Not all writing opportunities are equal, and some are a better fit for some writers than others. I've decided to cut back on or completely eliminate my work on a few writing sites this year because either they're not able to match me with my target audience or I've just outgrown them. However, take a look at the reasons, because these sites are perfectly fine at what they do, and what they do may be just what you're looking for.
- Helium. The first site I ever wrote for. Write an article about a preexisting topic and then comparison-rate articles in other topics. The best-voted articles rise to the top of the list - hence the name of the site. My early articles got great ratings and were frequently featured on the front page, but after two years I had made about twelve dollars. I would have kept them around, but they made the bad decision to require users to rate articles in order to continue earning. I'm not fond of the rating system anyway, because there's no way to tell if ratings are done on content, layout, or just "pick the one on the left."
- Epinions. Write opinions on products which are rated by other users. Earnings are "based on how often their reviews were used in making a decision (whether or not the reader actually made a purchase)." Presumably this is somehow related to the user's network on the site, page exposures for reviews, and user ratings of the reviews; I can't see how they know if the user used the review to make a decision otherwise. It may very well be a great way to create a new income stream, but it's a big vague for me to include in my business plan. I'd rather stick with reviewing business books. It's a niche that Epinions doesn't cater to.
- Anywhere that requires me to rate a dating site. I've seen this a lot in job postings on freelancing sites. In response to a bid, an email is sent requesting that you sign up for an adult dating site, check it out, and write an email back with a 50-100 word review of the site. Frequently the email address for contact is right in the job proposal as a means to encourage contact outside of the freelancing site's system. I suspect it's a strange way to drive traffic to adult dating sites.
- Elance. Well I haven't entirely given up on Elance, but their feedback system has its flaws. My first successful bid on the site turned into a bit of a nightmare, as the buyer didn't log onto the site for weeks after the project due date. He finally released the escrow funds to pay me, but then left some rather poor feedback including suggestions that I didn't communicate well. The experience made me a bit more cautious about freelancing sites in general, since acting in a professional manner and delivering on time isn't always enough to please. My Elance feedback isn't that hot, but at least my LinkedIn recommendations are dazzling!
- Squidoo. Okay, even two weeks ago Squidoo would have topped this list, but I've started finding interesting ways to repurpose my content on this page creation site. It will take a learning curve, but at least I understand how I earn money - people click on ads, I get a share, that makes sense to me. I'm going to give this site a pass for now.
Do you have any sites that haven't worked for you, but you think could be a big break for the right person? Feel free to comment.
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