AOL cutting budget, Joystiq/Fanboy blogs in trouble

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If you are a member of JPAG (Joystiq Podcast Appreciation Group) on Facebook, you may want to show some support in the forum post. For those who are not yet a member of the group, here's the dish:

#1

We received an email from someone who says they are an AOL blog writer:

Obviously, I can’t give my name (and it’s not the name on this account, either), but as a writer for one of the blogs in AOL’s Weblogs, Inc. Network, I can tell you that the cuts are going pretty far beyond free fucking bagels. Pardon my language, but what we’re going through for these sites is beyond anything that could possibly be considered reasonable.

I don’t know what’s going on with Engadget and co., or the lifestyle blogs, but the gaming bloggers were told yesterday to STOP ALL POSTING. Now, after the network bosses went into the fray, our two biggest sites are cleared, but the rest of the sites are working on a 5 posts/day deal, so long as those aren’t written by international bloggers, but only US writers. Anything above and beyond that is unpaid and will be written under a staff account. Nearly everyone has agreed to post for free, including columnists, in the hopes that we will all still have jobs come August 1, when they’re telling us we’ll be back — just on a smaller budget.

Of course, we’re all speculating that this means there’s definitely a deal in the works, because there doesn’t seem to be any reason for AOL to kill the properties when the Joystiq Network was enjoying the biggest traffic month in its history. Either they’re selling us, or selling out completely, because they don’t care. If we didn’t have so many people who considered the job a labor of love, all the gaming network blogs would die.

Don’t know if any of this is usable, but I’d like to see the information out there if possible, because what AOL is putting us through is simply ludicrous.
Click to expand...
I suppose the only way to presently aid Joystiq would be to dig the article. So, if you care, please dig the article. I would hate to see Joystiq go under. :cry:


Oh, and Weblogs, Inc. consists of the following blogs:

* Autoblog
* Download Squad
* Engadget
* Switched
* TUAW (Apple)
* AisleDash
* DIY Life
* Gadling
* Green Daily
* Luxist
* ParentDish
* Slashfood
* Styledash
* That’s Fit
* Joystiq
* DS Fanboy
* Massively
* Nintendo Wii Fanboy
* PS3 Fanboy
* PSP Fanboy
* WoW Insider
* Xbox 360 Fanboy
* Big Download
* Cinematical
* TV Squad
* BloggingBuyouts
* BloggingStocks
* WalletPop
 
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I don't think Joystiq itself would be cut. But it looks like all of the Fanboy sites might be gone in August. Which would be a huge shame.
 
man this really sucks. The DSfanboy and PSPfanboy blogs I check 5 or 6 times a day and it would suck if they weren't around anymore :(
 
The part that has me worried is how "sites are working on a 5 posts/day deal, so long as those aren’t written by international bloggers, but only US writers" as two of my favorite bloggers, Ludwig Kietzmann and Xav De Matos, are international bloggers.
 
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[quote name='SL4IN']man this really sucks. The DSfanboy and PSPfanboy blogs I check 5 or 6 times a day and it would suck if they weren't around anymore :([/QUOTE]

same here... I check up on all the fanboy sections since they give a nice summary of console specific news for the day.
 
I'm waiting for other reports on this before I decide whether this is real or not. I am hoping the latter.
 
Everything looks worse on the internet. There have been some budgeting measures put in place temporarily – that's no secret – but come August 1, things should return to whatever semblance of normalcy you've come to expect from us.
 
Wow, it's another C class internet celeb- besides Cheapy. Awesome.

That's good news, I guess. Great show guys. I'm a member of both the JPAG and CAGcast Facebook groups, so it doesn't really help either of you in the battle of the E-peen. Justin's been pretty crazy throughout the E3 podcasts.
 
Yeah, I think late-night podcasting with a sleep-deprived Justin may not be the best idea.

... or maybe it's the BEST idea? Hrm ...
 
[quote name='willardhaven']I'm amazed these sites brought in revenue to begin with...[/QUOTE]

Millions in theoretical dollars.
 
I really don't want to see these sites go (I'm on PS3 Fanboy a lot). If they ever went, I'd step up to the plate and start something, but I really hope they stay around.
 
[quote name='RelentlessRolento']it obviously started this weekend. usually each of the fanboy sites has at least one new article on a saturday, but none have even updated since friday. :([/QUOTE]
??

DS Fanboy (which I read every day) did two posts yesterday.
 
[quote name='RelentlessRolento']it obviously started this weekend. usually each of the fanboy sites has at least one new article on a saturday, but none have even updated since friday. :([/QUOTE]
Xbox360fanboy updated twice yesterday...
 
I check all of these sites regualrly......i'm.....devastated.....

It's so great getting to go thorugh psot by psot and quickly get info only on the news you care about, and some posts are even lol. AOL better not fuck this up.....
 
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