Disturbing Trends In Web 2.0

Does anyone remember Themestream.com? A victim of poor management and the Dot Com Bust,Themestream went belly-up in 2001 owing millions of dollars to writers who never got their last pay checks. As one of those writers I wasn't at all surprised. The fact is: Themestream paid far too much to myself and many more writers to ever stay in business.

Since that time I've seen company after company go belly-up though I sometimes wonder if some of them were simply cashing-in without paying out.

That said, I've noticed a recent resurgence in the number of companies who allow anyone to write for them and while pay scales vary widely they all follow the same Web 2.0 business model: Put up a website, get lots of "writers" to sign-on and stick some Google Adsense scripts all over the pages.

That, my friends, is Web 2,0 Sharecropping. It's also a form of business that simply won't stand up to IRS (Internal Revenue Service) and Federal Wage & Hour regulations.

You see, what these companies are doing is a dodge that has been attempted by trucking companies and construction contractors for many years now. Like the truck and con companies, these Web 2..0 cons will make the claim that as writers you are freelancers and contractors and therefore not employees who are protected by federal regulations but Federal law requires that contractors, even subcontractors, make a minimum investment in equipment, materials and infrastructure that is far more than the cost of your desk top PC.

And the saddest part is: when the Feds finally decide to crack-down on this sort of business it will be the writers they go after first. In my many years in trucking and construction I saw this same scenario play out many times and in every instance it was those at the bottom who paid for the crimes committed by those at the top.

So how does one avoid getting trapped in this Web 2.0 sharecropping scam?

Start by getting your own blog but not a free blog. Instead, go for your own hosting or use a managed hosting service like Squarespace. Squarespace powers this website. Experience has taught me you get what you pay for and those of you who are using free services have no idea what you're missing. Squarespace isn't just a blog, it's a managed network and built-in data base that is light years ahead of the competition.

Then you can sign-up for your own Google Adsense and/or other advertising accounts and not split your revenue with the Web 2.0 straw bosses. Adsense rates are based on keyword bids and how many of your readers click on the ads. Combining Adsense with AdBrite works well too. I've been with AdBrite for almost 5 years now. Upping your pay is a matter of getting lots of readers to your blog and writing about subjects whose keywords are hot in the current marketplace. Most subjects produce ads that pay pennies per click but some subjects produce ads that pay several dollars per click. Ads for wireless telephone services are paying pretty high of late and poetry ads rank near the bottom of the pay scale but if poetry should find a sudden dramatic increase in popularity the bid rates will adjust accordingly.

And with a little bit of luck you might someday be selling ads directly to your customers with the help of a forward thinking Web 3.0 company.