Comments on: AOL buys WeblogsInc, but what about the writers?

By: The PC Doctor

The PC Doctor — Fri, 07 Oct 2005 11:59:35 +0000

Why blog networks are worth millions

It had been bugging me all throughout yesterday. Why are blog networks suddenly worth millions ? Well, last night, around 2 am (I’m a night owl and I work best at night - by about 8 am I’ve de-evo…

By: TDavid

TDavid — Fri, 07 Oct 2005 00:52:41 +0000

Those working for WIN and counting on that money to eat will not voice anything but support for this until and/or if they feel directly compromised (or after quitting over it). In the meantime, fortunately there are plenty of folks out here who do not work for WIN or AOL that can speak with complete candor about the situation.

All I’m saying really is I hope the writers get touched up here too. If they don’t, then it’s more of the same: publishers getting fat, artists living off the leftovers. Someday, hopefully, this significant disequity between artists and publishers will end. I believe that the ease by which the web makes it so anybody can be a publisher is a step in the right direction of better profit distribution.

I’m not saying publishers shouldn’t make money, no way, I’m simply saying artists should make more than they are currently making.

There is plenty of money to go around and it would have been nice to hear that for once writers are getting a raise, even if it was only a small one out of this deal. $25 million is a lot of money. Heck, $130,000 of that is an extra $1,000 bonus to each writer. Small, but very meaningful bonus to the writers.

Hey, it’s no skin off my nose. I’m not a WIN writer, but tell me seriously who would turn a bonus like that away?

Bookmark this post and then come back and comment in six months on this one after you have more data. Will be easy to trumphet how truly happy the writers are about that then. And I’ll be more than happy to post at that time saying how happy I am that AOL didn’t wreck WIN.

By: The Zero Boss

The Zero Boss — Thu, 06 Oct 2005 23:35:55 +0000

Hey, I’m not saying that can’t happen, TDavid. Who knows where this will be in a year or two? I’m just amused at the supposed concern cropping up from everyone *but* the people involved in the deal.

By: TDavid

TDavid — Thu, 06 Oct 2005 23:27:40 +0000

Here’s a name for you to imagine, The Zero Boss: Nullsoft.

By: The Zero Boss

The Zero Boss — Thu, 06 Oct 2005 23:05:50 +0000

You know, it’s hilarious: everyone’s worried about the WIN writers, except for (drumroll, please)…the WIN Writers!

Imagine that.

By: Ed Bott's Windows Expertise

Ed Bott's Windows Expertise — Thu, 06 Oct 2005 20:40:42 +0000

Bubble 2.0: Who wins, who loses?

Mike at Techdirt calls today’s AOL/Weblogs Inc. deal (see my earlier post) “The Real Blog Bubble”, which sounds about right to me. And he has the same suspicions I did:
Also, to be watched, is how this impacts all of Weblogs Inc. au…