Complaint Review: Examiner.com - Internet

I have been employed as a freelance writer for Examiner.com for over a year now and it isn't a scam. Below is what I make in one day writing for Examiner.

First off, Examiner.com's pay structure has gone through many changes. I know, I wrote for them for four years. I'm just trying to point out, that it is not a good "living" unless you are on welfare.

I hope you choke on the Examiner.com Kool-Aid that you are drinking.

It makes me laugh when people say Examiner has a bad reputation for pay. If you read the fine print before you start writing, you'll notice they say that this should not replace your job. If you're too dim to get what that means then of course you're gonna be disappointed. But this 100% is not always true in all cases.

That being said, I average about $1,000 per month with Examiner, always paid on time, always paid the same day each month. Is this enough for me to make a living on? No. At the same time though, much of this money is coming from news stories I wrote months, sometimes even years ago. I work about 5 hours a week at Examiner and I get paid around (give or take a little) $1,000 a month. IMO, it's not a bad deal. If you don't take the time to learn the system, you will fail, then you will cry about not making enough--read on= 

If you think you can go in there and magically start making money--well this is not how residual income sites work. You need a good beat first of all. People writing national news stories are going to make more than someone writing about Yoga outfits. If you are writing about your passion and your passion happens to be collecting peanut shells, the don't go to Examiner thinking you're gonna make good money. Big stories sell, celeb stories sell, news sells, etc. If you get the right topic, you can fly---with consistency. Keep your column current!

I have over 40 colleauges that also write part time for Examiner, and a few even full time. All of these people are esteemed journalists, editors, or professionals in their field. Some get paid more than others, some make a whole lot and some make a little. One thing we all have in common though: we have ALL gotten paid on time. 

I suggest if you truly didn't get paid to get in touch with support, check the guidelines, check your PayPal information, as everyone I know, including myself, always get paid. 

Examiner.com is a good place to build your portfolio, but beyond that it's time to seek out a better publisher.

I don't know what you consider a good living, but Examiner.com's pay structure is a joke. All that hard work paid off for me in the form of another job offer that actually paid, with a real editor, channel manager and staff.

Hmm, that's quite interesting. 

I'm sorry you had to go through this, and trust me, I am not saying your story is false or trying to disprove you, but I've been writing for Examiner for over two years now and I have been paid each month, as promised, like clockwork. Examiner even offers a code for Google Analytics in which you can compare your hits with the hits that Examiner has for you. My numbers have never been frozen and never been off. 

Again, I am not trying to disprove your story, but just telling my side of the situation as this has never happened to me before. 

As for future clients/employers shunning people that write for Examiner; I have found that to be untrue as well. Granted, I've been a freelance journalist and writer for over a decade, so I do have quite a bit more on my resume than just Examiner, but I've landed projects with a few national magazines, and the manager of one magazine in particular stated that he loved my coverage on Examiner and that was a deciding factor when he gave me the project.

  Also, any client or employer that would judge a person on a site only and the quality of other writers work on said site wouldn't be the kind of person I'd like to work for anyway. You should be judged on YOUR work alone, regardless if it's on a site that has a bunch typo-filled content.