Laid off by Wandalust – the credit crunch gets personal
Written by Karen Bryan
I received an email today from Creative Weblogging to inform me that my contract to write 5 posts a week for their Wandalust UK travel blog had been cancelled with immediate effect. I was rather taken aback mainly because I’d already written and scheduled posts for the next eight days.
A spoonful of credit crunch
It’s nothing personal as evidently other writers are also being given the chop due to lack in advertising revenue in the current economic climate.
I started as Wandalust editor in March 2008, to raise my profile and to gain experience writing about destinations outside Europe, as my Europe a la Carte Blog focuses on European travel.
I was finding it difficult to fit in my day job, maintaining Europe a la Carte and writing for Wandalust, so a part of me is relieved. However I would have rather made the decision to quit myself than be given the push.
Overall I believe that writing for Wandalust for 7 months has been a positive experience for me and now I’ll concentrate on Europe a la Carte.
Update 22/10/08 – No Creative Weblogging haven’t begged me to come back. I noticed an advert about employee termination on the Google Ads at the bottom of the post and was tempted to change the post title to “Terminated by Wandalust” but that made my laugh as I’d a vision of Arnie coming after me with full artillery but I”m sure I could fight him off after my fortifying credit crunch breakfast.
Karen, their loss! It won’t be the first blog network that’ll we will be hearing thats struggling. Companies aren’t spending money on advertising, and without that revenue it’s impossible to pay for writers.
So sorry, Karen! I will follow you wherever you write, though.
Oh deary me… not good, not good at all…
Don’t take it personally. I’m a firm believer that when something doesn’t work out it’s because there’s something even better around the corner.
Darren – yes I’m sure that all sectors of the travel industry will go through a difficult period but those blogs which survive includingTravel Rants and Europe a la Carte will be there ready, to accept the advertising when things improve.
Angela – thanks, I know its sounds like trying to save face but I do have a sense of relief.
Andy – it’s always hard to face rejection in any form but after 20 plus years as a market research interviewer I’m very tough
|Heather – it’s easier to take the redundancy when it affects other writers and is because of hard times .
BTW I enjoyed my credit crunch cereal this morning!
Update 22/10/08 – No Creative Weblogging haven’t begged me to come back. I noticed an advert about employee termination on the Google Ads at the bottom of the post and was tempted to change the post title to “Terminated by Wandalust” but that made my laugh as I’d a vision of Arnie coming after me with full artillery but I”m sure I could fight him off after my fortifying credit crunch breakfast.
And they hired a new one?
Yes, Happy Hotelier I noticed that there is a new writer, Greg Cruey writing all four Creative Weblogging travel and leisure blogs now. I’m wondering why Creative Weblogging are bothering to have four separate travel blogs if they are all by the same writer?
I know excatly how you feel, I am at the moment in the same situation with my job but it gave me the push to go off traveling the world