This Is Just Crazy: Everyone gets paid on commission??
I just read a post by this dude named Seth Goden where
he was talking about a Washington Post writer (Jay Rosen)
who got laid off because his blog wasn’t getting enough traffic!
That’s crazy!
The reason I say that is because you show me a writer/
artist or any other “artsy” person who knows the first
thing about getting web traffic.
Personally I think if you have a “Job” that’s not
suposed to be part of the package.
It isn’t the authors job to get the eyeballs… it’s the
companies job to get the eyeballs…
However I’m sure you can see where the world is going right
now… nobody is going to give you the training but now EVERYBODY
expects you to know how to market yourself on line!
What do you think? Is it crazy that your company can
now fire you if you’re not an online marketing expert?
Leave your comments, I want to know!
34 Responses to “This Is Just Crazy: Everyone gets paid on commission??”
Jonny I totally agree.
That’s actually the whole problem out there with the job market today. Employers are requiring that everybody know how to sell their stuff, but nobody has any training!
Yea, it’s totally not the employees job to
know how to sell themselves online.
Really scarry for people who don’t now about stuff like internet marketing to be out there today.
Wow. I always knew it would come to this but had no idea it was already this bad!
Posted on September 23, 2009 at 4:12 pm
Yea Jonny, I would freak if my daughter got fired for not knowing how to get web traffic!
How would you say that? “Super-Mc-Ninja-stupid”?
Hahahahaha! Love how you talk guy.
Keep up the good work!
Sarah
Posted on September 23, 2009 at 4:13 pm
I guess it is all about marketing yourself. The best part is that if ths guy actually knew how to promote and market himself online- he wouldn’t care about getting fired he would have been the one walking out..
Posted on September 23, 2009 at 4:17 pm
Yup. Bad mojo coming for those people who didn’t learn how to crank up the traffic.
So basically what I’m seeing here from all the posts is that a person now needs to know Internet Marketing even if they want to get and KEEP a job?!
Wow. Glad I do this full time 
Thanks again for that
Rob
Posted on September 23, 2009 at 4:18 pm
Yea, that’s really far from cool. But here’s the real kicker. IF they guy who got laid off would have working on web 2.0 traffic getting stuff for his blog, his boss would’ve laid him off for wasting time instead of blogging like he’s supposed to be.
Kinda retarded, but that’s corporate for ya.
Posted on September 23, 2009 at 4:21 pm
I’m afraid it fits in with the general declining standards evidenced in so much of the “gotta make a buck” business style that proliferates both in the US and over here in the UK!
The majority now seem to care nothing about business building or nurturing their most valuable resource (Staff), everyone just wants to make a quick kill to enhance their profile and then move on before they have to suffer the consequences themselves…. crazy, short-sighted and fatally flawed in the long term!!
Thanks for highlighting another example Jonny.
Posted on September 23, 2009 at 4:22 pm
Johnny,
I totally agree that is completely insane. You know the endless hours that go into learning web marketing and traffic generation.
In my day job I am the marketing manager for an 8 figure online company…I am a college dropout…and my entire team of workers have MBAs in business and marketing from Ivy league colleges…and I am in charge for one simple reason…I know how to get shit done online…
Atleast the upper-ups at my company are smart enough to realize that not everyone can / does get internet marketing…and, for my sake…that despite lack of credentials, etc, we that can / do are their most valuable resource these days.
That said, I would never even consider firing one of my employees for not knowing how to, or being able to, do internet marketing…I would never expect them to put in the hours and hours of study, practice and redoing that it has taken unless it was the one thing they were truly passionate about.
Shame on the Washington Post…but, then again…it goes to show you why internet marketers are thought in two polar opposite ways…either extremely gifted people who have skills that are just incomprehensible to most people (it’s like magic)…or as scam artists and wannabes who have pulled the wool over people’s eyes and convinced them that we can do things that anyone else could be doing…without even trying or training…just to pad our egos and our bank accounts.
Of course, If I were this guy…I’d be happy to get away from a newspaper…you know, sinking ships and all.
Id like to see him go out, learn some IM and traffic skills…start his own blog and blow the WPs rankings out of the water…that would be true poetic justice.
Posted on September 23, 2009 at 4:33 pm
Jonny, Seems like this simply follows how our society is changing into somewhat of a robotic state of mind. It’s getting to be a real tall ladder to climb to be anywhere near the top of your game and reading your and his posts just confirms my thoughts even further.
Offline the employer gets the jobs by advertising not by the popularity of the worker alone.
Posted on September 23, 2009 at 4:33 pm
Well…If the artist writer guys are fired for the generating traffic to their BLOG, then all the politician should be fired. Who is generating their Traffic. The first Selectman in my town made me take down a web site I created for the economic development commission to get RFQ for a developer to build something wonderful in the heart of our commerce center. She made the librarian take all the links off Facebook and forbid her to Twitter.Our town Web Page now has a big red flag on it stating that it is the Official Web site! You should see how much I’ve done since the Fascist regime has ordered us from the web!Follow me on Facebook and Twitter. I can not wait to get a business loan. WWW watch out!
Posted on September 23, 2009 at 4:34 pm
Should I be glad now that I don’t have a ‘real’ job? At least I can try and fix my mistakes, if I fail to get the traffic. No use in firing myself,lol!
Seriously, does this mean it opens up a whole new market for traffic tools, I wonder. Got to look into it. Be well, Verena
Posted on September 23, 2009 at 4:37 pm
Its a “crazy World full of crazy people” that’s for sure…
Whenever there is a downturn, employers see this as an excuse to off-load certain areas of business.
Recently my contract (self employed) was not renewed due to so called economic pressures. I worked for a utility company who like most are making obscene amounts of money at the detriment of their customers. Anyway, the scary thing is they didn’t just let me go, they let go the whole IT department that had implemented their $35 Million system… this means that there is no one to support their infrastructure should anything go wrong.
We live in a BLAME culture and as long as someone can “slopey shoulder” the pressure and attention onto someone else to protect their own Ass-ets they will.
If the blogger in question is half decent he’ll survive and he’ll probably become a better person because of it. The guy/gal who let him go will continue to operate in the shadows of the commercial world until one day some one will come around with a BIG spotlight and shine it right into the whites of their eyes.
I’m afraid there’s a lot of NOT very nice people out there… Luckily we’re all cool and cuddly
All the best
Phil H
Posted on September 23, 2009 at 4:38 pm
Jonny,
I don’t necessarily agree with the guy getting fired, but I do disagree with you. As for Jay, was he supposed to get traffic? If so, was he give appropriate training? See, w/o knowing his job responsibilities & training, you cannot say whether that was a conscionable act or not.
Now, as to your ‘artsy’ group. They should be the first ones to know how to market themselves, whether they’re freelance or commercially employed. But if they are required to do so as a condition of employment, it is the employer’s responsibility to provide adequate and appropriate training for the task.
When the WWW was first established, it was touted as the *information superhighway*. Most places, if your gonna get on the highway, you are required to have a license. And if your job has internet involvement, whether the training is DIY or corporate-sponsored, you’d best get it.
To my mind, anyone who has – or is – a Web presence should be aware of SEO, marketing & traffic basics. That is a condition imposed by the Web, and those who ignore it suffer if they are striving to be noticed.
It’s akin to any other skill-set, and like other skill-sets, is enhanced by training.
Make a good day …
… barn
Posted on September 23, 2009 at 4:56 pm
Ok that is crossing over from ridiculous to ludicrous! If being a successful Online marketer wasn’t in his job description when they hired him how in the world do they get off giving him the boot?! Unless they provided him with the training/tools needed to do that part of his job well, there’s no way they should be able to get away with such a stunt.
On the plus side as long as the guy knows how to write and has a decent understanding on how to setup his own site then he should be ok. I mean If I were him I’d be researching all I could on driving traffic to my site and then give the WP the proverbial middle finger with my success.
oh by the way Jonny, awesome blog! It suits you!
Posted on September 23, 2009 at 5:08 pm
Barn,
I don’t know if that’s totally true. Personally I feel everybody should understand internet marketing… but not everybody even knows it exists!
In fact, most companies out there don’t know it exists. On top of that most artists are the first ones to totally shun the idea of marketing as they tend to see it as “the man”.
I know Jonny’s done a lot of work with small business owners as well as bands and almost nobody even knows this stuff is out there.
Maybe in another 15 years it’ll be okay to say regular people should be ready to go with SEO stuff, but now? Not at all.
The fact is, almost no organization out there offers that “license” you’re talking about. People have to go and look for it themselves.
And most don’t even know what questions to ask to begin that journey.
But mostly I have to agree with Jonny because if you hire somebody for a certain job the LAST thing you want them doing is anything other than that.
If the post was to require all their writers to become SEO experts they wouldn’t have any time to write quality content!
Posted on September 23, 2009 at 5:12 pm
Thank God I am now retired!
This is a MAD BAD world, the recession and world economic uncertainty has turned everyone’s logic inside out. Manners and courtesy are a thing of a bygone age now all those fortunate enough to be in work have to be a total 100% whizz at everything. No wonder stress levels have gone through the roof.
I really FEEL for all those on the corporate ladder trying to find the perfect work/life balance and all because some DUMB idiots want everyone to be totally and utterly proficient in marketing themselves online. More than likely that is only one aspect of their total job specification. This is short-term thinking (planning) gone bonkers.
Posted on September 23, 2009 at 5:14 pm
Barn,
I hear ya, but I have yet to see a company hire a “writer” to also be a “Marketer”. Large companies like that will have a department for that jazz.
No.
This, however, is one of the major reasons I lost my last and FINAL job: I wasn’t making enough sales personally.
I was hired to create a company and then grow it. You can’t create then grow (hire/train/manage/expand the sales base) if you’re on the phone yourself.
100% bad idea.
And with the “artsy” dudes… wow. You should talk to some of these people.
I’ve worked with bands who were so about getting their message out there… but when you actually show them how fast/easy and totally possible it is… they freak out and call you a “corporate whore”.
So I just don’t bother.
The truth is NOBODY out there beyond a few key dudes + the IM space knows about what goes down on the net. NOBODY.
Had an hour conversation today with the lady who owns the hair place I go to…
She had a big sign in the front of her salon (yes, I go to a salon!) that said “Find Us On FaceBook!”
Anyway. That’s what regular folks, even successful folks think works.
Man. If this whole thing came with a start-up owners manual when you bought a computer… this world would be a TOTALLY different place!
Jonny
Posted on September 23, 2009 at 5:19 pm
I am also one of those who know nothing about the internet but want to, Jonny. Everytime I try to find a home based biz online, I get a plethera of “info overload” that I can’t decypher or understand… Please advise…
bj allcorn
Posted on September 23, 2009 at 5:30 pm
is this 4 real man? I think i have to start reading all the traffic ebook that i bought.
Posted on September 23, 2009 at 5:33 pm
just left a comment but “error” came up for my e-mail – but guess it didn’t reach you….all I said is that I wish success in him finding a new job and that the person who fired him/her is probably young and thinks MACHINES are great without realizing that his job may next. Also, it should be remembered that machines have replaced many American and people use blogs to say anything about anyone without consequences.
Posted on September 23, 2009 at 5:52 pm
This is the problem with online marketing. It has become increasingly harder to get traffic now than it was 10 years ago. New techniques are now needed to get the people to come to your site or blog. With all the scam artists out there that just want to take your money and tell you they can make you a traffic magnet makes it difficult to know just what to do, especially if you are new to the game. That is why I believe that someone at these companies should have online marketing experience and teach these new people how to set up and tweak their sites and blogs and what plugins to use and how to use them correctly. Don’t just throw them to the wolves, arm them so they can have a fighting chance at the billions of people online today.
Posted on September 23, 2009 at 6:15 pm
I AGREE It’s a sahme when they can fire you for just not knowing your supposed to get traffic. I am a newbie and I don’t get traffic to my site.
Posted on September 23, 2009 at 6:53 pm
Just goes to show you how secure things are in the corporate world. They can come up with just about any ‘reason’ to can you to reduce their overhead. Online business is the way to go – to be your own boss.
Andy
Posted on September 23, 2009 at 7:05 pm
Hello
The lesson we can all learn from this incident is that we must all stay relevant in the ever changing world that technology has cripped into our lives. The Washington Post is shortshighted and heartless in handling the situation. Goes to show how nasty and unforgiving the world has become. There is a country here in the Far East where the governement encourages employers to upgrade the skills of its employees so that when the economy turns an upswing, the working class are prepared with new skills. Retrenchment is the last resort of employers – voluntary shorter working weeks or pay cuts are much preferred than adding statistics to the unemployment records.
Smart employees get students to blog and tweet. They are very good and tech savvy without having to outsource – hence keeping the local economy humming.
To have employers who really have the employees’ welfare at heart are rare nowadays.
Can US citizens join hands to shame Washington Post for its “bullying” tactics – this would highlight the plight of the hardworking class.
Thank you for allowing me to share my thoughts.
rosalind
Posted on September 23, 2009 at 7:28 pm
Hey Bud,
I don’t mean anything wrong, but I also don’t believe the issue was that this person did not know how to market himself or that he was expected to be some kind of online/internet marketer!
It sounds like his job was to post readable articles about the topic at hand or whatever this companies business revolved around.
His post/articles from present to previous must not have had a whole lot of heart in them, or the company was looking to get rid of him anyway.
As a business owner( and my current business is offline), but you have employees and you expect from them what you each agree to at the start of the job, and if one or the other continually does not come through, then there is an issue.
I know that I expect from my employees what I hired them to do and nothing more, and they expect a paycheck in return(a 2 way street) nothing more , nothing less.
If this person in question did his job and still got canned, then I am with him, if he did not, then?
Jason
Posted on September 23, 2009 at 7:34 pm
Hey jonny,
This is crazy as hell!! There are more than enough skills and qualities you need to be in advertising, adding online traffic expert would just top off that cake.
For people they have enough work to do without worrying about traffic and such.
I would fight the company for as long as i could until they give in or give my job back.
Posted on September 23, 2009 at 8:17 pm
It seems as if everyone here, at least so far, thinks the writer getting fired was about his ability or inability to get traffic to his blog…I’m not so sure.
I think that some of the old guarde (newspapers, book publishers, television, etc…) are finally figuring out that you can actually measure traffic/business on the internet.
The “style” of business they were/are used to allowed them to make just about whatever claim (within some amount of reason) they wanted to make about traffic. They really can’t do that anymore because it’s too easy to debunk those claims. The actual numbers now can be had by more than a few people, and very close estimates can be created by quite a few more.
I have a feeling that this guy will not be the last one fired because his “column” (blog, in this case) does not have enough traffic. He probably has the same number of readers he’s always had, it’s just that they can actually be measured now.
So, yes, if you’re going to write for any newspaper/magazine during the age of the internet, you’d better figure out how to get people to your writing (column, blog, whatever…). It doesn’t matter whether it’s in stated in the job description or not, it’s become an implied and mandatory skill…that is unless you still write for a company that still doesn’t understand the internet!
Just my $.02 worth.
Rog
Posted on September 23, 2009 at 8:23 pm
Hi Johnny,
I’m rageing with you….!
How about…?: Corporate value this week: “Everyman gets his own traffic!” If not:Out!
Corporate value next week: “Quality traffic!”
Question is if the Bosses of the Bosses are living in the “Cuckoo’s nest”?
I mean, think of all the complete perfect knowledge lying in combined management theories! Why aren’t they implemented?
It’s like a very big suit planted on a very little “man/woman”. The answer must be in that word: It’s a “Man/Woman”!
Cuckoo-kee-choo!
Posted on September 23, 2009 at 11:25 pm
That doesn’t make any sense at all. I don’t think he was told that his job would be put in question if he didn’t generate enough traffic on the blog.
If he knew he would cover sports or something pop related. This is ridiculous and i don’t really think that’s a good excuse to use for firing someone.
I periodically search on craigslist to search for seo jobs or ppc jobs. Smart entrepreneurs understand how important it is to have a presence online and are willing to pay for it for the most part.
The thing is that no one actually knows how many people read the Post. It’s has always been an arbitrary number. An online blog however can be measured. I wonder what they were thinking.
He should get his own blog and let the world know what happened to him. Social bookmark it and let the world slap WP.
Posted on September 23, 2009 at 11:32 pm
Jonny I agree traffic is a skill that you learn by doing and using techniques that are tried and tested.
Did the company give him any resources?
Was he given enought time?
It really sounds like a very unfair situation to me! especially as if you are clueless the competition out there is vast formless and uncaring!
Posted on September 24, 2009 at 3:48 am
Hey Jonny,
No doubt, I make envelopes(it sucks, hard, dirty job, 12 hours a day, gotta find the way out) we make a lot of envelopes for insurance companies and financial institutions, and that would be like my company expecting me to generate customers with my envelopes, not gonna happen.
Posted on September 24, 2009 at 7:05 am
I would move on and generate traffic for myself not someone else.
Someone said one time “It’s not an end to a means but means to an END”.
Hopfully that means is for our End !!!
We also don’t listen at the people that tell us we can’t do something but than we CAN do something !!!
Posted on September 24, 2009 at 12:05 pm
Yo Johnny, maybe the Washington Post should train its authors in SEO and PPC Marketing and keyword research. Why not every body else has to learn buyer keywords.
Posted on September 25, 2009 at 4:36 am
Working for someone else can never make you rich, because you never get paid the real value of what you produced, and the big profits make the rich even wealthier.
I will study online marking till I gain the knowledge I need to be successful and victorious.
I realized only the internet leveled the playing field for people with big dreams.
Wolfgang
Posted on October 4, 2009 at 7:12 pm
I don’t know if you need to be an online expert, but having some tools in your kit to get you the traffic you want would definitely help.
I have always had the belief that “artsy” people needed to have a practical element to what they do, ie, how the hell do you expect to get paid for what you do?
Da Vinici did it by creating masterpieces for the Popes and wealthy families of Italy. He knew his target marketing and knew what they wanted.
Today people just make stuff what they think people want, take it to market (usually very badly too) and expect the world and their dog to want to buy it from them.
Instead they should be doing the simple steps that us, smart internet marketing type of people, do and look for what the market wants first, and then gives it to them.
Simple keyword research is plenty to find what words to use, what way to use them and what exactly they’re to say/do.
Give them this type of training, and if they still can’t do it, then they do deserve to be fired – and you won’t need Donald Trump to make that decision.
David
Posted on October 6, 2009 at 7:47 am
