????但是，《財富》雜志（Fortune）所采訪的寫手的感覺卻有天壤之別。以前，按需媒體通常每天發布成千上萬個任務：去年每一天，它都有15萬個任務可派給寫手、編輯和視頻制作人員。寫手稱，過去兩周中，任務量急劇減少，每天只有500個，有時候甚至少到只有150個。如果真是如此，那么突然之間，按需媒體成千上萬的寫手中能領到任務的人就將寥寥無幾（通常，每個寫手最多只允許認領10個任務）。

????寫手們對《財富》雜志（Fortune）稱，這種變化讓他們很不滿。一位拒絕透露姓名的前寫手坦承：“其實，給按需媒體寫作就是當合同工。我對這一點心知肚明，也完全沒有怨言。但是這家公司似乎缺乏誠信和透明度。本來，他們完全可以告訴我們，公司的這些變化會對我們產生影響。我們這些依賴它過活的人不能再繼續指望它了。但實際上，雖然任務量正在急劇萎縮，他們還是裝出一幅天下太平的假象。”現在，他開始轉向為其他機構寫稿了。

????另一位曾當過報社編輯的寫手原本指望靠按需媒體賺點外快。6個月前，她對該公司兼職任務所提供的額外收入還是滿意的。她的原話是：“這點錢不算什么，但它來得穩當。”按需媒體每周兩次向撰稿人付酬，平均每篇文章在15美元到20美元之間。

????隨后，到了10月初，按需媒體就向寫手和編輯發送了一份備忘錄，聲稱在“可預見的未來”，它將削減eHow的任務量。那時她還不清楚要削減的具體數目到底是多少。據一些報道稱，eHow的新任務已經削減超過50%。現在，每天深更半夜，她就起床坐到電腦邊苦等，希望有新任務或到期任務可做。所謂到期任務，就是有作者曾經接手，完成的結果卻卻不令人滿意的任務。

????寫作任務量的銳減，部分《財富》雜志采訪時牢騷滿腹的作者已經讓他們開始另謀高就，尋找其他兼職的機會。上述那位女作者承認：“我刷新個不停，只要新任務一來，我就飛快地選中它——甚至看都不看一眼。”故事提示五花八門，比如如何造一臺可持續發電機，或如何做一架尼龍飛機。很自然地，現狀讓這些作者們覺得，按需媒體前景黯淡。

????他們的擔憂也許會成為現實。該公司已一再聲明，它正從廉價內容的大宗生產者向高質量網絡內容生產商轉型（按需媒體為就本文發表評論）。但是，這家公司現在已經開始放棄一度堪稱創新的商業模式，同時也把眾多牢騷滿腹的前寫手拋在了身后。

????譯者：清遠

????The freelance writers Fortune spoke with feel differently. Before, Demand usually served up tens of thousands of assignments per day: one day last year, it had a backlog of 150,000 available assignments for writers, editors and videographers. Freelancers claim that, over the last two weeks, the number of assignments offered is much lower, down to 500 daily and sometimes as few as 150. If that is the case, suddenly, there is only enough work for a tiny fraction of Demand's thousands of freelancers. (Each freelancer is usually allowed to claim a maximum of 10 assignments at any given time.)

????Freelancers told Fortune they're unhappy with the changes. "Writing for Demand, you're an independent contractor," admits one former writer, who declined to be named. "I have no qualms or bitterness about that. But it seemed like there was a real lack of honesty and transparency. They could have said those changes will affect us and those of you who depend on us shouldn't depend on us anymore. Instead, they kept pretending everything was fine while titles were drying up." He now writes for other outlets.

????Another freelance writer, a former newspaper editor, looked to Demand to make extra money. As recently as six months ago, she was satisfied with the extra income Demand assignments provided. "The pay wasn't great, but it was reliable," she says. Demand pays freelancers twice a week, between $15 and $20 per story on average.

????Then in early October, Demand sent its writers and editors a memo stating it was cutting down on eHow assignments for the "foreseeable future." What she didn't know at the time was by how much. According to some reports, new eHow titles have been reduced by more than 50%. Now, she gets up at midnight each day, waiting for hours at her computer hoping that new titles or expired ones -- assignments the previous writer didn't satisfactorily complete -- become available.

????The severe downturn in assignments has left the disgruntled writers Fortune spoke with searching elsewhere for freelance jobs. "I'm hitting refresh until a title comes up, and if a title does come up, I just select it as fast as I can -- I don't even look at it," she confesses. Story prompts include how to build a continuous electrical generator and how to build a ripstop airplane. Naturally, freelancers believe this bodes poorly for Demand's future.

????Perhaps this was to be expected, though. The company has repeatedly claimed it is pivoting from a mass producer of cheap content to a generator of quality web stories. (Demand did not respond to a request for comment on this story.) But in turning away from its once-innovative model, Demand is also leaving behind a lot of unhappy former freelancers.