Aol’s Seed.com is up and running in its beta form. It is either a boon to freelancers far and wide, or a potential plague. At the moment we’re thinking plague. First, about Seed:
SEED assigns, buys and distributes work for all of AOL’s properties: more than 80 of the Web’s most highly trafficked and respected websites, including the world’s leading sites for music, style, TV, tech and more.
Ooohhh, sounds great. But it’s not really that simple, now is it? Let’s go to the FAQ!
Can an assignment be claimed only once, or can it be claimed by multiple contributors?
Multiple contributors can submit against the same assignment (up until the due date) and it is up to each SEED editor’s discretion if they choose to purchase a single submission or multiple submissions from the same assignment.
What happens when I submit content?
Our professional editors will review your content during a brief review period and decide to:
1) Accept and publish it on AOL’s network or third-party sites (exclusive license),
2) Accept and publish it on AOL’s network only (limited exclusive license),
3) Reject and not publish your content because it does not meet our quality standards or publishing terms.
NOTE: SEED will begin to accept non-exclusive content for submission in the first half of 2010.
Does submitting content mean I’ll automatically receive payment for it?
No. After you submit an article (or photo) in response to a content request, SEED editors review your submission. If your submission is accepted (based on fit and quality), at that point you will be eligible for payment.
Emphasis was added to a couple of the answers to these frequently asked questions.
Bascially, “multiple contributors” may end up doing a lot of work for Seed.com – but still be just as broke as they were before if 100 other writers or photographers glommed onto same thing. Seed apparently has no problem with freelancers as a pitiful hoard of Oliver Twists, queuing up to see who gets the gruel.
That won’t stop the flow, though.
If you are willing to try and battle your way through this Darwinian approach to providing content on the Web, drop us a line and tell us about the experience.
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Aol’s Seed.com is up and running in its beta form. It is either a boon to freelancers far and wide, or a potential plague. At the moment we’re thinking plague. First, about Seed:
Ooohhh, sounds great. But it’s not really that simple, now is it? Let’s go to the FAQ!
Emphasis was added to a couple of the answers to these frequently asked questions.
Bascially, “multiple contributors” may end up doing a lot of work for Seed.com – but still be just as broke as they were before if 100 other writers or photographers glommed onto same thing. Seed apparently has no problem with freelancers as a pitiful hoard of Oliver Twists, queuing up to see who gets the gruel.
That won’t stop the flow, though.
If you are willing to try and battle your way through this Darwinian approach to providing content on the Web, drop us a line and tell us about the experience.
Additional reading: Seed.com’s Payment terms