Forum Topic

What's Wrong With This Picture???

In 2006 NowPublic.com received (I believe) 1.4 million in "Angel" Financing. In August 2007, one year ago, I believe it received another 10.6 million in financing... which means they have had approximately 12 million dollars to "play" with.

Now NowPublic.com comes forth and offers a contest in which writers for Nowpublic.com have the chance to win what appears to be a grand total of $200.00 in cash prizes and a total of maybe 20 nowpublic.com t-shirts.

That's what I like about Nowpublic.com... they have "chutzpah(sp).

It's like saying, Hey, we have (or had) a total of 12 million dollars... and we'd like to share (if you win) 2 hundred with you... and a few t-shirts. Man, is that not mighty generous of them?

Right after I joined NowPublic, I sent one of their founders an idea where I would chip in $100.00 myself if they would be willing to back an "award" for the best article written by a nowpublic.com writer that might help find missing children.

They completely ignored the offer. But now they have a contest that has nothing to do with helping others... but only themselves... and their site.

I only make approximately $50,000.00 a year - as opposed to the 12 mil they have taken in in two years - and how that is distributed only they know - but I do know something is "wrong" with a company that won't "kick" in $100.00 to possibly help a missing child be found and returned home... but a lot of time and effort (but very little money) is spent trying to get a contest going that will help "retain" nowpublic.com writers.

Is Nowpublic.com losing writers? If it is... whose fault is that? Stop thinking of your own corporate butts for a few seconds and your future Lear Jets and Caribbean Island Homes... and start thinking about SERVICE. Not only to your unpaid writers... but to the society.

I doubt that there is a nowpublic.com writer out there who seriously needs $100.00 or another throwaway t-shirt.

What I want - and hopefully what they want - is a chance to write something worthwhile that might have an impact on society.

And believe it or not, what I DO LOVE about Nowpublic.com is that they DON"T CENSOR (much), which allows people like me to take shots at big people - like the major newspaper in Gadsden, Alabama that blacklists writers it doesn't like.

And it also allows me to take a shot even at them, Nowpublic.com, when it has been given the chance (12 million dollars worth of chances to be exact) to do something great and help more than just themselves... and all they can come up with for a contest is something to promote themselves.

Keep your $100.00

Keep your T-shirts.

Just use your (collective) heads better and DON'T GO UNDER.

Because WE NEED YOU.

And seriously think about giving writers more of a goal... than trying to make yourself look lovable.

You ARE lovable. But unfortunately, at this point in your corporate life... you're greedy and stingy... and bordering on being hypocritical.

and...

Your priorities are out of whack.

Somebody there at the top has to have a vision more than waiting for the day you can sell out young and retire.

Try putting your writers first... by challenging them to write stories that will make the world a better place... through awards for those kind of stories.

Otherwise...

Someday we'll all be wearing "NowPublic.com R.I.P." t-shirts.

I know your "financial" angels want you to make a profit.

But your other "angels" want you to make a difference.

You have thousands of writers, "holding you up", and keeping you and your money angels from financial disaster... yet you give us a contest that is, at least to me, insulting.

Your contest sounds like "Somebody said come up with something, anything, quick... we're starting to sink here." And somebody did come up with something quick... and in the end... worthless. It may have even hurt you.

You are in actuallity paying people to say something good about you.

Now I am going to say something to you and you don't have to pay me one cent to say it:

LISTEN TO YOUR WRITERS! Of which I am one.

We don't want your nickels and dimes while you have millions.

We don't even want your millions.

We want to make a difference!

So think again about the LOST CHILD WRITING AWARD I offered you and other such humanitarian oriented writing awards.

Put something besides yourselves first.

And... good luck.

And I mean that sincerely.

You're basically ok.. and will be ok...

Once you get your heart in the right places.

Will Bevis

Gadsden, AL.

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Rob Walker

at 07:39 on August 21st, 2008

Comments from the original story:

StandUpToRacism

at 10:56 on August 21st, 2008

In saying "we will no longer allow posts... about any member of the staff..." you are basically saying criticism is not news and so it will not be allowed.

However, criticism must be news as McCain and Obama are doing nothing but that to each other and all the networks cover it.

But in your case... you do not want to be covered. And you make the rules and the "contests." What you are doing is actually insulating yourself from any possible "good advice" that might come from outside the company.

I'm afraid your "illness" is worse than I first thought.

PEP
at 11:31 on August 21st, 2008 new

Hey, if you want to ding staff or any member for something done incorrectly like, say, copying and pasting in an entire article, that's one thing, if you do it at the time of the action, on that post. That's fair. If you disagree with their call on a discussion in process, and say so, in that process, that's fair. If a discussion is ongoing and it's gotten briefly into the process of staff choices and actions, and you make a comment that fits that discussion, that's fair.

But something like this belongs in the Forum. Really, it does. An entire post about something like this has a place of its own, which NP has defined. And you're free to write about NP on your own blog or anywhere else that you can publish, too.

Just my opinion. And no doubt, worth what you're paying for it! ;}

jordan
at 11:18 on August 21st, 2008 new

I disagree. Disparaging members of staff is definitely not news. Meanwhile posts like this one are suited for the forum, which is tailor-made for discussions such as the ones you raised. Otherwise the front page turns into a navel-gazing party, which does nobody any good.

(Also, to address the larger topic, running a startup is breathtakingly expensive, far more so than most people seem to understand. When you factor in hardware, development of new software/tools, 24/7 staffing, legal expenses, insurance, etc, that seed money goes very, very, very quickly. Long story short, that money is most definitely not to "play with". In New York, I used to really like CBGB, a scrappy little music club. CBGB did not manage its money well, and it no longer exists. The lesson in that is crystal clear: all the fans in the world will not be able to save your business if your house isn't in order)

Paschen
at 11:34 on August 21st, 2008 new

StandUptoTacism, I am a fan of your postings here and usually comment and flag your post and I am very supportive of your cause for what it is worth.

However I do strongly agree with Jordan and Rob here and I do support the new rule that is not so new any longer that Rob put up here.

I hope you will move this post into the forum and if you need help any Editor may assist you with that.

It is the write thing to do and it is fair and a better way to for all here at NP.

Thank you.

René

at 08:10 on August 21st, 2008

Jordan, you and the rest of the staff could have explained about the costs a long time ago. Maybe many would not have been so disappointed or so disgruntled. NP has lost many great posters.

So what happened to the promised NP t-shirts to those few who managed to respond to the invitation-only survey? no explanation there either.

amyjudd

at 08:41 on August 21st, 2008

Just to address the issues brought up here concerning the contest:

The whole point of us designing this contest was to attempt to establish more of a community for our members and staff - to put a human face on a bunch of people sitting behind their computer screens, and to try and interact with each other more. It is not meant to be a point of contention and no one is forcing anyone to take part.

We just thought we would try something different and offer a chance for our members to express themselves in a different way on the site.

We have had some great contributions already - if you feel like you don't want to take part, that's perfectly ok.