Looking at what people have said in the past about PL

[Trinity]

Out of curiosity, I looked up what other people said in the past about Postloop on the net, mostly from writers.

For the most part, they were happy to get paid for their posts. Some of the complaining was that it wasn't very much pay, but I think that's because they're looking at it as a job instead of helping to form and grow communities while getting some money in return.

Now as for their ratings, there were inconsistencies in how writers were rated. They felt that it was too strict, but as a forum Admin, I wouldn't want garbage on a forum, or even half garbage and know that people were getting paid for it. A big concern was a mid-range rating with a good comment, but no true explanation or example of what would have made it a higher rating.

Not having sites rate the posts was another thing that was brought up in my searches.

Quite a few people had gotten banned with no explanation as to why. My guess is they had more than one account...OR their IP they used was also one used by other writers and there was no way to verify that they were different people. A verification system using ID could be helpful, but people can also be deceptive with that system too.

Copied material was how some people got caught with their attempts to be a writer and were ultimately banned. I agree that copied material shouldn't be allowed and with more people using AI to write, this will be a huge frustration for forum owners/admins who want original/unique thoughts/ideas.

Back to writer ratings... the ability for one site's low rating to bring down a writer's good rating score was detrimental to the hard work the writer had put in. Something to consider.

Other writers complained about the tracking system and I think they would be happy with how more things could be automated today.

I saw on a review this and I'm wondering if it was a poor choice to have this incentive "forever" since once things trickled down from referrer to referrer, too much money can be lost. "When you refer a friend to Postloop, you will receive a 20% bonus for all of the points that your referrals earn through posting or purchasing, forever!"


I'll end with this quote from the Xenforo forum:

The reason why is quite clear: the heart and soul of any forum is the content it contains, and more importantly, the personalities behind said content. With the exception of some solid writers (most of whom are long gone) PostLoop serves up the kind of people you don't want on a forum:

• Writers with little or no knowledge of your forum subject matter, who often post stupid or obvious content. Most won't read any introductory material or the forum rules.
• Young people with no life experience and limited education.
• The unemployable, burn-outs, and washed up hacks that are trying to earn less than a dollar an hour on that site.
• Individuals with very limited English ability. Some are also outright hostile to western nations and will voice that sentiment.
• Conspiracy kooks, political cranks, and other mentally strange people. (One of the most active members there is a trailer-dwelling conspiracy theorist, for example.)
• Outright toxic individuals who troll forums for fun and profit.
• And the inevitable genius that publicly mentions they are posting for money.
• ... and so much more.

Even the better posters rarely complete their profiles, will post in an unnatural fashion, and don't genuinely care about the community. In fairness, there is the occasional high quality writer, but they are few and are between, and they burn out fast. The simple economics is that someone willing to only earn 5-8¢ per post isn't going to write the finest material.
LINK

 

[Cedric]

Thank you. This is gold. I’ll reply later with my thoughts and how I would tackle these problems.

 

[Cedric]

Out of curiosity, I looked up what other people said in the past about Postloop on the net, mostly from writers.

For the most part, they were happy to get paid for their posts. Some of the complaining was that it wasn't very much pay, but I think that's because they're looking at it as a job instead of helping to form and grow communities while getting some money in return.

Now as for their ratings, there were inconsistencies in how writers were rated. They felt that it was too strict, but as a forum Admin, I wouldn't want garbage on a forum, or even half garbage and know that people were getting paid for it. A big concern was a mid-range rating with a good comment, but no true explanation or example of what would have made it a higher rating.

Higher ratings would let people strive for more quality. I think ratings would have to be monitored and reached out to owners asking to provide more constructive criticism if possible. We could have some brief guidelines set how we can make the most out of ratings. But ultimately, it’s up to them to abide those or not.

Not having sites rate the posts was another thing that was brought up in my searches.

I would definitely reach out personally or have some reminders set for the ratings. Ratings are a critical part for this service.

Quite a few people had gotten banned with no explanation as to why. My guess is they had more than one account...OR their IP they used was also one used by other writers and there was no way to verify that they were different people. A verification system using ID could be helpful, but people can also be deceptive with that system too.

To comply with fraud prevention best practices, financial regulations, and HMRC record-keeping requirements, all paid writers must verify their identity. This helps prevent duplicate accounts, ensures transparency in payments, and aligns with industry standards for financial transactions.

A drivers license, or any legal paper would be sufficient. This is especially required when requesting a payment. I know most writers will not have an issue with this as we have done this before with writers.

Copied material was how some people got caught with their attempts to be a writer and were ultimately banned. I agree that copied material shouldn't be allowed and with more people using AI to write, this will be a huge frustration for forum owners/admins who want original/unique thoughts/ideas.

Copied, plagiarism, AI content is not tolerated. This makes it most fair for everyone. I thought about allowing it for owners who don’t mind it. But there’s a fine line between using it and abusing it. So for the best interest of everyone, none of it will be tolerated.

Back to writer ratings... the ability for one site's low rating to bring down a writer's good rating score was detrimental to the hard work the writer had put in. Something to consider.

Yes, a good thing would be to monitor the ratings and check for inconsistency between them. That could explain a low rating when others have been above average.

Other writers complained about the tracking system and I think they would be happy with how more things could be automated today.

Automation is key.

I saw on a review this and I'm wondering if it was a poor choice to have this incentive "forever" since once things trickled down from referrer to referrer, too much money can be lost. "When you refer a friend to Postloop, you will receive a 20% bonus for all of the points that your referrals earn through posting or purchasing, forever!"

20% bonus seems a bit much. A one time incentive would be better. My goal here is to provide a fair pay for quality writers. I believe we need to attract new writers or people who we don’t usually see anymore. The better quality, the more creative and interesting Postloop will turn out. But also, the more forum/blog owners will be willing to buy content.

So, the perfect balance between a fair pay for writers and a fair price for owners is something we need to think deep about. And this will be one of the key factors that either breaks or makes Postloop.

I'll end with this quote from the Xenforo forum:

The reason why is quite clear: the heart and soul of any forum is the content it contains, and more importantly, the personalities behind said content. With the exception of some solid writers (most of whom are long gone) PostLoop serves up the kind of people you don't want on a forum:

• Writers with little or no knowledge of your forum subject matter, who often post stupid or obvious content. Most won't read any introductory material or the forum rules.
• Young people with no life experience and limited education.
• The unemployable, burn-outs, and washed up hacks that are trying to earn less than a dollar an hour on that site.
• Individuals with very limited English ability. Some are also outright hostile to western nations and will voice that sentiment.
• Conspiracy kooks, political cranks, and other mentally strange people. (One of the most active members there is a trailer-dwelling conspiracy theorist, for example.)
• Outright toxic individuals who troll forums for fun and profit.
• And the inevitable genius that publicly mentions they are posting for money.
• ... and so much more.

Even the better posters rarely complete their profiles, will post in an unnatural fashion, and don't genuinely care about the community. In fairness, there is the occasional high quality writer, but they are few and are between, and they burn out fast. The simple economics is that someone willing to only earn 5-8¢ per post isn't going to write the finest material.
LINK

I can definitely understand that, and like I said before, we need to focus on quality. Part of quality is also having content as organic as possible. That is due to passion, not seeing it as a paid gig. But for the love of communities.

Postloop will also have an extended filter system which aligns the jobs with the writers interests. Interests they’ll need to select when creating an account.

We’ll also periodically monitor the posts made by writers, the ratings given by owners, and just looking for flaws or points that we can improve in the system.

Thanks for the feedback Kat, appreciate the time you’ve taken to investigate the market.

 

[JustMyType]

Higher ratings would let people strive for more quality. I think ratings would have to be monitored and reached out to owners asking to provide more constructive criticism if possible. We could have some brief guidelines set how we can make the most out of ratings. But ultimately, it’s up to them to abide those or not.



I would definitely reach out personally or have some reminders set for the ratings. Ratings are a critical part for this service.


To comply with fraud prevention best practices, financial regulations, and HMRC record-keeping requirements, all paid writers must verify their identity. This helps prevent duplicate accounts, ensures transparency in payments, and aligns with industry standards for financial transactions.

A drivers license, or any legal paper would be sufficient. This is especially required when requesting a payment. I know most writers will not have an issue with this as we have done this before with writers.



Copied, plagiarism, AI content is not tolerated. This makes it most fair for everyone. I thought about allowing it for owners who don’t mind it. But there’s a fine line between using it and abusing it. So for the best interest of everyone, none of it will be tolerated.


Yes, a good thing would be to monitor the ratings and check for inconsistency between them. That could explain a low rating when others have been above average.



Automation is key.



20% bonus seems a bit much. A one time incentive would be better. My goal here is to provide a fair pay for quality writers. I believe we need to attract new writers or people who we don’t usually see anymore. The better quality, the more creative and interesting Postloop will turn out. But also, the more forum/blog owners will be willing to buy content.

So, the perfect balance between a fair pay for writers and a fair price for owners is something we need to think deep about. And this will be one of the key factors that either breaks or makes Postloop.


I can definitely understand that, and like I said before, we need to focus on quality. Part of quality is also having content as organic as possible. That is due to passion, not seeing it as a paid gig. But for the love of communities.

Postloop will also have an extended filter system which aligns the jobs with the writers interests. Interests they’ll need to select when creating an account.

We’ll also periodically monitor the posts made by writers, the ratings given by owners, and just looking for flaws or points that we can improve in the system.

Thanks for the feedback Kat, appreciate the time you’ve taken to investigate the market.

@Trinity brought up a lot of good points but I think @Cedric has got it pretty much figured out or at least has most of it figured out. I think a lot of what we can is trial and error and see what works what doesn't. I think it's a fantastic idea to ask members as they sign up what their interests are when it comes to writing so that PostLoop can properly assign writers to the correct forums/blog/websites etc.

Quality is what communities are looking for when paying for writers which is very fair, and I think by allowing the community members to rate the writer and give feedback will be a great way to monitor who the strong writers are and what topics they strive in.

I think having to provide ID in order ensure you don't get people creating multiple accounts is genius and a good way to ensure that everyone only has 1 account.

In my opinion the more niche or advanced someone needs to be in order to write for a community the more the community owner should pay the writer who has those skills. Sometimes finding someone who is knowledgeable in a certain niche or subject can be difficult encouraging those people who take the time to familiarize themselves with different subjects and niches would be a great way to encourage not only good quality posts but for writers to widen their knowledge base.

Another thought I have is for writers to be able to rate communities and basically give some feedback on what they thought about the forum, a mini forum review if you will just so other writers will be able to see if they would want to write for that community if the change arises.

Ultimately, I think there is a lot to think about and a lot of work to do but I am very confident in Cedric's skills and vision and know that this has a lot of opportunity to be a fantastic service.