One Good Reason to Join Helium

Since the end of July, I have submitted 10 articles to Helium.

I have made a grand whopping total of fifty-cents for my efforts.

Impressed? Neither was I. Well, there's two quarters for me to go call someone who cares. Especially, since at the rate I'm going, I might be able to cash out my first $25.00 in say, about 12 years!

Considering the return on my investment, I honestly think a padded rejection letter would have made me feel better. Especially, since my Helium articles sincerely aren't that bad and seem to consistently be ranked in the top percentages in comparison to similar ones within the same categories.

Now, I'll be the first to admit that my articles at Helium were primarily just for fun. Little thought, little research, and writing completely off the top of my head comes immediately to mind. I was not expecting nor did I set out to win the Helium lottery. Granted, I'm sure there are writers out there who sing the praises of Helium. Unfortunately, I'm not one of them. At least not to when it comes to submitting articles .

Reasons not to join Helium

In my opinion, Helium is an absolutely horrible community to submit your work to, with the mistaken thought in mind that you're going to make a lot of money in doing so.

After acknowledging you are probably not going to strike it rich, Helium is a fun carefree place to read the work of others and rate it, if that is something you simply enjoy doing.

Now, I read ferociously and I don't mind rating the works of others or having my work rated. However, I also like to play Bingo. I can play about 20 cards, and while I dab away there's still a good chance I could win a jackpot! If I have to choose between Helium and Bingo, my vote goes to Bingo as I think I have a better chance at winning Bingo.

Just be careful and don't fool yourself. Helium's contests for writers are basically who can plug out the most articles and the highest rated articles, the fastest.

A lot of the articles are not always accurate, and they're not always the most professionally written. The articles are also rated by peers, and it has become entirely too obvious to me that some folks couldn't tell decent writing if it hit them over the head.

In my experience, I have found that Helium's reputation among the serious online writing community is much less professional in comparison to Associated Content.

The reason to join Helium

If you are not already frustrated, set the reasons not to join Helium aside for a minute.

Helium's one redeeming and greatest feature of all is the Marketplace. Publishers who need articles post their needs in the Marketplace. Anyone who wants to respond to the query can do so through a Helium account. In the Marketplace, the guidelines are displayed in detail including payment information, specific needs, and word counts. Writers stand a much better chance at getting published by submitting articles here.

If the Publisher selects your article, you receive payment and Helium receives a reasonable commission for connecting you to the publisher. Much of the writing in the marketplace is for online publishers. Articles sell for anywhere between $15 - $150+ depending on the type of the article and the publisher.

Another nice feature in the Marketplace is that the articles chosen for publication are displayed so you can read them and get an idea about what the publisher is actually looking for and an example article of what the publisher has purchased and published.

There is money to make in writing for online publishers, but a writer should be prepared for a lot of trial and error in trying to figure out what works well and what does not necessarily work so well. Thankfully, what doesn't work for one, might work for another so submit your article somewhere else.

With a little determination, even a part-time freelancer can earn a nice supplemental income if the goal is to do so. If you really just like to see your name in print, then that's certainly a possibility too.

For me, I write because I simply love to write. I can't quit my day job yet - I have two little ones around the clock to care for - but, I've already earned more through Associated Content than I ever thought I'd earn with my writing.

The advice and encouragement from other Associated Content Producers has by far been an invaluable resource for me as well. The greatest riches are in the satisfaction of knowing that I'm writing for the enjoyment of others as well as the enjoyment of myself.

I would advise new content producers to not let Helium deflate their already somewhat fragile writer's ego. If you're a good writer, and you know you're a good writer, stick with Associated Content. Besides, you might start out as a tiny little dot, but given a little bit of time, you'll get these nifty little rings circling around you!