About.com Childbirth Guide disappointment

[mollycce]

I lurk on this group sometimes, but have never posted anything in this section before. I wanted to post though about my recent disappointment with About.com. I applied for the open Childbirth Guide position (did anyone else here do the same?). I made it all the way through both phases of the training process and was waiting for the hiring decision, when they changed their minds about having Childbirth be a separate topic and withdrew it (deciding to keep it with Pregnancy--I wondered about this when I first saw that Childbirth was open. I wish I would have asked now when I first applied, "why are you hiring for Childbirth when you already have Pregnancy and Childbirth?" It would have saved me a lot of hassle!).

I literally devoted six weeks to this process and it is SO disappointing to have it be a complete "dead end." It would have been better to lose to someone else than to have it just be a exercise in futility like this!

I wrote 47 pages of content for this position and built the whole website and everything. What a let down.

Does anyone have experience with about.com and know if this is a common bait-and-switch, or is it really an accident/miscommunication like the training editor explained it to be?

I do feel kind of proud of myself that I was good enough to make it all the way to the end, but otherwise, I cried and cried when I got the email and realized I'd just been wasting my time!

Thanks for "listening."

Molly
--
Talk Birth

[BeachBearMama]

Molly, I have no experience with about.com, but that is a major bummer. I have had things like that happen too, where people change the direction of the project after I've already started or delay so long that they decide not to do the project. Hopefully you will find another outlet for all the work you've done. If you're able to, you can just consider all that content a major head start!

[Twocoolboys]

Molly - I am sorry to hear that. I don't have any experience with about.com either, but I have heard how tough they are and seen posts from people on other writing forums that have not been accepted after going through the process.

[ContentMom]

Oh, that would be so hard to hear after doing so much work. On the positive side, it sounds like you did a great job! Congratulations on making it so far in the process and coming up with so much content. Hopefully yo saved all of your articles; maybe you will be able to use them for something else?

[lisarussell]

I've heard of that happening before, I am so sorry it didn't work out for you. They do allow you to use your work elsewhere, and I really think you should. Hopefully someone else will come forward here with a site that has an opening in childbirth. I checked BellaOnline for you, they don't have it open (here's what IS open) I know I just saw a site that needed someone in childbirth, but I don't remember what site it was, if I do I will come back here &* let you know. Even if you turned it all into your own site, you'd do better than just letting them sit in a file. Submit them somewhere.

[levans]

On a freelancing site and forum that I visit, someone recently wrote about an experience similar to yours. Another writer responded by saying that someone who also didn't get an About.com job was able to sell their work elsewhere for over $1000. I hope something similar happens for you! Good Luck!

[white_queen_22]

Whatever you wrote for About.com is YOURS and you are able to keep for yourself and resell. Not much consolation at the moment, I'm sure.

I had applied to that topic as after the prep had already started...such a bummer...

Sorry darling.

Angela <><

[mollycce]

Thanks for the support and condolences! It helped. Yes, I kept all of my articles and I'm considering where else to use them. Because of the audience and tone I was going for, I think there is some potential in them for parenting magazines perhaps. I've never submitted to a mainstream mag though, so I've got to do some research before I try!

Thanks again,

Molly