yeah I know I’m nuts.

I’m itching for some serious, crunch time writing with some good writing friends. I have been itching for months now, almost since it was done the end of November.

So, only four months left right? Really less, because everyone will hop on the boards in late September and we’ll begin gearing up for the next round. Ahhh the life of a writer. hehe

Missin’ my writing friends and wanting to make more.

Have a great week!

Article Spinning annoys the heck out of me. According to Wikipedia, the definition for Article Spinning is:

Article spinning is a search engine optimization technique by which blog or website owners attempt to manipulate their rank on Google and other search engines. It works by rewriting existing articles, or parts of articles, and replacing elements to avoid being penalized in the Search Engine Results pages (SERP) for using duplicate content. The original articles are often plagiarized from other websites and can often also be copyright infringements if the original article was used without the copyright owner’s permission.

The problem with article spinning is that typically it is not one writer choosing to spin their own articles. I don’t love the idea of that either, but it’s better than what appears to be happening.

I’m constantly going on websites, blogs and doing searches for something and find really poorly written articles that are the same as someone else. I’ve found my own articles this way. At a former site I used to write for, a writer didn’t spin articles but they used my previous articles to re-write their own version. It drove me crazy and did lead to my leaving the site and not speaking too highly about them anymore (simply because it was a problem that could have been addressed and instead they just swept it under the rug.)

But article spinning is worse, in that the only thing they usually change in the article are keywords and certain words… for instance, they might replace “like” with “adore” or “google” with “search engine” or “rose” with “flower”. The problem with the replacing of the words, is that often the articles simply don’t make sense but when google or any other search engine comes crawling, it finds a “new” article and assumes that it is legit. It sucks for the original writer.

I can guarantee that any content you find on any site that I do or have written for, is mine and only mine. I would never even attempt article spinning, simply because I am too much of a perfectionist. It was disheartening however, to do a search on an extremely popular article of mine on a site and find not only had it been spun, but it had also been “scraped” which I will explain more at another date. It’s really annoying. Don’t call yourself a writer if you aren’t going to create quality content that belongs to YOU and not others.

What are your thoughts on article spinning?

I’m pretty sure I pegged it, when in the previous post I mentioned that as soon as google picked up that post, I’d be removed from today.com.
Well, I checked my email and I did got an email and this is what it said:

Dear VIP Blogger COOKWITHME.TODAY.COM, (please do not direct anymore traffic there…. visit www.dailydishrecipes.com instead - it’s better!)

You have not consistently posted since becoming a VIP member.
We only retain VIP members who consistently post as this benefits
both the VIP member and our program.

As a result of this inactivity we have disabled your VIP account.

Thank you for trying out our program.

Best Regards,
The Today.com Team

I will admit it was certainly not what I expected. I was surprised. Only because I got removed for not posting regularly and not because I posted a hateful review of their precious website. Hmm…..

So then, I went to sign into today.com for the heck of it. (actually I wanted to look at which posts were not paid because they were “duplicate dates”, but that’s beside the point). Obviously I couldn’t. I was truly removed, but I got a sweet little (gag) message that said that today.com wanted me back.

So it was done and over and I could move on. haha yeah well, last night I went back and when I first typed in today.com NOTHING came up (as in page not found). I tried it three or four times and I still got not page.

Then, I finally was able to sign in except I am not able to look at any of my posts. I’m able to look at the blog control panel where is shows the last few comments on your blog and where you select whether you want to write a post, edit a post, create a page… etc. etc. but it won’t let me click on anything and when I try to access the forums I get “Your account is inactive. Contact support@today.com for help if you think this is a mistake.” THEN when I access the VIP Stats page, I get “###ALERT###
you’re not a VIP blogger” < —hehe they spelled YOU’RE right this time.
Anyway, weirdness all around. I’m so glad not to be with them anymore. Now, to get all the traffic I was bringing them to refocus on my new site!

Update:
I got THIS in my email this morning and I did NOT sign up for advertising?

Cook With Nicole:
We have noticed that you have signed up the Today.com Advertising
account simplywriting and have not purchased advertising yet.

So, should I advertise my NEW blog over there? Kidding!

My best advice for anyone considering blogging at today.com is - don’t do it. I decided to share my story, so that others can make their decisions to join, stay or leave with some insider advice. First, my decision to leave was self made, I was not kicked out like a few others. I also did not lose my blog, it is still standing and I can still post on it (at least as of today - May 12, 2009). I will guarantee that once google picks up this post, I will no longer have access to it. Which is fine by me.

So let’s start from the beginning. I started blogging for today.com in May of 2008. So one year ago. My first post was May 11, 2008 and was simply an introduction and a who I am. I followed it with one of my favorite Creamy Garlic Green Bean recipes. I was brought into today.com when they were offering $5.00/post. For many months, I made $150 extra per month blogging for today.com. This was great because it was an easy income and getting readers back then was a bit easier. I won’t lie, I actually enjoyed blogging for them back then.

In August, I was given the opportunity for a second blog at $1/post. Again, an easy $30-$31 extra per month on top of my original blog. But it was then that we started to notice subtle changes that the PTB (power’s that be) at today.com were starting to make. We were told who we could and couldn’t link to. We were told that all templates were going to one standard template and we were told that this was because they were competing with other sites (excuse me? - I’ve been on the ‘net long enough and I cannot think of ANYONE who has a huge blog hosting site that all use the exact same template… period) - we later found out that it was a lie - it was because they were going to start placing ads all over our websites. I did offer up my blog as a test site for the new template…. I wasn’t impressed. The ads overwhelmed the blog and made it look so cluttered it was difficult to see anything on the side bars. I had quickly gotten discouraged. I didn’t write as much, and really only did it when I had time. Yet all this time I remained in the top 10 blogs on today.com with my original blog. My second blog made it as high as blog #21 at one point.

In December, just before Christmas, I was ecstatic to find that I had won the editor’s choice award. I had been discouraged by this before I won, because I was the first blog they featured when they began featuring blogs on the front page, yet obviously I felt my blog wasn’t good enough to win an award for anything. It was bothering me, but I pressed on. In December, today.com made me get excited about blogging there again when I won the November Editor’s Choice award. I got a special recognition on their blog and a $250 bonus. Very cool and it couldn’t have come at a better time before Christmas.

So fast forward a few months, and one day while browsing the forums, I discovered that today.com had just placed an ad in a print magazine. There were four today.com blogs featured in this ad, and mine was one of them. Imagine, I couldn’t have been more proud. Twice in three months, I had been excited to be blogging for today.com. I proudly told others to join, not even giving my referral link, just telling them to do it. I wasn’t trying to make money off getting others to join, because I was excited.

So, later the day that I found out about the ad, I receive an email from today.com letting me know that my rate had been dropped on my original blog. No more $5/post - now it was $1/post plus $2/1000 visitors. Except here’s the kicker - they get to keep ALL my content… for $1/post? HA! And they CHOOSE which visitors are important enough to count as one of those 1000 visitors. Think I’m kidding? Think again.

Here is an excerpt from another today.com exile:

Today.com’s answers to repeated questions about traffic pay rates has been, “we’ll get that right to you”, “working on it”, “sell toasters”, and my favorite, “it’s a complicated algorithm that can’t be explained.” In other words, we’re not going to tell you because you are a bunch of stupid bloggers that we have absolutely no respect for. We want you to sell our crap you morons and get your friends and family to pay for advertising on your blog. Better yet, why don’t you advertise on your own blog, for fun?

Seriously. They cut entrecard but now allow it as long as you don’t choose paid ad’s (which I don’t anyway) - they cut several other great traffic building sites as well. I’ve been a member of linkreferral for a couple of years now, and while I am 100% positive I get traffic to my today.com blog from there, it doesn’t show on the traffic stats and it is one of the places that today.com unwittingly denies having a problem with - yet we don’t get paid for visits that come from that site. There are several others like that.

It was so interesting to me, that they chose my blog to showcase in an ad for their pathetic site, yet they felt the need to cut my pay/post. Hmm… plus it is seriously interesting to me that I have seen the owner of today.com complaining continuously about losing supporters, having people back out, etc. Think that might be because most backers wouldn’t have been happy with the way your bloggers were treated Dave?

So unfortunately last month was my last post on my main blog and the beginning of February was the last post to my second blog. It is my decision to leave today.com and I feel really good about it. It’s simply not worth it blogging for today.com and in case you think you will qualify for $1/post and that is okay with you? Think again - they are hiring at $2/1000 page views, which again I repeat - they decide who is worthy enough to qualify as a page view. YOU do all the legwork for getting your blog out there and getting readers and it is certainly not worth the $2 you MIGHT earn in a month. Plus, the payout is $50. They hold your payment until you reach the $50. Isn’t that fun?!?

I was smart though - I knew I was leaving as far back as late February and early March - I began collecting my content (in case today.com goes under), I chose posts that were general enough for the last few and I removed pages that were unpaid for, links that were helping them, and I changed my blog header so I could use it at the ORIGINAL website (I owned before today.com, but let go to blog for them).

So that’s my story - any questions?

P.S. Read other today.com exile stories by visiting http://todayexiles.blogspot.com/

1. Do you prefer writing on paper or a keyboard? Why? Care to hand write a short letter to us, scan it, and then post it to your blog?
I’m not sure I have a preference. Well, I guess I do. I enjoy writing on my keyboard the most because I can type faster than I can write, so I like that. That’s really my main reason, because I do like writing on paper too. I would be happy to write on a piece of paper, except - my scanner is not currently plugged in, so I will have to promise to do it later.

2. If the shoes make the man (or woman), what do your shoes say about you right now? (Assuming you’re wearing shoes. Although if you’re not, that certainly says something, too.) Describe your favorite pair of shoes. Now tell us how they make you feel when you wear them.
Nope, no shoes right now. I prefer barefoot actually, but when I do have to wear shoes, I prefer shoes I can just slip on and my favorite pair is a pair of slip on sandals. They have navy straps and this really cool stone surrounded by a silver circle thing. They are really pretty, and I love them. I’ve had them for about three years though, so they are super worn and I’m thinking I might have to give them up the end of this summer. *sigh* To find another pair to enjoy! And honestly I don’t think I feel any different when I wear certain shoes.

3. Who was your arch enemy in high school? Why were they your enemy? Do you think you could be friends today? Why or why not?
I didn’t really have an arch enemy in high school. I mean, I suppose there were a few kids I would have preferred to never see again, but all in all I didn’t have any enemies, and I’m glad I didn’t.

4. If you could wake up tomorrow having gained one ability or quality, what would it be? How would this new-found ability or quality change your life?
hmm… perhaps maybe the ability to read minds. I would love that, though I’m sure I might not like some of what I would “hear” either. The reason for this is because I am such a people person and I like to know people as a whole - so it would nice to know the good, the bad and the ugly. I’m hoping it wouldn’t change too much except perhaps give me a greater insight into those that I know and help me avoid anything unpleasant.

Every writing class or workshop I have ever attended has taught the same phrase until it is embedded in my head. Write what you know.

It is interesting to me to go back and read articles that I had to research for, and then articles based on my own experiences or knowledge. Guess which ones are better? The ones where I was writing something I already knew about, the stuff that was already experienced.

The researched articles are good, don’t get me wrong. I was paid, so I wrote my best, but the information and the way the articles are written when I am using first hand knowledge are so much different than those that needed research or leg work to get answers to questions.

Why am I even talking or even ranting about this? Because lately I have spent a great deal of time rummaging around websites, reading articles and blog posts by people who are supposedly experts in these areas. It is clear in most cases, that they are not. That isn’t to say they aren’t interested in the topic, but clearly more first hand experience would be helpful. It is also obvious when research has been done, especially if I do know something about the topic, because often information is inaccurate or outdated, yet presented as if it is current and fresh.

It makes me sad that more people don’t spend time writing what they know, and not trying so hard to write whatever. This isn’t to say that you shouldn’t do research and write articles on new topics and areas, only that your best material will be that, which you write on your own experiences.

What are your thoughts on this?

Feeling a little bit hungry? Trying to decide what to make for dinner? Want to save money yet feed your family decent meals and stretch those grocery dollars a little?

Check out Daily Dish Recipes for great content and recipes!

Of course it isn’t because if you are at all familiar with NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month) you would know that it is in November, not in May. So why am I itching to get working again? I have so many different projects on my plate right now, but my heart keeps tugging me towards my novels and the ideas that keep swirling through my head.

Problem is, I don’t ever have enough time to work on my novel during the regular year, but I also don’t want to devote another whole month somewhere else and write like a maniac any other time except when I have the amazing support of my NaNo buddies.

Does anyone else have the itch?