Understanding the Clout Index at Associated Content

Most online content writing sites have some indication of a writer's popularity. Associated Content is no different. Their system is called the Clout Index and uses planets to symbolize how popular a writer is.

The Clout Index is easy to understand. It is based on the page views each submission receives. If an article is multiple pages, you will receive a page view for each page someone reads. In addition to page views, you receive a 1% bonus for each article you write, up to 200%. This can help you move up quickly.

There are ten possible clout levels. Each is indicated by a small planet. The scale is listed below.

Level 1 - 0 to 100 or Purple Planet

Level 2 - 101 to 500 or Blue Planet

Level 3 - 501 to 1000 or Green Planet

Level 4 - 1001 to 5000 or Purple with Ring

Level 5 - 5001 to 20,000 or Blue with Ring

Level 6 - 20,001 to 50,000 Green with Ring

Level 7 - 50,001 to 100,000 or Purple with 2 Rings

Level 8 - 100,001 to 500,000 or Blue with 2 Rings

Level 9 - 500,001 to 1,000,000 or Green with 2 Rings

Level 10 - Above 1 million or Orange with 2 Rings

Most beginners reach the Green Planet or 3^rd level early on. It takes quality writing and at least some small amount of promotion to keep climbing the clout ladder. Checking out the forums and listening to the advice of some of the senior members can help you to increase your clout level faster.

To better understand how the Clout Index works, follow this example from my first few months at Associated Content. I wrote 25 articles and had 1000 page views. I received a 25% bonus for my 25 articles. To calculate my clout, I followed the simple equation below.

Page Views + Number of Articles as Percent = Clout

1000 + 25% = 1250 or Purple Planet with Ring

Having some type of scale or ranking system allows writers to see how well their works are really doing. This can also help show writers if they are improving. The more views or the more popular their writing is, the better the writer is becoming.

Be aware that having a higher clout has nothing to do with how your article is placed on the site or in search engines. Though no one has confirmed this, there are rumors that the higher your clout, the better upfront payment offers you may receive.

Regardless of the possible pay, watching your popularity increase is fun and encouraging. Associated Content is a great and fun place to get started in your writing career.