Anybody written for Examiner.com? I'd like some perspective

I'm considering going through the process of applying to "cover" a local college team for Examiner.com and was curious if any of you out in SJ land have done any work for them.

I know I won't be making a mint, but I'm in one of those situations where my hours have been cut back drastically (at least until August) and am in need of some income.

I know it's not the ideal avenue, but was just hoping to get some opinions on what I might expect as far as how much $$$ (if any) to expect and the like.

If nothing else, something to just tide me over until things pick back up.

Thanks for any feedback.

 

I'm considering going through the process of applying to "cover" a local college team for Examiner.com and was curious if any of you out in SJ land have done any work for them.

I know I won't be making a mint, but I'm in one of those situations where my hours have been cut back drastically (at least until August) and am in need of some income.

I know it's not the ideal avenue, but was just hoping to get some opinions on what I might expect as far as how much $$$ (if any) to expect and the like.

If nothing else, something to just tide me over until things pick back up.

Thanks for any feedback.

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Ditto on this post and, really, about any of these "looking for freelance writers" sites. I've never done PayPal, but a lot of them use that as thei pay base. Anyone with experience/tips/feedback?

 

It's my understanding that folks who do stuff for Examiner.com don't get paid a dime - at least those who are just starting out.

In my mind, it's one of those things you just don't want to be affiliated with.

 

I considered writing for them -- until I found out that writers' pay depends on the number of hits you get. So if you don't have time to self-promote and spam everyone you know to generate your own traffic... you could be working for pennies. PENNIES! AND they make you commit to producing several stories regularly, even if your beat is in a lull. (If it's a stopgap gig for you, try to negotiate a short contract.)

 

In general, the "looking for freelancers" ads are not worth it. They pay nothing or next to it. I suppose there are exceptions, but don't expect to make tons of cash from any of them.

 

Very recently I have heard that their rate is $.01 per page view. And for that platform 2,000 page views ($20) is a lot for one post. If it's someone breaking into the business or someone who wants to stay active, there are side benefits; you can get credentials because it's a legit news organization, and the sites do seem to come up via Google search. But if you're already in the biz writing and your only goal here is supplementing the income, you'd do better working part-time in retail or something.

 

I know one guy who writes for them, but he has made absolutely squat. However, he did get a job with another Web site that pays him full-time. So, basically there is opportunity if you are looking to catch a break through unconventional ways.

 

I actually wrote for Examiner.com while covering one of the local pro beat's.

I figured it would be a way to supplement my income.

I was wrong. It literally pays $0.01 per hit to your site. Basically, it works out that you need to generate all of your own traffic. I thought I could be successful by using a bunch of different message boards that have cult followings on the subject... write a regular post on the message board and put the link in my sig. That worked until the mods on those sites caught on and realized that I was pumping my own tires. They removed the link and banned it from the site.

After that, it becomes pretty much impossible to make any legitimate progress short of paying for advertising. That's obviously not cost effective.

But, I can tell you that if you are a household name (which I am obviously not) - or a true authority on the subject - you can make a decent amount of money. The guy who is a sideline reporter for the Golden State Warriors (I think they have Comcast SportsNet out there) makes legit bank off of Examiner.com. The hit reports are public and he is pulling in somewhere around $30-40k per year just from Examiner... he has a loyal following, people who come to read every day and he usually posts more than once a day.

For me, it was more trouble than it was really worth. I did it for about six months, posting two to three times per week, and I think I made about $125 in all. And the majority of that was because the Uni blog at ESPN.com linked one of my posts and sent a shitload of hits my way.

It can't hurt to try if your desperate....... but I wouldn't go after it for credentials, if that's what you're really looking for.... I've heard the site mentioned in other press boxes in a bad light.

Plus, it isn't a legit news organization like someone else on here said. Just because it is owned by the parent company of the Washington and San Francisco Examiner (free) dailies doesn't mean that your content is viewed by an editor.

 

thanks all for your responses.

I'm not looking to do it just to get credentials for games. The school I would cover for them, I already have great relations with the media relations staff and know getting credentials would not be an issue.

And I'm not looking to generate clips. I've got close to 300 with my current employer (been there close to five years), and we've just hit that lull until preps start back. Still pulling one night on the desk (as opposed to being there 4-5 a week, plus covering games and writing features)

Past summers, I've had something else to tide me over until August. I can't even tell you how many jobs I've applied to since January to try and latch on and just do something in anticipation of this day coming, and nothing has panned out. Not even stocking shelves at Home Depot, or any of the other numerous part-time jobs I've looked into.

Just wanted to see if it was worth the time, and it sounds like it would not be, even if I think I would add some legitimacy to the place.

Just thought it would be cool to "cover" a college beat (since I rarely get the chance to do that for my rag), at least with the major sports.

Was hoping to pull in a couple hundred bucks a month as a stopgap, but it doesn't look like that is possible without becoming robospammer.

I'll keep looking

 

I dont make enough to survive but make a few hundred dollars covering Hollywood for the site and it is great also for the contacts. I have done movie premieres, press round tables, Spirit Awards, E3 with credentials.

 

Friend (and a let-go peer) has started covering the local college for one examiner site. Says he doesn't expect to make any money on it, with the penny-per-view model, but is doing it to keep his writing somewhat sharp as he looks for a full-time gig in the general area.