Similarities Between Bubblews Members and Sirius Black (Harry Potter Series)

The latest news and update from Bubblews was that, unfortunately, those who redeemed before the 11th of November 2014 will no longer be paid while those who redeemed after the 11th will receive a reduced amount.

This was posted on the site on the 31st of December 2014. The reason given was that, apparently, there was way too much "manipulation and fraudulent activity".

Justice, Fairness

Is that right? Is that fair? Sure, there are cheaters, spammers, plagiarists, manipulators, etc on Bubblews, but, at the same time, there are also honest and good people there who did nothing wrong and who followed all the rules and terms to the best of their abilities.




Why should they be punished for something they didn’t do? Why should they be lumped or included amongst all the bad guys?

Sirius Black

Sirius Black is a character from the Harry Potter series of books by J.K. Rowling. He was first introduced in Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, book 3. He lived a very sad and tragic life.

He was accused of betraying his best friend (James Potter), killing a bunch of people (including Peter Pettigrew, another friend), and being the right-hand man of Dark Lord Voldemort (the main villain of the series).

He was then sent to Azkaban prison without a trial because everyone believed he was guilty. They didn’t listen to his side of the story. They just threw him into prison, but the truth was that Sirius Black was actually innocent.

Bubblews Members and Sirius Black – Similarities

Just like what happened to Sirius Black, members of the Bubblews site are being accused of manipulating the system and engaging in fraudulent activity.

They are being punished by not getting paid and/or getting a reduced payment without being given the chance to defend themselves and show that they are not one of the spammers and scammers and plagiarists.

Whatever happened to innocent until proven guilty? Is it right to generalize and stereotype people like that? Why is everyone considered bad and evil when there are actually people who are good and who did nothing wrong?

Sirius Black may be a fictional character, but what happened to him can happen in real life. It’s happening now, isn’t it? You see entire groups of people or even entire countries being blamed for so many things even if a lot of them are actually innocent.

But these people are silenced and oppressed, and they aren’t allowed to speak freely and voice their opinions and defend themselves (this may or may not be referring to more than just the site-that-shall-not-be-named a.k.a Bubblews).

Your Thoughts and Opinions

What do you think about this? Feel free and welcome to share your thoughts and opinions by leaving a comment below.

*Notes:
- First image is by FirmBee (Public Domain) from Pixabay
- The rest of the images are from Amazon.com; links shown above via the Amazon Native Shopping Ads widget
- This was previously published elsewhere

Planning to Start a Blog on Wix? Don't. Here's Why

Or, to be more precise, here's one reason why you should think twice before you consider starting a blog on Wix.

What Is Wix?

Wix is a website builder that's touted as very easy to use, which is kind of true. Okay, that's a long topic in and of itself, so I'll just say that it is pretty easy to use.

You just drag and drop website elements, and you basically get the chance to build your site the way you want without needing to know HTML or CSS. But it's not without its limitations and imperfections.

Blogging on Wix

For now, I want to focus on the blog part of Wix. Honestly, you can really make the blog part of Wix look awesome.

But it's missing one very important thing, one that all blogs should/need/ought to have. What's that? The comments system.

Built-in Comments Feature

That's right. Wix doesn't have a built-in comments feature. Don't ask me why not. I don't know either, but I've seen many questions about it on the Wix site, with Wix members requesting the feature. And that's understandable. Don't you want comments on your blog posts?

Since Wix doesn't have a comments feature, its default comments system is the Facebook plugin, which means that people need to be signed on to their Facebook account if they want to comment on your posts.

Maybe some don't mind this, but others do. Not everyone wants to go through the trouble of logging in or signing up or creating an account on some site or other just to leave a comment on a single article. If people have to go through so many hoops just to comment, who'd bother?

Wix Comment Apps

Wix also has some comment apps, but these have a lot, and I mean a lot, of limitations. One, the free versions of these apps have so many limits that it's pointless to use the free version. But what about the premium and paid versions? Well, I don't know.

Maybe they're better, and, really, they ought to be considering they're not free. But, do you really want to pay for a comments feature when other platforms have this for free? Besides, these apps were made by third-parties and not Wix. You'll have to do a lot of research if you want to make sure these apps are safe and legit.

Also, consider this - even Tumblr (microblogging platform and social networking site) doesn't have a built-in comments system, but the difference with Wix is that Tumblr actually lets you use Disqus, a free commenting system.

Plus, some Tumblr themes already come with the Disqus codes built-in, so all you need to do is add your Disqus shortname, and you should be all set. So, what do you think about all this?

Here are some of the comments from this article, back when it used to be posted elsewhere:

UK_Writer wrote on February 12, 2015, 11:43 AM
Whether they use FB or disqus is irrelevant - people still have to log in to comment. Pain in the butt really.

FreyaYuki replied to UK_Writer on February 12, 2015, 11:52 AM
I thought Disqus was like that at first too, but they actually have the option to allow anonymous comments. You just need to turn this on in the settings of your Disqus account. One confusing thing about Disqus is how this isn't readily noticeable in their comment form so I add instructions on how to comment anonymously using Disqus on my blogs that use this comments system.

UK_Writer replied to FreyaYuki on February 12, 2015, 12:37 PM
I turned off commenting on my blogs when I was inundated by thousands of spammers.

FreyaYuki replied to UK_Writer on February 14, 2015, 11:54 AM
Ah, I see. Some blogging platforms do come with anti-spam plugins like WordPress. And Disqus has anti-spam measures in place too. You can set it so that all the comments will have to be moderated first before they appear live on your blog or site.

LeaPea2417 wrote on February 12, 2015, 1:45 PM
I have not heard of Wix. Thanks for the information. I will think twice before using it.

FreyaYuki replied to LeaPea2417 on February 14, 2015, 11:57 AM
You're welcome 😃. I'm still thinking of using Wix though only the free version and not as a blog (definitely wouldn't want to blog there because of all the issues with the comments, etc), just as a website of sorts.

The free version has lots of limitations though like the huge ads for Wix and having your links nofollow. From what I've been seeing so far, it seems that even the paid version has lots of limitations. There's also the thing with their odd URL link addresses.

nbaquero wrote on February 12, 2015, 5:17 PM
FreyaYuki thanks for the information, I don't use Wix but I have seen ads for their services. I still can't figure out Tumblr.

FreyaYuki replied to nbaquero on February 14, 2015, 12:05 PM
You're welcome 😃. Wix is being advertised as an easy-to-use website builder, which can help you build your very own site without knowing how to code and use HTML and CSS.

But it's not really as easy as it seems and there are a number of limitations like having your links nofollow if you're using the free version, the price of the paid version, the URL links, etc.

What problems are you having with Tumblr? Is it the theme? I find that you get more flexibility with Tumblr because you have access to the template's HTML and CSS codes though the platform also has its limitations.

nbaquero replied to FreyaYuki on February 14, 2015, 12:40 PM
Thanks for your response FreyaYuki
Regarding Tumblr it's not really a problem per se, I have just not really put the time to understand its functionlity and take full advantage of the features they offer. I have only used it previously to share links to old post at Bubblews.

grandma20121 wrote on February 12, 2015, 5:33 PM
i never heard of the WIX site before but it sounds to me like it would not work out very well without an area for people to leave their comments

FreyaYuki replied to grandma20121 on February 14, 2015, 12:10 PM
Yes, that's what I thought too. Comments are essential when it comes to blogging, so it's important to give people the opportunity to leave comments if they want to. I've read of a lot of Wix users that also don't like how Wix doesn't have a built-in comments feature and doesn't even let them use Disqus.

At least Weebly (simialr to Wix) actually has its own built-in comment system and you can even choose to use Disqus (thought I'm also not planning to blog there). So I'm not planning to use Wix as a blog but I think I'll still be trying to build a site there.

bestwriter wrote on February 12, 2015, 7:46 PM
I have yet to go about doing justice to my blog and so going anywhere near Wix is not on my schedule (lol)

FreyaYuki replied to bestwriter on February 14, 2015, 12:12 PM
Ah, I see. Good luck with your blog 😃. What platform are you using?

bestwriter replied to FreyaYuki on February 14, 2015, 7:20 PM
I think it is blogspot. I want to delete my account and start afresh. It is not allowing me to.

FreyaYuki replied to bestwriter on February 18, 2015, 4:19 PM
Do you mean your blogger account or just the blog itself? There should be a delete button there somewhere. And you can also just create a new blog then make that old blog private and invisible to search engines so no one can access it.

bestwriter replied to FreyaYuki on February 18, 2015, 6:24 PM
I want a new account. Is that possible?

FreyaYuki replied to bestwriter on February 19, 2015, 12:51 PM
Yes. You can just create a new Google account if you want. You'll also get a new Gmail with it. From there, you can create new blogs on Blogger.

bestwriter replied to FreyaYuki on February 19, 2015, 6:02 PM
Why is Google so stubborn that we cannot delete a blog and to get a new one we must get a new gmail. Funny!!

FreyaYuki replied to bestwriter on February 20, 2015, 9:39 AM
If it's just a blog that you want to delete and not your whole Blogger account, then you can do that without getting a new Gmail. When you log on to your Google Blogger account, you should see your created blogs listed.

From there, you can find the option to delete or edit your blog. If you prefer, instead of deleting it, you can just change the site address then install a new theme or template then begin adding your content.

allen0187 wrote on February 12, 2015, 8:16 PM
That just sounds so awful. I won't bother leaving a comment if I had to go through all that stuff. Thanks for the heads up about this site.

FreyaYuki replied to allen0187 on February 14, 2015, 12:17 PM
You're welcome 😃. And I agree. I don't like having to go through so many hoops just to comment. That's why I've the comments feature on my own blogs set so that anyone can comment even anonymously or as guests.

BarbRad wrote on February 13, 2015, 3:34 AM
I've never used my Wix site for anything yet. I'm still trying to figure out where I want to take what I started on Weebly.

FreyaYuki replied to BarbRad on February 14, 2015, 12:22 PM
Ah, I see. I'm actually working on both Wix and Weebly while also working on Blogger, WordPress and Tumblr. Good luck with your plans for Weebly. I noticed that it's a bit more restrictive than Wix when it comes to the drag-and-drop features (on Weebly, you can't really drag and drop them anywhere you want).

The themes on Weebly also look pretty similar to each other so there isn't much variety. But at least the free version of Weebly doesn't have such huge glaring ads/attribution links unlike with Wix who actually has 2 - on both the header and footer.

midastouch wrote on February 15, 2015, 1:18 AM
Well it really is a bag of mixes
some persons to not really bother about blog comments particularly the ones that seem to be very discouraging so they prefer to make their blog posts and just move on; for such persons Wix would just be ideal

FreyaYuki replied to midastouch on February 18, 2015, 4:16 PM
Yeah, there are some who prefer to disable the comments on their posts so they wouldn't have a problem with using Wix for that reason.

Still, it would be nice to have control over the comments section of your blog like you can turn it on or off depending on what you want or on a per-article basis.

AliCanary wrote on February 18, 2015, 4:39 PM
I might not mind not being able to leave comments. I don't get a lot of comments on my blogs because I use Google's Blogger platform, and they make you create an account just to leave a comment, which is too much trouble for most people. It might be better not to have a comments feature at all!

FreyaYuki replied to AliCanary on February 19, 2015, 12:56 PM
I'm currently working on a few Google Blogger blogs. As far as I know, you can set your comment form to allow people to comment as guests or anonymous so they don't have to log in or create an account just to comment.

You can also use Disqus on Blogger. They have instructions for this though I haven't gotten 'round to trying it yet since I'm still working on fixing up the blog's layout, etc. But I'm using Disqus on Tumblr, and you can set it to allow people to comment as guests.

I also don't like having to go through so much trouble just to leave a comment, which is why I prefer it when people are given a choice as to how they want to comment - like if they want to comment using their Facebook account, Twitter, anonymously, etc.

AliCanary replied to FreyaYuki on February 19, 2015, 5:37 PM
Oh, I had no idea! I'm kinda new to it. Thanks for the info!

haze wrote on February 22, 2015, 6:58 PM
I didn't realize the Wix didn't have a comment section. You have to have on. Thanks for the information. I will keep looking around at sites.

FreyaYuki replied to haze on February 23, 2015, 10:36 AM
Wix doesn't have a built-in comments feature. They make you use a Facebook plugin instead, which isn't all that good if you have readers who either don't have a Facebook account or don't want to log on to their account just to comment.

Wix also offers some third-party commenting apps, but you have to pay if you want to use the full features of these apps because the free versions are all severely limited, which isn't a plus for Wix at all since there are many other platforms that offer comments feature for free.

You can check out Weebly if you're looking for something similar to Wix. It's a site builder too, and, while it has its limitations and weaknesses, it does have a built-in comments feature. Plus, you can use Disqus (free 3rd party comment system) on Weebly.

BrenndaMarie wrote on February 23, 2015, 3:51 PM
I have never even heard of Wix but thanks to you i would never start a blog there. It sound like to much of a pain for the readers just to comment. Does not sound like it would be worth the time and afford you have to put into a blog

FreyaYuki replied to BrenndaMarie on February 24, 2015, 10:06 AM
Yes, I agree. I'm still working on a Wix site, but am not planning to blog there. It's better to go with blogging platforms like Google Blogger (has a built-in comments system, and you can use Disqus as well) or Tumblr (you can use Disqus, a third-party commenting system that's free and won't force commenters to log in or create accounts just to leave comments on your blog).

GemstonePink wrote on February 25, 2015, 5:45 PM
I have never created a blog, but thanks for the information that will help many here.

FreyaYuki replied to GemstonePink on February 26, 2015, 11:47 AM
You're welcome 😃. There are other platforms aside from Wix for those who want to blog. Other platforms can be easier to use as well, and, for those who don't really want to tinker with their theme's CSS and HTML, they can easily start blogging as soon as they create an account on those sites and set up their blogs.

rana199426 wrote on March 8, 2015, 11:16 AM
I already made one a year ago but I never use it anyway

*Notes:
- This was previously published on Persona Paper on February 12, 2015, 11:09 AM
- Image is by GraphBerry (CC:BY-SA) from deviantArt

Should You Join Netboard.me?

Also known as, "Concerns about a site similar to Pinterest, but where you can actually earn money."

So, there's this site that is similar to Pinterest, but one of the major differences is that you can actually use ads and affiliate links on this site, so you can earn some money. Have you heard about this site?

I just found out about it recently. Like I just said, it looks pretty similar to Pinterest in that you can share articles, pics, etc. It's like having your own personal webpage, and it's all for free.

Info About Site Similar to Pinterest

According to the site, you can create as many boards as you want. There are no limits. Plus, you can even make money by using Chitika ads and Amazon affiliate links on your pages. You can also personalize the look of your boards, making it look like the way you want it to.

Okay, what is this site? It's called Netboard.me.

Is Netboard.me Too Good to Be True?

Sounds pretty cool, right? True. It does sound good. But, could it be that it's too good to be true? What's the catch? Well, I honestly don't know. I've thought about joining or creating an account on Netboard.me, but I haven't done so yet. Why not? Is something wrong with this site?

Where to Find More Info About Netboard.me?

Well, I don't really know. And that's the point. I was trying to find more info about this site, but couldn't really find much of anything. I can see some example public boards, and they all look pretty nice and all that, but *shrug*.

Plus, I have to wonder how much traffic this site is getting because, even if you can monetize the pages that you create on Netboard.me, if you're not going to be getting much traffic anyway, then, well, you're not gonna be earning much, if any, at all.

Netboard.me Terms of Service and Privacy Policy

And I also have to wonder about Netboard.me's Terms of Service and Privacy Policy.

You know what's really funny? I hate terms and policies that are way too long and full of so much legal jargon. It's such a drag to have to read through these things. It's like these sites want to bore you to death or something. LOL 😃.

So, is that the issue with Netboard.me then? Their long and boring TOS? Nope. They actually have a pretty short terms of service and privacy policy page. In fact, it's so short that those two have been combined in a single page. And that's what's funny.

I hate long TOS, but I can't help but feel kind of (okay, maybe more than just kind of 😃) suspicious when I see sites with very short terms and policies. It's because all sites usually have very long legal documents for you to read. Of course, some (very few, really) actually try to make it easier for you to read through this stuff like providing annotations, etc.

I may hate the long TOS and privacy policy pages, but it can be a good indication if a site is legit or not, right? The terms and policies need to mention things like what the site is going to do to your data and info, how they'll make sure that your data will be kept safe and secure, it should also include stuff about disclaimers and liabilities and warranties, it should tell you where your data is being processed, the governing laws and jurisdiction that the site is following, etc, etc.

Well, Netboard.me's TOS page is severely lacking though precisely because it's so short. For instance, where is this site located anyway? If you compare this to the Pinterest TOS, for example, you'll see right away that the Pinterest terms is governed by the laws of California, United States of America (USA).

If you look at other TOS, you'll find information like that too. For example, the Tumblr TOS mentions following the laws of New York, USA. Netboard.me doesn't mention anything though. So, it comes across as really quite suspicious.

Your Thoughts and Opinions

What do you think? Do you know anything about this site? Are you planning to join it? If you're already a part of this site, what can you say about it? How is it working out for you?

Here are some of the comments from this article, back when it used to be posted elsewhere:

Feisty56 wrote on February 27, 2015, 10:13 AM
You're mention here is the first I've heard of this Pinterest-like site. I'll be interested to see what others have to say and whether anyone is already on-board with the site.

FreyaYuki replied to Feisty56 on February 28, 2015, 1:03 PM
I've also only just recently heard about it. It seems to be new and it seems that there are only a few members as well. Am also interested in finding out more info about this site before joining especially considering their incomplete TOS.

LeaPea2417 wrote on February 27, 2015, 11:12 AM
I have not heard of this site before. I may check it out and try to learn more about it.

FreyaYuki replied to LeaPea2417 on February 28, 2015, 1:09 PM
Keep us informed of your findings if you do decide to check it out :-). It seems that this site is pretty new or, at least, it's not getting all that much traffic considering not many know about it.

nbaquero wrote on February 27, 2015, 1:10 PM
FreyaYuki I never heard of this site, but I would not join right away. It seems that is has been around for about a year or so.

FreyaYuki replied to nbaquero on February 28, 2015, 1:11 PM
Yes, I am also reluctant about joining the site considering the points I mentioned above in the post. It would be nice to find out more info about it. Besides, it does kind of sound too good to be true, right? You can make as many boards as you like and you can add ads and affiliate links on those boards and it's all for free so, what's the catch, right?

nbaquero replied to FreyaYuki on February 28, 2015, 7:05 PM
FreyaYuki exactly, what is the catch? Have you seen/read any site reviews?

FreyaYuki replied to nbaquero on March 3, 2015, 10:32 AM
Very few and none of them address or mention the concerns I talked about here. Still looking for more info about this. It looks like not many know about the existence of this site. Have you checked it out yet?

nbaquero replied to FreyaYuki on March 5, 2015, 11:59 AM
FreyaYuki I did look at their site, but wasn't really impressed.

thisnthat wrote on February 27, 2015, 2:59 PM
Interesting idea for a site. I think I'll give it a look. Thanks for mentioning it. If I join, I'll come back and let you know.

FreyaYuki replied to thisnthat on February 28, 2015, 1:12 PM
You're welcome 😃. Keep us informed about what happens if you do decide to join the site and what other info you may find about it.

BrenndaMarie wrote on February 27, 2015, 5:47 PM
Many if you give it sometime you will be able to find more information about it. I have never heard of it before. It sounds like it is a fairly new site.

FreyaYuki replied to BrenndaMarie on February 28, 2015, 1:18 PM
Yeah, it does seem to be new. I've already searched around but couldn't really find much about this site. Am also concerned about their TOS, which appears to be too short and doesn't include all the necessary info and details that legit sites have. Plus, the services being offered by the site seems too good to be true - you can create as many boards as you want and you can add ads and affiliate links to these board and it's all for free.

GemstonePink wrote on February 27, 2015, 7:20 PM
I usually read all the online reviews I can find regarding a site. If I cannot find reviews then I wait until one pops up.

FreyaYuki replied to GemstonePink on February 28, 2015, 1:19 PM
Yes. Same here. I prefer to read reviews and all the other info I can find about a site before deciding to join it.

scheng1 wrote on March 1, 2015, 1:37 AM
I rather not touch any new site until it has been established.

FreyaYuki replied to scheng1 on March 3, 2015, 10:52 AM
Yeah. I prefer to read everything I can about a site before joining - reviews, TOS, FAQ, rules, etc. Everything has to be legit so you won't end up getting ripped off or something.

arthurchappell wrote on March 2, 2015, 12:19 PM
worth monitoring the site for a while to see how it goes and forums fill with either praise or anger to them

FreyaYuki replied to arthurchappell on March 3, 2015, 10:52 AM
Yup. Am also planning to do that. Won't be joining the site yet until there is more info about it.

*Notes:
- This was previously published on Persona Paper on February 27, 2015, 9:34 AM
- Pinterest pic is by vastateparksstaff (CC:BY) from flickr

Some Problems With Writedge and Daily Two Cents

Anyone still writing for Writedge and Daily Two Cents (writing sites where you can earn a bit of passive income)? If anyone's still writing for these 2 sites, how's it going? I haven't logged on to either site in a while. After recently logging in (as in before logging on to Persona Paper right now. LOL), I was surprised by what I saw.

Edited to add: unfortunately, both writing sites in question have changed their payment model from pay per thousand views to a revenue-sharing (Google AdSense) one. The traffic in these sites have also gotten quite low lately.

Low Traffic on Daily Two Cents and Writedge?

It's not really a good kind of surprise though, unfortunately. It's kind of really sad. Disappointing even :-(. Traffic still seems to be really super low at the moment. I noticed this was especially the case on Daily Two Cents. Writedge is doing far better compared to DTC, at least based on my stats.

Low Earnings on Writedge and Daily Two Cents?

Unfortunately, the earnings are still really super low on both sites. Writers there only get like $1.50 per thousand views :-(. I wonder if they'll be able to increase that amount soon?

Thinking About Moving Posts From Writedge and Daily Two Cents to Elsewhere?

Am actually seriously considering moving some posts there to elsewhere. Maybe the ones on DTC since the traffic is really bad there. Don't really know yet though. We'll see, I guess.

The other issue here is that if I do decide to move some posts, it's gonna be an inconvenient hassle because of all the other stuff you have to do before actually being able to publish the article elsewhere.

Latest News, New Blog Posts, and Plans on Writedge and Daily Two Cents?

Also, I didn't even know that there were new posts on the Writedge and Daily Two Cents blog. I only found out 'cause I just logged on to the site. Huh. I thought they would have sent news about that via their newsletter (I did sign up to get said newsletter).

So, it seems like they have new stuff planned or something? New sites, maybe. There weren't a lot of details on those new blog posts. There was a poll and stuff though. I dunno. Maybe those in the Facebook group have more news about this? Didn't get anything via the newsletter though.

So, anyway, how are you all doing on Writedge and Daily Two Cents if you are writing there?

Disclaimer/note: this is IMHO and based on the stats I saw on my Writedge and Daily Two Cents account so your mileage may vary. Maybe/hopefully others are doing much better.

Edited to add: this is sad, but, according to this post, it looks like there are others who are also experiencing the low traffic and earnings on DTC: http://personapaper .com/article/32493-persona-paper-or-daily-two-cents

Here are some of the comments from this article, back when it used to be posted elsewhere:

HappyLady wrote on June 9, 2015, 4:38 AM
I do have an account with both those places, but I dislike the feel I am somehow back at school with their moderation process and am not so keen on the editor they use or writing the posts. Maybe its just me, but I prefer a less officious approach.

FreyaYuki replied to HappyLady on June 10, 2015, 2:39 AM
I also don't like that new editor that they have. I prefer sticking to the familiar-looking WordPress dashboard. And I don't like how you have to have a featured image on your posts, but it's not easy to actually add a pic to your articles there. I used to write a lot there, but now traffic is really low and even the earnings have been cut. I hope things can improve soon.

peachpurple wrote on June 9, 2015, 5:06 AM
You know I earned one cent per month at writ edge but I earned five cents per day at pp, I thought the traffic there would have increased

FreyaYuki replied to peachpurple on June 10, 2015, 2:35 AM
I thought the traffic would have increased with the implementation of the new theme too. It's still really low though, unfortunately. I wonder if other people are doing better there?

Nar2Reviews wrote on June 9, 2015, 9:02 PM
I gave up with DTC a long time ago; the process of submitting content was too much of a hassle. Too much "grammar correctness" and ruling with the editing just got all too much. Good luck to them though; I just find the process on PPaper so much easier.

FreyaYuki replied to Nar2Reviews on June 10, 2015, 2:42 AM
I stopped being so active there after they lowered the amount that you get per thousand views. It's really low plus the low traffic is not helping either. It's why I haven't been there in a while.

I thought things might have improved by now especially since I haven't been able to be there in quite a while, so I was disappointed after logging on to both sites and seeing my stats. I wonder if others are doing better there?

I think I prefer the process here too since it's easier to post articles plus you're not obliged/required/forced to add pics to your articles. There's quite a long process involved in posting articles on those sites.

Lovebeingmummy wrote on June 14, 2015, 6:45 AM
I tried daily two cents but earnings far too slow

FreyaYuki replied to Lovebeingmummy on July 9, 2015, 4:35 AM
Yeah, the earnings are really very low right now. Traffic is super low too as some others have said. The pay rate used to be pretty high, but now they lowered it :-(. Hope things improve there and on Writedge.

AudreyHowitt wrote on June 16, 2015, 11:36 AM
I have an account there, and have heard good things about the sites in general. But I have not been there very long and am interested in people's opinions and experiences there

stbrians wrote on June 17, 2015, 4:19 AM
I have noticed that too

cheri wrote on June 30, 2015, 5:25 AM
I am not familiar with those you mentioned. I think I will be checking those later.

AdGoggleKo wrote on July 10, 2015, 2:50 AM
I didn't join neither of the two though the owner was a good bubblews connection of mine before. I just cannot attend to many. :(

cmoneyspinner wrote on September 17, 2015, 1:47 PM
Still write at both sites. I'm doing OK. Just got a payment in my PayPal a few weeks back. For the posts and articles that are there, I've already shared links. They started at $5 per 1000 views, then reduced it to $1.50. Just noticed when I signed in a few days ago that the rate is up to $2 per 1000 views. The ladies who own the sites are hustlers. They work hard to make their sites work! Some folks don't like these sites. But me? Got no reason to move my stuff or complain. It's working for my purposes.

@FreyaYuki - Don't know how many posts you have but check to see if you have a minimum of 6 tags. Found out that excessive tagging is viewed as spam by the search engines. Don't know about you but my posts had lots of tags. Second, check your SEO for the green dot. If you see a green dot, that 's good. You really should share your links wherever you can and use good hashtags.

Jeramey wrote on November 1, 2015, 10:47 PM
Any updates that anyone has had on these two sites? Are they worth it for new writers? Thanks!

*Notes:
- This was previously published on Persona Paper on June 9, 2015, 3:59 AM
- Image is by FirmBee (Public Domain) from Pixabay

Feeling Kind of Disappointed With Writedge and Daily Two Cents

What's going on? What reason do you have to feel disappointed about these 2 writing sites where you can earn a bit of passive income? What happened?

Edited to add: both sites have changed their payment model from pay per thousand views to Google AdSense's revenue share.

In an earlier post here on Persona Paper, I wrote about upcoming changes to Writedge and Daily Two Cents. I said that I welcome the plan to change themes and that I look forward to it (it was a long time coming, IMHO).

But changing themes also means more work since writers who used videos on their Daily Two Cents and Writedge articles will now be forced to move these videos unless they don't mind losing them.

The Hassle and Inconvenience of Moving Videos

That's 1 reason to feel disappointed (yup, still not done moving the YouTube videos from my posts there. Still have a lot more posts to get through, so am glad to be making a bit of progress. It's also good that at least we get a bit more time to do this since they're planning to change themes on the 23rd of March 2015), but it's not all.

Another Reason to Feel Disappointed With Writedge and Daily Two Cents

I just found out that they've already decided which theme they're planning to implement on the 2 sites. It's called the Hot News Viral theme, and I can't say that I'm all that fond of it at all.

Actually, out of all the 3 choices, this was the one that I disliked the most (no offense meant to anyone, just my personal preference/opinion).

I know I'm not the only one who doesn't like this theme though since there were votes for the other 2 themes as well. It just so happened that this one won :-(.

Some of the Things to Dislike About the Hot News Viral Theme

Note: this is based on the preview of the theme that I saw here http: //demo.mythemeshop. com/s/?theme=HotNews.

• No navigation bar or menu links - this refers to links to the other pages on the site. For example, on Persona Paper, at the top of the page, you can see links to "home", "rules", etc
• Fake infinite scroll feature - already wrote a post about this here on Persona Paper, so let's not get into that now. LOL
• No footer section - by this, I mean the columns that appear before the copyright section. You can put text (like disclosures and disclaimers) or links here. For example, on Persona Paper, you can see "site links", "ideology" and "legal" on its footer section
• Search bar - I don't know if this can be moved, but its current location is at the bottom of the site right before the footer section. Usually, you see search boxes at the top of the page, right? For example, the Persona Paper search box is located on top of the webpage
• No read more link on the "stories" and "other stuff" categories on the homepage of the theme preview. You can just see a pic, the post title, and a very short snippet
• The "latest" posts is located near the bottom of the homepage, and it's in 3 columns - there are read more links here, which is good. However, everything looks quite cluttered and messy thanks to the 3 columns. It looks like everything is being squished together, and the short snippet has the potential to look like 1 huge block or wall of text
• Back to top button - I actually like this, but its current position is too near the top of the page. I think it should be much, much lower
• The box - I don't know what to call this, but, if you see the theme, you will immediately notice this box with a gray/black border. All the content of the site is inside this box and it's on top of the background. Behind it, you can see 2 black bars (one on top and one on the bottom). It looks- eh, I don't really like how it looks
• Author information - I don't know if this can be changed, but, if I look at a sample post on the Hot News Viral theme preview, I can't see any author information, which is not good for a site that has multiple authors

So, what about you? What do you think about this theme? Like it? Dislike it?

(Note: this is just my personal opinion of this theme based on my preferences, so no offense meant to anyone who likes this theme. If you like/dislike this theme, feel free to say/explain why)

Here are some of the comments from this article, back when it used to be posted elsewhere:

LeaPea2417 wrote on March 20, 2015, 11:05 AM
Some of these sites are true scams. You have to be careful in studying which ones are good and which ones are not.

FreyaYuki replied to LeaPea2417 on March 21, 2015, 1:20 PM
Yup. It's best to read a site's terms and policies first and make sure they contain the standard or the usual words that you see in the TOS of legit sites.

j2jworkz wrote on March 20, 2015, 11:22 AM
I have been watching these two sites from afar, now waiting till they change the theme. Totally subjective, I think this theme is better than the current, but not my personal preference.

FreyaYuki replied to j2jworkz on March 21, 2015, 1:28 PM
I agree. It's definitely better than the current theme, but this new theme is definitely not my preference either. It still looks pretty bad when you compare it to the other 2 choices. It's kind of messy and cluttered.

But, yeah, people have different opinions. I just hope that readers and visitors will actually like the theme so traffic on those sites can increase at the very least since it's pretty low at the moment. If this new theme can bring us more traffic, then it wouldn't be so bad and you can just learn to live with it. LOL.

crowntower wrote on March 20, 2015, 3:49 PM
I never write on those site... I think there i a bit of disappointment, but I guess changes of those things is not a major problem, as long as they are still paying and good to all of its member. God bless.

FreyaYuki replied to crowntower on March 21, 2015, 1:30 PM
Yeah. If the theme can bring more readers and traffic, then it wouldn't be so bad. They do pay, but they've recently lowered the amount you get and traffic is low there at the moment, so have't got a payout recently. I hope the new theme can at least breathe life back into the site.

crowntower replied to FreyaYuki on March 23, 2015, 9:00 AM
Do you earned from it? I visited the site and read how it works... and I have read that your post every in every views... but what if no one view your post? How can a blogger can earn from it?

FreyaYuki replied to crowntower on March 24, 2015, 11:22 AM
Yes, the sites pay. You can earn something if your post gets views. But they recently lowered the amount that you get per thousand views and traffic is kind of low there at the moment so I haven't been all that active there.

Maybe the new theme can help with the traffic problem. You're also allowed to add your own affiliate links to your posts. You get 100% of the revenue if someone uses your affiliate link to buy stuff so that can help with earnings too.

luisga814 wrote on March 20, 2015, 10:57 PM
I am not familiar with those two sites. Actually, after my failed accounts in Bubblews and PAA, I concentrated here in PersonaPaper only.

FreyaYuki replied to luisga814 on March 21, 2015, 1:33 PM
Ah, I see. Good luck then. I actually found the other 2 sites before this one.

CalmGemini wrote on March 21, 2015, 1:08 AM
I am not writing in these two sites. I read your well researched post above. As I have said earlier I do not like the infinite scroll feature. The theme too. But one thing. There is the site C P G Gallery where the format is good and it is easy to navigate and write there.

But there is only one complaint from its members. They are not receiving any payment. Well,what about these too sites? Do they pay?

FreyaYuki replied to CalmGemini on March 21, 2015, 1:42 PM
I don't write on CGP Gallery but have also heard of non-payment issues there. As for these 2 sites, they do pay. However, they recently lowered the amount that you can get per thousand views and the traffic is low there at the moment, so it can take a while to reach the payment threshold.

Haven't got payout there recently, so I'm not very active there at the moment. Am hoping that the new theme can help bring in more traffic and revenue, in which case it wouldn't be so bad.

valmnz wrote on March 21, 2015, 6:02 PM
I did join up once but never made any contribution. If there's ever a case of an inactive user, that's what I am there, and intend staying that way. But I do enjoy reading your posts about these other sites.

FreyaYuki replied to valmnz on March 22, 2015, 9:56 AM
Thanks. I'm not very active on either site for now since traffic there is kind of low at the moment. They even lowered the amount you get per thousand views. I do hope the new theme can help increase the traffic.

agvulpes wrote on March 23, 2015, 7:49 AM
I also joined the site and have never posted at either one. I don't think I have the time or the inclination to try after reading that they have lowered the rates!
It is getting tough, on all sites to make a dollar. At this stage I am doing best over on HP!

FreyaYuki replied to agvulpes on March 24, 2015, 11:18 AM
I haven't posted much on either site too since they lowered the rates and since traffic there is pretty low at the moment. I hope the theme can help increase traffic at least. I'm trying to be more active on HubPages too though my account is pretty new, so I only have a few hubs at the moment.

MelissaE wrote on March 27, 2015, 9:25 PM
Thanks for the info as I just registered an account with Writedge.

*Notes:
- This was previously published on Persona Paper on March 20, 2015, 9:52 AM
- Image is by GraphBerry (CC:BY-SA) from deviantArt