Why I'm Staying at Tsu
On Facebook I feel invisible. If I post a link or anything else on tsu I know it's being seen because I get likes and comments and shares from people I've never met in person for the most part. When I post on Facebook, where supposedly my real-life friends are, it kind of hurts when I don't have any response at all on most posts. I get tired of my wall being full of ads and sponsored material Facebook thinks I'd like to see and not seeing most of what's posted by the people I really care about. Facebook thinks I mostly want to see the people I went to school with fifty years ago and rarely shows me posts from anyone else. At least on tsu, if no one responds, I don't feel so rejected, since my friends there have not met me and don't really know me. I wonder how many of my real friends on Facebook even see my posts.
One more thing. I'm seeing links to articles from Bubblews and PP on Tsu I may not ever see in my notifications, and I'm finding more new people in both places to follow I might not see otherwise. I think that even if you feel what you make on tsu isn't worth the effort you put in, it still may be bringing you traffic from the links you post there. You aren't allowed to post those links on either Bubblews or Persona Paper.
I'll grant you that people with active children earn faster than those who don't, but so what? If you are creating and posting content people like, you will still make money and people will share good content. Be picky about whom you friend and don't choose friends unless you can see that they respect copyrights. Do you really think that tsu is where all those stolen images are stolen from? Maybe it's just where you notice them most. Anything you've posted anywhere finds its way to Google Images, like it or not, and is easily stolen from there. Watermark your photos and only post them at low resolution. At least then people can't get very far stealing them for use on POD sites like Zazzle that need high resolution photos for printing.
I hear lots of complaints that people aren't earning what they'd hoped at tsu and about having to wait until you make $100 until you get paid. Are you happy with what you make on Facebook and Twitter for your content ? Let's compare apples to apples. You need to learn what works at each site and build up a body of work that makes people want to read what you write and see your photos. What's not to love about being able to share your links with people who might not see them otherwise? What's not to love about having a chance to find new online friends and expanding your network? Forget the money and just enjoy the interactions like you do on other social networking sites. Stick around for the long haul and the results might tsuprise you. networking socialnetworks FOPP stolenimages
This post was inspired by http://www.personapaper.com/article/16471-deleted-tsu , written by & AngelSharum
Pictures and content are original and may not be used without permission, B. Radisavljevic, Copyright 2014, All Rights Reserved
Image Credit » I took the photo and edited it.
Comments
bad_cheetah wrote on December 17, 2014, 12:06 AM
i say go on with what makes you happy. ;)
OldRoadsOnceTraveled wrote on December 17, 2014, 1:31 AM
I totally agree. I only use FB to promote my writing--which doesn't feel like it's earning me very much--and to keep up with what my friends are doing, and I don't seem to be doing very well at that, either, because I never see most of their posts. I think Tsu, after it grows some, is going to be a much more profitable outlet for me as far as bringing in views. I've already been able to trace a good number of views on Persona Paper and Bubblews to links I posted on Tsu. With the large concentration of writers there, my links certainly find a more sympathetic audience, whereas on one of the Big Guys, they seem to get get lost. Tsu is also much more fun to me than FB. Even if I never make cash out, I've already profited.
As far as plagiarism and copyright infringement issues, I haven't seen that much of it on Tsu. It may be there, but as picky as I am to friend or follow, I don't see much of it. I only friend people I already know or have seen enough of their work to know that they are diligent in respecting copyright, and I don't follow until I'm at least pretty sure of the same.
And while we are comparing apples to apples, Tsu is not a writing site. It's a social network. (I've heard that somewhere, but in this case it's accurate.) Let's compare Tsu to Facebook, which it is most similar to, not to social blogging sites or content sites. While it is a revenue sharing site, it's best use to writers is as a place to promote your work on other sites. If you end up actually making $100 and cashing out, consider it a bonus. You certainly won't be getting so much as a cent from Facebook, who is making a killing from what you post there.
Cinna wrote on December 17, 2014, 2:02 AM
I'm on Tsu as well. I'm not having tons if success...just made like $3 so far, but I think it has a lot of potential.
scheng1 wrote on December 17, 2014, 3:57 AM
Those who complain must be there only for the money. If they choose to stay, they should stop complaining.
Ravenmount wrote on December 17, 2014, 4:47 AM
I think it really depends on how you already use social media. For me Facebook is where I stay in touch with over 500 people, including a lot of local and regional musicians. Most of those people are not on Tsu, so while I can interact with complete strangers on Tsu, it will not be replacing Facebook anytime soon. Since its algorithms show me more posts from the Facebook friends I interact with more, I wind up seeing most of what I need to see,and I can easily check out facebook profiles of anyone I haven't seen posts from recently. And, with the chat feature also on facebook, I can do real-time interviews with artists on facebook and have conversations with multiple friends at once when I need to. For me Tsu and a lot of other social media are more about networking with strangers, or playing, or making money (rarely successfully so far). But for everyone whose facebook feed is not helpful, useful or fun, I can see the attraction to Tsu.
maxeen wrote on December 17, 2014, 7:09 AM
I dislike facebook and wouldn't use it ever.
inertia4 wrote on December 17, 2014, 8:48 AM
BarbRad Now this is a great post. I agree. I am sticking with TSU. And I do like that whenever we post something there, we can also post it to Facebook and Twitter. Killing three birds with one stone. Nice!!!. I have two active children but a total of four. I will probably always try to get more referrals and I am sure other will. But whatever I earn there is way more than I am earning on Facebook and Twitter combined. Which is zero. And I have been seeing, not only links from Bubblews and Persona Paper there, I have been seeing links to sites like Daily2Cents and others as well. So TSU is real active.
nbaquero wrote on December 17, 2014, 10:07 AM
BarbRad very valid points, but in your case you a comparing Tsu with FB, which is totally fine. Other, like me, just compare Tsu to Bubblews or even PP, and I find PP a lot better than Tsu based on reviews, because at the moment as you might know, I have not joined. One more positive point about PP is that we can have this kind of opinions openly and within a respectful atmosphere.
AngelSharum wrote on December 17, 2014, 2:28 PM
For me, I have a lot more fun on Facebook because I get a lot of interaction with my friends there. That wasn't the case on tsu. I don't make much money from anything I do online, but I am trying to streamline things and tsu was the one I didn't feel any regret about letting go of. I don't make a lot more here, but I haven't been writing much either. One of my goals for 2015 is to write more here. But, really, I'm not making hardly anything online so the money is not as much a concern as the stolen photos posted all over tsu. I just don't like that part of it, and since I love sharing photos, I didn't feel comfortable there. Just personal preference. Are we friends on Facebook yet?
Ellis wrote on December 17, 2014, 3:10 PM
I've never been a fan of social media but whatever floats your boat...
AliCanary wrote on December 17, 2014, 4:59 PM
I find Facebook useful, but I'm glad to hear that Tsu is working for you!
VinceSummers wrote on December 17, 2014, 5:05 PM
This is the second article I've seen about Tsu (whatever that is). At least you came close to describing it.
Glenn wrote on December 17, 2014, 6:36 PM
I'm staying on Tsū too. I know it ail take time for the growth to start really taking off. But I see the trend as I already have 10 children and 24 in my network. As for friends, the same applies to both platforms. I personally don't friend people just to get friends. I only friend people I know. The others I just follow. I find this is more realistic as I gain more REAL people who actually read what I post.
allen0187 wrote on December 17, 2014, 8:36 PM
I'm on tsu as well but I haven't fully monetized my stay there. i don't think I've reached $1 yet. LOL! I do love seeing all those posts and it keeps me busy for hours and hours!
BarbRad wrote on December 17, 2014, 10:59 PM
If I were to to that, I'd be reading all day most days.
BarbRad wrote on December 17, 2014, 11:00 PM
Thank you. I appreciate that.
BarbRad wrote on December 17, 2014, 11:02 PM
Very well stated. You should have posted it yourself. You're just like me, often making comments that could be posts in themselves. Thanks for putting one here.
BarbRad wrote on December 17, 2014, 11:03 PM
$3 is pretty good if you ask me.
BarbRad wrote on December 17, 2014, 11:04 PM
It's sad that many good people from here seem to be leaving. I'm glad that many are also staying. It's not like we have to pick one site over the other. I think Tsu is a great place to promote our work here and post work that isn't long enough to post here.
BarbRad wrote on December 17, 2014, 11:09 PM
I tend not to have many genuine interactions with Facebook friends, even though we've known each other for years. We hardly know anything about each other's lives, and my Bubblews and Persona Paper friends probably know more about me than my Facebook friends. Mostly we post old photos or those memes that get passed around and like each other's posts. Only once in a while does anything personal come across. I also get invitations to a lot of local art events, since I have interviewed many of the artists.
BarbRad wrote on December 17, 2014, 11:10 PM
Care to tell us why?
BarbRad wrote on December 17, 2014, 11:13 PM
Exactly. I like that posts can be just as long as you want them to be, and that there is room to say something about your photos if that's all you want to share. I like that we can share links to work on other sites. You just can't depend on affiliate links getting through as referrals unless people click on your top referral link that you posted. Tsu does cut off the codes in the preview.
BarbRad wrote on December 17, 2014, 11:15 PM
I'm at the point now where I'd probably where I'd be happy to give up all social networking and stick to email, especially since income is so low online everywhere now. I'd rather be reading and cooking and out walking. But without social networking and writing sites, where would I share my photos?
BarbRad wrote on December 17, 2014, 11:17 PM
Maybe I just choose the right friends, but I've never had any bad discussions on Tsu and no one has insulted me there as some acquaintances have on Facebook by insulting my friends and relatives on my wall.
BarbRad wrote on December 17, 2014, 11:21 PM
I don't know. I don't get there very often. I think I'm only going to stay connected to people I know offline there now, or that I don't see anywhere else. Of course, I'll stay in by FB networking groups for writing sites. On Tsu I don't see sponsored ads in my feed. I wish you hadn't left, since I already miss you there.
BarbRad wrote on December 17, 2014, 11:22 PM
"Working for me" is not the phrase I would have chosen. It's somewhere I like to go and relax and share things too short to share here or things that are not allowed here.
BarbRad wrote on December 17, 2014, 11:39 PM
It's a social network. In some ways it's a bit like Teckler was except that I believe tsu will pay more and the interaction is much better. I share a lot of photos, and after Teckler closed, there really wasn't' a good place to do it anymore. I'm sure plenty of people on Teckler were sharing the work of others, but I didn't and I never interacted with those who did. I suppose one reason it closed was that they didn't crack down on those who didn't respect the copyright laws. Now some of my favorite Teckler connections are also on Tsu so we see each other's work again.
Persona Paper is a writing site. Tsu isn't. You can share any content or photos on tsu as long as they are g-rated and follow the copyright laws. That includes links to any blog or writing site.
I don't think any more photos are stolen from tsu than any other site, but many stolen photos are posted that shouldn't be. That is true on other social networks as well, including Facebook. The site will eventually catch them and delete them along with those who posted them.
Why not join and see for yourself if you enjoy it? My shortcode you need to join is the same as my user name here
BarbRad wrote on December 17, 2014, 11:41 PM
Ten children is impressive, but you are well respected by many writers, so I'm not surprised. I think quality of friends beats quantity any time.
BarbRad wrote on December 17, 2014, 11:42 PM
It's fun. It's not like you have to earn much there. What I like is that you can go in and out as you have time and what you earn is frosting on the cake. If you spend more time there and produce more content you will earn more.
OldRoadsOnceTraveled wrote on December 18, 2014, 12:58 AM
I can be wordy at times, can't I? I have backed out of comments and made them into posts before, but you can have this one.
FreyaYuki wrote on December 18, 2014, 1:04 AM
I've been hearing about Tsu but a lot of it is negative. This post presented a new perspective about the aforementioned site. Maybe I will try to check it out when I have more time. It would be nice not to feel invisible. Having to earn $100 before being allowed to cash out doesn't sound very appealing though. Has anyone been paid there yet just so people have proof that the site isn't a scam? And I heard something about it being some sort of pyramid scheme or something. What are your thoughts on that?
BarbRad wrote on December 18, 2014, 2:14 AM
I appreciate that.
BarbRad wrote on December 18, 2014, 2:22 AM
The MLM aspect of it is what made me hesitate at first, but then I decided I had nothing to lose. After all, I didn't have to invest any money to join. I don't have to buy any products. Pyramid schemes involve money, with first investors getting paid with the money paid in by later investors so that the first investors will give a good report so that more investors will be reassured to part with their money and invest. Then the last ones to invest lose it all.
Tsu involves no money changing hands to belong. If I never get paid, it won't be a terrible loss. Listen to those who have lost everything they've earned through Google when for no reason they can see, their accounts have been closed. Many people think that other site many belong to is also a pyramid which doesn't pay out as promised. All I have to lose at tsu is time, but I know I've gained views for my work on other sites there, and I enjoy it. I used to give as much time to Facebook and they've never paid me a cent since I joined many long years ago.
AngelSharum wrote on December 18, 2014, 12:34 PM
Well, if you ever want to become friends on FB, just look me up. My name is the same almost everywhere.
AngelSharum wrote on December 18, 2014, 12:38 PM
I'm more like this as well. I actually talk a lot with my friends on Facebook and it is fun. I didn't know a lot of the people on tsu, and most weren't really talking about about post, just posting something and moving on. It wasn't very chit-chatty...lol. I'm all about talking so I didn't see any reason to be there and Facebook, since I wasn't too worried about making money anyway. I'm trying to streamline things before the new year as well. I've closed a few blogs and quit some sites. I'm focusing on the ones I enjoy the most and not worrying about the rest. I do hope tsu works out for those who like it though.
simplysara wrote on December 19, 2014, 4:27 PM
I am so glad to hear (read) this! I need to clean up my friend/follow list over there. I made the same mistake, based on the advice of other so called experts, that I did at Bubblews and followed a bunch of Yahoos right away. Now my feed is full of junk. Someday I'll learn! Overall though most of my feed is full of WAY WAY WAYYYY more positivity than any other social networking site I am a member of. Watching the pennies roll in is kind of fun. I know I'm not going to rich off of it, but knowing they're not getting rich of my attention feels good too! I'm glad you're staying.
BarbRad wrote on December 20, 2014, 4:10 AM
Do you have the same user name there as here? I don't know if we are connected there yet.
MariaMontgomery wrote on December 21, 2014, 9:58 PM
Hey, Barb! I often feel the same way about Facebook. I do like Tsu, but have had a few problems with it. I'll figure it out eventually. One thing I'm not happy about is that I earned one penny about 5 or 6 weeks ago, and even though I post things, comment on and like the things others post, I have never earned another penny. My bank it still let at one cent. That's a bummer.
BarbRad wrote on December 22, 2014, 6:55 PM
I can see the sort of people you're talking about on tsu -- the ones who joined to get rich quick and become patriarchs and matriarchs of their tsu families. I just don't follow those types. I have found lots of people from here as well as those I met on tsu and find lots of people who really do interact.
BarbRad wrote on December 22, 2014, 8:02 PM
To make money, you need good friends and followers. You need to post original content and connect with others who appreciate that. You follow a few good people but you need to make more good friends who will interact with your posts and some who will actually share them. Your content is good, but you need to start using your eight shares a day for people you want to help and / or work that is superb that many people have commented on. You are following a couple of really good photographers and you should use a couple of your shares a day on them and others like them who share original content. Find followers the usual way. Find good comments on posts you read, check the profiles for junk, and if members are clean, friend them. The best thing you can do for a friend is to make good comments on their posts and try to share something of theirs you really like as often as possible as you spread your eight shares a day around. I just went over to give your profile some love.
nbaquero wrote on February 24, 2015, 1:35 PM
Hi barbRad just wondering if you have any update on your experience at Tsu, I have not seen more talk about this site in a long time.