Forums / TEAM Marine Depot / Pulse on the Hobby – by Steven Pro / I take it RC did not like your question / Latest Posts

RE: I take it RC did not like your question

Johnston — Fri, 20 Jun 2008 10:55:10 GMT

Thank you very much. In the next 6-12 months our plan is to ask newsletter subscribers for their preferences so that the individual can select the frequency that they are contacted and could also select, say, marine and reef as their areas of interest where another subscriber might select freshwater or brackish. We're also going to be more intelligent about who we send to so, for instance, if their was an event in Southern California that we were going to be at, we would only alert those in the area. These are just are few examples of what we have in store. I'd be very interested in hearing what you guys would like in an email or an article. Perhaps I should start a new thread if you guys think people would be interested in giving their feedback...

Jeff, MarineDepot.com Marketing Guy

RE: I take it RC did not like your question

Tone — Thu, 19 Jun 2008 21:43:30 GMT

Hi Jeff,

I've been reading some of the 'articles' that MD has been 'mailing out. Very nice!

Tone

RE: I take it RC did not like your question

Johnston — Fri, 30 May 2008 09:09:45 GMT

Hi Writers!

So we've assigned a couple of articles:

October 3 - Protein Skimmers, Sumps
October 31 - Reef Tank Nuisances and Controls

Anyone interested in these subjects?

July 25 - Guide to Reef Aquarium Chemistry
August 8 - UV Sterilizers

Let me know!

_________________
Jeff Johnston,
Marketing Associate
MarineDepot.com
714.385.0080x688

RE: I take it RC did not like your question

Johnston — Wed, 21 May 2008 16:34:20 GMT

Hi there, my name is Jeff Johnston and I work in the marketing department here at MarineDepot.com. I'm genuinely sorry to hear about the trouble you've experienced with RC. I come from a journalism background, and, having done my fair share of writing for free (or freebies), I know it is more worthwhile to write (articles, at least) for compensation, esp. when you put a lot of time and yourself into the writing.

I do not mean in any way to hijack this thread, however, I was reading this discussion today and forwarded it to my boss to share with him. He reminded me that we need articles for our twice monthly e-newsletter (the articles are also saved/archived in the Marine Depot Knowledgebase) and he suggested I approach you guys to see if you'd be interested in writing for us (paid, of course).

Below are the article subjects we're looking for and their publication dates. If you are interested, PM me so we can make the proper arrangements.

For the Reef Tank Nuisances and Controls article we're looking for a problem/solution-style format, but the rest are "general" topics we're looking to cover ... so you're welcome to get creative. You would, of course, receive the proper credit for any copy or photos we run.

Looking forward to hearing back!

July 25 - Guide to Reef Aquarium Chemistry
August 8 - UV Sterilizers
October 3 - Protein Skimmers, Sumps
October 31 - Reef Tank Nuisances and Controls

RE: I take it RC did not like your question

liquid — Sat, 17 May 2008 06:37:25 GMT

(This is Shane Graber from AdvancedAquarist.com, the website's coder and maintainer)

I know that we at Advanced Aquarist are always interested in quality articles for publication in our monthly magazine. I don't recall exactly what our pay rates are (I'm on the web end of the magazine and not the editorial portion) but I do know that our rates are a fair for each article and that payment is usually done within 2-4 weeks after the article publishes on our website.

You might consider emailing Terry Siegel directly at terry@advancedaquarist.com for more information on publishing in our magazine or PM me here (or email me at sgraber@gmail.com) and I'll foward your message to Terry. I'll be at IMAC this year so stop over at the table if you'd like information on this as well.

We currently publish on the 15th of every month with an online version and then on the first of the month with a PDF version of the magazine. We've begun publishing both as we've realized that people really want to read our content both online as well as offline in a nicely printed format. If you'd like to see what our PDF version looks like, you can check out six months of back issues here:

http://www.advancedaquarist.com/pdf

There's also been some discussion about a print version as well (possibly quarterly).

In the future we're talking about adding additional features like commenting on articles, possibly videos, podcasts, etc.

Anyhow, please consider publishing with us. Have a good weekend!

Shane

RE: I take it RC did not like your question

hyperfocal — Thu, 15 May 2008 17:02:22 GMT

greenbean36191 (5/9/2008)He also told me that he's trying to take the magazine in a more hobbyist driven direction, meaning that they're looking for submissions from just average Joes rather than "experts."

It's a happy day when I get to quote Harlan Ellison

"Vast hordes of semi- or untalented amateurs festoon the Internet with their ungrammatical, puerile trash, and they think because this ‘vanity’ publication gets seen by a few people, that they are ‘writers.’ Horse puckey!

“That isn’t being published; that’s the fanzine press. And there are fewer and fewer real venues for a professional writer nowadays to make a decent living at the craft. Half the world is illiterate, and the other half treads water in the gravy of hubris secretly knowing they can write, if only they had the spare time. "

Thanks to RC/RK for providing me the opportunity.

RE: I take it RC did not like your question

Steven Pro — Fri, 09 May 2008 11:11:43 GMT

I had a feeling they were not paying for the articles they ran anymore. I have an article coming out in TFH soon. And guess what? They paid me upon acceptance, not publication! I have already been paid and my article is not even out yet!

RE: I take it RC did not like your question

greenbean36191 — Fri, 09 May 2008 10:22:21 GMT

Well when I contacted Marc he informed me that since Skip's departure, RK no longer pays for submissions (I think most of us would argue they didn't pay before that either ). Submissions are now for name recognition only. He also told me that he's trying to take the magazine in a more hobbyist driven direction, meaning that they're looking for submissions from just average Joes rather than "experts." I'm not sure whether that was his decision or from higher up, but to me it sounds like they're resigned to the fact that they've alienated a lot of the experts and the few that they haven't aren't going to work for free. I really can't understand how they expect to be competitive in the market and produce a consistent number of articles by soliciting unpaid submissions and lowering their quality. The other magazines offer just as much name recognition, money, and now more prestige.

The good news for me though is that after threatening to "do what Steven did and make this problem public" Ryan replied to me and told me he would happy to get the problem resolved. He did ask for my address, but I haven't heard that the check is in the mail yet.

RE: I take it RC did not like your question

Steven Pro — Fri, 09 May 2008 04:05:05 GMT

Yeah, it is not like the old days when a magazine could go along ripping off authors for years. Now with the internet and how well networked me all are, word spreads fast.

RE: I take it RC did not like your question

FMarini — Thu, 08 May 2008 14:51:14 GMT

Steve-
I suspect that pretty much everyone has been informed of ongoing money issues w/ RK mag, so IMO its going to be difficult to get anyone to submit an article

RE: I take it RC did not like your question

Steven Pro — Thu, 08 May 2008 06:22:54 GMT

I have noticed that the issues have seemed very light since Skip left.

RE: I take it RC did not like your question

charlesr1958 — Wed, 07 May 2008 20:59:48 GMT

Having just seen the "new" edition of RK mag online, it is apparent that the authors have either jumped ship or the mag itself is not buying any articles, I mean, a single article which is just a recap of Dr. Ron's sandbed work? Very disappointing.

Chuck

RE: I take it RC did not like your question

BrianPlankis — Tue, 29 Apr 2008 23:24:55 GMT

You know, you would think I would know to subscribe to topics by now

Anyway, I sent a PM to Ryan Baker over on RC, Steven, thanks for your efforts to help myself and Mike, much appreciated.

Brian

RE: I take it RC did not like your question

xroads — Sat, 26 Apr 2008 09:55:58 GMT

Wow and Saturday noon the site is down.

RE: I take it RC did not like your question

Steven Pro — Fri, 25 Apr 2008 15:28:21 GMT

I did send an email thanking them for my payment, but also complaining about the treatment of other authors namely both of you (Brian and Mike) specifically. Unfortunately, it seems like those complaints are falling on deaf ears. If I were you, I would both PM Ryan Baker and if that goes without response after a week, consider posting something in the feedback forum. Although, that is not without some risk.

RE: I take it RC did not like your question

lReef lKeeper — Fri, 25 Apr 2008 13:32:24 GMT

sorry you guys are having all of these problems. i RARELY even go to that site anymore. it NEVER works right for any of my computers. i guess it is good to find out that they do not pay ... as they will be getting nothing from me, ever. although i am not as recognized as you all are, i do some writing for another site (for free) and was hoping to one day maybe be published in RK, but now ... i'm not so sure i even want to bother. thanks for the heads up Steven !!

Bobby Moser (LMAS)

I GLUE ANIMALS TO ROCKS !!

RE: I take it RC did not like your question

greenbean36191 — Fri, 25 Apr 2008 08:25:49 GMT

Nope, I haven't changed emails. The system here is just unreliable. I think someone's ex-girlfriend programmed the spam filter because it seems to block lots of legitimate mail, but the penis enlargement and Cialis spam seems to have no trouble getting through. A while ago there was pretty widespread trouble with outgoing emails vanishing from the system too, but they say it's been fixed. I know I replied to at least one email I got from you about going unpaid, but I guess you didn't get it.

Have you tried contacting Ryan Baker? I think I'm going to pester him one more time and if I still get no response I'm going to post in the feedback forum since that seems to be what it takes to get someone's attention.

RE: I take it RC did not like your question

BrianPlankis — Fri, 25 Apr 2008 07:56:52 GMT

Mike,

I had been wondering if you had gotten paid (I had sent you a couple of e-mails, did you change e-mails?). Just FYI, I didn't receive any payment for our joint article either. I have lost confidence in their ability to pay, so I'm not submitting other ideas.

Brian

RE: I take it RC did not like your question

greenbean36191 — Fri, 25 Apr 2008 06:07:33 GMT

Well I've still had no luck getting my check. My attempts to contact John Link and Ryan Baker have still gone unanswered. Marc (who I don't hold accountable for all of this) basically told me Ryan is the only one who can help me and that since Feb. submissions are now unpaid. Unfortunately, that makes it sound like I'll never get the money. Needless to say, RK won't be getting any more of my articles.

RE: I take it RC did not like your question

FMarini — Fri, 28 Mar 2008 10:46:14 GMT

I would guess by whats been happening, that there is something going on behind the scenes that we are all unaware of.
The RC site clearly brings in sufficient monies to keep the hardware end, and pay for a few folks to run the place (althou the dollar # cited above is too high on their monthly income) But clearly there is issue w/ day-to-day operations and managing it.

In regards to the reefkeeping magazine, dunno, I spoke to Marc a few time (as I have a few articles which would fit there nicely), but he was upfront w/ me.
So- until they solve their internal issues- homey don't play that game. Its too bad the site is clearly still the biggest and most active, and appears to be frequently read

RE: I take it RC did not like your question

fazgood — Fri, 28 Mar 2008 08:39:41 GMT

It has been giving me errors so often just while I was just browsing that I don't care to go there. It's a shame, it's not that hard to manage a message board, they just need someone to come in and fix the back end database and archive some old data but they seem reluctant to spend money to retain or improve the user's experience. That coupled with the harsh moderation and the way they treat their assets (the content providers) they are causing the power reefers to wander off to find good information.

That’s how I ended up here. (gratuitous butt kissing).

Faz

RE: I take it RC did not like your question

xroads — Fri, 28 Mar 2008 07:53:12 GMT

I have noticed that!

They were talking about how they are reprgramming the system to make it better. They may be reaching critical mass it is hard to say. I know alot of people are un happy about the search function never working.

RE: I take it RC did not like your question

Steven Pro — Fri, 28 Mar 2008 05:38:53 GMT

On a potentially related item, anyone else notice that RC's nightly backups are taking longer and longer to complete. For weeks now I have noticed that they were still offline at 6:00 or 7:00 AM EST, but RC is still down as of 8:30 AM EST.

RE: I take it RC did not like your question

Steven Pro — Fri, 28 Mar 2008 04:49:27 GMT

Ok, so as far as I am aware, Sanjay Joshi, Brian Plankis, and Mike Greenemeier are all owed money from Reefkeeping. I wonder how many others are suffering in silence?

RE: I take it RC did not like your question

Sanjay — Thu, 27 Mar 2008 07:14:39 GMT

If you want one more data point.. you can add me to the list of people who did not get paid.

I tried to contact John Link many times.. and finally gave up.

I will not be writing anything for RK anymore, and RC will no longer be a sponsor for the lighting site.

sanjay.

RE: I take it RC did not like your question

xroads — Wed, 26 Mar 2008 05:19:28 GMT

Pretty sad for a site the brings in almost $100,000 monthly & is run by mostly volunteers! The owner (the accountant guy I cant remember name), just cares that the check shows up every month.

I like the resources of this site, just wish it got used more!

RE: I take it RC did not like your question

Steven Pro — Tue, 25 Mar 2008 15:26:52 GMT

My wife told me a check arrived in the mail today. It is less than I think it should have been, but I did get something. I will inquire about you, Mike and any other people I know have gone unpaid as well.

RE: I take it RC did not like your question

KathyL — Sun, 23 Mar 2008 05:21:28 GMT

Careful,
I am banned from there because a) I questioned the mods about a fellow who got banned.
b) I tried to connect a guy who wanted rotifers to another guy who had rotifers. I posted my email. They accused me of trying to sell my fish on their site.
I don't really care, as I have no use for RC.
Asking for your money may be asking too much.....

RE: I take it RC did not like your question

Eric Borneman — Sat, 22 Mar 2008 05:51:04 GMT

Steve, Mike:

Would you guys be so kind as to send me an email? I was unaware of the situation with Mike, as well.

RE: I take it RC did not like your question

Steven Pro — Fri, 21 Mar 2008 02:59:16 GMT

Ryan Baker just emailed me saying the check is in the mail. I will keep you all posted.

RE: I take it RC did not like your question

jnarowe — Thu, 20 Mar 2008 19:24:15 GMT

Sorry to hear of that. I think RC is just continuing to have growing pains and that there must be some organizational distress. I also see many very qualified people abandoning the site completely. Maybe Randy wasn't getting paid either?

It's unfortunate because I credit my RC experience with my whole plunge into the hobby, but there are a lot of hacks running around making people miserable. I certainly can't believe that anyone who doesn't get paid would do work for them again, but perhaps RC Admin feel it is a privilege to have articles posted on their site and maybe they don't want to pay contributors at all.

RE: I take it RC did not like your question

Steven Pro — Thu, 20 Mar 2008 12:06:19 GMT

Ugh. Well, I am glad it is coming out. Perhaps if enough people know about these happenings, submissions will drop off ala FAMA, and pressure will be brought to bear so that contributors get paid.

RE: I take it RC did not like your question

greenbean36191 — Wed, 19 Mar 2008 12:13:34 GMT

I've been waiting since I think October...

RE: I take it RC did not like your question

fazgood — Tue, 18 Mar 2008 10:27:23 GMT

Intelectual property is a real bear to deal with, I don't need to tell you that.

Good luck,

Faz

RE: I take it RC did not like your question

Steven Pro — Tue, 18 Mar 2008 10:16:43 GMT

You didn't miss much. I just asked when I could expect payment for the two articles I wrote that appeared in the January issue of Reefkeeping. When I first started writing for Reefkeeping, you would get a check in the mail at the end of the month that your article appeared. Very simple and professional. This go around, I still have not received payment now almost two months later. I emailed Skip (the old editor, but he was editor when my articles appeared) and got no response to this day. So, I emailed Marc (the new editor) and he promptly said he would ask Ryan Baker. Two weeks go by and I hear nothing so I email Marc again. He suggests I contact Ryan directly. A week goes by and nothing, so I created a thread in the feedback forum inquiring about payment. That was answered by saying that my email had been forwarded to John Link. Three weeks pass by and I don't get a check, or an apology saying that the check is in the mail, nothing. So, I created another thread (because the first one had mysteriously disappeared).

RE: I take it RC did not like your question

fazgood — Tue, 18 Mar 2008 07:51:53 GMT

I miss out on all the fun!

Faz

RE: I take it RC did not like your question

Steven Pro — Tue, 18 Mar 2008 05:32:19 GMT

I have since heard some of those rumors too. Alas, too late for me.

RE: I take it RC did not like your question

xroads — Tue, 18 Mar 2008 05:17:01 GMT

I have heard from a couple other writers that they do not like to pay their bills. The like to bring it in though.

Hope you get paid.

RE: I take it RC did not like your question

Steven Pro — Tue, 18 Mar 2008 04:58:36 GMT

It really was not so much a question as a statement of fact.

I take it RC did not like your question

xroads — Tue, 18 Mar 2008 04:47:43 GMT

I about fell out of my chair when I read it, of course it wasnt there very long