What Happens When I Can't Finish an Article on Time? (Chapter 5 of 5)

In the last chapter we went over filling out your Writer Profile more completely. This time we'll go over what happens when articles go past their deadlines, when you have to drop an article, and how Content Runner responds to multiple dropped or overdue articles. Let's get right to it.

Overdue Articles

While it is always preferable to submit articles well before their deadlines come up, circumstances may arise which cause you to be unable to complete an assignment on time. So what happens if you run out of time? That depends largely on the User to whom the article is due. Users have settings to regulate what happens with overdue articles—they may choose to have them revoked from Writers immediately, or after a certain grace period, usually an additional day. They may choose not to revoke the articles at all.

If an article does get revoked, it will be returned to the general pool for other Writers to pick up if it was an Open Order, or returned to the original Pool if it was a Pool Order. If the order was originally a Direct Order, it will be returned to the general pool of Writers, but as a Contact Order. Content Runner keeps track of how many times you let an article go overdue and reports statistics on your Article Drop Rate (which also includes articles you drop intentionally) on your Writer Profile, so make every effort to make sure you turn your assignments in on time.

Dropping an Article

If you find yourself working on an article that you're no longer interested in completing, or one which you cannot complete for some reason, you can simply drop the article rather than allowing it to go overdue. Dropping an article you won't have time to complete before allowing the clock to run out on the deadline will help the User get their content in a more timely manner. Content Runner tracks each Writer's drop rate and posts that statistic on Writer Profiles alongside the site wide drop rate. Because dropping an article brings the production process to a halt, which is a bad user experience all around, it should be used as a last resort.

Temporary Account Suspension

If two or more articles are revoked or dropped within seven days, Content Runner will temporarily suspend your Writer privileges. This means that you won't be able to take on any new assignments for 72 hours. You will still be able to work on any assignments in your queue, and you will still be permitted to accept Direct Orders if a User has sent you one, but you will be unable to accept anything from the general Pool or any Pool to which you belong.

Avoiding Temporary Suspensions

To avoid this kind of temporary suspension, it's best to only take as many assignments as you can reasonably complete. If you know you have a busy weekend ahead, for example, don't take the same number of assignments as if you normally might if you had more free time. Running out of time is just one reason you might drop an article though; other reasons might include vague instructions or a difficult subject to research and write about.

Use common sense. Read through the instructions for an assignment before you accept it—if they're unclear, ask for clarification from the User before you decide to accept it to avoid getting stuck with an article you can't complete. If you're unfamiliar with the subject of an article, do a little research before you accept it. If you find that information on the topic is scarce, it might be better to pass up that assignment in favor of something you can more easily research.

We welcome your feedback. If you have any questions, comments or concerns about anything in the newsletter, drop us a line. Content Runner is a platform built for both Writers and Users, and we'd love to hear how we can make the site a better experience for you. We're always happy to hear from you, and we'd love to answer any questions you might have. If you'd like, you can:

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The Content Runner Team

Chad Fisher

Ryan Devereux