By now, I am sure you have heard about how Comics Alliance has been closed by AOL and that thousands of comic book readers and collectors are going to have to find other sites to migrate to for their information. As someone who worked as a freelance online writer for over six years, I cannot agree with the argument which has come out that Comics Alliance was cut due to underperformance.
The blanket reason for AOL’s elimination of Comics Alliance was a disservice to the writers and to the readers.
Blanket Excuse for Cutting Comics Alliance
Of course, corporate entities will often come up with a blanket excuse when cuts have to be made. AOL cut many of their information sites last week, and Comics Alliance was one of which was listed as being cut for underperformance. I think there were other reasons why the site is no longer receiving new content from staff writers.
The Numbers Don’t Add Up
Alexa.com is a site which gives site statistics on every website you could imagine. Comics Alliance was ranking higher is almost every category websites are rated on (see here). While Average Time on Site was down by 2% in the most recent three month period, the overall Traffic Rank was up significantly. More people were going to Comics Alliance, but they were not staying on the site as long at the end of the period as at the beginning. This is a problem websites can adjust over a short term. I should know since I have helped sites do so in the past. All of the graphable issues with the site are ones which could be fixed so there must be another reason.
The Leaked Memo
In 2011, Business Insider got their hands on the “Master Plan” at AOL. One of the parts buried in the document (see links at bottom of Business Insider article) was about how the company wanted to expend their offerings to less expensive freelancers who they did not have to keep on the payroll or pay benefits to. Keep this in mind as you read on. I have strong reason to believe the information sites such as Comics Alliance were cut to make way for more freelance workers.
AOL Tried it Before
From 2009-2012, AOL Seed was a content submission site where freelancers and bloggers could write on topics AOL or AOL partners were interested in. I took a few of the jobs at the time but found the publication format to be difficult to maneuver and the money was not always worth the competition involved. AOL dove hard into the content market until it acquired the Huffington Post and found it could save money in the long-term.
The Huffington Post
AOL owns the Huffington Post which promises “exposure” to writers who will submit content to them for free. When AOL acquired the media source, AOL Seed was not needed as much so it was closed. If the Huffington Post can source hundreds to thousands of up-and-coming writers, why would AOL need to keep a site which paid freelance writers to produce content? From a business perspective, the argument could be made that since the Huffington Post model continues to work, AOL does not need to pay staff writers on sites such as Comics Alliance if they can get the same amount of convent (or more) for free.
I see the blanket reason for Comics Alliance being cut by AOL as a disservice to all of the writers at the site and the devoted readers they gained over the years. I fully expect AOL to get back into the comic book news field, but with less expensive freelance writers or with writers through the Huffington Post who want to make a name in the field in the hope of reaping rewards later. I will personally miss Comics Alliance and hope the workers there are able to find stable companies to work for in the very near future.
In closing, I think you should see the infamous video of Harlan Ellison talking about why companies should pay their writers. Since this is a PG-13 site, I cannot display the video here. You can see if by following this link.
