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

[blacktitleist]

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.

 

[MrBSquared]

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.

********

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?

 

[zebracoy]

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.

 

[ringer]

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.)

 

[da man]

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.

 

[LongTimeListener]

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.

 

[cyclingwriter]

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.

 

[seravaf]

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 ****load 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.

 

[playthrough]

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.

Worth repeating. There's just no way to quick riches for blogging or much of any internet writing not affiliated with the big boys.

 

[blacktitleist]

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

 

[sportsnut]

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.

 

[Editude]

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.

 

[vivbernstein]

There are several professional sportswriters on the site, including me. I am doing it to keep writing because my regular freelance income has dropped lately with the economy. One of the boxing writers is a former NY Post writer and makes very, very good money on examiner.com. He is the exception, though. Many writers don't make anything, in part because examiner.com attracts fans who aren't necessarily schooled in writing. The quality of copy is varied. I'm not making as much as the boxing writer, but I'm doing well enough to be teased by the possibility that I can build it into a significant source of income. It does help you learn what readers are interested in, and that is helpful in all of my ventures.

 

[HisNameIsAngel]

My experience with them so far has varied.

The money has meant nothing, averaging out to scraps and lunch money for a few days. I'm definitely not doing it for the Paypal payout. On the positive end, the managers and folks in charge appear genuinely committed to helping their writers achieve some kind of media credibility. They do their best impression of a legit employer, holding conference calls with Examiners to discuss changes to the site and share ideas.

But the negatives far outweigh the positives. The money's been discussed, but the editing situation is much worse. Outside of shortening headlines, there's no one available to fact-check or encourage writers to follow some kind of journalistic style. The majority of the reports are second-hand and the writers fail to credit their sources properly.

Ultimately, it feels like the site caters more to the fluff pieces about celebrities and regurgitated reports from credible news outlets.

Without echoing too much of what seravaf wrote, I really don't like the idea of promoting myself. Sadly, the folks over there encourage it. If the idea is for me to be paid (fractions of a penny) off ad revenue, I suppose I'd be better off trying my luck with my own site.

Not all gloom and doom though. I have been contacted by people who've read my examiner profile with some small freelance offers. Some of them good, some of them not so much. But that's the nature of the industry I suppose.

 

[Mizzougrad96]

A friend I know who has written for them said if you make a point to mention every celebrity in the history of the world in every story you write the story will appear in enough google news alerts that you MIGHT be able to make $20-$30 for a story like that.

 

[bob]

Just checked out several Boston-related stories. They're crap, just a few graphs of blogging by people I've never laid eyes on. They obviously have no team access. They're not going to make money with this stuff.

 

[tapintoamerica]

This proves what I've long said about the Internet: culturally vital, financially irrelevant to 98 percent of those who believe they can make money with it.

 

[HisNameIsAngel]

A friend I know who has written for them said if you make a point to mention every celebrity in the history of the world in every story you write the story will appear in enough google news alerts that you MIGHT be able to make $20-$30 for a story like that.

That, and find ways to make irrelevant topics somewhat relevant to the topic you examine. If it's a slow news day for your team, but a player who once played for the team you cover is somehow in the news, you can join in the overexposure and headline him as Ex-Bobcat arrested for whatever.

 

[MichaelJackSchmidt]

I wouldn't bother with Examiner.com and similar sites. You will make just pennies and you ultimately will have no control. If you're looking to write just to keep your name out there, the best thing to do is start a blog or Web site and try to create your own brand with it. After a while you can get some ads (your blogging service can help you set it up for free) and make a few cents here and there. You won't get rich, but at least you'll be in full control of it and prospective employers will it find more credible.

 

[rmanfredi]

I'm probably the exception that, for me, the positives outweigh the negatives for writing for Examiner.com. I mainly started writing to gain credibility within sprint car and midget racing, and it's made a big difference to be able to tell a track promoter or series PR guy that I write for a major national news site with more than one million page views each day versus my own start-up blog that no one has heard of before.

The pay sucks. That's just what it is, and unless you cover MMA or boxing, it seems like getting the number of hits daily to actually earn decent money is pretty much impossible. But I make enough to cover my travel expenses to races throughout California -- which I've been able to use to piggyback with freelance coverage for several local papers.

In the past year, I've gone from having no presence in the sport to getting writing gigs with the national magazines that cover the sports -- based on the recognition I've received from writing for Examiner.com. Yes, they want you to promote your own stuff -- but welcome to the world of online writing of any kind. Look at job listings now: how many of them are "Social Media Coordinators" or something similar? Promoting your own writing online is a valuable tool to have whether for your freelance career or if you are looking for some sort of business career in the future.

I would argue with the statement that you "ultimately will have no control" - for the most part, I've been left to my own devices to sink or swim and post pretty much what I want. Which is great if you're a good writer and lousy if you aren't -- as witnessed by fact that there is a lot of really awful writing on the site that detracts from the quality of the people who work hard and take things seriously.

I won't be with Examiner.com forever -- it's a jumping point for me, whether that's to more magazine/newspaper work or to start my own sprint car news site when the time is right. But if you are a younger writer looking for a place to cover sports that gives you some level of access and instant credibility, I think it's a viable option.

<what, more yummy Kool-Aid? Thanks!>