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Associated Content originally billed itself as "The People's Media Company". The original schema was linked to its idea that its writers (originally called "Content Producers") were "Citizen Journalists." {{Citation needed|date=July 2010}}
Associated Content originally billed itself as "The People's Media Company". The original schema was linked to its idea that its writers (originally called "Content Producers") were "Citizen Journalists." {{Citation needed|date=July 2010}}


In early 2009, Associated Content rebranded itself on the site as "Information from the source." Writers on the site, formerly called "Content Producers," are now called "Contributors" (after briefly being dubbed "Sources"). The "Citizen Journalist" motif was dropped, as were the communist and soviet visual themes.
In early 2009, Associated Content rebranded itself on the site as "Information from the source." Writers on the site, formerly called "Content Producers," are now called "Contributors" (after briefly being dubbed "Sources"). The "Citizen Journalist" motif was dropped.


==Criticism==
==Criticism==

Revision as of 01:36, 23 May 2011

Associated Content (AC) is an online publisher and distributor of original content. Associated Content enables anyone to publish their content on any topic and distributes that content through its website and content partners. If they are US residents, AC pays them for their work. No payment options are available for non-legal residents of the United States.

Associated Content is now owned by Yahoo.[1]

History

Associated Content was started in January 2005 by Luke Beatty. It is based in Denver, Colorado, with business development offices in New York City.

In 2008, there was some controversy over the presence of Tim Armstrong, former head of advertising for Google in North America, when he was on AC's board. According to Elinor Mills, some marketing professionals have suggested the tactics used by AC in attempting to gain revenue, such as ensuring keyword placement in articles, are gaming the system and that Armstrong's presence is a gray area. However, others contend that these are legitimate tactics used by many content providers.[2]

In April 2009, Associated Content hired a new CEO, Patrick Keane, formerly of CBS Interactive and Google[3] and closed a $6 million Series C round of funding from Softbank Capital and Canaan Partners.[4] Their funding now totals $21.5 million. Three weeks after the funding announcement, Associated Content reorganized and laid off 5 employees.[5]

On May 19, 2010, Yahoo announced that it would purchase Associated Content for slightly more than $100 million.[6]

Publishing platform

In addition to text content (articles), AC has categories for video, audio, and slide shows. There is also an online community where users share their expertise, network and voice opinions.

In contrast to many content publishing sites, AC does pay many users for content up front.[7] Articles are usually required to be have at least 400 words and may include pictures from approved sources. The "Assignment Desk" is another source of article ideas and income for writers. AC displays predefined article titles and users can "claim" the assignment. All on-site assignments (as opposed to "Partner Assignments") pay performance-based revenue while some also pay up-front payment. Only authors who are over 18 years old and are US citizens or legal residents are eligible for up-front payments.[8] Users may also submit content for publication without an up-front payment. Slideshows and fiction submissions generally do not receive up-front payments. All articles written by users who agree to the contract are eligible to receive payments based on the number of times their content is viewed.[9]

AC exercises some editorial control over content, sending work back to users for "polishing" or rejecting work for violations of the site's terms of use and guidelines, including promotional or advertorial content and plagiarism.[10][11] Beatty claims the site is "all about content".[12]

Motifs

Associated Content originally billed itself as "The People's Media Company". The original schema was linked to its idea that its writers (originally called "Content Producers") were "Citizen Journalists." [citation needed]

In early 2009, Associated Content rebranded itself on the site as "Information from the source." Writers on the site, formerly called "Content Producers," are now called "Contributors" (after briefly being dubbed "Sources"). The "Citizen Journalist" motif was dropped.

Criticism

Associated Content has been criticized for the quality of its content. Slate technical writer Farhad Manjoo sums up this criticism thusly: "Associated Content stands as a cautionary tale for anyone looking to do news by the numbers. It is a wasteland of bad writing, uninformed commentary, and the sort of comically dull recitation of the news you'd get from a second grader."[13] Scott Rosenberg criticized Associated Content and other companies for publishing content not aimed at human readers, but for the purpose of influencing search engines,[14] and for actually degrading Google search results.[15] (See: content farm)

References

  1. ^ Liedtke, Michael (2010-05-19). "Yahoo buys freelance news site Associated Content". USA Today.
  2. ^ Elinor Mills (2007-07-11). "Pay-for-blogging site raises questions". USAToday. Retrieved 2008-03-13.
  3. ^ Vascellaro, Jessica E. (2009-03-30). "Start-up Hires CBS, Google Veteran". The Wall Street Journal.
  4. ^ http://paidcontent.org/article/419-associated-content-raises-6-million-in-third-round/
  5. ^ http://paidcontent.org/article/419-industry-moves-round-up-the-atlantic-associated-content/
  6. ^ "Yahoo Buys Associated Content for a reported $100 Million, though the final purchase price has not been made public". Atlanta Post. May 19, 2010. Retrieved May 20, 2010. {{cite news}}: External link in |newspaper= (help); Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |newspaper= (help)
  7. ^ Holmes, Elizabeth (2009-03-03). "Selling Expertise On the Internet For Extra Cash". The Wall Street Journal.
  8. ^ "FAQ: Why can't I submit content for up-front payment review?". Associated Content. Retrieved 2008-03-13.
  9. ^ "FAQ: Performance payments". Associated Content. Retrieved 2008-03-13.
  10. ^ Tish Grier (2007-03-26). "A 'middle man' for grassroots journalism?". Online Journalism Review from USC Annenberg. Retrieved 2008-03-13.
  11. ^ "FAQ: What is Associated Content's editorial policy?". Associated Content. Retrieved 2008-03-13.
  12. ^ "Interview with Luke Beatty, Founder and CEO of Associated Content". Techrockies. 2006-01-01. Retrieved 2007-03-20.
  13. ^ "AOL's dumb plan to mimic the universe's worst news site". Slate. Retrieved 2010-01-02. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  14. ^ Scott Rosenberg (2009-12-14). "SEO mills: That's not fast food, it's bot fodder". Retrieved 2010-08-22.
  15. ^ Scott Rosenberg (2010-08-20). "Google News gets gamed by a crappy content farm". Retrieved 2010-08-22.
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