The New Revision System: Honest Fedback

[TjCharles]

Note: this pertains only to the catalog half of the site.

I'll be blunt: I think this is a very bad idea.

Granted, you have many, many great clients. But there are people out there who will always find the weakness in any system. They are going to take advantage, and the writers are going to suffer for it.

For instance, your email isn't clear on whether or not we will be able to refuse a revision request. If we refuse, and the client doesn't buy, haven't they seen 100% of the article? Blackhatters will use this break in the system to get access to articles. Then they'll use OCR software to rip them. Additionally, if there is no minimum for revisions, we are also going to be bombarded by requests to revise an article for $5-$10. This won't happen right away, but it will happen. In the time that I can personalize or revise an article for $10, I can write another that will fetch me $30.

The big appeal of your catalog system is that we don't have to deal with clients. We can write something for a popular niche and let someone buy it when they happen to come along. Volume = sales. This new system is going to require a lot of micromanagement, and that takes away a lot of the appeal.

I'm all for giving clients more choice, but if they are buying from a catalog of articles it seems silly to allow them to request revisions.

You say, "Again, you'll be able to negotiate a rate for these types of revisions." I may be wrong about this, but I seriously doubt the people who contribute to your catalog on a regular basis are going to want to do this. Many of us sell content from our own sites or else have thriving content businesses. Time is money.

Finally, put yourself in our shoes.

Do you want this:

"Constant-Content Article Sold!"

Or,

"A Customer has requested a revision."

[PaulMaplesden]

I've just had a look at the email from Constant Content, and I think it just applies to requests for content from clients, not catalog sales; from their email (emphasis mine):

'We're writing you today to announce we've just rolled out a new feature that will improve communication with your clients on Constant Content. Our new Revision System makes it easy for your clients to clearly explain what changes they would like you to make to content they order from you.'

By the looks of it, this just means that the revision process for custom, special order content has been refined, not for general catalog content. At least, that's how I read it.

[TjCharles]

If only

"Similarly, if a client purchases an article of yours from the catalog, they can ask you to make a revision but will need to offer you a price for you to do this. Again, you'll be able to negotiate a rate for these types of revisions."

[Lysis]

For private requests, I'm willing to do revisions depending on the price. It really depends for me. I think you have a solid point that the commission we pay is OK since there is really no more work on our end and we get to write and wait for a sale with little marketing on our side. I show 100% content in my catalog, so the buyer gets exactly what he sees. Even then I still get chargebacks occasionally and it's pretty frustrating.

Maybe it would help to add to the writer profile. Put something about revision charges. Then, show those charges on the confirmation page when the buyer goes to buy the article? This way there is no confusion (well, we know some people will still argue about it!)

I guess we have to wait to see how it turns out. Most of my revisions have been for private requests, so there's more money and interpersonal relationships. I imagine that someone who comes here to buy some content really quickly for a blog or whatnot is not looking for a big back-and-forth process either, so it might be a moot point for open catalog buyers. I wouldn't be surprised if most buyers actually like the distance between them and the writer so they don't have to deal with anything more than just paying for something they like and putting it up on their blog. If there is some minor change, then it's just easier to make it yourself instead of waiting a couple of days to deal with a writer.

[Constant]

For instance, your email isn't clear on whether or not we will be able to refuse a revision request. If we refuse, and the client doesn't buy, haven't they seen 100% of the article? Blackhatters will use this break in the system to get access to articles. Then they'll use OCR software to rip them. Additionally, if there is no minimum for revisions, we are also going to be bombarded by requests to revise an article for $5-$10. This won't happen right away, but it will happen. In the time that I can personalize or revise an article for $10, I can write another that will fetch me $30.

You can refuse revision requests. However, this is an upsell opportunity and another way that you can turn a catalog buyer into a client that requests custom content from you.

Clients are only able to request revisions on catalog content if they've already purchased the Full Rights to it. So, they won't be able to see all your content without first buying it.

[TjCharles]

Thanks for the info.

It's good to know that they can only request a revision if they've paid for full rights.

Still don't think it's in a writer's best interest to do revisions on a catalog article when they can just write 1-3 more new ones and submit them to the site. I don't imagine that clients are going to be willing to pay very much for revisions when they've already spent $50-$100 for the article itself. Also, revisions and rewrites require a lot of back and forth, and some clients are very hard to please. This offsets the value of the upsell, at least where the writer is concerned.

I, too, am just fine with the commission you take. I think it's a good deal. But that will change if I have to do a lot of extra work just to make catalog sales. It's good to know that I can refuse, but eventually clients will only deal with writers who entertain—inexpensive—revision requests. At least, that's how things typically go. There is entropy in every system.

It's not even about me wanting more money. If I had all the time in the world, I would do the revisions for free. You have some great clients who are willing to pay fair prices. The issue is that it doesn't make fiscal sense for me to do paid revisions when I can write other articles in that time that are likely to sell for full price.

I think the catalog should remain a catalog. But hey,it's your playground .

Yeah, let's just see how it turns out, I guess.

[LauraGinn]

For instance, your email isn't clear on whether or not we will be able to refuse a revision request. If we refuse, and the client doesn't buy, haven't they seen 100% of the article? Blackhatters will use this break in the system to get access to articles. Then they'll use OCR software to rip them. Additionally, if there is no minimum for revisions, we are also going to be bombarded by requests to revise an article for $5-$10. This won't happen right away, but it will happen. In the time that I can personalize or revise an article for $10, I can write another that will fetch me $30.

You can refuse revision requests. However, this is an upsell opportunity and another way that you can turn a catalog buyer into a client that requests custom content from you.

Clients are only able to request revisions on catalog content if they've already purchased the Full Rights to it. So, they won't be able to see all your content without first buying it.

I had a revision request today (sent via email) for an article in the catalogue. The buyer hasn't purchased the article, and the email I received doesn't mention the subject of the article so I'm not sure which article specifically he is referring to. The request seems small so I don't mind doing it, but I haven't received a 'revision request'. I'm just not sure if the buyers know that they need to have purchased the article first...

[TjCharles]

It should be baked into the system that they can't ask for a revision without buying the article first. It's very easy to do. My guess is it was a glitch. I hope.

Just out of curiosity, do you show 100% of the article? And, did the client offer any money for the revision, or did they just expect you to complete the revision in exchange for the sale?

IMO, doing revisions for free, no matter how small, will set a bad precedent. These things have a way of snowballing.

[LauraGinn]

Well I emailed the client back asking which article he is referring to. When he replies I may direct him to the revision request information page (I assume there is one), because I don't fancy making changes to an article and going through the proofreading process again if I'm altering the article to his needs.

I always show 100% of my articles (I haven't had any problems so far touch wood), and the client didn't offer any extra money for the revision, even though what he requires will make the article longer.

I really need to discuss it with him when he replies. I just wanted to get the word out that I'm not sure the buyers understand the revision request process, so perhaps it should be made clearer? I haven't really looked to see what info is available to clients though, so...

[Lysis]

Did they just ask for a revision or did they say they wanted a different angle? In my mind, a revision for an article where the writer shows 100% is probably going to be along the lines of "Can you add this angle?" or "Add more words" or something of that nature.

[LauraGinn]

Did they just ask for a revision or did they say they wanted a different angle? In my mind, a revision for an article where the writer shows 100% is probably going to be along the lines of "Can you add this angle?" or "Add more words" or something of that nature.

They wanted extra content adding to the article - I'm happy to do it but I'm still waiting to hear from them regarding which article specifically it is. I'm just not sure if they realise they will have to pay more for the extra length, or that they need to have purchased the article before making revisions. What worries me is if I add to the length and have to resubmit the article through the normal way, I could be waiting up to a week for approval, and the client may then change his mind. I love the idea of upselling content, especially for posts that have been sitting around for ages, I'm just not sure that the new revision option has been made as clear as it possibly could be.

[TjCharles]

Interesting. Hopefully just a glitch in the system.

A public service announcement: Please don't do revisions for free . When writers work for free, they contribute to the erroneous notion that writing is effortless. This impression informs a client's expectations when dealing with other writers.

IMHO, anything more than adding a few lines of customization should cost money.

[Lysis]

Just to speak from the other side of things (regarding your announcement), I'm on the editor side of the fence trying to find writers and it goes both ways. If writers want to be treated professionally, they need to be professional.

I seriously think this place has seen a lot worse than what I've seen.

[LauraGinn]

Just to speak from the other side of things (regarding your announcement), I'm on the editor side of the fence trying to find writers and it goes both ways. If writers want to be treated professionally, they need to be professional.

I seriously think this place has seen a lot worse than what I've seen.

I agree with you Lysis. I will do whatever I can to please a client as from experience, when I do go the extra mile, it tends to be repaid in other ways. Of course, there are people out there who will try and get something for nothing but I don't believe Constant Content is that kind of site. The clients on here are willing to pay good money for high quality work, and if altering an article will lead to further orders, I'm happy to comply. Of course, if a lot of extra work needs to be put into changing an article I will ask for compensation, but for a few extra sentences I don't mind doing it for free, especially if it's going to lead to more work in the future.

That said, I am still confused about the revision I've been asked for. Hopefully the client will be back at work tomorrow and will explain more Enjoy your evening.

[Lysis]

^ yeah, I had a really bad day yesterday, so my apologies if I came off as accusing any CC writers of being unprofessional. I am impressed with the authority and professionalism of a lot of people here. But, I can tell ya that the bad apples (and holy hell there are a lot of them) who called themselves writers are mucking up the industry and it's why people treat writers poorly. The demands about plagiarism checking are understandable. I've already caught 2 people plagiarizing and 1 supposedly went to college in the US. Writers who think copy/pasting an entire article and then rewording sentences is "writing" are numerous. I imagine the posts we get here from people saying they didn't plagiarize are from these types, because I've run into it a lot.