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…well just about. It seems as if a lot of the blogs I frequent are finding out about Helium via the red herring article I blogged about here and needless to say, they are not pleased. The main (and I think valid) reason is because sites like this make beginners believe they can work for so little, thus has the potential to drive down freelance pay across the market. Read a blog here about one like-thinking freelancer.
Evergreen topics are topics that are consistent in popularity and are not trend-specific or news-related. In other words, they are topics that have an indefinite shelf life in terms of page views. My M.O. is to keep a majority of my articles evergreen, I’d say about 75%. The rest are on topics like newly released books that will probably have a limited amount of interest. The way that I see it (and this is my newbie opinion, by no means Gospel) with trendy topics you may initially get a lot of page hits, but they are very temporary and the views will quickly wain. On the other hand, with evergreen topics, they seem to show a consistent amount of views over a longer period of time.
Oddly (or maybe not depending on cynical you are), content sites seem to promote the stories pertaining to the current news items and trends the most. Could this be because they know that while the initial payout may be pleasing to the writer, in the long run the article will likely fizzle and collect dust somewhere out in web-world?
Think again. Consider this article and walk cautiously. I know that in the past I praised Helium, but now that I can see the big picture, I am feeling pretty pissed off. As I write this post I’d like to share with you how profitable Helium has been to me (sarcasm intended). I have 18 articles written since originally signing up on January 7, 2008 and I have amassed a whopping $1.94. This factored in to Helium’s rule that they don’t pay out until you accumulate $25 (which at this rate will be several years!!).
After submitting several articles for non-exclusive content, AC finally accepted one of my articles for exclusive content. I originally was going to submit it to Helium’s Marketplace, but I’ve made the decision to no longer contribute content to them. After my earnings for almost 4 months and approximately 15 articles is less than $2!! Live and learn. AC didn’t offer me anything substantial BUT $5.50 beats the $1.72 from Helium hands down.
For anyone who may be interested, here’s my link. And if you currently write at AC, let me know. You can share some basics with me and we can “friend” each other (or whatever the term on AC is?).
I’ve decided to stop contributing content to Helium. I’ve been writing for them since January, have a total of 18 articles written and have made a whopping $1.71. Just not worth it for me. I’ve decided to only use their marketplace feature where you submit articles for payment to third parties. You can make a lot more money that way, honestly it seems as if that is the only way to make money on their site.
Now that I’ve been writing for the websites Suite101 & Helium for about a month each, I can make some general comparisons and observations.
First of all, as far as professionalism and quality is concerned, Suite is the clear winner. Although my articles are getting flagged, I am learning it is because they want the highest level of quality articles on their site. (my main flagging error is keywords. I will master them but it will take time. because I am more familiar with writing for print as opposed to writing for the web, I need to really work on getting the hang of keywords.) This explains why Suite has an application process for writer, while Helium will let anyone write their content.
I’m not knocking Helium, as it definitely is a good place for writing for “fun”, but the money is laughable. I do like the idea that Helium allows you to donate your earnings to charitable organizations, so I’ve donated my revenue for all pet-related articles to PETA. In a month I’ve learned to keep my better work reserved for Suite. I like to write fast articles for Helium that require no research for the weekly contest, though I have quickly learned not to waste my time writing articles for them that require any amount of research, as the payoff is not worth it.
Stats:
In the duration of approximately one month I have written:
8 Articles for Suite101
14 Articles for Helium
BUT I made five times the amount of money from Suite than I have for Helium.
What about you? Do you have any experiences writing for these or any other revenue sharing websites? I’d love to hear your opinions of them.
I just got another paying job(!) to edit a student’s Masters thesis. As much as I complain about Elance, it is definitely been a good month for me in terms of jobs I’m getting through them. I’m also working on an on-going project with a repeat client, editing her online Spa manager program modules.
I also think I need to order new business cards, as the ones I am currently using only have my email address and not my website link. I’m making a mental list right now to do that in the near future.
I also need to add a signature block on my emails that have the links to all the places where I write. Does anyone know how I can do that?
There’s also a new article posted at Suite101 about Tips for Managing Acne from an Esthetician.
One more FYI- I am no longer going to link articles I write for Helium on this blog since the quantity of work I’ve been producing for them has been excessive (9 in 1 week!). I will only post a link if it’s an article I am especially inclined to share. Otherwise bookmark the page and check back periodically.
I’ve only had one paying on-going proofreading/editing job in the past week and a half, so I’ve had more than enough time to become fully obsessed with writing articles on Helium. I am addicted to the rating system and find myself checking my articles often to see how they compare with others in the same category. Since I’m a bit of a perfectionist, I really get a kick out of seeing some of my articles in the #1 spot! It’s a huge motivator.
I’ve also finished the marriage book and have to write a review for it to post on Suite101. That will hopefully get done sometime in the upcoming week.
Other than that, I’ve been getting a lot of reading done which is great considering I have a stack of books I am dying to get through. How’s everyone doing with the reading challenge? Any good books your reading or looking forward to reading?
I posted my second article today on Helium. It’s about Cats: “Ideal Gifts for Cats“. Out of the 21 other articles on the same topic, Helium members voted it into the #1 place! I am so excited!
Photo courtesy of Lisa Dooley-Rufle 2006
I know I only just signed up @ Helium, but it really seems to have a lot to offer writers in terms of benefits. The ones that immediately peaked my interest are:
1. They provide you with a writing mentor, if you want one. They also offer you the option of mentoring other writers.
2. Your pay is partially determined by how others “rate” your articles. Each article is assigned to a specific topic and sub-topic with other articles of similar subject matter.After you publish your article, members of Helium rate it in terms of where it lines up quality-wise compared to the other articles in your category.
3. They offer a “Marketplace” section where publications post calls for specific articles for their magazines. This is great because they pay you anywhere from $20-200 for your article PLUS this is a great way to build clips for a beginner writer!
4. They have weekly contests where (if you choose to participate) they provide writers with a series of topics and you write about whichever ones appeal to you. You gain points by having your contest articles rated in the top 50% of the category. Thus, the person who collects the most points during the week of the contest period wins money (not sure how much though).
5. Not only can you write articles, but you can also debate topics such as: politics, sports, lifestyle and religion. Fun!
6. You have the option of donating your earnings to one of the featured charities such as: PETA, The National Autism Society and Teachers Without Borders.
Helium is definitely a site I plan on writing more for in the upcoming months, as it lets me veer away from the traditional “informative” writing and allows me to do some creative writing as well (if I can manage to find the time!!).
Why not check it out?
