First-Person: How I Beat My Unemployment Blues with New Media

Unemployment is the pits, especially now. I lost a NYC bank job in 2006, and navigated murky waters trying to land a new gig. As a former screenwriter, who wrote for high-profile TV shows like "Star Trek: The Next Generation" and "Deep Space Nine," my resume stands out to HR pros, but a job hunt is a job hunt. Just as I considered my new reality as a retail clerk - Target red may have become me - I found New Media.

It's a concept - some say an ethereal one - where old brick and mortar, smudgy newsprint and glossy magazines battle web warriors. Could I be recruited as a grunt in a transitional media war? I'd pondered taking the plunge, trading on my tenure as a TV writer for web work, but nothing in cyberspace seduced me. Not until Associated Content did New Media become real for me.

Web work can still be a financial toss-up. Many sites only grant pleasure and privilege of a writing byline, and bylines don't pay bills, unless you get real money with credit. My first Associated Content submissions earned me $3 apiece. That was steady cash on each piece I wrote. By the second month, I averaged $5-$7 an article. Mind you, this isn't pay for only new stuff. I can also recycle older content - if I retain non-exclusive publishing rights - to make money from an evergreen flow.

Associated Content adapted over time and now offers bonuses, referred to as Performance Payments, which is like a royalty each month based on the performance of published content. Depending on accumulated page views - mine total 2,000 to 3,000 daily - payments are up to $2 per thousand clicks. For me, that can work out to $180 monthly. Remember, that's a performance bonus; I still usually receive upfront payments for my work. Factor in that the BBC, Britain's most prestigious global news agency, recently interviewed me to discuss my AC work, and New Media's power sparkles brightly.

Web work may still not replace a 9-to-5 job for most. It may never make anyone wealthy. My writing for AC - and several other online sites - enables me to achieve what a good part-time job outside the home provides. I'm still looking for a higher paying situation, but for now online work has really changed my life. I am even exploring a potential TV reality show with martial artist Peter Brusso - all because of connections I earned through writing for Associated Content.

Sources:
http://www.imdb.com/name/nm1618294/
http://www.bbc.co.uk/journalism/blog/2010/09/make-money-as-a-pay-by-click-j.shtml
http://www.associatedcontent.com/user/31137/will_n_stape.html
http://associatedcontent.blogspot.com/