I’ve nearly finished a comprehensive chart comparing the top content sites, and am posting a link to it here. Former eHow members need to know where to write, either for residual income, up-front payments, or both. I will update it soon.
I included Zazzle.com, although it’s not an online writing site, because it’s a great way to make money online. And if you want to write witty one-liners and add them to t-shirts and coffee cups, you can do that on Zazzle.
Comparisons include traffic data from Compete.com (as of two weeks ago or so when I started making the chart), whether the sites pay international writers, and whether they have forums, how they pay, etc.
The sites in yellow are the ones that I personally recommend. You will note that InfoBarrel does not yet have the traffic that older sites enjoy, but 1. you should diversify anyway, and 2. it wouldn’t hurt to get in on the ground floor.
Also note that Life123 is missing–they have stopped hiring writers. And eHow and Demand Media are missing because they are managed unethically and I cannot recommend them to my readers.
If you don’t have a blog or website yet, that should probably be your next goal. Use WordPress on a site that you own (not the free version). Write to me if you need help with WordPress and I will help you if I have time.
After months of research, here are the sites that I believe are the best investment of your time and energy:
1. HubPages; Google loves it, you get do-follow backlinks, and it’s reputable.
2. InfoBarrel; Get in on the ground floor. The owners are responsive and down to earth. It’s going to be the next eHow, only with ethics and more quality control. But keep your eye on it just the same, because bait-and-switch seems to be rampant in this industry.
3. Suite101; If you don’t mind quotas and strict guidelines. And it seems like their writers have complained about earning less lately, but it’s a reputable site, and their top earner makes $5K a month.
4. Zazzle; No, it’s not writing per se, but people are making money with Zazzle, and you should check it out.
I’ve heard good things about Mahalo, but any site that has its own funny money makes me nervous. They could decide tomorrow that $10 Mahalo dollars is worth one US dollar, and writers would be out of luck. eHow has made me skeptical about any loopholes.
Read the chart. I hope it helps you, but don’t just take it at face value. Do your own homework before investing, give a site three months before deciding, then trust your own gut.
And please, if you disagree with my conclusions, let me know! It’s important for the information on the comparison chart to be accurate, and I would appreciate any additional or corrected information that anyone has. Let’s help each other out with all the best resources we can!
