Hahahhaha..that is very good nasty one on the vc funds being used as prize money...nasty but very very valid....as usual late starters in everything that they do…

this initiative is commedable.. there are lot of bloggers who blog and websites do ofer blogging but these website never bother to recognised to credit the contribution made by the bloggers.. they just used their content for their advantage and position themselves as they as the best.. but here is a portal which from my visit to the website is largely user generated and if they want to regoconise their contibution , it is apperciable .. when we see conapnys spending crores of rupees where the result is negligable.. credit ing such initiative should be appreciated.. than crticised

Nikhil: Fundamentally, I don’t think there is anything wrong with publishers sharing wealth with content providers - it has happened until now, across media - print/ av/ internet as salary/ retainer/ per story fee - why should great content not be rewarded now?

Every relationship succeeds on a win-win. For eg- I go to Naukri, I get a job, company gets the employee, Naukri gets money - all are happy; a guy goes to Bharat Matrimony - he gets a wife, the girl gets a husband, BM gets money - all happy. Content Communities - People produce content, publisher gets traffic and revenue, advertiser gets people - people get nothing? Why should content producers not be rewarded and why should an individual be seen any different from a movie studio? 

The question should not be whether content should be rewarded - the question should be ‘quality’ and even more pertinent today, can the publishers afford. Today many are not in a position to and that’s understandable. Readership alone is not a reward for the writer, but it doesn’t have to be ‘cash’ either. I think Caferati has done a great job by creating a publishing platform for writers - two books they have brought out so far, are very credible initiatives indeed and made it a win-win for content writers.

Is Sulekha justified in spending ‘investor’ money into this? I would say yes, why not. Wouldn’t they spend on writer salaries earlier? Each of the writer who brings content, adds value, bring her/ his own loyal readers, adds to traction. Loyalty here should not just be seen as writers, but also as readers. Readers NEED quality content or they won’t come at all and they need this on an ONGOING basis and I think wealth sharing makes it viable for writers carry on sharing content on an ongoing basis. What is important though is whether the format is bonafide. I haven’t seen details of what Sulekha is doing but it does seem ok to me…

Cheers.

R

The simple fact is that the dotcom profusion in the late 1990s, there is a new bandwagon built around User Generated Content. This too shall pass. On ibibo, I found teenagers leaving lousy scraps on each other’s blogs to rig up visitors. Most blogs are self-involved meanderings with a small group reading. Anything typed on a keyboard can’t be called content. Let the shakeout begin!