Thursday, May 5, 2011
Demand Media Launches Long Form Article Effort
Santa Monica-based Demand Media, the online publisher which runs such sites as eHow.com, typeF.com, and LIVESTRONG.COM, said Thursday afternoon that it is launching a new effort focused on long-form web content. The firm said it is looking to engage feature writers to write long articles--"north of 850 words"--for its sites. Demand Media said the new articles will look like "traditional" feature-length articles, including original reporting, exclusive quotes, and side-bars. It appears that the firm is taking note of Google's recent "Panda" update, which has been seen by industry observers to be specifically targeting and penalizing the short form, lower quality articles often published on Demand Media's web sites. Demand Media said it is looking specifically for feature writers who have 5 to 10 years of experience, writing or reporting for a major daily newspaper or as a regular contributor to a major magazine. Demand said it expects feature writers to earn up to $350 for their stories--which appears to be a significant boost from Demand's normal pay rate.