Why it pays to pay to write at Fortitude
63There are so many writing sites that are free to join so why pay to join one?
Fortitude is a writing site with a difference.
Fortitude is still fairly new and there aren't too many members there yet - this is an honest review.
Here are reasons why the site charges writers a fee to become members ($23.88 per year):
Fortitude is for people who are passionate about writing and don't want to worry about SEO (Search Engine Optimization.) Members can even rant about virtually anything - just letting their writing flow, without worrying about which word goes where or how many times it should appear in a particular article. Just write from the heart .
Having writers pay to join Fortitude helps keep out spammers. How many good and passionate writers despise spammers? Fortitude is a writing site where passionate writers are commonplace, (and is not a writing site where spammers are commonplace.)
Since getting your article featured on the front page is based on the votes (reviews) of other members, paying to be a Fortitude member reduces the possibility of having people sign up with duplicate accounts (to spend time voting for their own articles!)
Paying a membership fee ensures you have a fair chance at making it to the front page.
The owner of the site needs to generate money from somewhere to pay the writers who get their articles featured on the front page, and to keep up the maintenance of the site, while ensuring it remains "a good place" for members.
Payment for articles featured on the front page (each day) is quite good. The minimum amount is currently $10.
Paying a yearly fee to be a member at Fortitude also means that the owner has funds to pay members for voting on the articles of other writers. Yes, you read that right!
Okay, it's just a bit: currently $0.05 per vote - and I'm sure that the owner will think of putting a cap on the voting when the site is not so new anymore - but think about what this means right now! Voting on articles just twice a day means that at the end of a year you will have made as much as your yearly membership fee costs! You will have gotten your entry fee back. Voting on the articles 4 times a day would mean you get double your joining fee back.
Did I mention the affiliate program yet? You can get a really decent commission for referring other writers to Fortitude - and it wouldn't be so decent if the site was free to join.
Oh, one more thing: you can join for free if all you want to do is promote the site through your referral links or banners, as an affiliate . You could always pay the full membership fee ($23.88) later when you get jealous everyday seeing others make the front page to earn themselves at least $10. I wouldn't wait too long to join as a full member though - there's more chance of having your articles appear on the front page while the site is still new and there's less competition.
Although you don't get paid for articles that don't make the front page, you can make your membership fee back within a year - even if you never have an article on the front page - by merely voting twice a day - and can make even more by becoming an affiliate too.
Fortitude may not suit everybody
As I said earlier, this is an honest review of Fortitude - the site may not suit everybody:
- Getting your article featured on the front page means that the article will no longer be yours - but it's what so many people already give up for writing articles for some clients, freelance job site buyers, or anybody else who hires you as a ghostwriter. Many people give their full rights to their articles away in return for payment. If this is you, then Fortitude is for you - and you don't have to worry about pleasing the buyer with keywords, SEO and writing only about a given topic. And if your articles never make it to the front page, you can still get your membership fee back by voting on other articles regularly.
- If you're a spammer, the site won't suit you either.
Back to honesty:
This is my Fortitude referral link. Please use it - even if just signing up for free as a scout at first, to become an affiliate yourself. Thank you.
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@ Nera - thanks for the comment - I like your hub about Fortitude too - you highlight the main reason why people should write, very well - because they love to!
Teresa, Keep us up to date on your experience with this site. This seems to be the newest thing as I had a friend tell me about another site that works the same way. Barb
@ Barbara - will do so. I'd be interested to know the other site that is similar? Update on Fortitude so far: I've not had the time to add an article there yet, but made 20c voting 4 times the day before yesterday, and made 25c voting five times yesterday. I enjoyed taking the time to read some interesting and good articles and do hope all people who vote do that (take the time to read the articles and not just vote.) I think there's a cap on each article not being able to be voted on more than 12 times or so, so that might help a bit ie once an article has received 12 votes, that only leaves other articles to still receive 12 votes each - one can skip an article if one wants to - one does not HAVE to vote on every article one reads - but somebody else might come along after you before that article has received its 12 votes and who knows, maybe vote down a good article? So I would suggest reading the articles all the way through, and voting honestly.
and now my 2c worth. What is especially refreshing about Fortitude is the owners hands-on approach. Although the site can run on auto-pilot, Nick is right there for his members.
Fortitude seems to be experiencing a lot of problems. A number of writers are complaining about not getting their money etc. If you are a member only for the pleasure of writing it might be okay, but not if you want to earn a few bucks!
Hi Jeanne
Thanks for the comment - I haven't even been there in a while - thanks for reminding me! I go only to rate/vote, so far, as have not yet contributed any articles there. I do write for money as well as for the love of it, and didn't really want to go through the trouble of writing an article, that then doesn't make the front page for payment, then republish the article elsewhere (only allowed if it doesn't make the front page.) Although this is not actually too much trouble to go through (republishing the article elsewhere) I'm also worried about an article actually getting chosen for the front page, lol, (and then not be allowed to republish it elsewhere) as I can earn more, over time, from when I do republish my articles in 2 or 3 places, from ongoing passive income from them. However, I do still like the idea that I can earn merely for rating/voting even if it's only small amounts, and that the referral earnings are quite high. I'm not yet due for a payment, so can't say if there are any payment hassles. I do remember reading through all the rules etc of the site, and saw that it can take quite a while (perhaps 2 and a half months?) before one gets one's payment once reaching a threshold and requesting it. I don't know if the people waiting for payments didn't see that, or if there really is a problem with payments.
Nera Woods 18 months ago
Hi, Teresa, I like your take on Fortitude, particularly your title. It's unique, and I agree, a very honest review. You've expressed the points in a manner different and better from those already written about Fortitude. See you around, and I'm gonna follow you here.