网络内容工厂转型，分析师欢喜写手愁

    但是，《财富》杂志（Fortune）所采访的写手的感觉却有天壤之别。以前，按需媒体通常每天发布成千上万个任务：去年每一天，它都有15万个任务可派给写手、编辑和视频制作人员。写手称，过去两周中，任务量急剧减少，每天只有500个，有时候甚至少到只有150个。如果真是如此，那么突然之间，按需媒体成千上万的写手中能领到任务的人就将寥寥无几（通常，每个写手最多只允许认领10个任务）。

    写手们对《财富》杂志（Fortune）称，这种变化让他们很不满。一位拒绝透露姓名的前写手坦承：“其实，给按需媒体写作就是当合同工。我对这一点心知肚明，也完全没有怨言。但是这家公司似乎缺乏诚信和透明度。本来，他们完全可以告诉我们，公司的这些变化会对我们产生影响。我们这些依赖它过活的人不能再继续指望它了。但实际上，虽然任务量正在急剧萎缩，他们还是装出一幅天下太平的假象。”现在，他开始转向为其他机构写稿了。

    另一位曾当过报社编辑的写手原本指望靠按需媒体赚点外快。6个月前，她对该公司兼职任务所提供的额外收入还是满意的。她的原话是：“这点钱不算什么，但它来得稳当。”按需媒体每周两次向撰稿人付酬，平均每篇文章在15美元到20美元之间。

    随后，到了10月初，按需媒体就向写手和编辑发送了一份备忘录，声称在“可预见的未来”，它将削减eHow的任务量。那时她还不清楚要削减的具体数目到底是多少。据一些报道称，eHow的新任务已经削减超过50%。现在，每天深更半夜，她就起床坐到电脑边苦等，希望有新任务或到期任务可做。所谓到期任务，就是有作者曾经接手，完成的结果却却不令人满意的任务。

    写作任务量的锐减，部分《财富》杂志采访时牢骚满腹的作者已经让他们开始另谋高就，寻找其他兼职的机会。上述那位女作者承认：“我刷新个不停，只要新任务一来，我就飞快地选中它——甚至看都不看一眼。”故事提示五花八门，比如如何造一台可持续发电机，或如何做一架尼龙飞机。很自然地，现状让这些作者们觉得，按需媒体前景黯淡。

    他们的担忧也许会成为现实。该公司已一再声明，它正从廉价内容的大宗生产者向高质量网络内容生产商转型（按需媒体为就本文发表评论）。但是，这家公司现在已经开始放弃一度堪称创新的商业模式，同时也把众多牢骚满腹的前写手抛在了身后。

    译者：清远

    The freelance writers Fortune spoke with feel differently. Before, Demand usually served up tens of thousands of assignments per day: one day last year, it had a backlog of 150,000 available assignments for writers, editors and videographers. Freelancers claim that, over the last two weeks, the number of assignments offered is much lower, down to 500 daily and sometimes as few as 150. If that is the case, suddenly, there is only enough work for a tiny fraction of Demand's thousands of freelancers. (Each freelancer is usually allowed to claim a maximum of 10 assignments at any given time.)

    Freelancers told Fortune they're unhappy with the changes. "Writing for Demand, you're an independent contractor," admits one former writer, who declined to be named. "I have no qualms or bitterness about that. But it seemed like there was a real lack of honesty and transparency. They could have said those changes will affect us and those of you who depend on us shouldn't depend on us anymore. Instead, they kept pretending everything was fine while titles were drying up." He now writes for other outlets.

    Another freelance writer, a former newspaper editor, looked to Demand to make extra money. As recently as six months ago, she was satisfied with the extra income Demand assignments provided. "The pay wasn't great, but it was reliable," she says. Demand pays freelancers twice a week, between $15 and $20 per story on average.

    Then in early October, Demand sent its writers and editors a memo stating it was cutting down on eHow assignments for the "foreseeable future." What she didn't know at the time was by how much. According to some reports, new eHow titles have been reduced by more than 50%. Now, she gets up at midnight each day, waiting for hours at her computer hoping that new titles or expired ones -- assignments the previous writer didn't satisfactorily complete -- become available.

    The severe downturn in assignments has left the disgruntled writers Fortune spoke with searching elsewhere for freelance jobs. "I'm hitting refresh until a title comes up, and if a title does come up, I just select it as fast as I can -- I don't even look at it," she confesses. Story prompts include how to build a continuous electrical generator and how to build a ripstop airplane. Naturally, freelancers believe this bodes poorly for Demand's future.

    Perhaps this was to be expected, though. The company has repeatedly claimed it is pivoting from a mass producer of cheap content to a generator of quality web stories. (Demand did not respond to a request for comment on this story.) But in turning away from its once-innovative model, Demand is also leaving behind a lot of unhappy former freelancers.