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Posted by Lizzie on Sep-5-2008
There’s a lot of talk about women’s issues this election cycle. Thanks to Hillary Clinton, and now Sarah Palin, we’re back in the spotlight. In that vein, Congress is pressing for a revote on the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act, which failed to pass previously. McCain has come out again it:
“I am all in favor of pay equity for women, but this kind of legislation, as is typical of what’s being proposed by my friends on the other side of the aisle, opens us up to lawsuits for all kinds of problems,” the expected GOP presidential nominee told reporters. “This is government playing a much, much greater role in the business of a private enterprise system.”
I’ve recently engaged in a half-hearted IT job search - in anticipation of my eventual graduation from the Tech program. There seems to be a little available, but I’ve heard that women are not treated favorably in the IT industry. It would please me, and thousands of other women, tremendously if this actually became law. Would I know that my male counterparts were making more than me? Probably not. But this act would give me recourse should I find out about a pay discrepancy after the fact. As a woman hoping to work in a male-dominated field, I would feel just a little better knowing I had a safety net.
There was some talk that this law isn’t necessary. I beg to differ. I worked with a company (unrelated to the tech field) that cut me a mystery check. When I inquired to what the purpose of the check was, I was told that it was to make up for a pay difference between me and my male counterparts. I had no idea that the men were making that much more per hour than I was, but there was a lawsuit and the settlement agreement was that this company would pay the hourly difference to each female for whatever period of time they agreed to (I think it was 3 months, even though I’d been there for over a year at that point). I left that company not long afterward, but my eyes had been opened. The reasoning for the lower pay was that women are mothers and so are prone to miss work because of their sick children. Men, on the other hand, are more reliable and should be rewarded. Really?
At a time when a major political party has nominated a self-proclaimed “hockey mom” to be vice president, there should be no more “she should get less because she’s a mom”. This woman is seeking a job while parenting 5 children (and potentially helping parent a grandchild) so the reason listed above would apply to her and her pay should be cut significantly. Right? No. Wrong. Her husband will be able to tend to the children while she runs for office and he can tend to the children while she continues to govern Alaska (except that he’s got a full-time job plus an extra job on the side in the summer, but that’s not this issue). It’s only fair that the rest of American women enjoy the same equality in pay as the women who govern them.
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Oct
11
Posted by Lizzie
I sometimes write for Associated Content (AC). I’m not the most prolific writer, for sure. I’ve been there since December of last year and I’ve got 9 articles up (I think). So this last fiasco at AC hasn’t really affected me too much. Still, it’s an interesting development and something that should be watched very carefully.
Apparently when AC updated the Page Views (PVs) the last two weeks they somehow miscalculated. Somewhere along the line they decided to give many Content Producers (CPs) double the amount they actually received. They say they noticed this error when they were getting ready to do bonus pay outs this week. That resulted in many of the most prolific writers on the site losing hundreds of thousands (combined) in page views and who knows how many dollars. Of course, the forums are on fire right now.
There are some allegations of lying. Some CPs feel that AC lied about the snafu to save themselves some big bucks. After all, AC’s PR is getting pretty high so articles published there are in the top two or three pages in search results. That means that more people are going to click on those articles and more CPs are going to get a lot more PVs. And since the PV bonus is based on ad placement and clicks, that’s where the money comes in. The PV bonus is still in beta and so AC says they can take away PVs whenever they feel like it. How convenient that they would take away PVs when CPs start really making money. Of course, no one that is insinuating nefarious dealing at AC can prove it. All they know is that yesterday they had 100,000 page views and today they have 20,000 (not real numbers). That’s money down the drain.
Combine the stripped page views with the fact that AC seems to be going away from upfront payments- and have, in fact, changed their FAQ to state upfront payments aren’t usual - it looks like a lot of really good writers are going to be heading for the hills. Soon AC will be no better than any other PTW site that only pays based on page views and ad clicks (Helium jumps right to mind as an example). I don’t see how that can benefit the company as a whole in the end. They lose the really good CPs to the kiddies writing for pennies. Bah! Who needs it?
Since I’ve been sick I haven’t had much interest in writing articles simply because I have issues keeping focused. The last couple I’ve submitted have be for PV bonus only and haven’t really made squat (though I can say I’ve made more at AC than at Helium doing the same thing). I’m currently looking at other avenues for making money online. I am very disappointed to see AC going down the tubes like this, though. I was really hoping this company would remain legit and offer a steady income for folks like me. I can’t say for sure that AC will go down the drain, but it’s certainly not looking good right now.
Hopefully they can fix this PV snafu and calm the waters over there- and maybe even make upfront payments usual again. If that doesn’t happen, oh well. The great thing about Ye Ole Internet is that there’s always some way to makes pennies without leaving home. It’s just a matter of pinning it down before the well runs dry.
Technorati Tags: AC , content writing , AC strips pvs
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Sep
29
Posted by Lizzie
I’ve been pretty busy today- looking for ways to make money. I’m pretty sure I signed up for about a hundred different programs and sites. 
Ok, well, maybe not that many.
One that I found that I think I might really like is myLot. I forgot how I found it, but as soon as I remember I’ll post the link to that site too. So, what is myLot?
I’m not quite sure. It’s a discussion site for blogs and articles and news and just whatever. It’s set up like a CMS, so you have your own profile page and blog page. Every time you respond with something substantial (on point and contributing to the discussion) you earn money. I have no idea how much money. I’ve found some really interesting discussions, so it’s not hard to get involved. I’ve seen some discussions that aren’t really substantial too. “What color is your hair?” HUH? Ok, I’m sure that’s not posted so someone can earn points or whatever. Other than that there are some really interesting things going on.
I especially like it because I don’t get out much. That means I don’t get much adult conversation. This gives me a chance to discuss without getting flamed. So many message boards, forums, blogs or whatever now are breeding grounds for flamers. And if you voice an opposing opinion? Watch out! It gets ugly then. I really don’t need that kind of stress. And I’m glad for the moderation. I’ll be spending a good deal of time there, I can tell.
You can find me here. If you’re there, please add me to your friend’s list. If you sign up through here, please let me know so I can add you.
On another note, I’ve found some really good blogs through Blogcatalog. I really like that service for socializing and networking. Later this evening or tomorrow I plan on adding some of those blogs to my links list. Also, if you comment here with something to add to the conversation, I’ll follow your link back to your blog and probably add it to my list. Soon I’ll be adding dofollow tags, but I’m waiting to build up my traffic a little more first.
Edited to add:
I found the site that sent me to myLot. It was The Domestic Diva! Thanks so much, Sela!
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Jul
12
Posted by Lizzie
I haven’t had my morning cup of coffee yet and already I find myself “networking”. This is an important part of freelance work, because without contacts getting a job and making the money is extremely hard. I’ve been learning this with my articles. I get more money with more page views and with more contacts I can get more page views. It can all work out pretty well.
Unfortunately, it takes a lot of time. And with a toddler that can be hard to manage. So, it’s best to set yourself up on a schedule. I’m still working out the kinks in mine.
When you first wake up, after “getting ready” for work, determine if you need to do any research. If the kids aren’t up yet (I normally get up about an hour and a half earlier than mine), then research, jot down your notes, and get a feel for what you want to write. This way when the inevitable interruptions come you can simply lay it to the side and take care of the familial needs.
Now, when you have a few extra minutes, do a little networking. Answer some emails, respond to comments on your blog, and comment other places. It’s important to get your name out there and to make some online friends.
Later, possibly in the evening when everyone’s starting to wind down, take a few minutes and write up the first draft of your article. When the kids go to bed, and you’ve got that time for yourself, write it again. This second writing will use the structure of the first (probably bad) draft, which saves you some time. Now you can re-read it, do your edits and send it in (or save it for later).
But you’ve got to do a little more networking. That comes before it’s bed time. And you’re probably exhausted, but it’s important to get page views and make contacts. So, just leave little comments, don’t get windy in your emails, and all will be well. If most of your network consists of work-from-home moms you’ll soon see that they’re just as tired as you are.
Tags: work from home, networking, scheduling time
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