What do you think of my social media bounties for getting your page picked up?
Note: We originally had HackerNews on the list, but they are seriously focused on folks not voting for friends stories or promoting ranking on HN. So, I actually told my team to NOT vote for anything Mahalo/ThisWeekIn related on HN--not worth the trouble/bad PR.
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Team,
The next person to get a story/video/link from Mahalo or ThisWeekIn on the front/homepage page of each of the following will get Hundo(s) from me. In cash. From my pocket. On the spot.
Reddit - $100
Digg - $100
TMZ - $200
Cinematical - $100
Engadget - $200
IGN.com - $200
Joystiq - $200
Vimeo.com $200
Metacafe.com $200
Perezhilton - $200
People.com - $300
CNET.com $300
HuffingtonPost.com - $300
CNN.com - $300
NYTIMES.com - $400
Washington Post $400
Yahoo.com - $500
Aol.com - $500
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M$4 Answers
You risk being thought of as spam, especially since the monetary bounty may cause your staff to very agressive in getting something promoted. Although that may be your desired goal.
UNLESS You meant the staff member produces something of value that it naturally gets a lot of attention. That's not a problem at all. Makes sense.
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M$
Very little else will motivate a person like cold hard cash in hand.
You can leave an optional "tip" with Mahalo's virtual currency, Mahalo Dollars. If you are asking a difficult question that might require some research, or if you'd like a wide variety of feedback, a higher tip often leads to more answers to your question.
M$"We've separated the concept of pay and traffic as I think it can be very dangerous to link the two. The biggest problem with traditional media is that they are always chasing ratings, which is an extension of their 10Q report. People are coming to blogs because they are NOT playing the ratings game! What difference does it make if a blog gets 10% or 20% traffic spikes if it alienates the core audience by playing the ratings game?"
Was that really long enough ago that you've turned 180 in the opposite direction?
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M$
Well, I think I'm trying to do a reward that isn't based on page views but recognition from other publications.
However, it seems that this kind of thing is very touchy for a very many people.... including me! There just doesn't seem to be a way to do this that doesn't put some people on tilt and get others upset.
It's touchy because of the risk that someone could unfairly promote a piece of content. If there was an Unbreakable Vow (Harry Potter thing, if you aren't familiar) in place where it was guaranteed that a staff member would only receive the bonus if the social media promotion occurred naturally and by users, then that would be fine. But there's never a way completely block cheating.
Besides, even more traditional media can be manipulated. What if a staff member knows the editor at .... let's say Joystiq ... and offers them half of the prize money to post about their article.
Honestly, I'm surprised this hasn't been picked up by Gawker yet, that Nick guy there doesn't seam to like you very much.
If your people aren't already passionate about creating great content, find new people who are. If your users aren't passionate about sharing your content, educate them. Don't game them or go above their heads.
You can leave an optional "tip" with Mahalo's virtual currency, Mahalo Dollars. If you are asking a difficult question that might require some research, or if you'd like a wide variety of feedback, a higher tip often leads to more answers to your question.
M$
Clearly there is a perception issue. What if a trusted brand like the New York Times or WSJ gave a bonus to their writers when their stories were picked up on 60 MInutes or the front page of Digg?
I mean, that is how they compensate and value them--and least partially--ultimately right?
Actually I think there is a difference between paying people to get stuff promoted in the old media, i.e CNN or 60 Minutes, because in those cases it has gone though some sort of editorial control. In this case the viewer is trusting that process and the brand of the program to some degree.
In social media I think there is a social contract that recommendations are genuine and not promoted in a 'unfair' way by the provider of the content. It's one thing to put a 'Digg' link on your site, but the understanding is a real user will click that. People will think your gaming the system if your trying to influence that digg rate (or other social media mechanism).
I think getting your staff to get the big publications to pick up your site is a worthy goal. For the social networks I suggest having faith in your content and users to promote that which is worthy of promotion.
(btw when I say 'gaming the system' I mean in a way counter to the spirit intended by whichever social network it is. Your smart enough to know what that spirit is).
Ugh! Sorry to go here again. However I see you mean if the staff member who PRODUCES the content gets their content on the front page of something then they get the bonus. Not a staff member gets a bonus for promoting a certain page.
I see no problem with that as long as the staff don't employ unfair means to promote it :)