Ken just started an excellent discussion entitled “Questions to ask before joining a blogger network”. While performancing members Nae and Raj have already given some excellent advice I thought I would butt in here and give my thoughts.
Any writing job involves the exchange of certain things of varying value, you provide
- time
- expertise
- intellectual property
- writing skill
- contacts
- creativity
in return for
- money
- exposure
- possible perks
You have to decide what you are willing to do for the amount you will get back. Also you have to determine how much you trust them to deliver.
At one early point in my career I did some writing in return for web space. I laugh at that now. Was it so different from writing for 14p a word? In the web space example I still owned my content, I ended up recycling the HCI/Usability articles many times afterwards, the 14p a word example I wrote for hire and they still own my work. As Raj says in the thread, who retains copyright could be a critical issue.
As Nae points out contracts are important, particularly if this person or these people are new to you. Contracts can be fair and balanced or they could be very one sided, only an expert in these things can tell you the difference usually. Don’t trust your friend down the local watering hole, get some legal advice.
That all being said, if your current blog isn’t exactly setting the world alight, they are offering good money or in lieu of that good traffic, and if it will not take up a lot of your time, perhaps it is worth having a go. See what the terms and conditions are. If you can cut your losses at any time it might be worth a shot.
Many blog networks while getting a ton of traffic will not make money right away. While I had been published before, I really got my first big breaks by writing for an already successful publication on a not very lucrative contract. The perception was that anyone writing there must be an expert. Sometimes publishers are very busy and sometimes not very bright, simple rules like that work for them. Automatically I was approached to do what I really wanted to do. By not getting all the rewards right away you might set yourself up for rewards later, the exposure alone could be enough. In blogging it is possible to use the profile and links to help yourself in future if you are smart.
What do you think? Continue this discussion at Questions to ask before joining a blogger network