Writing is something that's always intrigued me. Having worked as a freelance translator for a while, I guess you could say I already was in the field in a way, but to tell you the truth, writing your own stuff (and getting paid to do so) is just a hundred times more rewarding.
So, not so long ago, I decided I'd give it a try. The web is just loaded with sites dedicated to writers, copywriting and translating job offers and marketplace, but I decided I'd do my research and get the list down to just a few sites before writing even a single article for money.
The first gig on the list was Helium.com. Basically, they let you publish articles on a wealth of different topics and display Google Ads within the same page, giving you a little amount of cash for each time the page is displayed. They also have some interesting contests and a marketplace that pays quite well (competition is stiff, though). But its best feature is definitely its community, full of authors that are willing to give you a hand whenever you need it. I found it an excellent place where to start from, and if like me you're just making your first steps in the field of online writing, I highly recommend you start from there.
Just a few days later, not too happy with the money I was earning (aah, greediness!), I decided to try the second in the list. Associated Content is another valid site, which pays you in a fashion that is very similar to that of Helium, but just with a higher rate per pageview. Articles can also be HTML formatted with images on the left side, and the site makes it easy bookmark a page you liked through sites like Digg or StumbleUpon. There are plenty of other sites that use the same scheme to let you publish your content and get a few cents meanwhile. But, I have to say, as days were passing I started feeling like all I was ever going to make from my online writing would be just pennies. Luckily for me, I was wrong!
In fact, Constant Content turned out to be a pretty good gig. Instead of simply paying you based on pageviews, this site is an actual marketplace for articles. You can join the site for free and submit your articles, which will be tested via Copyscape to avoid plagiarism, and then manually reviewed to see if they meet their quality standards. They say their standard is pretty high, and I've had one article declined myself, but once it passes all the tests it has a good chance of selling, so it's all for the best.
The best thing about Constant Content is that you can set your own price for the article (a competitive price is about $.08-12 per word, but the number can grow depending on the subject) and you can even subscribe to a newsletter that updates automatically every time someone requests content from the site. The main drawback is that they keep 35% of the revenue which, honestly, is quite a lot.
A similar site is Daily Article, which only keeps 20% and pays you directly via PayPal everytime you sell a piece, but has less traffic than Constant Content (although it's slowly growing in size). Right now, this one is my favourite.
But just like any other author, an online author needs to market himself, too. A way to do that that I'm currently experimenting is Ezine Articles, which is an article directory with a lot of traffic — according to Alexa, it's among the first 1000 most visited sites on the Net. You can submit your articles and get them screened: if they get published, you are allowed to add a byline to your piece. What happens now is that webmasters from all the world go to Ezine Articles to look for content to publish on their sites: if they like your article, they have to publish it entirely, together with your byline, which can contain links or a bio... in short, it's a great way to market yourself and get quality traffic to your own website.
Finally, once I have gained a little bit more experience and credibility, my current plan is to apply to Suite 101.com. They're a very popular site, and therefore extremely selective — you have to send a CV to apply to become a writer there. If you get approved, though, people I know say they pay you extremely well. They pay based on visits, their rate is three times that of Associated Content, and together with the fact that the site is very popular, that accounts for a decent amount of cash, which is paid to you directly via PayPal.
So there you have it. Hope your experience with online writing will be as positive as mine. Good luck then... and write safely! ;)
A blog wouldn't be a blog if it didn't have a silly first post entry and, after all, who am I to break that holy rule?
So, what will this blog be about? I definitely don't want this to be just another blog, so I definitely won't be talking of the many meaningless things that have happened during my day (there's too many blogs like that already) — besides, I don't really like talking about myself too much. I want this to be something that will really catch your attention and stimulate your intellect, something that will cause you to think for once, dammit!, and I want to show that you don't have to put up a flashy site in order to do that effectively. I want this to be in English, because I want to reach the broadest audience possible. But, at the same time, I also want this to be entertaining for myself. So what am I gonna do about it?
That's an easy one: I'm going to talk about things that stimulate my own intellect, and I'm pretty sure they'll sort the same effect on you — after all, if you came across these pages, we have at least one interest in common, so all you have to do is navigate this blog by tags by clicking on the appropriate link on the left side of the page.
Ok, so what does stimulate my intellect? Pretty much anything concerning the fields of maths, phisics, and the world of science and technology as a whole. I'm also a big fan of crosswords and mind puzzles, and computer programming as well, which I see as a wonderful (and probably the most exciting) way to constantly keep your brain excercised with new challenges. Science fiction is also one of my main interests.
You'll also find less serious and more personal posts occasionally, but I'll try to reduce the amount of unnecessary junk as much as possible. Posts will generally consist of comments to various kind of news that I came across, personal thoughts that I think are worth sharing, updates on the state of the divulgative articles that I authored and on the initiatives I'm taking part in, and so on.
Enjoy your stay!
—Dario