Has anybody else stopped to wonder, “Whatever happened to Themestream”?
If the name “Themestream” doesn’t mean anything to you, let me explain.
At the turn of the millennium, Themestream was a “new” style of website which invited people to share their hobbies and passions by writing about them. I think it was probably intended to be a communal fount of wisdom, much like Wikipedia or About.com but it soon developed a life of its own.
An Early Form of Blogging?
Not surprisingly, the site attracted thousands of writers from across the world, delighted to find a place where they could have the pleasure of publishing what they wanted, when they wanted. Unlike traditional print media, your work could be seen immediately, and you could receive feedback within seconds of making your content live. Before long, contributors found regular followers and it became a thriving community.
And not only was Themestream free to use … they actually PAID contributors, on a pay per click basis. In other words, each time somebody read your post, you made a few cents. The more clicks on your post, the more money you made.
Those cents quickly added up. It helped that we’re talking American cents, and at the time the Aussie dollar was worth only half as much as the American counterpart. So a payment of $50 US became $100 AUD – awesome!
At first I wrote for Themestream purely for the fun of it. It sounds just like blogging, doesn’t it?!
The Problems With Themestream
However I must confess … that all too soon, like most of the Themestream (and now blogging) community, I became devoted to the almighty click.
I began writing posts purely with the goal of making people WANT to click through and read, so that I could make money – rather than what *I* wanted to write about. I quickly discovered that sex sells (not that I wrote about it!) – oh, and posts about budget Christmas gift ideas, and how to make money on Themestream, were also veritable goldmines.
I obsessed over stats and comments, and got cranky when I discovered that my subscribers were not always advised when I posted new articles (just like we whinge about the poor reach on Facebook pages today …). It was a constant challenge, trying to figure out new and creative ways to lure readers!
We had to rely solely on our titles, our topics, and the quality of our content to attract readers, as there was no capacity for uploading images like bloggers do today.
Whatever Happened to Themestream?
Themestream made money from the ads which appeared on the site; but although it became popular with writers the world over, readers outside the Themestream writing community rarely stopped by.
I guess it’s not surprising then that when the dot com bubble burst in 2001, Themestream was one of the casualties. Luckily I managed to copy and save most of my posts before they disappeared into cyberspace forever.
Thinking back on my love of Themestream, it’s really not surprising that I wound up with my own blog!
Do you remember Themestream?!
Linking up with My Home Truths.
I’ve never heard of themestream and in my tired (I haven’t slept) state I actually first read it as Thermo steam. I’m clearly deliriously tired and hungry or wanting to join a cult.
I’d never heard of Themestream until now Janet, thanks for enlightening us! Things sure have changed in the online world over the past 15 years or so. Isn’t it great that we can now have our own blogs that we have control over?!
I have honestly never heard of Themestream. How quickly things change in this world of ours. X
I’ve never heard of Themestream either. I didn’t have a computer or internet back then. It does sound quite a bit like blogging. I guess you really were one of the first bloggers!
No I don’t remember it… But I use to write for s similar site ( can’t even remember the name) but I never made much money so stopped…
Like the others above, I’ve never heard of Themestream either but it shows that you were always destined to blog Janet!
I was a member of Themestream for a short while, but I discovered the site too late and didn’t manage to get paid even once before it closed.
What a shame! If only it has lasted. Clearly it wasn’t a sustainable business model 🙁
No, it wasn’t. And many of the modern sites seem to be making the same mistake.
I remember Themestream. Think I made about $30 there.
So glad I’m not the only one that does … was beginning to think I was a dinosaur! LOL
Janet
I just woke up this morning thinking about Themestream, did a web search and found your post. So nice to find someone else who remembers. It WAS the predecessor of blogging. People used to also publish recipes there. The problem, as you say, is that some of us were more interested in making money than in writing what we originally wanted to. There were lots of recipes on there too.
I also remember the drama. Someone was always angry with Themestream people over something or other, and then there would be the inevitable post entitled : Why I’m Leaving Themestream.
I met a group of really kind, generous people on there, and I wish we kept more in touch, because every so often I think of them and that it’s a pity we lost touch. I hope they fulfilled their writing dreams.
Clearly I’m thinking about food, because I keep remembering the receipes in my comment. LOL. Time to go get my breakfast, I think.
So nice to hear I’m not the only one that remembers! It was a fun time to be a writer 🙂
I was on Themestream back in the day. I had “earned” something like US$107 when they closed their doors and walked away with all the ad revenue in their pockets. I believe, at the time, to get a check from them internationally, you had to earn US$150, so…
Sites like Themestream keep popping up and then failing (Bubblews, Personal Papers, eHow, Helium, Niume). The latest I’ve seen is Virily, which will probably be gone in a year as well. Hell, even some of the good consumer review sites eventually die. If you want to write content for a website, you have to find sites that pay you up front per article. These Pay-per-click content sites are not a sustainable business model. Of course, you can also start your own blog as well. Mind you, it takes a VERY long time to earn anything off them, but at least all the earnings are yours!
It took me about a year to start making a little bit of money from this blog. It still brings in some income, which is nice, and pays to keep it going – but I do it for love not money really (though if it can do both, great!)