Squidoo update

I am giving an update on one of my favourite writing sites, squidoo, where I received a payment of $2.58 the other day. This does not seem like much but it takes a while to build up your earnings from this site, and I have to say I enjoy creating lenses and interacting with the lensmasters in the squid U forum. I am currently in the process of creating a few more lenses, and recently finished two the other day Fernando Torres and Cristiano Ronaldo. My aim on squidoo is to have 100 lenses by the end of the year. My published total is now set at 8, and I am currently working on another 5!

Xomba

Xomba is another new writing site I have just joined. Here you can post short pieces of information called 'xomblurbs' which can direct readers to websites, articles, blogs, and videos, or you can write 'xombytes' which are like a blog post. The good thing about this site is that google ads are displayed on all your xomblurbs, and xombytes, and whenever someone clicks on your ads, you earn 50% of the value of that ad into your adsense account. I love this site and have posted several xombytes and xomblurbs. I would recommend any aspiring writers out there to join the site. You can also interact with members of the xomba community, and post comments on their posts. I have included one of my blogs signature in my comments and have got several visitors from this site also.

Associated Content

This site is amazing for US members. There are three ways to earn. Firstly you can submit an article for higher upfront payment, secondly for upfront payment and thirdly you can get put your article on display and get paid depending on the number of pageviews. The third option is the only option available for international members.

I use this site even though I am not from the States as the possible earnings are huge. If you get a million pageviews on your articles you can earn $1500. Now if you submitted 100 articles you would like to think you would get thousands of pageviews, and if one of your articles was extremely popular who knows how high your earnings could rise. For 1000 pageviews you will earn $1.50, and this is the minimum payout by Associated Content. Money is paid monthly into your paypal.

Writing tips

1) You should chose a topic you feel strongly about and are knowledgable on. There is no point in writing about flowers if you have no interest in them and you do not know the difference between poppys and roses.

2) Research is the key for factual articles. I suggest using ask.com or other useful search engines such as google.

3) Write short concise paragraphs. A bulk of sentences may put some people off. But remember if you article is only 100 words long then it is probably not worth writing. I suggest at least 300 words.

4) If you want many page views, and page views mean earnings, then pick a popular topic that you think people will want to read about.

5) Do not drag an article out to make the required number of words, you should get to the point fairly quickly as your reader will lose interest.

6) Make sure your article has a body to it, by this I mean an introduction, which can be a few lines, a main body, which will make up the bulk of the article and then a suitable concise conclusion to finish.

7) Finally and most importantly check for spelling mistakes and grammar errors. Sometimes it is difficult to notice your own spelling mistakes, I recommend that you get a friend to do this for you.

Another quick tip is to read articles published by top authors in your interest area, I find this helps me to improve my articles.

Sophie Kinsella -Remember me!

I read this book from start to finish in a matter of days, not like me at all, but the storyline had me totally gripped! After her car accident Lexie does not know herself, she still thinks she is stuck in 2004, rather than 2007. The previous three years are a daze, and she does not know any of new her new friends, her husband, her new job, her apartment. How did she get from geeky assistant to top notch career girl. Will Lexie ever get her memory back? Is her life as perfect as it seems?

A must read!! Highly recommended!

Why squidoo is so great!

If you want to create a smart looking blog page but really are not sure how, then get over to squidoo. Their pages, or lenses as they like to call them are very easy to make, and are suitable for beginners. I currently have 3 lenses at the minute but plan to make many many more. You can create a lens on virtually anything, and add content, polls, links, youtube videos, photos, whilst also promoting your products or products from amazon, ebay, cafepress and other affiliate marketing schemes. Even better news is that you get paid a percentage for each sale made from your lens. There is a community of lensmasters willing to help you at the squidoo forum.

Squidoo really is a great place to earn. Why not visit my writing lens for inspiration, you will find the link on the left hand side! I hope to see you there!

Helium

A very professional looking site with many great features. You can submit articles in a number of different areas, under already assigned titles or under new titles. The way the site works is that several people can write on the same title and all the articles are rated. The best rated articles get the most pageviews, and hence earn the most money. Helium also has several writing contests every week, and the winner walks away with $75, second place gets $25, third gets $10 and fourth gets $5 Additonally Helium has a marketplace feature where, publishers advertise article titles and many writers can write on these titles, and the publisher decides which one to select. Publishers can pay from $20 to hundreds of dollars depending on the type of article they want. A must join site for those interested in making a decent income form writing.