Writers in search of well paying jobs

Thanks a lot for the detailed explanation. Green to you.
I think BrightHub's way of ensuring quality control on their site as well as ensuring that the writers get maximum exposure as well as guidance.

 

Hmm I think in time we should do a poll on those job sources see how they rate

 

I agree that it's going to be difficult for writers to stand up for themselves if they're going hungry
And if you pass on a job that pays too low, other will just take it!

 

you're welcome mate.
and yes, you're right. they are trying to prevent a 'ehow' like spiral into gibberish..

 

Which is a good thing as Ehow is reduced to a shadow of its former self the way it is now.

 

i know. their articles are so crappy, they look like spinned articles.
wait a minute. they very well might be spin articles. lol

anyway, i think ehow is closing down, or already are.
and mahalo will follow suit i think. they offered me a gig 2 months ago, and suddenly the vertical manager (equivalent to team editor) left. lol

 

Time will tell, though I don't believe they will simply close down a site like that. Most likely change the setup or sell it.

 

Victoria Real Estate at Sunriver Estates 2010-07-15 2010-07-20 constantcontent $40-50
Consulting Articles 2010-07-15 2010-07-22 mark $40-50

Convinced yet?

 

ehow closing down? Say it isnt so. Very doubtful that they would just close down the site on a whim. I can see as kraven2 said them being sold or redesigned.

 

well, the thing is, they are still generating income form their thousands of static articles, so in a sense, they will continue operating one way or another for a certain period of time.

however, i am told that they are curtailing staff intake and not replacing new ones. plus the overall quality of their articles have dropped tremendously over the past year. this points to lax editorial control, another big sign. so, if i have to make an educated guess, yes, they will cease their current business model at the very near future.

 

Really. I do believe that the quality has deteriorated over time. I used to them for research. No more though because of this.

I didn't realize that they were not replacing staff. But, maybe they are feeling the economic crunch like everyone else. I wonder who owns that site. I think that maybe Ill do a little research on their business practices.

 

Good luck with that:

 

Ehow is not dying out, and neither is Mahalo. Ehow is managed by Demand Media, and writers now get paid $15 or more for each article that they submit for Ehow. Because of this, quality is greatly improving. More stringent standards are in place for writers and editors. Each writer must apply for a position, and the guidelines for getting approve as a writer are tough for some people. They want to see experience and prefer writers who have credentials, such as a degree in English or Journalism. The best thing about writing for Demand Media is that it opens the door to other higher paying opportunities within Demand Media. Demand Media owns and operates a lot of sites. They provide content for many more.

Mahalo has recently been completely restructured. There is no longer any revenue sharing on pages or on answers to questions. If you really want to offer your expertise in the form of answers, apply for Demand Media, where you can receive $7.50 for the same type of answers that are on Mahalo. That price is per answer, mind you. The only way to continue to make money with Mahalo is by applying to be a guide. Their new system also focuses on quality writers with documented experience, and the quality standards for pages had also greatly improved. When the new guide program was first launched, the guide requirements per week amounted to roughly 40 hours of work for $250 weekly. However, new changes allow for guides to work a couple of days a week or a few hours a day and earn a weekly salary of $125 per week. In addition, those who want to earn more can earn $7.50 per page for each additional page that they write outside of the weekly requirements. This isn't too bead considering that this is for articles that are 300 words in length. However, there are still better opportunities for some. This is not a bad gig if you are looking for reliable weekly income. Also, this is not in Mahalo dollars, which was the previous system used and meant that each virtual dollar only amounted to a 75 percent cash value. This is real cash paid through Paypal each week.

As far as Constant-Content goes, keep in mind that the amount you make per article is only 65% of the amount posted. CC retains 35 percent of that amount, as outlined in their terms of service. So, for each job that you do, be sure to do the math first. For articles that pay $10-20, this rate is only $6.50-$13. In most cases, this still isn't a bad deal for many writers. Just be sure that you do the math first so that you don't waste your time. CC also only pays once a month. Similar sites are Textbroker and BuynSellcontent, but these sites do not pay as much as CC in most cases.

I still routinely write for a handful of contributor sites that pay you according to the amount of page views that your articles receive. I submit articles weekly to AC, Examiner, Suite101, Firehow, and Wikinut. Wikinut is a new one, but it is a lot of fun. In these cases, you have to pull double duty because you are in charge of promoting your work as well. My earnings from a handful of articles each week on these sites equates to roughly 20-30 dollars per site weekly, but it is not bad for additional income. The main advantage of these kinds of sites for me is kind of like that of article directories like Ezine for businesses and websites. It helps me to get my name out there and promote my services to other people. If people can see my name and examples of my work, then I am more likely to get higher paying private jobs. I see a lot of people that use pen names on these sites, however. In my opinion, that is counterintuitive. Being an online freelance writer means that you also have to know a little bit about marketing. You have to not only promote your work but also promote yourself. Everybody has to start somewhere, but the more you write, the more people will become aware of your name, your writing style, and your expertise.

 

Like someone else said, you have to take into consideration that CC takes 65% of that list price. I like CC, they are helping me improve my writing, but when it says the article pays $20, remember you will only make $13.50. Which is still not that bad. I can't stand DP, they are to rude and picky.

 

Yeah I agree with Empower media here - Constant content looks like a great bet but a lot of the articles are paying between $10 and $20 per article - asnd this is often for a 1000 word article. Take the 35% off and you're left with payment that is quite poor. Add to this the fact that buyers do not have to accept your work when you complete it and it starts to look like things actually are not stacked in your favour too much there.

DP? Very hit and miss but I have got a couple of long term clients from here who are great so there are good jobs to be found in content creation.

 

Jeremy, and others. Time to take future planning seriously. Kraven can help you cream the crop in the meantime. 5,000 writing jobs are right out there, right now. If you have experience, quickly scanning the good, the bad, and the ugly should not be that hard. Then learn how to keep increasing the % of business seeking you, and in turn develop talents in the big bucks arena. These are the professional business services that do not realize that a small investment (your services) will give them an exceptionally high ROI.

 

Great thread, and truly inspirational for many struggling writers out there. Thanks.