Susan Jane - Celebrating 100 Articles Published on Associated Content from Yahoo

Instead of writing for AC from Yahoo during July and August 2010, I decided to "take a break". I have been knitting scarves for my friends and doing my usual aged care of my Mum who has dementia. She was 91 on Saturday, 11 September. Getting started again has been a challenge, but "Susie is back" and celebrating 100 published articles.

How I got started on Associated Content

Back in June 2009, an editor from Associated Content contacted me and invited me to write some partner articles. At the time I was registered on a professional writer contact site - so that is probably how they sourced me. I wrote five articles on Credit Card issues and two about aged care. This type of writing was new to me at the time because I have specialized in large project technical writing for Information Technology and the business sector for 28 years. In addition, I have written two fiction books, edited and published four fiction books and I'm working on a couple of non-fiction books in my spare time.

When I finally discovered what Associated Content was really all about, I was a bit daunted by the status of some of the contributors. It took me a few sessions on AC before I caught on to how the fan and follower and page view system worked. I decided to become a fan and randomly chose Jennifer Wagner who immediately became my fan and follower. Abby Greenhill and Roz Zurko were number two and three. After that and I didn't keep a record of fan=number, but now have 75 fans. I didn't celebrate my 1 year anniversary on 18 June 2009 because this was not the date I started publishing Display Only content. I will do the big 1 year rah-rah on 25 September 2010 for what I consider to be my 1 year anniversary.

Recipes, rants and raves

As for publishing content, I put my toe in the water by sharing six of my favorite recipes. Page views were small and I realized that not everyone wants to bake Cherry Chocolate Macaroons or Pumpkin Seed and Choc Chip Cookies. So, I ventured forth with my first news article - Jessica Watson - Aussie Girl to Sail Around the World.
Finding topics to write about was challenging, and I have produced articles about many things including cane toads, deck collapses, pop stars, freak accidents, fiction writing, Formula One car racing, movie stars etc. During the Tiger Woods scandal I managed to clock up some great page views (15420 in total) with the eleven articles I wrote on this topic. On 29 December 2009, I was accepted as a Featured Arts & Entertainment contributor.

I have had two long breaks from publishing on AC this year - mainly due to my commitment to looking after my Mum. I tend to go off and do other things for a while to remind myself that I have a life outside of Associated Content from Yahoo. Yes that's true because I have the ten scarves I have knitted for friends to prove it. I also enjoyed a wonderful trip to Sydney in July with friends from Canada. All my good intentions to write about this trip went by the wayside, but I am now eager to push forward with more content as and when time permits.
Aussie Susie on AC from Yahoo

Being an Australian on Associated Content from Yahoo is quite different from being a US contributor. For one thing, I get bamboozled by some American-isms and recipe ingredients I have never heard of. We don't have "Graham Cracker Crust" over here - and how much is a "stick of butter"? It is also a different ball-game for a foreign contributor regarding up-front payments. I rely solely on page views - so my involvement is not for financial reasons. I write for AC from Yahoo for enjoyment and personal satisfaction. I read and comment as often as I can and try to keep up with all my fans and favorites by giving their page views a boost here and there. I also appreciate the wonderful support I have received from my fans and followers. The camaraderie is great and the friendships genuine. I try to spend at least 3 hours a day on AC from Yahoo and often have to drag myself away from my computer to do other things.

So, to all my fans and favorites - too many to list individually - stay tuned for more Aussie Susie content as I work towards the 200 content goal and 100,000 page views!

Source:
Personal experience