My Top Ranking Articles on Yahoo! Voices, 2008

I stumbled upon the opportunity while searching for an easy legitimate way to make a little money on the Internet.

Despite the fact that I have a degree in journalism, it took me a couple of times to figure out what AC is looking for, and sometimes I'm still not sure what that is.

After small earnings and stories getting turned down for upfront payments I decided to use AC as a way to exercise my love for fantasy sports. So I began publishing my favorite fantasy players.

I then discovered that AC seemed to pay 'top dollar' for casino stories, so I began concentrating on this area.

Along the way I have mixed in some stories about serious matters such as the cancer experience I'm traveling through with my mother.

During my 16 months of contributing to AC, I think I have picked up on some facts.

I believe that some members may only look at those articles being posted by those that they are subscribed to.

I'm not complaining, just observing. I also think that many will take a peak at your work after you leave them a message.

Once again, not complaining, just observing and somewhat telling off on myself.

The sad thing is by doing this, we all may be missing out on interesting articles and talented writers.

So for those of you that may have missed something of interest on my content list, I have decided to recap my top 10 articles that have received the most page views during my time here and also update some of the outcomes.

So here goes.

Coming in at number 10 is a product review I did one day in a matter of minutes about the new FUZE drink Black and Green Tea.

The article has received 315 page views which out does my Beating the workplace bully by 42 page views.

My ninth highest ranking article is Green Acres is the Slot for Me

I published this article for an upfront payment in September of 2007. Since then the article has received 362 page views. It is a fun review of a slot machine that features stars from the classic television sitcom.

Coming in at number eight on my list of top articles is How I Met Dawn Wells

Meeting the Gilligan's Island star is and will always be one of the highlights of my journalism career so far. The article was published on March 28 for upfront payment and it has received 379 page views.

At number seven is an article on a story that grabbed local and state headlines in my area.

Tonkawa Tribe President Arrested did land me an upfront payment, but only after a second submission. I submitted the article on Feb. 3, and was told three days later it was time sensitive. AC also wanted Internet sources cited. Well it is hard to cite Internet sources when the information comes from court papers and not the Internet. In the end I prevailed and managed a rare upfront payment to the delight of 438 readers so far. And by the way, the case is still making its way through court.

At number six is another story that made local and state headlines in my area.

Blackwell Police Video on Youtube is a story about a cop arresting a man on drug charges while his dash cam rolls. The video sparked the debate as to whether the officer is abusing the suspect or not. The officer is still on duty and the suspect's case is still in the court system. The article has received 468 page views since being published on April 13.

Breaking into the top 5 on my list of articles is Raising Awareness About Multiple Myeloma

This one of my first articles published on AC and it calls attention to a once unheard of cancer. The article has received 532 clicks.

At number four on my list is My Top Fantasy Baseball Picks

This article was a recap of my top picks before the start of the 2008 season. To my surprise 597 baseball fans took a peak.

My third top ranking story takes us back to the gambling trend that my part of the world is experiencing. Oklahoma Casino Plans Grand Opening is still getting page views. The article highlights the grand opening of the 7 Clans Casino following roof repairs and 633 people have read about it.

The casino theme stays in tact for my second highest ranking article as Osage Nation Opens Casino has grabbed the attention of 790 readers. The casino is small in nature but very popular.

My number one ranking article pleases me very much because it is another case of AC refusing upfront payment.

Original Members of the Band Nazareth Embroiled in a Dispute has been viewed 1,028 times since March 7.

It is the story of one of the former band members calling the newspaper where I work one day and sharing his concerns about other members of the band touring under the name Nazareth. In the end AC refused upfront payment and said the topic was too broad. They also said it had a short shelf life. Whatever AC. This article has been generating close to 100 page views or more a month, so I guess the expiration date on the shelf life hasn't hit yet.

Anyway, these are just a few of the articles that I have published. I hope that I have inspired some to browse the site and explore outside their favorite content producers. Who knows you might find more favorites.