SEED

Happy New Year! We hope this finds you happy and healthy as we head into 2010.

We're thrilled so many of you have signed up so quickly after our December beta launch. As early adopters, you've provided integral feedback and suggestions – and we're listening. You'll soon see some changes you've specifically asked for in coming weeks. We've got a lot of enhancements planned, so thanks in advance for your patience as we work to implement them.

Our main priority in 2010 is to provide professional creators like you with a place to submit quality content. To us, it's simply about connecting community to content.

To support this, we're implementing one change that will result in more successful content placement for you. For now, we are removing the open submission option. You've mentioned multiple issues with this option, including low success rates in matching your original content to our sites, and mixed opinions about the earnings share model.

We agree. We think it's best to build our relationship with you based first on our known universe of editors' article requests. This will allow you to effectively match your voice and interests to our existing opportunities to express them. It also lets you familiarize yourself with our properties and their editorial focus.

Next, we'll re-work the open submission process to serve as a forum for our editors to have direct dialogue with you in real time. They will be able to issue requests for content based on immediate needs such as breaking or local news, and you will be able to pitch and propose content ideas targeted to specific AOL sites. No more guesswork on your end, or time invested in creating and submitting content that's not a good match. Best of all, this new process will allow you to establish relationships with our editors that may pave the way for additional assignments. We'll be sure to keep you posted on when the new and improved open submissions section of SEED re-opens.

We hope you agree with this new direction, and use this time as an opportunity to submit articles based on our current requests. As with any new relationship, let's get to know each other first, and then branch out from there.

We also have more good news:

• No more disappearing articles!: By the end of today, any articles that we don't select to purchase will remain on your dashboard under Completed Work until you choose to remove them, allowing you to copy them to your personal files. To check the status of your article, click the title and the status will indicate 'Not Accepted' for non-purchased articles. You'll also be provided with an option to remove the article. We know that some of you compose directly in SEED, and as writers ourselves, we understand the importance of being able to save this work and potentially use it in other formats at a future time. We were able to expedite this change based on your initial feedback. (TIP: To ensure you never lose your work, we recommend you make a habit of saving a copy of your article to your desktop files.)
  
• Assignment sorting: Also in effect by end of day, you will be able to sort assignments by photos or text. This option is displayed as two checkboxes at the top of the assignment queue, and they default to list both types of assignments. Simply click what you want to see (text or photos), and only those options will display.

As you can see, we've relied on your feedback and input and it's starting to result in visible changes. If you have insights on our planned future direction, we'd love to hear from you. Your comments really do make a difference, so lend your voice and help shape the SEED experience.

Hello SEED Community,

SEED has been open for business for about two weeks now, and we've been thrilled with your response. We've bought - and started publishing – dozens of your articles. Here are a few that are already intriguing readers on some of AOL's top sites:

On Gadling: Eight Money Saving Tips for Your Next Road Trip
On Holidash: Macy's 2009 Holiday Window Display
On StyleList: Plane Pretty: How To Look Great While Flying

You've embraced our initial vision for SEED, writing great articles and submitting visually compelling photos. So much so, in fact, that we are still reviewing them all. Thanks for your patience as we deal with this wonderful dilemma. Once we finish reviewing this initial batch, we look forward to communicating with you more quickly with relevant information and feedback.

We want to address two main questions we're hearing from you:

Submission Status: Based on the volume of incoming articles, our editors are finding that they are hitting a comfortable stride in reviewing submitted content within 5-7 days after the listed due date. So, if you submit content earlier in the process, please know you may not hear from us until about a week after the deadline. This gives us the time we need to thoughtfully review your content and work to identify a good match for one of our sites.

Shared Earnings: We've heard your input about the aspect of SEED that is meant to offer writers a share of our earnings from advertising, rather than a fixed up-front fee. We think this is an exciting idea with the potential to let you earn money and engage readers in experimental or new content areas. So far we've not used this option; all the articles we've bought have been for the stated fee. When we do start offering to publish content with shared earnings, we will do so in a way that's clear, also giving you the choice to decide whether this arrangement is right for you and your work.

We are committed to making SEED the best online venue for experienced creators like you to develop your craft, reach the widest audience, and earn money for your efforts. No company will give you more opportunities to cover a wider range of topics in more ways than AOL. What you see on the site today is just the beginning of the exciting opportunities we'll roll out in coming months. So, check the site often.

We have big dreams for SEED, and they can only be achieved with you as our partners. You're joining our team, so please stay in touch. Write us with your feedback, ideas and dreams at contact@seed.com.

Our very best to you and yours this holiday season. We look forward to growing together in the New Year.

Cheers,

Saul Hansell, SEED Programming Director
Kristi Anderson, SEED Community Manager

Kristi Anderson is Managing Editor of the AOL Living sites, including ParentDish.com, Lemondrop.com, StyleList.com, and PawNation.com.


Since you've joined SEED, it's clear you're interested in being a part of the next phase of content creation -- where you can share your expertise, reach a large audience, and reap rewards for it. SEED offers an unrivaled opportunity for creative, passionate and qualified people (like you!) who have a voice and opinion to be seen, heard, and read.

At SEED, we are committed to enabling talented, professional writers, photographers, and content creators to produce quality content. SEED Academy represents our intention to meet that commitment, with our team of experienced editors offering you tools and insights to take your writing to new heights. If our goal is to help SEED grow, then think of the Academy as the greenhouse where we can nurture our writing community and watch good ideas take root.

We named this training effort the SEED Academy, because we realize that you are coming to us with a strong skill set to begin with. The word 'academy' connotes higher learning, with best practices and key learnings shared by voices of authority -- and that includes you.

Coauthored by Monika Nikore, Managing Photo Editor, AOL News & Sports, and Jennifer Midberry, Photo Editor, AOL News & Sports

Photography is key in drawing the viewer to the content. A page with just text is much less enticing than one with photos. Compelling photos will grab the attention of readers and pull them into your story. Composition, timing (as in capturing just the right moment) and use of light are important components to be considered.

In general, we require our photos to be:

• Clean, vibrant, well-lit images of professional quality (not snap shots)
• Contemporary (unless noted otherwise)
• Spontaneous / real and less like generic stock
• Representative of a wide range of ages and ethnicities
• Non-risqué, non-pornographic, non-sexually explicit, and non-obscene/lewd.
• Free of any violent behavior