Remembering the glorious days where online writing was plentiful and memberships were always free.
We have enjoyed many frontiers in our history. Some were filled with outlaws and romantic stories, some involve rockets and spaceships. One frontier has faded almost beyond recollection. The wonderful freedoms of the old free writing web sites. Once upon a time, writers didn't have to resort to blogs to get their words heard. There were thousands of sites offering writers exposure in a public forum. They were eager to publish your work, let others know you had published, and show your name on the index page.
Through the late nineties, the Internet was THE place for writers. Everywhere you searched there were hundreds of thousands of sites offering wonderful self-publishing opportunities for writers at no charge. From simple web pages to entire personal web sites, no offer was too good to be true. Millions of authors and writers came to participate in these regions of the Internet. Most writing communities became popular and extremely active for linking writers and readers.
As the turn of the millennium came these communities began fading. Site after site closed when the owners discovered a lack of profit. Some sites began experiencing issues with plagiarism since no one ever checked to see if the works were copyrighted. One can only assume that the sites first began as a means to make profit. Few sites remain open without the financial catches of usage. Much of the time a site where the administration is composed of writers will remain open as long as possible. Now, many of those sites lean towards the commercial aspect and cut most functions for people who don't pay.
It's easy to feel the administrators of such subscription sites think all writers have the financial status of Bill Gates just to maintain a membership. As it changed, many communities began requiring over one hundred dollars per year to be a member. This would cover a single membership in one writing site.
Many of these sites start out as "free" sites. They advertise free participation, free publication, and free feedback. Technically, that is true. But, you may feel a bit jaded when you see what paying members get. You may only be able to publish one piece per day or week. You can't participate in the actual community, you can only observe, it seems there's a catch to it all.
As with everything, there are two sides to the complaints. It is only fair to mention both. It does take money to run a large database on-line where people can store their files. There are expenses for space, bandwidth use, server issues to maintain the site, and more.
Since the past will never return, we must press on. To keep your purse from running dry, there are some tips to follow if you want to pay for a membership with a writing-oriented site:
1. Is it economic? Are you getting actual services worth the money or just promises of what may or may not happen? Do they over-charge their writers for full participation?
2. Will it be worth what you invest? Will you participate in the site enough to warrant ten dollars a month? Is it worth it if you're only posting and participating once every few months?
3. Do you have to pay for a great deal of "petty" charges? These include, but are not limited to, such things as alias, multiple nicknames, handle "decorations," graphics, or to use html signatures?
4. Is the site professional? Do writer's genuinely critique and review one another or do they simply compliment each other? Do you want a professional review or one similar to those?
5. Do members experience problems often? If you can't find a friend to ask, look at the message boards if they offer them. Is tech support quick to respond or do you go on a waiting list? Does it look like all posts where people may have problems are deleted? Some sites practice immediate removal in order to protect themselves and hide any member problems. The more legitimate sites should leave problematic issues posted in case other members experience similar issues. It's only realistic that someone, somewhere, will have a technical problem at one point or another. Computers are never infallible. Likewise with web site management.
6. Do all members receive reviews or only those who literally spend hours there? At many communities, you must spend unlimited amounts of time on-line to maintain some sort of "popularity." With some sites, if you aren't posting and reviewing several times a day, you will not receive any reviews or recognition at all. Some new members of several sites have been told, "You must participate a great deal to receive reviews. It takes time to build up your name." This is an absurd practice and you should take it into consideration if you see it. If the writers are busy trying to get professionally published, there will be no way to devote hours to a single online community. There may be a chance it's simply a place to compete with others for "small site stardom." Self-publishing communities are great for feedback and critiquing, however do not count as a professional credit.
7. Find a good community and only have a paid membership at a single site. As mentioned earlier, membership can run upwards of, and over, one hundred dollars a year once many of the "extras," and "bonuses," have been included. Participating in one will eliminate strain on your wallet.
8. Trust your instincts! If something doesn't feel right, listen. Don't trust others when your own internal sense is alerted. It is much better to be considered paranoid than to be one of the masses who were cheated.
9. Do you keep all rights to your work? This is extremely important! Do you, as the writer and creator, retain all rights? Can you remove your work at any time? You should be able to do both at a good site.
10. Does the administration take an active role in the site or is it just a money pit for them? Do they post updates or information on a daily or weekly basis? Do they behave in a consistent and timely manner? If not, move on.
We often miss the once fertile land the Internet provided in the past, we can't return. There are still a number of opportunities for writers.
Evaluate the site as carefully as possible before reaching a conclusion. It is your money and you will ultimately be the judge of the site's value. Be safe and protect your investments.
