Tuesday, February 15, 2011

The Experiment with Suite101 and Y!CN

Well, it has been a few weeks since I embarked on the experiment with Suite101 and Yahoo! Contributing Network. The idea was to submit an article to each site and compare the publication process. This is what I have to report so far:

I did like I planned. On the same day I submitted an article to Suite101 and one to Y!CN. I was greatly surprised to hear that my article was approved and published on Suite101 THE VERY SAME DAY! Not only was I surprised but I was ecstatic! Elated! Proud! I proved to myself that I could do it, I could finally say, “Yes! Jodi, you are a writer!

When I received the news of my article being published on Suite101 I immediately went into the site to check it out. I then posted it to my Facebook page and on a forum that I recently joined. To date I have made 1 cent and have had 65 page views! Although those may not seem like astounding numbers they are priceless to me. I have to remember that my work has just begun and one penny will lead to another.

Seven days later the article I submitted to Y!CN was also approved and published. Once again I was elated! To date I have had 3 page views and made 0 cents at Y!CN. At this point I do not care. I am just happy to have gotten an article published on another site.

The next step for me is to promote my published writing. I want to try and generate more page views to make more money. In the email from Y!CN regarding my article being approved there was a link that listed tips for promoting articles. I am going to have to take the time to review and implement the ideas. What I learn there will help me elsewhere as well.

With the publication process determined - Suite101 is faster – and the numbers are in – Suite101 is higher - I have come to the conclusion that I will submit non-fiction articles to Sutie101 (I tend to write more non-fiction) and save my short stories for Y!CN (a side hobby).
  
Links to the articles:

Five Easy Tips for Saving Money

Writing for Money: Five Basic Steps to Get Started

4 comments:

  1. Have you tried sites like Examiner.com and About.com?

    I've written for Examiner, but I always wondered how it compared to competing sites.

    Also, is there a conflict of interest if you write for multiple sites like these?

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  2. Hi Lexi!

    I have looked into Examiner.com and About.com but that was as far as I went. I have them on my ‘list of sites to check out.’ I have to read EVERYTHING on a site before making a decision. That takes time and I haven’t had enough – yet.

    Your question concerning a conflict of interest is a good one. I asked it myself and learned that it is not a conflict of interest to write for multiple sites. Phew! Here is a quick quote from Suite101’s FAQ page:

    "Can I write for other websites while I'm writing for Suite101?
    Absolutely. We realize freelance writers need to make a living, so we don't demand that you be exclusive to Suite101 – just your content, for the first year."

    This attitude holds true for other sites. The main idea to keep in mind is that many sites expect original material. In other words, you can’t publish the same article on each site.

    I sure hope that answers your question. I apologize for being long-winded. I have a tendency to ramble.

    Keep me posted on your progress and let me know if you have further questions!

    Thanks for visiting!!

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  3. Want a tip about Associated Content? I would work on getting more articles in there then applying for some of the channels. You can write for up to 3. What I do is target a topic and then get at least 3 articles posted that is part of the channel. Once they are approved and ready, I hand in the application for the channel. I make sure to make it personal. Example for the food channel:

    "I've been cooking with my mother and grandmother since I was a child. Nearly 30 years later, food writing is one of my greatest passions."

    I am part of three channels and I get 9 articles a month total - and they guarantee you a certain pay rate for each submission in that channel. Totally worth it.

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  4. Thank you for the post, Katherine. :-)

    You offer some great advice that I will certainly consider!

    Happy writing!

    ReplyDelete