Fog On the Internet

Let's face it. There are a like a trillion different paths you can follow on the world wide web. Every day it seems there are new gadgets, buttons, counters, feeds, sites and new social networking tools. In the last month I have been invited to join Facebook and Twitter to network with known friends and relatives. I ignored these invitations. Not because I didn't want to be their friend, because I didn't want to deal with joining another site. I can only cope with so much technology and networking on the internet. I have hermit genes. I live in the wilderness and love it for heaven's sake.

A little flattery will get me curious however, so when I received a comment on a post telling me what a great writer I was and would I be interested in being a featured blogger, I had to check it out.

"I think your writing is great! I would like to feature you in the Gardening Community on Wellsphere, a top 10 health website that has well over 2 million visitors monthly."

So I went to Wellsphere and had a look around. The place looked legit and well designed and a resource I could even use. It was easy to get around and it wasn't chock full of annoying ads. Actually it was eerily ad free. They must be hiding some where. Whatever. Someone is interested enough in my blog and my writing to ask me to be a blogger there. What does it pay?

I responded to this inquiry for my services and let him know,

"I read this page, http://www.wellsphere.com/forBloggers.s about blogging for the site and the terms of service page. My impression is that wanting to add my blog is a site and community building effort on your part for Wellsphere.

I would be interested to hear what the particulars are if I was to consider joining Wellsphere as a blogger. In essence you need to entice me to join and spend time at Wellsphere.

I read the Terms Of Use:

You agree that any and all comments, information, photos, videos, feedback and ideas that you communicate to Wellsphere or submit or post to the Website or give Wellsphere permission to post to the Website (“User Materials”) will be deemed, at the time of communication to Wellsphere or submission or posting to the Website, to be the property of Wellsphere, and Wellsphere shall be entitled to full rights of ownership, including without limitation, the unrestricted right to use or disclose such User Materials in any form, medium or technology now known or later developed, and for any purpose, commercial or otherwise, without compensation to you. In the event that you have any rights in the User Materials that cannot be assigned or waived you hereby grant to Wellsphere a royalty-free, paid-up, exclusive, worldwide, irrevocable, perpetual license to (i) use, make, sell, offer to sell, have made, and further sublicense any such User Materials, and (ii) reproduce, distribute, create derivative works of, publicly perform and publicly display the User Materials in any medium or format, whether now known or later developed.

When you post your own copyrightable content on the Website or give Wellsphere permission to post your copyrightable content on the Website, you retain ownership of any copyright you claim to your submitted content. However, by posting your content or giving Wellsphere permission to post your content you automatically grant Wellsphere a royalty-free, paid-up, non-exclusive, worldwide, irrevocable, perpetual license to (i) use, make, sell, offer to sell, have made, and further sublicense any such User Materials, and (ii) reproduce, distribute, create derivative works of, publicly perform and publicly display the User Materials in any medium or format, whether now known or later developed.

Say What? I've been down this road before. How much does this pay again?

Part of the reply, sales pitch I got back:

"I would like to invite you to be a featured blogger in the Gardening Community on the new Wellsphere site. By joining our network of over 1700 leading health and healthy living bloggers, you will be in great company, and will benefit from exposure to the expanded audience of the Wellsphere community. When you join, we also will feature you on our very popular WellBlog with a link back to your blog.

We will republish the postings you've already written for you, and feature them on the community pages of the site, but also within our new dynamic magazine like WellPages, where we give users a comprehensive view of expert information, news, videos, local resources, and member postings on topics you write about. Your profile page on the site will give you special status as a featured blogger. If you are an active contributor, we also will feature you on our homepage.

Let me know what you think."

No contract, no mention of compensation or ability to generate some income.

What do I think? Sir.

It sounds to me like you are asking for permission to republish the entire content of my blog OutsideClyde on your site, past and future, the words and photographs, and grant Wellsphere Inc. equal copyright privileges. What I will get in return is maybe a few more hits to my blog from a direct link from your site and some exposure I could possibly use to self promote my work if I was so inclined.

Asking someone to be a writer and contributor of content should come with a formal legal agreement at a minimum between the author and a business entity. Even token monetary compensation is not an unheard of notion.

I am not enticed.

It's not like I think I am the next Henry Mitchell or Ansel Adams waiting to be discovered. I just don't think I need to consent to some larger business entity on the web going around and sucking up content like a vacuum cleaner to do with as they wish for their sole profit and screwing me in the process. Wellsphere your kind invitation is rejected.

The road ahead is not always clear. That's ok. Even this hermit knows he has friends out there all along the way.


Other blogger's take on Wellsphere are here:
The Assertive Cancer Patient
Wellsphere On Trial
The Trials and Tribulations of Garden Voices and Other Cautionary Notes