a business, it is somewhat important to preserve the integrity of the name. If I allow people to do what they want with subdomains, as an example, then it could lead very rapidly to a deterioration of the value of the name. This is one of the reasons, I am rather conservative with outlinks.

But I am entirely open to ideas, that allow the site to expand without creating a chaotic environment. I liked your ideas and will definitely follow up.

Thanks again for all of your suggestions.

Rich

[reply]
5/29/08

akaneikegami

Yes, I am interested. But, what is the articles criteria that you are looking for? Like entertainment or politics?

[reply]
1. 5/29/08
  
  richrf
  
  No criteria right now. If you can, just give me an example of what you love to write, if you have something. Just so I get an idea. Thanks.
  
  Rich
5/30/08

Chas2002

Hi Richrf,

I'm a big user of yousendit.com for my business and as I was using it today I thought. Links.com would be a great domain for such a service. I'm not sure if you want to stay as a blog - but take a look at yousendit and imagine "linking" to uploaded files hince "links.com"

Chas

[reply]
5/30/08

akaneikegami

I love to write on what I observe daily. I have no specific categories. You can view samples of my writings in my blog which is www.mochaquest.com

[reply]
5/30/08

nateisablog

Sounds interesting to me. I am a comedy writer. My blog is nateisablog.blogspot.com. I'm pretty much just looking for any writing gigs that would pay me to write comedy.

[reply]
5/30/08

richrf

Hi Chas,

Yousendit, is a terrific idea, but I think it would take a huge investment in the infrastructure if I were to pursue the idea, which would in turn require me to seek outside investments - something that I would like to put off for as long as possible (outside investors want at bigger chunk of the action, if the business needs to be developed from scratch). I am going to look over the features of the site and see what they are delivering. My guess though, that it would take several hundrdeds of thousands of dollars, of initial investment, to get things rolling. The site has to be very reliable and secure, as well has handle a massive amount of data transfer.

Thanks very much for the idea.

Rich

[reply]
5/30/08

richrf

He there nateisablog and akaneikegami,

Thanks for the links to your blogs. I'll be reading them, and getting back to you shortly. Thanks again.

Rich

[reply]