After some 18 years, this morning I got a notice that the only user-generated-content site I still belong to (outside of Hive) — and that pays contributors for content — is moving to a non-rewards system, as of April 14th.
Technically speaking, I have to admit that it is not a great ”loss” — at least in the financial sense — although it was definitely nice to see the occasional $50 royalty deposits into my PayPal account.
In a somewhat stark contrast to Hive, a large number of these 40 articles have been viewed more than 10,000 times, with some having been read 50,000 times or more.
The actual loss is really more a case of lost visibility than anything... perhaps part of a greater trend that you either have to be ”somebody,” or you are invisible. There is no middle ground.
On a greater level, this development is also symbolic of the persistent and uncomfortable reality that 99.999% of content on the web actually has no monetary value whatsoever,” regardless of what we might want to tell ourselves to the contrary.
To be objective about it, a poorly framed picture of your breakfast taco doesn't add anything to the data stream, just to your stomach.
That’s not a statement meant to reflect the cries of those who squeal ”why can’t I make any money on Hive?” here in our own community. It’s a broader truth.
Just like — in the old days — when we used to submit magazine articles for publications, there would be one accepted article (that might earn the writer $100) for every 500 rejections.
Bottom line: Your stuff is worthless, and you’re not owed jack shit!
We like to talk about how "Facebook/Meta is making BILLIONS from people's posts!" but when you divide Meta revenue by number of active users, you end up with something on the order of $20-$25 per active user, per year.
We're only talking about billions because there are billions of users.
But the announcement was also a reminder that I am (evidently) completely out of touch with what content consumers care about.
In the course of the past decade or so, I have received numerous ”requests” to update/revise my old articles to fit the desirable ”editorial standards” of aforesaid publishing venue… and whereas I was quite prepared to entertain and follow up on such requests, looking at the nuts and bolts of them I also recognized that I would never READ that kind of fluff.
Vacuous. Superficial. Simple language. Keyword loaded. Exaggerated. Short.
Reads like a fucking advertorial, not an actual article!
Which ultimately makes me feel like I am not really a victim of changing editorial policy but a victim of growing Idiocracy.
Meanwhile, it also serves as a reminder to be grateful for Hive, and what it offers. Instead of thinking of this community in terms of what it ”should” give us, and what it ”owes” us, perhaps we’d be well off to remember that we’re actually quite privileged to have this opportunity.
Not suggesting there aren't things that are wrong and even a little sketchy here, but it's a lot better situation than most!
Thanks for stopping by, and have a great remainder of your week!
Comments, feedback and other interaction is invited and welcomed! Because — after all — SOCIAL content is about interacting, right? Leave a comment — share your experiences — be part of the conversation! I do my best to answer comments, even if it sometimes takes a few days!
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Created at 2025.03.25 10:56 PDT
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