Most everyone we encounter blogs on a daily, weekly, or monthly basis. Blogging has become the go-to method of getting the word out and sharing your writing style with anyone who might stumble upon your content—or if you’re lucky—follow your content.
How do you know if you are any good at blogging? I suppose you can look at your page views and follower counts, however, E.L. James may be enough proof to throw that theory out the door. Do you blog to keep your writing sharp? Do you blog for exposure?
If you are looking for an outlet to improve your blogging, or to show off what you know, there are a couple of platforms to do that, and possibly, earn some cash at the same time. Two of the leaders in this market are HubPages and Yahoo Contributor Network.
Today we’ll focus on Yahoo Contributor Network (YCN). Why? They are one of the biggest and one of the only ones that edit and moderate what you post.
If your goal is to become a better blogger or article writer, then you might need some moderation and editing. Real-live human beings edit and review YCN contributions. Yes, real people will read the post and edit. Grammar and style are essential for a great post and YCN will work with you to perfect your product. This process is similar to working with an editor for your projects; you just get to do it on a more frequent basis.
This process may lead to more than honing your writing chops—it can also lead to cash. Just like with HubPages, your posts will earn money based on page views. One of the advantages of YCN is the lure of upfront money. You have the option of how you would like to submit your work based on a number of factors, and potentially, you might receive upfront money for your piece.
The process is simple. You can register for the site here. Once you fill out the basics, you can expand your profile by supplying your expertise, bio, affiliations, education, and more. I would encourage you to use this area to your advantage. Look for the contributor questionnaire to provide additional information to help content seekers find you.
Once you are on-board, you can start submitting articles or you can wait until the assignment desk provides you with opportunities to claim.
This won’t be a get rich quick scheme, but a great way to sharpen your craft while earning a few bucks and getting a little more exposure. If you’ve been using one of these types of services, let us know about your experiences.
I’ve been on the YCN network for a few years, and I couldn’t agree more. Not only has it helped my writing and increased my exposure, but the money’s not bad if you’re willing to put in the hours.
Oh, and for those who’d like to take a gander, my YCN profile is:
http://contributor.yahoo.com/user/524538/charles_ray.html
Very impressive, Charlie. You’ve got quite a profile and a great number of page views. Good job and thanks for your feedback.
Says we can do it here. Where?
Where it says the word “here,” that is a link. Click it.
Great post, Jim, very interesting and a helpful guide.
Not sure what you’re asking?
I’ve been with HubPages for a few years, active in the last year and a half. I like being able to write about almost anything and know it will be published. But, the downside of writing for HubPages is their lack of protection against having our content scraped/ stolen. This is why I am moving my content off HubPages and onto my own sites instead. I may not make the same income right away but I don’t want to write for the content scrapers either.
I’m on Yahoo! too. I haven’t gotten through all the testing due to procrastination. I had a lot of trouble with my Yahoo login but that was because I had an old account which kept trying to login for me. I like writing on a network site. I’ve written for several of them over the years. It’s not so easy finding one which works well for the writers and has a friendly writer community too. The best places I ever wrote for were BackWash and HerPlanet, both long gone now. I have an application in (again) at About.com too. It’s one of the few I haven’t seen from the inside, so far.
When I first started blogging I connected on facebook and LinkedIn with a woman who runs an e-magazine. I wrote to her and asked if I could write for her. She never responded. I began to notice that within a week after posting a blog post on my own blog a similar post would appear on her site. I was furious. I would have written for her for free, to get some experience. I wrote her a very direct e-mail and blocked her. I’m sure she steals from everyone, and is very good at it. My point is people steal content on the Internet no matter where you write.
Jim, thanks for this great info. I will check it out. 🙂
Thanks Lois, you are right, if you write good stuff, someone is going to steal it. There’s a huge writing community out there, but many don’t realize how small it really is and think that they are getting away with something.
Thanks for the great feedback. There are so many opportunities for writers if we just look for them. All the while, we continue to develop our skills.
The key is exactly as you state, “finding one which works well for the writers …” in particular, works well for YOU as a writer.
I’m glad to hear from some of you that Yahoo has improved their content site. I wrote for Associated Content when I first started freelancing, had built up a fairly big list with a good royalty stream. When Yahoo bought it, I lost everything. I’m still trying to get my content taken down. Hopefully, management is getting their act together.
I’ve heard other stories similar to yours about the transition from Associated Content to YCN. I can’t speak for the legalities behind getting the AC articles down, but I know that YCN now lays it out pretty specifically as to what you maintain control over and can remove. Thanks for the feedback.
Thanks for the information. This is all news to me. I’m still trying to decide whether to have a webpage, a blog, or both. I’m a published author and written many articles internationally. It all takes so much time and we often don’t get around to following up info gems like this offering.
You are so right, Ester. It’s tough because we can’t do everything. I know that I’ve wasted tons of time chasing opportunities and in the end wished I hadn’t.
However, you don’t know where things will lead. If it weren’t for the freelance site, Guru.com, I probably wouldn’t have started my current business in social media marketing. The universe works in strange ways.
Unfortunately, once you are signed up and read the fine print, you discover that only citizens of USA (And maybe UK) can be paid 🙁
Great point, Gordon. My bad for not mentioning that on the front end. Sorry if you I led you astray.