1. Advertising
    y u no do it?

    Advertising (learn more)

    Advertise virtually anything here, with CPM banner ads, CPM email ads and CPC contextual links. You can target relevant areas of the site and show ads based on geographical location of the user if you wish.

    Starts at just $1 per CPM or $0.10 per CPC.

Is DP a Positive Environment?

Discussion in 'Copywriting' started by jennifer.koebele, Sep 10, 2012.

  1. #1
    I have only been here a few months, although I am active on some other forums. I originally joined DP because I was told such good things about it. But in the past couple of weeks I have received messages warning that DP is not a good place for serious copywriters/ghostwriters.

    I haven't been around long enough to have a balanced opinion, but I have to say that I have been in contact with a handful of really great supportive writers. I have even been contacted by clients willing to pay reasonable rates for quality writing- unlike the marketers I was warned about (in search of .01/word articles). And I don't have an ad up yet!

    So I am opening this to my fellow writers and anyone else with an opinion- What has your experience been on DP?

    Jen
     
    jennifer.koebele, Sep 10, 2012 IP
  2. thsadmin

    thsadmin Notable Member

    Messages:
    4,889
    Likes Received:
    133
    Best Answers:
    1
    Trophy Points:
    240
    Digital Goods:
    2
    #2
    Depends on your motivations here, sure - there are some great people here & you may be able find some work opportunities. I am not in your niche so I can't speak about being an author. I do have experience in buying websites & selling websites, in this case I have all positive experiences. I always have a brief chat about the product at hand & negotiate the best deal, iTraders & reputation are often a starting point on ones trust... I have been in the game for several years now, so I can tell a scam/stooge thread or member from a mile away. There's always been scammers present - in the past few years though I have watched the forum slowly get worse & I rarely participate now... I am more inclined to lurk these days.
     
    thsadmin, Sep 10, 2012 IP
  3. jennifer.koebele

    jennifer.koebele Member

    Messages:
    31
    Likes Received:
    1
    Best Answers:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    38
    #3
    Thank you for your thoughts- especially since you are a lurker :) I appreciate your point of view, and I agree with the scam thread stuff. I'm glad you have had positive experiences with websites.

     
    jennifer.koebele, Sep 10, 2012 IP
  4. 1associate

    1associate Peon

    Messages:
    1,136
    Likes Received:
    10
    Best Answers:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    0
    #4
    It is difficult to fathom the reasons why some DP members participate in threads. They do not appear to read the thread post and reply by bashing out substandard prattle which lacks relevance, correct spelling or proper grammar. Some of these are seen advertising their writing services but what can employers expect for less than a penny per word?

    There must be those who want well written original content and will pay the official rate and some of those must be members here. I hope you find some.

    Overall, despite the negative tone above, I believe DP is a positive environment.
     
    1associate, Sep 10, 2012 IP
  5. sweetcrabhoney18

    sweetcrabhoney18 Banned

    Messages:
    1,296
    Likes Received:
    28
    Best Answers:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    140
    #5
    I agree with Thsadmin -- it's not as great as it was year or so ago. Once in awhile it's great but at times there are people who make it hard to enjoy the fun -- I lurk as well. I only discuss things I know I can help and just feel like it. :) In addition, I found great employees here compared to websites like odesk and elance simply because the people here just seem to care so much more and actually want to know who I am and the work I do. Depends on the location however -- it's positive if you make it positive. :)
     
    sweetcrabhoney18, Sep 10, 2012 IP
  6. sarahk

    sarahk iTamer Staff

    Messages:
    28,494
    Likes Received:
    4,457
    Best Answers:
    123
    Trophy Points:
    665
    #6
    As a Mod I hope you can see through the junk (posts, attitudes etc) to find the good people and the good content. I'd love it if you could report posts that are harrassing, selling in the wrong place (a problem in copywriting and why I'm here right now) or are just plain asking questions without searching first. If we work together we can keep the place clean and let the good stuff shine.
     
    sarahk, Sep 10, 2012 IP
    jennifer.koebele likes this.
  7. awundrin

    awundrin Well-Known Member

    Messages:
    680
    Likes Received:
    18
    Best Answers:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    130
    #7
    In my opinion the content creation forum has become a breeding ground for scammers and so-called writers who don't have the ability to string a few words together to make a sentence, let alone write an article. About two or so years ago, I could come here, drop a thread about needing work and find takers without much problem whatsoever. Of course, as word spreads that DP is free to join, all types of people are joining and unfortunately some are here just to rip people off while others who call themselves writers are starting threads so they can "write" articles for pennies. What to do about it? I don't know. I would be willing to pay to be a member of a writing sub-forum if it would help to clean this place up a bit.
     
    awundrin, Sep 11, 2012 IP
  8. YMC

    YMC Well-Known Member

    Messages:
    2,787
    Likes Received:
    404
    Best Answers:
    4
    Trophy Points:
    190
    #8
    The spammers and folks who seem to enjoy causing problems do some days appear to outnumber the 'good guys'. I suspect there's quite a few lurkers floating around who could add to the conversations if there were more quality ones.

    It is a marketplace where you can find work at all ends of the spectrum. The Buy-Sell-Trade area, particularly for writing/content, has a bit of a flea market atmosphere. Most of the good business takes place via private messages.
     
    YMC, Sep 11, 2012 IP
  9. averyz

    averyz Well-Known Member

    Messages:
    1,228
    Likes Received:
    167
    Best Answers:
    2
    Trophy Points:
    115
    #9
    I look at DP a few times a year just to keep up to date on the lasted stuff on the web. I have read though almost every section on the forum. Some are better then others but they usually have the same old threads and the same old scams.

    I am not a writer but the writing section is one of the few places on DP you Might... find a conversation that consists of more then "give me $5 and you will make $100 a week" "does anyone know where to find the best seo?...1..2..3.. yeah here is a link"
    Same old stuff just different user names.

    I don't try to make money from DP because too many people are willing to work for basically nothing.
    I have hired a few good writers from here, bought a few descent scripts, and files. you can find good deals. It is basically a 3rd world flea market/pirates bay.

    It has been positive for me but I have never expected much from DP just something to read on a break from work.
     
    averyz, Sep 11, 2012 IP
  10. thsadmin

    thsadmin Notable Member

    Messages:
    4,889
    Likes Received:
    133
    Best Answers:
    1
    Trophy Points:
    240
    Digital Goods:
    2
    #10
    Averyz - the part about "latest stuff on the web" made me laugh a little, I just left a thread based on the sale of Facebook to Microsoft that was made 5 years ago & is still active... the dick heads are still replying saying that Zuckerberg will never sell FB... http://forums.digitalpoint.com/showthread.php?t=489847&page=8
     
    thsadmin, Sep 11, 2012 IP
  11. averyz

    averyz Well-Known Member

    Messages:
    1,228
    Likes Received:
    167
    Best Answers:
    2
    Trophy Points:
    115
    #11
    ok you got me there. I guess just looking at stuff on the web. "Make money with email Viagra" "keyword meta tags"? lol
     
    averyz, Sep 11, 2012 IP
  12. jennifer.koebele

    jennifer.koebele Member

    Messages:
    31
    Likes Received:
    1
    Best Answers:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    38
    #12
    Great stuff guys! :) Needed a laugh this morning. Seriously, I do appreciate the feedback. There seems to be a consensus on some of the ridiculous article rates.
     
    jennifer.koebele, Sep 12, 2012 IP
  13. WebBuddy

    WebBuddy Well-Known Member

    Messages:
    1,364
    Likes Received:
    23
    Best Answers:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    100
    #13
    I agree with averyz on some counts, disagree on others.

    First of all let me welcome you here, Jennifer. Now, since you ask :) DP IS a great place to be, but it was far better 2 years ago. Now, it is a mixed bag of candies with the taste generally turning out to be sour. I joined DP when jhmattern (Jennifer Mattern) was still admin for copywriting section and any spammers were promptly kicked out. She used to encourage writers to charge prices they actually deserved and emphasized the "underworld" business of DP (stressing upon the fact that the sales threads usually brought in only the low-balling clients). When I started here, $1 per 100 words (a cent a word) was what the lowest most of the clients were offering. Now 1 cent a word is the best they are offering (or asking for) there ... there are a few exceptions to the rule with writers like Senobia and some others who are standing their ground. Back then, there used to be several experienced members who were participating eagerly and actively in the discussions in the copywriting section. Now, everything is more of a ho hum kind of a place but still its a forum where people pop in once in a while and look around and see if there is anything worthy of attention ... and answer. Lurkers like me usually find most of the stuff too repetitive or infantile that they don't wish to participate.

    Well, I don't know if any of that makes much sense... I was just rambling there. ;) What I do intend to suggest (if there is a mod listening) is that you take two very important steps:
    1. Make another BST> Content Creation and make it paid. So, all the writers (and clients) who are happy to accept (and pay) a cent per word or less, can stay where they are, and people who are willing to pay for quality can move over to the Paid Content Creation section (the charges can be nominal like $10 per month or for a fortnight), this will weed out at least some of the scammers.
    2. Actively moderate and interact with our audience here. The more experienced members can please take out time and make some quality threads. If every person (who isn't trying to sell their service here) makes one QUALITY thread asking sensible questions or discussing important matters regarding writing and copywriting (and not about how many articles can you write per day?!!), the quality of the (sub)forum may regain its stature after some time. We can't do much about the whole forum in general but we can try to revive the discussions in the CW section.
     
    Last edited: Sep 13, 2012
    WebBuddy, Sep 13, 2012 IP
  14. jennifer.koebele

    jennifer.koebele Member

    Messages:
    31
    Likes Received:
    1
    Best Answers:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    38
    #14
    Thank you!
     
    jennifer.koebele, Sep 16, 2012 IP
  15. aamir.alvi3

    aamir.alvi3 Member

    Messages:
    85
    Likes Received:
    2
    Best Answers:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    38
    #15
    I am afraid, I too share same concerns as yours above. Some people that I came across were rather abusive and started personal attacks on my services. But, it's all the same on internet media!
     
    aamir.alvi3, Sep 21, 2012 IP
  16. Maschit

    Maschit Peon

    Messages:
    156
    Likes Received:
    0
    Best Answers:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    0
    #16
    Welcome Jennifer, for my to doing real business that last long and not just 1-2 month wiped out as scammer.

    Long lasting business need to be real, honest, over expectation result, ON TIME

    scammer: different username, last 1-2 month, it not worth
     
    Maschit, Sep 21, 2012 IP
  17. kinghax

    kinghax Well-Known Member

    Messages:
    42
    Likes Received:
    0
    Best Answers:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    111
    Digital Goods:
    1
    #17
    Its a splendidn enviroment
     
    kinghax, Sep 21, 2012 IP
  18. chant

    chant Well-Known Member

    Messages:
    1,708
    Likes Received:
    64
    Best Answers:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    140
    #18
    This place has a rightly earned reputation of being like a flea market, as one poster above put it. I've also read more harshly described terms for DP.

    I don't find my work on here; for that, I go elsewhere. This place is mostly filled with people that value price over quality, and who don't have long-term vision for their online business and its potential. There are better ways to make a buck than writing 100 words for less than a penny a word.
     
    chant, Sep 23, 2012 IP