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| No | 20% | 178 votes | Total: 875 votes | |
| Yes | 80% | 697 votes |
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Add to FavoritesIs it time for all websites to pay writers for their articles?
A website that shares its revenue will attract good writers and lots of attention. I expect that with the Helium model out there others will follow. Writers flock to a site that shows appreciation of their efforts, not only by paying them a share of revenue, but by connecting them with print publishers who will also pay for their efforts. They also tend to appreciate the rating system, letting them see whose work is more highly rated, and get an idea of how to improve their own. But Helium voluntarily shares its revenues, and its writers write here because they like that model. Helium creators choose to share revenue with their writers and we choose to write here. All choices, not requirements, and that's the way it should be.
Writers write for all kinds of reasons. I have a son who's been writing since he was 12 on different websites Like most people's, my son's first efforts at writing were misspelled and lacked a train of thought at times. It would have been terrible for him to get only ratings that said his writing was worse than others. Instead he connected with other people, found a few different websites, including some where he could get feedback. His work was critiqued in detail, sometimes painful detail and he improved. His senior research paper for college netted him an A and a degree magna cum laude, with a minor in English. I'm thrilled he wasn't discouraged from writing. Poor writers don't get better without a place to write and most sites are unwilling to pay for bad writing.
There are writing sites dedicated to certain topics. Fanfics are a good example. These are stories using existing characters from television or the published writing of others. I don't think they could pay for this type of writing because of copyright laws. Yet these sites are very popular.
If websites are restricted by having to pay their writers then some writing websites will choose to simply close down. Writers will have fewer options on where they can write, and because of that, what they want to write. Helium restricts certain writing to ensure a PG-13 rating, and they pay on a rating scale. Some writers may object to the restrictions, and some may not want to be subject to the rating system. If the website that accepts their writing chooses to exist on a different model they should still have the right to exist.
Learn more about this author, Laurie Mueller.
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Yes
If this were a court of law, and it was one of those "Just answer Yes or No, sir" questions, I'd have to go with Yes. But I feel that I need to expand upon that.
Payment is not necessarily something that needs to be in cash (although that's the kind I'm sure most of us would prefer!). As long as a writer is getting something for his (or her) efforts, then he'll be happy. The question has more significance when we consider what the website itself gets for a writer's work. It is obviously no surprise, therefore, that all writers on this website should tip their hat to Helium for its ethos of "write, rate and earn". (Rating is probably the most important part of the ethos, because quality is important.) Granted, it'll take a lot of articles and regular reading of the same for a writer to earn much, but that aside, it is still a very rewarding feeling knowing that others are reading and in effect, approving of the work a writer puts forward. Okay. That's my Helium plug done and dusted
The facilities offered by sites allow for distribution of articles, or links referring readers to the site to read the piece. When they do so, they will be able to read other articles, etc. by the same writer. All of this traffic is recognised by advertisers (or there would be no adverts), which obviously generates income for the website. If there were no writers, there would be no adverts, no income, and no need for the website. And if there were no websites, the writers would have more thumb-twiddling time on their hands.
So we all need each other, really. It's sort of a bartering system. I have an article. What's it worth to you? How will your website make it worthwhile for me? And so on. As long as everyone is scratching everyone else's back, we all win.
Learn more about this author, Ryan Anderson.
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