Could Associated Content Become the Poor Man's Huffington Post?

I am a girl who always speaks her mind for better or for worse, and I am not writing this for brownie points.

I have begun to focus my freelance interests here to Associated Content because I feel that Associated Content really has the potential to eclipse more successful outlets such as The Huffington Post.

I believe that mainstream newspaper writers and celebrity bloggers are really out of touch with the reality of our current world and I have noticed that certain Associated Content writers do have it going on.

Some Associated Content pages get thousands of daily hits and many comments, moving up the search ranks and proving they can play with the big boys of journalism.

Among my favorites I have several writers who have reached the million mark. That is pretty impressive and I salute them for their hard work and professionalism. But I also have some writers in my fan base who have contributed a few chosen pieces of their work. Some are college professors and they really do a fine job on their passionate interests, whether it be Zelda Fitzgerald or tending vegetables and others are local farmers who raise cows and I find that extremely interesting. Certainly, the selection of articles may be varied and the level of writing may be uneven, but that is half the fun of it. We are really of the people, by the people.

Furthermore. I feel this is the decade of the citizen journalist but few sites really know how to capitalize on that fact. I have joined other sites like Gather.com and Helium.com but they just don't seem to get it.

Yes we want to be social , but bloggers and writers wish to tell a story or make their viewpoint known to a large percentage of the population interested in news and entertainment. We don't want to be assigned tasks or told we have to do something to stay on the site's good side.

I feel that Associated Content behaves like a newspaper and furthermore it gives us options on how we wish to publish stories. Display only gives you the most freedom and I really like my freedom!

If you wish to connect with other writers, you are encouraged but not forced to do that.

I feel that the connections here grow organically and I was at first reluctant to publish here but the more I publish the more I enjoy the experience.

I enjoy our communal presence and I hope we can someday show The Huffington Post a thing or two about journalism and writing without snobbery or celebrity know nothings with a famous name.

At least, we are open and our writers are completely themselves. I find that refreshing and something completely different from the inflated ego of The Huffington Post. The writers on Associated Content speak about the economy, unemployment, 99ers weeks without a job, housewives with concerns about their children, sports writers, comedians, these are writers with first hand knowledge of the world as they know it.

And I feel increasingly people turn to us first because AC writers speak from first hand experience.
We are not blowhards writing on topics they know little or nothing about. We are the people and I think politicians should be checking with us rather than the Post to see who intend to vote for in November.

Let the people rule. Take a look at some of our writers and I hope you will agree. Or at least disagree with a passion and email our articles with force and determination. LOL.