Premium Fund

I'm off to have a lie down as for the first time ever I have actually received more than the usual 50p (except the time I got my one and only diamond). A whole shiny pound coin for my trouble, I'm off to the corner shop to buy a bag of mint humbugs.

How did everyone else do and does anyone care?

I got my first diamond and a tenner - hurrah! It's not what I would consider my best review though. Still, they also gave me 50p for one of my other reviews too, so I'm not complaining. Every meagre penny is being channelled into my holiday fund.

I got a pound.

I gotta say, I'm going through the diamond ops - so far I've read two - one is excellent. The other is, frankly, crap. How do they decide these things?

Frankly i'm pig sick of every Tom Dick and Harry getting at least 50p and i've had absolutely nothing for months and months and months. Is there any wonder I can't stand to spend any amount of time on Ciao these days?

mattygroves wrote:

How do they decide these things?

I reckon tombola or "Ip dip sky blue, who is it, not you"

Whoo-hoo I got a whole fiver, not to bad considering I only posted 2 reviews in paying categories.

This is part of the reason I left Ciao. Every time the premium fund and diamonds came around I got next to zilch and just felt depressed about how average-to-crap Ciao must have thought my reviews were.

Hee hee. It's so nice not being involved anymore

Congratulations to everyone who got something though

No premium fund for me. Ho Hum.

Weren't you saying something about not caring about the pennies yesterday?

..

Quote :

I reckon tombola or "Ip dip sky blue, who is it, not you"

More like "ip dip, dog poo" as my children insist on saying. I haven't read any of the diamond reviews for months and months. But I don't think Ciao have a clue what they're doing when they're giving them out.

And I can say this without a single sour grape ruining it as, when I was contributing, I used to get a diamond every month, almost without fail. I didn't write one of the top 20 reviews every month, almost without fail. So I'll say it again.

Ciao don't know what they're doing. They probably are just saying "ip dip dog poo".

Ooh I got a quid, I'm so excited I could almost spin round in my chair (if I had the energy). Had totally forgotten about the PF, its been so long since I got anything.

Did anyone notice that there is a spelling mistake in the title of one of the diamond reviews? Don't know if it is deliberate or not. Obviously I'm not bitter that I didn't get one (ha). Just suprised that such a basic mistake was rewarded.

Five pounds for me, most I have ever had. Congrats to all, and the diamond winners.

I got five pounds too, which is lovely.

I'm sorry some people didn't get anything, but well done to everybody who did.

Well, congrats on the diamond, well, I haven't earned that much, bonus-programme is £0.15 and for the reviews it's about £0.02 in for February and March, but I haven't done that much the last 3 months and my last review I've written on ciao.co.uk was long ago

Anyway, we can feel glad, that there's still a premium fund and that there are still diamonds to receive ...

On ciao.de the last diamonds are given for November (and only 10 !), since that day no premium fund is paid as well, I'm

But: there are too many reviews each month, there are at least 50 users writing 2-5 reviews each day and too many members (most of them only clicking very helpful without reading, maybe with "nice review, please read mine" )

There are no diamonds in Germany? And no PF?

How does Ciao.de reward its members then? Do you still get paid per read on all categories?

I was surprised to find that I received a diamond for February. I only wrote two reviews in February. I guess less is more?

Since it was a diamond on an Oscar-winning film, I'd like to thank the Academy...

So, I now have two diamonds in three years. And still no way to cash out.

frkurt wrote:

So, I now have two diamonds in three years. And still no way to cash out.

Congratulations.

I don't know what their rules are, but could you open an online UK account, or do you need to be resident here to do that?

susan1967 wrote:

Ooh I got a quid, I'm so excited I could almost spin round in my chair (if I had the energy). Had totally forgotten about the PF, its been so long since I got anything.

Did anyone notice that there is a spelling mistake in the title of one of the diamond reviews? Don't know if it is deliberate or not. Obviously I'm not bitter that I didn't get one (ha). Just suprised that such a basic mistake was rewarded.

I 'think' you might mean my one. If so...was a typo *cough cough*. ^_^; I rarely put much effort coming up with titles, let alone spell check them. I don't think Ciao use spelling as a PF criteria anyway, unless it's so bad to the point it's hard to read,, which is lucky for me in this case. I've made silly mistakes from not proof reading in the past with reviews that got Diamonds but nothing too major.

I thought my op was rather average though. Hope no one thinks it's crap but I'm trying not to put too much effort into writing reviews and to invest my energy into other things, since as most of you know and agree with, the rewards aren't that great on Ciao.

Anyway, I got a Diamond and a tenner. 2 Reviews in Feb. so that's not too bad.

Might not be you - there's definitely another one!

Now that I've got a diamond, I feel I can comment without any chance of sour grapes etc I'm surprised at getting one for what I feel wasn't my best review - it wasn't even my best rated that month. I'm also quite surprised at a few of the others. My reviews are sometimes long, but whilst reading one of the others, I nearly lost the will to live - I didn't even feel I could rate it as I hadn't/couldn't read it fully.

I can think of at least 10 reviews which should have taken the place of my diamond review, and several others. Now I've experienced this diamond thingy I can see how odd it is - it's random in the extreme.

I do think a 'house style' is kinda emerging though - a review needs to be chock full of researched facts, covering every single possible angle. Personal opinion isn't necessary. Lots of words are good.

As it happens, I don't like this kind of 'house style'. If I wanted facts - admission prices, number of restaurants, disabled access, history of the place - about um.... Paignton Zoo or Alton Towers, I would visit the website as my most trusted source. I can't get a user's opinion from the website, but I can on an opinion site. Research shows that a reader's attention span is around 30% less online than it is with a printed text.

So this kind of diamond isn't what I'd choose if I were editor at Ciao.

Having said that though, I do approve of having a house style, whatever the style. People can choose whether or not to write according to it then.

Jill Murphy wrote:

Having said that though, I do approve of having a house style, whatever the style. People can choose whether or not to write according to it then.

Agreed. I do think, however, Ciao would do its members a big favour by publishing/explaining the house style, rather than wittering on about how the "PF algorithm" is secret and sacred.

After all, if you were to write for a magazine, you'd be aware of (it's often published) the house style:

Quote :

Digital Web Magazine follows the Chicago Manual of Style, 15th Edition as a guide for proper grammar and general writing style. In addition to the Chicago Manual of Style, there are a few special conventions that we ask our contributors to observe. Implementing these conventions in your submissions will save us a large amount of editing time.

Above quoted as an example...

Quote :

Now that I've got a diamond, I feel I can comment without any chance of sour grapes etc I'm surprised at getting one for what I feel wasn't my best review

I agree and the month I won one in the Household category comp, I was really disappointed because the other one I wrote was far better.

Thingywhatsit wrote:

I agree and the month I won one in the Household category comp, I was really disappointed because the other one I wrote was far better.

My first diamond was like that. However, since I only wrote two this month for the second diamond, it is hard to say. I'm still astonished.

They really are a mystery aren't they ?