It's fairly common knowledge that I enjoy writing, even though a lot of the time I don't make any sense, I still like to try. Recently, (thanks to The View) I discovered a website called Helium. It's pretty cool. When you first go to the site, there is a lot to take in. Click on the "Write" tab in the upper right corner and you'll see a list of channels come up on the left-hand side. The channels are the general categories, and within each there is a more specific subset that you can click on. It's pretty straightforward. Under each subchannel you can find titles, and these are the things you actually write about.
The site is called Helium because the best writers will "rise to the top." Once you've published, you get rated. The ratind system is a little odd to me, because you aren't judged on the article by itself, but on your article vs. another article under the same title. Once there are three or more articles under one title it becomes "competitive." This means you're eligible to earn stars (except on Creative Writing titles, which for some reason don't count) once you have 4+ articles published in competitive, non creative writing titles. If you earn at least one star, you can make money. So far I've made $5. Oh yes, I've hit the big time.
Ha ha. I just think it's cool to see your stuff out there, I don't really care about the money. I mean, I might if it were more than $5. Bigger bucks can be earned by entering contests and snagging articles on Marketplace, where third-party publishers offer a set amount for articles on a specific topic. I haven't done that yet, but now that I have a star (you can have up to five, but you've got to write 300+ articles for that, so it might be a while) I'm thinking about it.
If you enjoy writing it's a great way to practice and see what other people think. A unique feature of the site that I both like and dislike is the inablitity to leave comments. No one can spam you or be nasty just because, but no one can leave nice things for you, either. If you want to give a writer feedback, you send them an email through the site. Most people are too lazy to do that.
So now that I'm officially addicted, I just wanted to let other people know about it. Sorry if this was long and boring! I tend to go on about things I'm into!
1 comment:
I just read your article and I enjoyed it! I'm glad you feel your relationship is going great right now, even WITH the video games! Your advice was sound, simple, and clear. Nice job. It's nice to see a site out there that is easy to use for those just starting out in the world of freelance.
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