30.07.2010

Last Seen... In the Clickstream —

Every week it seems another travel content website is launched offering writers clicks instead of cash. It’s hard to keep up with the flow, so here’s a quick roundup of some of the best… and worst. The UK’s thetraveleditor.com aimed at the ‘discerning traveller’ now has 90 travel writers who get paid per number of hits for each article. Their work receives additional exposure via twitter & social media.

Around since 1996 is suite101.com with over 270,000 articles on its sites. Articles are 800 words max and writers receive a share of the advertising revenue: i.e if someone reads your story and clicks on the ad next to it, you get a small cut. For the nuts & bolts check out the blog on suite101 on writtenroad.com.

The site simonseeks.com, launched in June 2010 and offering travel guides and reviews, received flack in the blogosphere this week. Initially it claimed to be creating a ‘new cottage industry’ of travel writers. But when they announced they were hiring travel pros to write 20,000 words for diddly squat, professionals tweeted their outrage. Summing up the debate, it’s clear that if you’re up to writing that many words, you may as well create your own website, and learn how to make revenue through advertising, rather than letting simonseeks take the dough. Jeremy Head’s excellent and well-informed blog goes into more detail at travelblather.com. I’ll add to this growing list of entrepreneurial travel sites in the coming months…

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