Interesting how the article had amzn links all over.
http://www.appstorechronicle.com/use-am ... -shortenerIf you want the fully-gassed version, here you go:
https://affiliate-program.amazon.com/he ... /202049370The article wasn't sponsored. By including those links, instead of links to something like IMdB, Cracked will earn something for each click.
It is obvious that Cracked is in a cost-to-earnings crunch. I'm not as 'in-the-know' as various authors who have posted here, and I have nothing to do with Cracked.
From my outside view, I understand that Cracked had a change of ownership a little bit ago, and the chief editor (
and founder) moved-on. As part of the transition, or a continuation of existing strategy, there was a push toward more video content. Some relatively high production-value stuff appeared. That costs money... and may explain some changes.
The pay-to-vote idea seems to have been delivered around the beginning of the fourth, or end of the third, quarter for most businesses. That's when great ideas come-home to the financial roost. When the money-making ideas which looked great in Q1 and Q2 are slumping, when judged against revenue expectations (not comedic, or whatever...) it's time to get creative.
If you want a look at who owns Cracked, here ya go:
https://finance.yahoo.com/quote/ssp?ltr=1And...
https://www.thestreet.com/story/1437887 ... yptr=yahooShares of E. W. Scripps are lower year-to-date more than 25%.
Scripps seems like an odd fit... but who would be the ideal owner of Cracked? Who could make money from the site?
I don't have knowledge of the business model of Cracked, let alone the inner-workings. From where I am, it may have been a bit more elegant to fit something like "before you thumb, here is an add", rather than a pay-to-play system for comments, but I'm not sitting in the hot seat at Cracked.
For my part, I scan Cracked every so often, and I used to enjoy the opinions in the comments. Once in a rare while, I would also comment. I figured it added to the spirit of being part of the site. Now, the self-sorting of the comments is no more. Buy yourself four accounts and up-vote your rant to the top. It's not an idea which will work in the short-term, but, who knows? In a strange way, they are betting on the commitment of the folks who habitually comment. Maybe it will stir the comment pot and create a very different community. I have no idea (but I have a guess) of the outcome.
Sincerely, I hope the site survives somewhat intact. It is difficult to generate revenue as a stand-alone based on original content; difficult to the point that it's very-near impossible to balance the cost of content against revenue. Good, and
original, content takes effort... a lot of stinking effort.
Good luck, Cracked.com.
A quantum state of signature may or may not be here... you just ruined it.