Should EICs Give Part Of Their Payments To Their Creators?
Start writing a post

Should EICs Give Part Of Their Payments To Their Creators?

Of course they should.

135
Should EICs Give Part Of Their Payments To Their Creators?
Pexels

In the past year Odyssey has changed its policy regarding paying its creators. When I first joined in February of 2017 creators only got paid if their articles reached a certain number of page views, but until that point writing for Odyssey was an unpaid job. For many, including myself, Odyssey was strictly an unpaid job because very few articles reached their minimum page view marker.

Now if a team has a certain number of creators and they write a certain number of articles each month the Editor-in-Chief (EIC) gets paid. The payment increases as the goals increase. Odyssey does not mandate what EICs do with this payment and leaves it up to each EIC to decide.

When this first rolled out I was still a Contributing Editor. My EIC put it up to a vote in our community GroupMe about whether we wanted the payment split between all of us so we got around $2 per article or if we wanted to spend the money on a bunch of food and eat it together. It was close, but in the end we settled on splitting the money equally among the team members.

As a long time writer for Odyssey I was beyond thrilled when I found out that the work I was putting in was now going to be rewarded. Yes, I wouldn't really be making that much money, but it was more than I was making before.

When I took over as EIC I decided to keep this policy. All team members who did not receive a strike for that month (i.e. submit every week) would receive part of the money. To me this makes perfect sense. To some of my fellow EICs it is insanity.

Through a random GroupMe conversation one day with my group of EICs managed under our editor, I found out that the majority of them did not split their tiering incentive with their team. Instead they kept the money for themselves. Some of them used a portion of it to do a creator of the month challenge where the winner would get a gift card or a small portion of the money.

I am in NO way admonishing them for this because it is technically an EIC incentive not a team incentive. They do not have to give their team any of the money. But what I am doing is questioning if it makes their team as effective. I think that by giving my creators a stake (i.e. they won't get paid if they don't write) it makes them more motivated to do so.

Writing for Odyssey is real work. It takes time and effort. It requires you to do push your content and share it on your social media platforms. It is your words. If I were to write articles for another writing platform I would be compensated for my work, so why is Odyssey any different?

To me if I don't split the money I receive from headquarters with my team it feels like stealing. I wasn't the one who wrote all the articles. It was my team. They deserve to be paid for the work they did.

But Emma, do you get paid for your work? Yes, yes I do. I get 20% of our ad revenue every month and I get paid the same amount for my articles as my team members do. That seems fair to me.

While there is nothing wrong in keeping the money for yourself, for me sharing the money is the only option. Splitting the money equally among team members is a great motivator and it's only fair.

Report this Content
This article has not been reviewed by Odyssey HQ and solely reflects the ideas and opinions of the creator.
Adulting

Unlocking Lake People's Secrets: 15 Must-Knows!

There's no other place you'd rather be in the summer.

931937
Group of joyful friends sitting in a boat
Haley Harvey

The people that spend their summers at the lake are a unique group of people.

Whether you grew up going to the lake, have only recently started going, or have only been once or twice, you know it takes a certain kind of person to be a lake person. To the long-time lake people, the lake holds a special place in your heart, no matter how dirty the water may look.

Keep Reading...Show less
Student Life

Top 10 Reasons My School Rocks!

Why I Chose a Small School Over a Big University.

107477
man in black long sleeve shirt and black pants walking on white concrete pathway

I was asked so many times why I wanted to go to a small school when a big university is so much better. Don't get me wrong, I'm sure a big university is great but I absolutely love going to a small school. I know that I miss out on big sporting events and having people actually know where it is. I can't even count how many times I've been asked where it is and I know they won't know so I just say "somewhere in the middle of Wisconsin." But, I get to know most people at my school and I know my professors very well. Not to mention, being able to walk to the other side of campus in 5 minutes at a casual walking pace. I am so happy I made the decision to go to school where I did. I love my school and these are just a few reasons why.

Keep Reading...Show less
Lots of people sat on the cinema wearing 3D glasses
Pinterest

Ever wonder what your friend meant when they started babbling about you taking their stapler? Or how whenever you ask your friend for a favor they respond with "As You Wish?" Are you looking for new and creative ways to insult your friends?

Well, look no further. Here is a list of 70 of the most quotable movies of all time. Here you will find answers to your questions along with a multitude of other things such as; new insults for your friends, interesting characters, fantastic story lines, and of course quotes to log into your mind for future use.

Keep Reading...Show less
New Year Resolutions

It's 2024! You drank champagne, you wore funny glasses, and you watched the ball drop as you sang the night away with your best friends and family. What comes next you may ask? Sadly you will have to return to the real world full of work and school and paying bills. "Ah! But I have my New Year's Resolutions!"- you may say. But most of them are 100% complete cliches that you won't hold on to. Here is a list of those things you hear all around the world.

Keep Reading...Show less
Lifestyle

The Ultimate Birthday: Unveiling the Perfect Day to Celebrate!

Let's be real, the day your birthday falls on could really make or break it.

49484
​different color birthday candles on a cake
Blacksburg Children's Museum

You heard it here first: birthdays in college are some of the best days of your four years. For one day annually, you get to forget about your identity as a stressed, broke, and overworked student, and take the time to celebrate. You can throw your responsibilities for a day, use your one skip in that class you hate, receive kind cards and gifts from loved ones and just enjoy yourself.

Keep Reading...Show less

Subscribe to Our Newsletter

Facebook Comments