Studio Blog

Hello Demand Studios Writers,

 

We recently discovered a technical bug where all writers were opted into Trails and Golflink accidentally.  We have fixed this, however any articles that have been claimed, but not yet written or categorized that fell under these two sites will not be able to be completed.

 

If you have any questions, please email us.

Hello Studio writers,

 

We wanted to address some threads in the forums regarding writers being let go this week. We have actually been doing this since the inception of Demand Studios, especially in regards to a high number of rejected articles (as a percentage of their total articles submitted) and uncontested plagiarism flags. We also take a hard look at writers who have had more than 40% of their submitted articles (all time) sent back for rewrites. One of the major complaints we’ve heard from our writer community is not having timely, fair reviews of their content. One issue that works against that is poor writing which backs up the copy-editing queue.

 

We don’t want you to panic and think we are on a firing spree, because we’re not. We are currently working on tools to give you better visibility into your library of content. As a reminder, things that play a big part in terminating a writer’s privileges are a high number of valid rejections, a high percentage of rewrites, poor content that doesn’t meet the stated guidelines and plagiarized articles. Of course, we will also continue to give you tools and training like the recent writer conference call hosted by the Demand Studios team and featuring writing tips from Richard Lally and Eve Lederman. We do want to help in every way to make you better at your craft – but we also believe that a key way to do that is by supporting our community of quality writers through efforts like this. 

 

I hope this puts most of your minds at ease. Thanks for listening.

 

Johan and the Demand Studios Team

Hello Writers!  We want to take a moment to address some common questions relating to plagiarism flags. Every article you submit goes through an automatic plagiarism checker, but a flagged article is not tantamount to an accusation of plagiarism.

 

Demand Studios is proud to showcase original content from writers like yourselves and it is our belief that taking measures to ensure that all of our articles are original best serves our growing community.

 

We realize that appealing a plagiarism flag is an extra step for you and for our team but we’re confident that this simple system ensures that we continue to produce content we can all be proud of.

 

Here are some points of interest regarding the process, including tips for helping the process run more expediently.

 

·         To appeal a plagiarism flag, contact the editorial team editorialteam@demandstudios.com within 7 days of the flag. Please be prompt. You should receive a trigger email informing you of the flag, however, it’s always prudent to check the status of your articles on a daily basis.

 

·         When submitting an appeal, please clearly state the exact title of the article. Giving the correct title will help expedite the process. Also, please submit one appeal per article. Please avoid writing the editorial team to ‘follow up’ on a number of your flagged articles as it slows up the system.

 

·         It’s best to be direct and to the point when submitting an appeal. No need for an expansive story, just a quick note highlighting areas of concern is sufficient.

 

·         If you have questions about proper sourcing, please contact us through HelpDesk or reference resources on the General Forum and Blog. Some great resources for using proper parenthetical citations etc. can be found here:

 

http://www.demandstudios.com/community/forum.html?plckForumPage=ForumDiscussion&plckDiscussionId=Cat%3a2385d292-db38-4e0c-8199-ba98a40f2029Forum%3a5a3012ed-e3b5-41fd-8400-225d3d8fdcdfDiscussion%3aefabcdd1-a9b1-4a02-baed-c1e86f88e6c2

 

http://www.demandstudios.com/community/forum.html?plckForumPage=ForumDiscussion&plckDiscussionId=Cat%3a5731a318-d80f-429c-80a6-39f4320162c6Forum%3a7b503d4c-4bad-43d2-b2d9-f760c5926b49Discussion%3a83cfdcf4-5fc3-41ca-b35d-aac046fbf8a8

 

·         If an article is cleared of a plagiarism flag and then sent back for a rewrite, it will inevitably be flagged the second time around. The second flag needs to be appealed in the same manner as the first flag. We understand that appealing a second flag is time consuming, but running articles through the plagiarism checker after a rewrite allows Demand Studios to ensure the highest quality of content.

 

·         Demand Studios treats duplicating content from your own work in the same manner as plagiarism. All articles must contain original material. If you do not feel that you can create an article that is unique from your previous work, please do not attempt to write the article. This also applies to similar titles that you grab from our assignment list. If you grab two similar titles, the content from one article cannot be repurposed for the second. If you don’t think you can write two completely unique pieces, it’s best not to grab both titles.

 

·         Including a reference at the end of your article does not mean that direct quotes can be used without citations in the text. Rewrite facts and information in your own words or include citations within the body of the article to avoid plagiarism flags or rejections. Including citations within the body of the article also adds credibility to your work.

Hi, my name is Jay Holzer, the Director of Video Production for Demand Studios.  Every day, I have the privilege of working with filmmakers across the globe to create high quality video content for sites like eHow and LIVESTRONG.COM.  In the four years since we launched what has become the Demand Studios Filmmaker Program, I have also had the privilege of watching the production process for online video go through a significant evolution.

 We shot our very first made-for-Internet instructional videos on a Canon GL2 (a $3,500, standard-definition MiniDV camera) and published them to a then-unknown video sharing site named YouTube.   Today, our original videos have been viewed by millions of users and the landscape couldn’t be more different.   Online video is expected to account for 80% of all Internet consumption within the next year. Thanks to innovations from companies like RED, Panasonic, and Canon the barrier to entry for professional-quality high-definition video continues to get lower.   The lines, especially around cost, are already starting to blur between still camera and video camera.  Many SLR-like 2009 models now come standard with interchangeable lenses, full HD resolution, and variable frame rates.  Seasoned professionals are now able to create even higher quality content while a new crop of budding filmmakers, once barred due to high costs, are able to equip themselves with the latest technology. 

At Demand Studios we’re already seeing this trend within our filmmaker community.  When we began recruiting filmmakers in 2005, our application form had a drop-down for “Camera Model” and a list of the 10 industry-standard cameras for any prospective filmmaker.  Today the pro-level camera options for filmmakers are far too numerous to list. Our filmmakers shoot with everything from the $800 Canon HV20 to the $18,000 RED ONE, each capable of producing the professional HD images that our sites have come to expect (and demand) from our videos.  Whether it’s How to Use a Stationary Bike on LIVESTRONG.COM, or How to Grow Green Peppers on eHow, these advancements have made it possible for Demand Studios to build one of the largest libraries of HD video, and add to it daily. 

In an environment where technology has led to smaller, less expensive cameras, while distribution channels for video continue to grow, the opportunities for filmmakers will be limitless.  When I started with the company I was a film school grad working on borrowed equipment that I couldn’t afford to buy.  My goal was to be able to go out and shoot something I would be proud of.  Looking back, I never dreamed that we would have created opportunities for filmmakers like myself to produce more than 150,000 videos and become the No. 1 contributor to YouTube-- all while helping to build great brands like LIVESTRONG.COM and eHow.  As the Demand Studios team works to build the world’s largest filmmaking community, we look forward to providing current and future filmmakers with a way to put their talent to work.

A Demand Studios title determines how content is created, indexed by search engines, and seen by someone reading an article or watching a video on the Internet. Since Demand Studios titles are generated from a variety of sources, including specific content requests made by users on our network of sites, you may see incomplete or poorly worded phrases presented as titles. The role of title proofers and title reviewers is to select those titles that can potentially be made into an article or video, while making sure each one presents a clear directive for writers and filmmakers. Additionally, proofers and reviewers select and approve other related data with every title.

In other words, title proofers are the gate keepers for titles that need a bit of work before writers can well, write them.

Title Proofers assess title quality, then edit the title watching out for grammar, word order, misspellings, punctuation,cosmetic phrasing and capitalization. They then choose the format for the title, select a category (which determines how Demand Studios organizes titles) and match the title for a keyword search term.

Below are a few examples of titles that need title proofing, followed by the end result:


How to Potty Train Irish Setter ‐‐‐> How to Potty Train an Irish Setter


How to Paint a House Video ‐‐‐> How to Paint a House


Is There a Recipe to Make Body Butter? ‐‐‐> Recipe to Make Body Butter


There are also titles that need to be rejected. Titles should always be clean, legal, grammatically sound, practical, sensible and factual. A few titles that had to be rejected:

How to Steal Satellite TV - This is illegal and content we do not want on our sites

Zagat Restaurant Review - Zagat provides Zagat Restaurant Reviews. We don’t replicate others’ content.


Have any specific questions about the title proofing process? Don't hesitate to email us: editorialteam@demandstudios.com

The short answer to the question above, is yes! We realize that many of our writers have had or still have careers as editors and vice versa and so there’s always been an opportunity for dual roles at Demand Studios, providing the requirements and qualifications are met.

To become a copy editor, you must have 5 years of demonstrated editing or copyediting experience with a newspaper, magazine or book publisher. The position is part-time and all work is done online. We do require our editors to commit to working a minimum of 12 hours per week, every week. We pay a flat fee of $3.50 per article, with most editors averaging $20-$25 per hour, paid on a weekly basis via PayPal.

If you're already a writer, the procedure for applying as a copy editor is simple. On the left hand side of your Demand Studios profile, there is a section titled “Studio Jobs.” The section lists different positions at DS, including copy editor, filmmaker and transcriber among others, followed by an “Apply Now!” link where you can  upload a new resume and provide links specifically for the position you’re applying for.

-Liana