Forum & Blog Posting Guidelines Regarding Rate Changes, Performance and Today.com's T & C

The lastest update from Today.com. This was posted in the ~private~ forum earlier today. Personally, I think it is time that we use our new-found SEO skills to ensure that anyone searching for "advertising opportunities" or "advertising Today.com" come up with some ~interesting~ posts. As IF they are going to hand our content over to whoever the hell they want.

Moving forward with our plans to get the message out to potential advertisers and to work with current and new bloggers interested in revenue sharing with Today.com we wanted to address some of the most frequently asked questions we get when a blog’s pay is cut.

Due to our renewed goals for the network, here is what Today.com can and cannot do for any blogger not happy blogging with Today.com.

Today.com no longer offers transferring to free blog hosting. If you leave Today.com the URL and content remains online and Today.com reserves the right to reassign the blog with the content (Blogs do not become “inactive”, accounts do.)

Today.com will not change the Terms and Conditions in regards to content rights. Since the content is purchased under a work for hire agreement , content is the property of Today.com. Any blogger who wishes to purchase their content back can contact Today.com directly to purchase it at the value Today.com paid plus 10%.

Today.com will not lower the payout amount from $50. We feel that if it is not your goal for your blog to make more than $50 in a month or two than [sic] Today.com is not the network for you. We are looking for people whose goals are in line with ours, working beyond the minimum to get maximum returns.

To reiterate in our previous post, Forum & Blog Posting Guidelines Regarding Rate Changes and Performance, if you determine you are no longer a fit for the Today.com program than [sic] we of course wish you the best in your future endeavors however “Goodbye” posts announcing you are leaving or moving your blog to such and such link(s) will affect the close of your account.

For bloggers who remain in the program, we will get the programs and tools out there for you to make your blog profitable beyond what pay per post could do for you.

Sincerely,
The Today.com Team

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Today.com

You may notice, if you are a regular visitor, that I deleted the post about Today.com's new advertising deals.

Sour grapes, I guess...at least I'm sure that is how the powers-that-be at today would see it ... but I can no longer support or recommend advertising with them.

I was SO not happy when I went into my account today, to check whether my ads had received any clicks.

This is what I saw:


I have already PAID for this advertising - and now they want me to pay more to be able to see whether it has brought about any results?! I don't think so!

The last time I checked I had received over 500 impressions in each account, but neither clicks or CTR showed any data. There have been a few unidentified visitors showing in my stats - they show up as coming from a widgetserver of some sort, but the referral link goes nowhere....and we still do not have access to google analytics for today.com blogs (they're "working on it")... IF the numbers had matched I would have attributed that traffic to the ads and considered buying one for next month for Nontraditional Students R Us .... but no WAY in hell that is happening now.

today.com is no long paying per post for most people - nor do they pay $2/1000 unique vistors as advertised - many uvs are paid at lesser rates or even 0.

I used to be extremely happy with them. I made money through blogging, participated in their forums, and was able to recommend them highly.

I am sad that they have sunk so far so fast. But they seem determined to keep on shooting themselves in the foot.

I've had enough.

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