March 14, 2007 21:09
Category: Writing
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As a content writer, I often come across occasions where I'm asked to role out 'n' number of articles in double-quick time. The assigners say they know a good content writer can easily churn out a 600-word article in half an hour's time, and they also mention they can write even quicker but for paucity of time.
The ploy is to wring out maximum rebate from potential content writer while dangling the promise of hundreds of articles more to come if the rates are 'reasonable'. When I began as a content writer, I fell into such traps a couple of times.
To my dismay I discovered all that such job-givers want are near-plagiarized contents. I use the term 'near-plagiarized' because they presumably check only if the contents are ditto copies of what are already there on the web. Which means a clever manipulator will simply do some cosmetic change in the contents already available and present them as freshly done. No wonder why it is so easy to write 600-word article in half an hour!
I don't think the job assigners do not know this, but they do not care. They hardly read any assignment submitted because they don't have time.
It'll not be unwise for me to conclude that in most cases what passes as good contents are in fact not much better than trash, because they lack intrinsic value to convince and coerce viewers to do favor to websites as needed.
Demand of content writer has increased in recent times for 2 reasons. One, most new sites that are now debuting are aware of the need of plenty of content in order to stay in reckoning in the eyes of search engines. Two, many old sites that have remained moribund for long for want of contents are re-inventing themselves with corrective measures.
Compared to demand, it appears there is less supply of competent content writer. The gap is being filled in by new entrants, some of whom are good indeed. But there are many content writers who feel what matters most is feeding search engines with keyword-infested contents, no matter if they fail to make sense to normal viewers.
The Internet being an all-inclusive medium with phenomenal reach, every single entity feels it's like racing against time. The onus is so much on speed that skill is forced to take a backseat. To their chagrin, the speeders will soon discover that it is quality that scores over quantity in the long term.
But then if quantity fetches handsome returns in short term, why not that! Caught in this tussle are true professionals like a good content writer for whom the choice gets narrowed as to whether it must be quality that matters or quantity.
I'm no exception and so I, as a content writer, vacillate between churning out regular stuff and putting in my best to write worthy pieces.
