Please help me talk to my writers

If you are a writer, getting feedback on your work is difficult when you write for websites. The people who are paying you probably aren't going to take the time to point out problems. They just won't hire you again. This is very different from writing when you work for a company. Usually you have coworkers who can give you feedback, or an editor that will certainly let you know what can be improved, and a manager that is evaluating your work.

That consistent review, feedback, and support is missing if you aren't in that environment.

 

If you are really looking for the Wiki format of article writing, why don't you just do it? Show it. Show what you want exactly. It makes it much more easier to your writers to do their job once they know what you want out of them.

 

my advice is think of it as if your a teacher. A student turns in their essay and you can see it is clearly unacceptable. As a teacher what would you say to your student? Also be honest. If you didnt like how or what they wrote tell them hey no offence but i dont like this because a...b.... and c. I am trying to get into writing a little myself and i would appreciate if someone told me why they werent happy with my work so that i can work on it harder and better. If you lose so many writers maybe you arent hiring the right people. But thats just my opinion.

 

Will, the problem may lay on another place.
Let me explain:
Sometimes, professional writers DO understand you,
and they DO know what is possibly wrong with their articles.
However, they are still freelancers of yours;
means they have children, wife, life.

If you offer them a bit extra from what they are used to get, they will deliver a better content. But if they know (know from within!!) that they will be hired for the longest term possible, I'm sure they will deliver with a much better content, and will be open minded to hear your remarks.

From what I can tell, you explain yourself correctly,
it's just the insult you don't wan't to reach; You don't to piss them off by your remarks - so give the above inherent incentives.

After a year you'll get *5 fold writers.
Then you'll start to eliminate.
After all, it's your time, and you should stay with the best.

Just my two cents.

Cheers
Not Registered

 

I don't mean to go against your set goals in mind, but what if you simply hired better writers? Try screening them next time. Have test essays for the sole purpose of hiring the best writers possible.

Just out of curiousity, could you tell me more about your business? It fascinates me...

 

The "better writers" would never agree to test essays.

 

Normally I would strongly disagree, but it's you who is saying this. Could you backup your statement? I thought things like this were mandatory among higher paying writing jobs?

 

It's actually the opposite. Higher paying clients generally don't disrespect a professional writer enough to ask for custom samples, and if they did, they'd definitely end up paying for it. It's just generally not done outside of the cheap content writing world. A client should be looking at a portfolio of past pieces, and not demanding custom samples.

 

I see. I was meaning more of a job opening type thing. So you just give them a link to your portfolio, and decline a test? Demanding a test would also make sure that the article writer in question did not merely copy and paste information.

I'll take your word for it, you seem to know a lot about the subject. I could learn lots from you

 

Yes, you'd give them your portfolio info, and you could have a list of clients posted, to give them an idea of who you've worked for as a sort of verification. The copy/paste concern generally comes from people who have never worked with a professional writer, and who have been burned by scammers. But if they want to work with professionals, it's a different game quite frankly, and they can't treat them quite the same way as you would a brand new writer or someone without much of a reputation. It also depends on how desperate you are for work, and how low you're willing to go pay-wise. Some writers are fine doing things like that. I choose not to work with people who disrespect me from the beginning by devaluing what I do enough to ask for free samples when I have plenty of portfolio pieces available, or the ones who start a working relationship with threats of copyscape... I accept that they're not used to a professional playing field, turn them down, refer them to someone else sometimes, and move onto the next client. If you're just starting out, you may not be able to be as picky immediately, but in the end you need to respect yourself, not undervalue your time, and work with people that respect what you can offer.

 

I have noticed this myself. I do freelance article writing, and can only do around 12 cents a word before seeing a shortage of work. Hope that increases soon, as I have had over 20 DP clients now.

Anyway could you give me pointers, or a history of your own dealings in the world of writing?

 

I don't want to keep hijacking this thread, so I'll PM you.

 

Could you share your knowledge with me too? I always find your posts informative.

 

I have always been opposed to using "test essays", because I prefer to pay for what I get. It's the Randian in me.

I don't mind paying for an article or two from a new writer, just to see what they've got.

I do mind having to terminate my relationships with writers because I can't get them to meet my requirements. That makes me a very unhappy camper.

The other thing which makes me unhappy is reading content from "professional" writers which is almost unreadable. That happens quite frequently. I have dozens of articles waiting to be published that I can't force myself to read. And I've paid for those articles. I own them, but I can't force myself to try to read them -- they are that poorly written.

The way I see it, there are two possible causes of a failed relationship between myself and a writer:

1. Me
2. The writer

I can't do much about the second. Some people just can't write -- or can't write in English.

About the first, it seems to me that my biggest problem is communicating my requirements. They seem so simple and clear to me. Unfortunately, lots of other people have shown some level of disagreement concerning their clarity.

I have put together a document listing what I know here: FAQ Writing Guidelines.

Unfortunately, I don't really know what I know. What I mean is that I have a lot of knowledge in my head that I have never written down -- or even verbalized. It's just random bits of data scattered across my neurons.

One thing which has really surprised me is how many writers have approached me after reading this thread. Basically, this thread is about how much of an idiot I am and how difficult I am to work with -- and that somehow attracted writers to wanting to work with me? I knew writers were masochists, but this doesn't seem remotely sane.

The end result is that I am now having the same difficulties, but with twice as many writers.

Comments on the FAQ Writing Guidelines will be most appreciated, even if I have to lock my ego in the basement.

 

You attracted the writers who like to work with people who know what they want.

 

So... now that I have written FAQ Writing Guidelines, what should I do when writers turn in content that is not usable?

Actually, that's two questions:

1. What should I do when writers turn in content that is unusable and in clear violation of the FAQ Writing Guidelines?

2. What should I do when writers turn in content that is unusable due to issues that are not clear in the guidelines or are not mentioned in the guidelines?