Requested Content report suggestions

[Debbi]

Is it possible to add a column to the Requested Content page that will show how many articles have been submitted to a public request? If the buyer only wants 1 or 2 articles and 45 articles have been submitted, that request probably won't be as high on my priority list as one that asks for 100 articles and 45 have been submitted.

Also, is there any way to ask a buyer making a public request to click a No, Thank You button when they review a submission? I had the good fortune to have a buyer send me a message praising my submission but letting me know it wasn't quite what he was looking for, but others don't sen dany response.

And, lastly, is there a way to let the author know that the buyer making the request has looked at their submission? I have wondered, if the 3-day period is over the weekend or a holiday, perhaps the buyer is not looking at the submitted article before it goes to public viewing?

Thank you for your patience with my newbie questions,

Debbi

New to CC,

Debbi

[jrichards]

Hi Debbi,

Thanks for the ideas! Fresh eyes on teh site are always a great help to point out the aspects that can be refined!

Having a column that lists how many articles are submitted to a request, is something that we've talked about. I have mixed feelings as sometimes, people have good success submitting to articles long after the request is considered old. I'd be interested to hear what others think about this idea.

The idea of having a "No, Thank You" Button actually is already built into the system, customers can decline the content and that will send a note out to the author. That said I'm sure that we could refine the system somewhat so that it is better utilized.

Regarding letting authors see when the article has been viewed, I think that one may have to be a little ways down the pipeline at the moment.

Welcome to CC and Thanks for your input!
-jrichards
Constant-Content.com

[HayleyWriter]

Actually, authors can already tell if the requestor has looked at the submission - by the number of hits. If there are no hits on the article in the first three days, you can assume the requesting customer has not yet seen the submission. Usually, there is at least one hit in the first few days.

Hayley

[jrichards]

Ah ha! Good thinking Hayley!

[audrabianca]

This is not entirely true.

[canywriter]

Yes, this was something I had mentioned in another thread - I thought it was a glitch and happened only then. But on checking recently I noticed that articles submitted for requests are usually available for all to view on the profile page.

[Debbi]

Ah, I did receive a notice saying my article had been "rejected" by the person posting a public request. But I don't think it had the article's name anywhere in the message? I knew which one since I had only submitted one but wondred how I would know if I'd submitted a dozen. Is there any way to include the title of the article submitted in the message, and also have it say "Your article, "How to Make a Living as a Free Lance Writer", was not chosen by the buyer SoandSo." or something a little less harsh than "rejected". I know it's just semantics but until I grow a thicker skin, getting rejected is painful! Haha


Debbi

[charmbaker]

Greetings everyone - this is in response to the question of alerting authors to the number of submitted articles to a customer's request. I say it's a toss up. I fully get not wanting to put an article on the "priority list of things to write" if there are already multiple submissions for one requested article. On the other hand, personally speaking, moving it off my "priority" list translates into not writing the article at all! It's not that I necessarily plan it that way, but that's the way it ends up. Believing there's still a possibility the article will sell pushes me to get it written. The worst thing that could happen is I'll just have one more good piece to add to my forest of evergreens:)

[Debbi]

I guess I was thinking more of articles that are so specific to the buyer that it could never sell to anyone else, like something about their specific company or web site. Of course if it's a general article--dog training or eradicating garden pests--then there would probably be another buyer someday, but if it's about Mr. Froggy's Pet Store in Frogtown, Arkansas, is there really going to be a chance someone else will want it?

I know I shouldn't worry about that and just see every request as an opportunity to hone my craft. I think I am just panicking a bit becuase I am on the edge where money is concerned. I'll try to calm down and forge ahead, building up my portfolio and hoping something clicks with someone out there

Debbi

[Celeste Stewart]

Actually, those narrow requests are among my favorites because few writers bother - makes it more likely that my article will get picked In fact, some of my best and biggest clients initially requested extremely narrow or technical articles that no one else bothered to go for. Here it is years later and I'm still writing for those same clients. The gamble paid off.

[Debbi]

I'm so glad to hear that! I guess if you think of each request as an audition of sorts, writing about anything is well worth it.

Here's a question for everyone out there. How long does it usually take you to write an article? I know it dpeneds on how much research you do, but let's say all the research is done. What's your average writing time?

Debbi

[Celeste Stewart]

That's a trade secret It varies depending on the complexity of the topic, the budget, and so forth. It can be anywhere from 200 words an hour to over 1000 an hour for me but there are so many variables, it's tough to give a set answer.