Daily Article - Writing Site Review

Hi all,

For those of you who like the freedom of choosing the topics you write about and setting your own price, then Daily Article might be the site for you.  At Daily Article you can submit your articles, set your own price and be paid for the article when it sells.  If that sounds interesting - read on.

About Daily Article

Daily Article started in 2007 and since then has built up a large group of writers who submit their work there.  At Daily Article, you submit your original articles on almost any topic you choose, set your own price, and after it has been approved by the editor and placed on the site you wait for it to sell.  It is easy to join Daily Article.  All you have to do is give basic information to set up an account plus your Pay Pal e-mail so you can be paid if an article sells.  They do not ask for any tax information such as your Social Security Number.  There is no up-front charge or subscription charge to join the site.  The site takes a percentage of each article sale instead.  Once you have signed up, you are ready to submit content.

The site does specify that all writers should be fluent in the English language.  However, it does not state anywhere whether or not a non U.S. or Canadian citizen can write for the site.  If you live outside of North America, you should contact the owners of Daily Article first to see if they accept writers from other countries before you apply.

Type of Content Accepted

Daily Article accepts articles on all types of subjects such as finance, home improvement, family, parenting, health and much more.  There are no restrictions on length of articles.  All articles you submit must be original content that have never been published before.  You only sell Full Rights on Daily Article and the buyer has the right to change your content in any way they wish and take your name off of it too.  An editor at Daily Article must approve your content before it is placed on the site and it will be run through CopyScape to make sure it is original. 

Once an article is accepted only a small portion of the article will be placed on the site as well as a summary for buyers to see it.  This ensures that large quantities of your articles will not be stolen as does happen at other sites.  The disadvantage to this, however, is the buyer doesn't get a good sense of how well written the article is and has to trust that the writer is good.  Customers can also make requests for certain articles but there is no Public Request page for writers to view.  I assume the site sends out an e-mail to let writers know about requests.

Rights to Articles

You own all rights to your articles until they are purchased for Full Rights by the customer.  You are then not allowed to sell the article elsewhere.  But, for unsold articles on the site, you can take them off of the site at any time and sell them elsewhere if they are not selling there.

Pricing of Articles and Payment

You can price your articles however you choose, but keep in mind that Daily Article receives 20% of the sale of an article for the use of the site.  From what I've seen browsing around the site, most articles are priced between $10 to $15 dollars for a 500-600 word article.  There are some that charge more, some less.  Overall, it looks to me that if you price an article too high, it won't sell, so most writers there charge under the $20 mark.

Payment is made by PayPal, but I could not find anywhere on the site that explains when you are paid.  You may be paid after each sale or weekly or once a month.  Authors receive 80% of every sale, which is a good percentage compared to other sites. 


Another Constant-Content?

Daily Article works quite the same as Constant-Content (CC) does, but does not offer as many amenities as CC does.  At CC, you can view the latest sales to get an idea what is selling and at what price, Public Requests are easily viewed and easily submitted to, you can receive private requests from customers, there is a Forum to ask questions and get answers quickly as well as communicate with the other writers, and there is also an affiliate program where writers can sign up new members and receive a percentage of any sales earned by those signed up under him.  The only advantage I see to Daily Article vs CC is that Daily Article only takes 20% of each sale while CC takes 35%.  It's really all in what you feel comfortable with.

My Take on Daily Article

I have been a member of Daily Article since 2007 so I have been watching it as it grows.  However, the only growth I've seen in two years is the list of writers and the number of articles posted there.  The site itself has had no major upgrades or changes that I have seen.  It also bothers me that you cannot view sold articles so you have no idea how well sales are there.  I did have several articles posted there for several months and did not sell one of them.  Eventually I took them off.  But just because I never sold an article there doesn't mean articles don't sell well there.  I personally have had very good luck with Constant-Content and have sold many articles there, so to me there is no comparison between CC and Daily Article.

That being said - I have spoken to a couple of writers for Daily Article who claim to have many sales there.  It is also hard for me to believe that so many writers would be using the site if they weren't selling at least something there.  So there must be money in writing for Daily Article or else it wouldn't still be in operation.

I haven't read any complaints about Daily Article so between that and my own experience I do believe they are an honest site and may be a good place to sell your work.  We all have different ideas about where we like to sell our writing, so for some of you, Daily Article may be exactly the writing site you are looking for.

I would love to hear from anyone who writes for Daily Article and their take on the site. 

Happy writing,
DeAnna
(Photo by Dora Horvath @ Stock.Xchng)

Xomba: Writing and Social Bookmarking Site

Hello everyone,

I had read on many writers’ sites how people were making money posting articles on Xomba, yet for the longest time I just didn’t bother checking this site out. It is another site where you earn ad revenue from Google Adsense ads placed on the pages of your articles, so I didn’t think it was a site where you could earn much money. However, after visiting Xomba and looking it over, I do feel there is more to it than I originally thought.


What is Xomba?

Xomba describes itself as, “a thriving community of members who earn profit from posting articles (Xombytes) and social bookmarks (Xomblurbs)”. On Xomba, you can publish articles, poetry, fiction stories, commentaries, book reviews or any other type of article that you think would be interesting to the public and the Xomba community. These longer articles are called Xombytes. Google Adsense ads (you must set up a Google Adsense account if you don’t already have one) are placed on the pages at random with 50% belonging to Xomba and 50% belonging to you. If an ad that belongs to you is clicked on, then you receive the revenue from that ad. The money is earned through your Google Adsense account and once you earn a minimum of $100 you can request a payout from Google.

Article Rights on Xomba

Xomba states that you own all rights to the items you post on their site. It is best to place a Copyright notification on each article just to protect the article from someone copying it. You can place articles you’ve written that already appear on other sites on Xomba – they do not need to be unique. They do need to belong to you; if plagiarism is suspected, Xomba will cancel your account.

Xomblurbs

Xomblurbs are what I find most interesting on the Xomba site. They are much like the social bookmarking sites you use to promote your articles such as Digg, StumbleUpon or Spurl. You can place a link and a description to an article you have on another site, let’s say an article on eHow, and you can earn ad revenue on these links’ pages the same way you do with the articles on Xomba. Not only are you promoting your articles but you can earn income from promoting them. I think this is a good way to add money into your Google Adsense account, especially if you write for many sites and want to promote your articles. The one thing you can’t do is promote Xombytes articles on a Xomblurb.

The Community of Xomba

Xomba is a social community as well; much like eHow or FireHow or HubPages, you can make friends, rate articles and communicate with your friends. You also earn points for posting articles and links, but Xomba explains that these points are just for fun and are not used for any reason.

Joining Xomba

It is easy to join Xomba since all you really need to do is give them your basic information and set up a username and password. Then, if you already have a Google Adsense account, just place the account number in the space provided. If you don’t have a Google Adsense account then you will have to set one up. There are links in the set-up at Xomba to get you where you need to go. Always read the FAQ’S and Terms of Service Agreement before placing your articles on any site!

My Opinion of Xomba

Xomba states that you won’t get rich on their site, but you will make some extra money and I agree with them there. If you already belong to writing sites where you earn money through Google Adsense ads, like HubPages, or you are earning money through Google on a blog then you may want to use Xomba to build up your Adsense earnings.

The social bookmarking feature on Xomba is what interests me most. Since I have articles at places like eHow, Suite101, Associated Content and Triond, I can places links to these articles on a Xomblurb and possibly earn money if ads are clicked on. Even if I don’t earn money from the ads, I will have another source from where people will find my articles and click on them. It certainly can’t hurt.

Happy writing,
DeAnna

9/22/09 Xomba Update: A few days before I posted this article I had placed several links on Xomba in Xomblurbs to articles I have at other sites.  Now, everyday I have extra money in my Google Adsense account compared to a little money here and there from the blog.  So it looks like Xomba is a good place to place articles and links and I will continue to do so and see how it goes.  It will take awhile to get links to all of my articles on there, but it will be worth the trouble because I am actually making extra money with them. 

Also, thanks to everyone who has left a comment about Xomba.

DeAnna

Slow and Steady Wins the Writing Residual Income Race and eHow's New Article Submission Guidelines

Hi all,

Recently at our local Chinese restaurant (we only have one, small town) my husband opened his fortune cookie and got this message, "Slow and steady wins the race". We all laughed because we sometimes refer to him as a "turtle" (sometimes he moves sooo slow) so the fortune fit him to a tee. However, what is really funny is that this fortune actually does apply to anyone who is trying to build up residual income with their writing. Working steadily will eventually win you the income you are working for.

The eHow Residual Income Race

When writing for eHow, writing consistantly and perssistance is the key to finally earning income. I have only been with eHow for three months, however in that time I have seen people join and give up because they were not making the big bucks fast. They work as fast as they can to drop 20 or 30 articles on the site and then stop because they have run themselves down. Generally the articles are low quality or of little use to readers, or are just not SEO friendly and do not earn the income they so desired. Then they just give up and walk away, discouraged with the site.

I already knew that residual income from writing sites depended upon the content you created and how well the advertising did on your articles, so I didn't expect big bucks fast. I did continue to write articles that I hoped were helpful for the reader and also of some quality. It wasn't until I had published 36 articles on eHow that I began seeing the potential of good income. All of a sudden, as if by magic, the income began to grow much faster than it had been. By the 10th of this month, I had already surpassed my income from last month and I am hoping to triple that income by the end of this month. I am at 40 articles now and hope to be at 55-60 articles by the end of the month. Even though it took some time, I am seeing a good return on my work and hope to continue growing this income in the months ahead.

And the Message Is...

So my message here is - if you are wondering if the work you are putting into residual income writing sites is worth it, the answer is yes. If you are writing quality articles and are building up a body of work on a residual income site then you will eventually reap the rewards. Don't give up after only a few articles - keep writing so you can begin to earn the money you deserve. "Slow and steady wins the race"!

eHow's New Article Submission Guidelines

For you eHow'ers who have had problems with articles being deleted because they were not up to snuff, or those of you who are new to eHow, you will want to check out the new and improved article submission guidelines on the forum. If you follow their guidelines then you won't have to worry that your hard work will be deleted on the next article sweep.

Happy writing,

DeAnna

Writing for LoveToKnow.com

Hi all,

I came upon the site LoveToKnow.com and thought it was interesting enough for a little more investigation. I did not apply for a writing job there, as I am already too busy with my other writing obligations, but I think it is really worth a look-see for those who want to add another up-front pay website to their list.

LoveToKnow

LoveToKnow is many sites within a site and covers a variety of topics - roughly 60 topics of interest that they call channels. Their channels cover such topics as antiques, crafts, cruises, dance, exercise, seniors, stress management and even tattoos, just to name a few. When you apply as a writer, you can choose several channels of interest that you may want to write for.

This site hires experienced writers who have: (and I quote from their Write for Us page)
"At least one year of professional writing experience."

"Minimum of six months writing Internet content, including work with a web-based content management system."

"Extensive experience with the chosen topics."

You can also apply to be a Site Editor, which involves having more experience and more responsibilities.

Approved writers can earn a beginning fee of $20 per 650 word article, so it sounds to me that you are able to earn more as you continue to write for this site. You are expected to write a minimum of 20 articles per month. (Although, on the application form they ask how many articles a month you think you can submit, so maybe the 20 per month rule isn't carved in stone.) This is what stopped me from applying, but may work well into your schedules. I just don't have the time to write 20 more articles a month right now. But this could add up into a very good income for the right person.

Since I have not applied or been accepted, I don't know how often they pay or how they send payment. I'm sure this will all be explained after you have been accepted.

Application

The application form at LoveToKnow is quite extensive and will take some time to fill out. They ask all the basics, ask you to choose topics of interest, ask for a writing resume and ask for two writing samples of 400-800 words each with one being in your area of expertise (these samples will not be published and you still own all rights). You are then asked to write about your qualifications for each topic you have chosen and then they ask how many articles you can write each month. My suggestion is to be prepared by writing out most of this information in a Word Document or similar file so you can then just copy and paste into the form. This way you will not make any spelling or grammar errors and it will look more professional.

My Overall Thoughts

LoveToKnow looks to me like a good site to write for with many interesting topics to choose from. If I didn't already have so many other commitments, I wouldn't hesitate to apply. For freelancers who are always looking for another up-front pay site, this would be a good site to try.

If there are any writers out there who already write for LoveToKnow, we'd love to hear your opinion about this site. And if anyone applies and is accepted, let us know how you like writing for LoveToKnow.

Happy writing,
DeAnna

(Photo by TH Sid @ Stock.Xchng)

Adding Variety to the Writing Work Day

Hi all,

Do you ever get bored with what you are writing about? Even if you choose your own topics to write about, like for Suite101, Constant-Content or eHow, sometimes writing the article can be boring. Don't get me wrong, I love to write. I would, and have, done it for free just to put words to paper. But I find if I write in the same format, such as with eHow, for too long, I get bored and need to change it up a bit. After a month of writing eHow and Suite101 articles, I decided I needed a break and wrote two articles for Demand Studios and one for Constant-Content. It was refreshing to write in a different format and to actually see payment right away for my work. I am all for building up residual income, that is my goal, but once and a while it is nice to see the money!

Changing it Up

Last month my goal was to place as many articles on eHow as possible. Then, half-way through the month I had the urge to add articles to Suite101 and concentrated on that. After that, I got bored and lost my focus on residual income. I've found, with writing, I need to change things up a bit to keep myself interested in the topics I write about. By choosing two articles from the list at Demand Studios, and actually having a deadline, I was able to recharge my writing batteries a little. I have also decided that I need to readjust my goals. While I will continue to place articles on my residual income sites, I've decided I need to also work at placing articles on Constant-Content and write for Demand Studios too. This way, while building up my residual income, I will also be earning income, which helps to give me that little boost I need.

New Goals

My new goals for September and October are to write two articles per week for Demand Studios, (which will earn $120 a month, not bad for a couple hours a week), one to two articles a week for Suite101 and 5+ articles a week for eHow. I also plan to add at least one original article each week on Constant-Content. That's roughly 10 articles a week total, two articles a day since I don't generally get any writing done on the weekend. Not too strenuous a schedule but still earning money along the way.

How about you? What are your writing goals this month and what do you hope to accomplish?

Happy writing,

DeAnna

(Photo by Thomas Pate @ Stock.Xchng)

Rewriting Another Article Does Not Make You a Writer

Hi all,

I recently came upon an article on a popular writing site that promoted the use of Copyscape as a way to rewrite articles so you can sell several versions of the same article. The person writing the article didn't clarify whether she was rewriting her own articles or another author's articles. That is why this bothered me enough to blog about it. There are many sites and writers out there that promote the rewriting of existing articles, enough to pass a plagiarism checker such as Copyscape, and selling them. So the title of this blog says it all - rewriting another article does not make you a writer.

Unethical Behavior

People trying to make a fast buck by rewriting one article into several and posting it all over the internet don't really care about ethical writing behavior, and that affects all of us who are actually following the rules. Rewriting another person's work is unethical, no matter how many plagiarism checkers you put it through. That isn't what checkers like Copyscape were created for. Plagiarism checkers were created so buyers could check to make sure they were buying original work and writers could check their work to make sure they didn't unintentionally copy anyone else.

This is not to say you cannot write several articles from research you did for one article. This is entirely different. I recently wrote three articles for eHow on acid reflux, all from the research I did for the original one but with different slants. One was how to detect acid reflux in infants, one was on how to identify causes of acid reflux and the third was on how to prevent acid reflux through diet. All the same subject, but all on different topics of the same subject. It is not uncommon to research one article and find several more topics for articles as you research. That is the legitimate way that writers come up with topics for articles. However, I did not write three identical articles on acid reflux and try to pass them off as original on three different sites.

Another legitimate way to use articles is to post the same article on several sites that ALLOW articles that have been published elsewhere on their site. On eHow, you can publish previously published material, as you can on Associated Content, HubPages and many other sites. Since you are only re-publishing the same article legally, then that is another way to get use out of one article. What is wrong is to take another writer's article, rewrite it enough to pass the plagiarism checker and then publish it under your name.

Unethical Sites

Unfortunately, there are many writing sites out there that let people ask for rewritten articles. Many of the bidding style writer's sites allow requests by customers stating they have an article that they want you to rewrite 5 or 10 times so it passes Copyscape. Since these sites allow this type of activity, then some writers believe it is okay to do this. I think it is on the shady side, myself. Even if the requestor wrote the original article himself (not always the case), I find it still to be wrong. But, of course, since most of these types of requests only want to pay $1-2 dollars for each article, I guess they really can't expect someone to research a new article for that price. But just because you see this happening all around you doesn't make it right.

Understanding Copyright Laws

I think the biggest problem is that people become "writers" without actually understanding copyright laws or rights to articles. People still seem to believe that if it is on the Internet, it is public domain and free to use or copy. That is not true today and never was. When I wrote for print media, I had to understand copyright laws, as did any legitimate writer. If you were selling an article for Full Rights, First Serial Rights or Second Serial Reprint Rights, you had to know what you were selling. Different terms for rights came along when the Internet began. Suddenly you were selling Use Rights, All Rights or no rights at all. But, it still remains that unless you print on your article that it is for Public Domain Use, or you place your work on a site that takes all of your rights away, then you own the Copyright to your work even if it isn't stated that you own the Copyright on the article. So, because I own this blog, and because I wrote this article, I OWN the copyright. No one should copy or use this content without my permission. It is as simple as that.

However, Copyright laws can be confusing to some people. I found a link to an article explaining Internet Copyright Laws that you should check out if you want to learn more.

I know Legitimate Writers are Out There

I am not saying that every new writer out there is not a legitimate writer. I read a lot of articles every day on sites such as eHow, Associated Content, HubPages and Suite101 and am always pleased to find so many talented writers who come up with wonderful, original content. The majority of people who write for these sites read the rules and follow them. They want to contribute to the sites, not copy others. This is wonderful and I enjoy reading these articles very much. By publishing this post, I hope to deter anyone who has read it is okay to copy or rewrite other writer's articles. In some cases, they don't even know they are breaking copyright laws. Informing people is the best way to stop copyright violation.

Happy writing,

DeAnna