Testing the Credibility of Writing Sites; and having Fun Doing it

There was a time that every other day a new 'online writing' site appeared. Most, if not all, are not about writing, they're about the site owners getting wallpaper on which to hang ads.

Many claim to pay xyz whether directly or through Adsense. Many pay nothing.

In a previous article about Protecting Yourself when joining online writing sites I dealt with the more sober aspects. This article is more fun.

I have a very well honed sense of the ridiculous. I also tend to be a bit more cautious and maybe deceptive than the average person...(I'm Jamaican).

I have four basic methods I use during a 'Site Test'.

One is generically called my 'Clown Series' which is a lot of fun and the best for
those brand new dodgy kinds of sites.

Two is my 'Double Up'. This is where I take an item published on another site and put it into the Draft Tray. I then copy it and submit it to the new site.

As it is now a 'Draft' in site one it can not be seen or picked up by any plagiarism checker.

If I am dissatisfied with the new site I move the item in the 'Draft' tray back to 'publish' on the Trusted site.

Three is my Rework. I take an article I've published a year or so ago, redo it, slap on a new name, and put it on the new site. In some cases, I chop up the article into three or more portions and serve them one at a time.

Four has become my new standard. That is copy and paste an article posted on a dodgy site which hasn't paid on the new site.

If the new site is real, they'd tell me the item was already published. If it is a scam site, it does no checking, so publishes the copied work without an eye blink.

Pick a topic you know absolutely nothing about. Something you have never
done or seen.

Imagine yourself a Hollywood Actor, a proctologist, a member of the CIA,
anything that amuses you.

Amusement is key here.

You are writing to crack yourself up .

You are writing in such a voice that you are literally ROTFLAO with every other
sentence. You are giving advice about what you don't know.

But you are writing as an Expert.

Often I'll use being a Clown in a Circus. (That's why I call it the Clown Series)

On occasion I'll do a skim of a Wikipedia article to put a little 'meat' on the bones.
But often I make it up as I go along.

Although you may disbelieve this, the majority of people who use the Internet actually accept Wikipedia as an authority.

They believe every single entry.

They will defend whatever is currently in a Wikipedia article as if it was writ in stone by a Sacred Hand.

People have posted ridiculous crap in Wikipedia.
Wrong, biased, stupid, drivel.
Those reading it, will virtually Die to defend it as true.

Hence, since the majority believe whatever is published in Wikipedia you do a skim
of it, so that when the 'editor' or 'moderator' of the site on which you've posted
(or even your readers) go to 'verify' your information, your veracity will be confirmed.

After all, that is what 'Wikipedia' says.

This needs little Explanation, so I'll give Little Explanation.

Take an item you've already published and been paid for then move it to whatever version of 'draft' is available.

Now either cut the article into pieces so as to make three or four out of it, and post it on the New Site under a different name.

(I'll deal with different nicks and email below).

Now Wait.

Many of the New Sites have policies to prevent you making that payout. They delay publication as long as they can. This means that your article goes into some kind of 'Pending' limbo.

Once 24 hours have passed and your item remains Pending go back to your
original in the Draft folder and republish it.

See what happens.

If the item still remains 'Pending' in the new site after it's published on your
usual site, you can pretty much ignore that new site. It is rubbish.

Often, unless you contact the Editor of the new site, or write an article about it,
the owners/site managers haven't a clue that you exist.

Some dodgy sites take 'Pending' work, especially when it's good, and put it
into various other languages and publish it elsewhere, usually without your name.

Remember; you took an item already posted on the Real site and put it into the drafts on Monday at 9:am. You contributed it to the New Site at 10 am.

On Wednesday it is still unpublished on Dodgy. You take the item out of drafts and republish.

When I find a new writing site I immediately create a new Crap Mail account.

Crap Mail is my generic name for an email account which is supposed to act as a toilet. I use an invented name or nick, and 'step into character'.

Today I'm going to be a Clown. A clown in a circus. I'm going to tell you all about how to be a clown in a circus. I don't know anything about clowns, circuses, and don't like clowns or circuses.

I go to Wikipedia, skim it, and then write about three different articles on the topic.

I may, if I'm feeling especially ridiculous, Network one of them, but usually, just having them published on the site is enough damage.

Now I sit back and watch. See how many hits I get, comments, etc.
And I wait for my coin.

If I don't get paid, cool. The article isn't worth 1c.
If my copyright is stolen, cool. They've just stolen my garbage.
If I can't delete my articles, or edit them, alas.

At the end of the day, the Scam site has my Glop.
I got a lot of laughs writing it, so I guess that's enough 'pay'.

If I do actually get paid I will probably write something a bit more substantial
but do it in the 'double up' style.
I'll wait a little time, just to see if the pay was a one off, or if it is a real site
which pays on some schedule..

If it proves to be a real writing site, well, I clean up my mess.
If it isn't...enjoy.

You've got articles on a site that doesn't pay, that doesn't even let you take them down.

Cool.

Use that site as your Bank and copy and paste articles published there on a New Site. It is likely the New Site is as much rubbish as the Old Site, no checks are run.

In this way, the only 'work' you do is copy and paste. New Site may be putting pennies in your account as 'payment' for the article. But it is more than likely you will never reach the threshold and never get paid.

The reason scams can go on for so long is because they select certain fools and pay them.

These fools think because they got paid everyone else got paid, save those
"WHO BROKE THE RULES!!!!!

These fools will spend their lives defending the site.

That out of 50k users only 15k are paid is not known to the honest user, until the site is closed. Many of these 15K fools will attack everyone who complains because either they are Shills for the Site, or selfish and stupid.

As Shills are so active discrediting real users, new suckers are constantly sucked in.

All Scams pay the first time.

Never defend a site unless you have been paid three or more times and only to the extent that you say; "I have been paid 3x."

For you don't know if the Owner hasn't hired X to shill, you don't know if Owner has decided to shut the site in three months. You don't KNOW.

So be quiet.

People who break the rules of a site and are thrown off the site don't complain.
They know what they did.

People who have their items removed from the site have nothing to complain about.

Anyone who complains they haven't been paid, and their items are still earning revenue for the site, proves that the site is a scam. Proves that you are being paid from the money stolen from the other users.