Mashable - The Social Media Guide - Latest Comments in Profy Editorial Staff Quits Over Pay

Re: Profy Editorial Staff Quits Over Pay

EGP-PP01 — Tue, 26 Aug 2008 16:11:11 -0000

That's exactly why I'd expect to see increased consolidation and a free-fall in wages to nearly zero.

Re: Profy Editorial Staff Quits Over Pay

Jonas — Mon, 04 Aug 2008 08:10:56 -0000

Looks like this is the weekends bitchmeme.

I thought the writing staff and Svetlana were a good fit. I think it's a great idea with a blogging platform that has a distinct voice in social media and that's why I like to blog there.

I shall miss the Profy writers but it's not the end of the world.

Re: Profy Editorial Staff Quits Over Pay

Svetlana Gladkova — Sat, 02 Aug 2008 08:18:01 -0000

Mark, I have published my version of the story at http://www.profy.com/2008/0....

Re: Profy Editorial Staff Quits Over Pay

Amit Chowdhry — Sat, 02 Aug 2008 03:35:09 -0000

The problem with Profy is that they hired a bunch of writers at once thinking that they'd be able to take on sites like Pulse 2.0, Mashable, and TechCrunch easily by utilizing SEO in all of their posts. Quite honestly, I have not been impressed with Profy's journalism quality and ability to draw attention.

What Profy is learning now is similar to the automotive industry in Detroit. Just because you have the assembly line mastered, it does not mean your customers will be happy with quantity over quality.

Re: Profy Editorial Staff Quits Over Pay

Leslie — Fri, 01 Aug 2008 23:04:16 -0000

I'll reiterate what I said in FriendFeed: I thought Mashable did a good job with a tough story, and Sean is right - breaking news is breaking news even when it is hard to discuss. None of us were looking to leave but Cyndy is correct, the work to pay ratio changed in a way that was significant enough to make it not feasible to stay. Hope to see everyone on Blorge and UptownUncorked, where you can find Triston & myself, and at Industry Standard for Cyndy. Cyndy still has a weekly podcast on Friday's on Talkshoe, and I have one on Sunday's there as well. We aren't disappearing. :)

Re: Profy Editorial Staff Quits Over Pay

Mark "Rizzn" Hopkins — Fri, 01 Aug 2008 22:09:01 -0000

As I understand it, site editor Svetlana will continue to write for the site, but as of the moment, they have no other writers.

Re: Profy Editorial Staff Quits Over Pay

mrshl — Fri, 01 Aug 2008 20:15:39 -0000

I'm amazed anyone (outside of trad. newspapers) is drawing a paycheck for writing about tech stuff. Sure there are the larger blogs (Mashable, TechCrunch) and the self-run outfits (e.g., Louis Gray). But it seems like the tech-o chamber needs to shrink a bit or people need to find a niche. There's a lot of repetition and overlap out there.

The glut of general audience tech writers is expected, of course. There are no barriers to entry, and information isn't hard to come by. That's exactly why I'd expect to see increased consolidation and a free-fall in wages to nearly zero.

A hobbyist like me doesn't much care. But the pros are going to face increasingly tough times.

Re: Profy Editorial Staff Quits Over Pay

Temple Stark — Fri, 01 Aug 2008 20:03:03 -0000

Good, Slowly but surely people who do the work will get what they're worth again. Dreaming? Maybe. But this is a start. Writing is so devalued it's sick.