Prospect Solution - Helping You to Help Undergraduates Cheat Degree Passes

Prospect Solution appears to be a respectable, professional agency, providing freelance work for writers of graduate or undergraduate status. However, its website is less than up-front about what its writers will actually be doing, or why they will be paid so highly. This article explains exactly what Prospect Solution pays its writers for, and why no writer with the slightest sense of common decency should agree to write for the company.

Prospect Solution is a company that shows up time and again in the Adsense ads shown on this blog and anywhere else online where freelance writing is discussed or written about. The company maintains a consistent and high-profile marketing campaign, promising to pay its writers excellent fees for producing essays on their own specialist subject within a limited time period. But how can Prospect Solution afford such high fees, and what do they do with all these essays?

That's simple; the essays are sold on to (presumably well-off) undergraduates to pass off as their by handing in as part of their degree coursework. Prospect Solution and its writers (in addition to a number of similar UK companies, one of which is called Ivory Research) are literally enabling British students to fraudulently pass degree courses, and thereby undermining the very fabric of higher education. Such behaviour is clearly morally reprehensible, yet the company has thousands of writers on its books, and is, as previously mentioned, continually on the look out for more.

Prospect Solution doesn't clearly identify the nature of the work its writers are undertaking on its official website, which means freelance writers may sign up unwittingly, unaware of exactly what they will be doing. A quick trawl of the internet reveals this has already occurred, with forums displaying questions from recent, successful Prospect Solution applicants regarding what will become of their essays - and the horrified responses they post when they subsequently discover the truth from other Prospect Solution writers.

This means, not only is Prospect Solution enabling undergraduates to illegally obtain fraudulent degrees, it's also tricking writers into writing the essays. Such a company could hardly be described by anyone as respectable or professional.

Of course, desperate people - of whom there are many, especially in times of economic hardship - take desperate measures, and it is understandable, although not entirely forgiveable, that writers and graduates with serious financial problems would agree to undertake writing work such as this. However, for the companies providing the work, there really is no excuse. If one can successfully run a business selling one product, one can usually also do so with another product - preferably one that is ethically sound.

Anyone considering writing for Prospect Solutions, or already doing so, is advised to re-evaluate their options. Would you be happy if you discovered your doctor, teacher, lawyer, psychologist, financial adviser or MP (I thought I'd better mention them, since they cheat in every other capacity) had fraudulently obtained their degree?

Don't enable these people to cheat. Don't write for Prospect Solution, or any similar company - no matter what fee they are offering. Integrity is worth more than all the money in the world.

Demand Studios Opens its Doors to UK Freelance Writers

Demand Studios is a popular online service that enables thousands of American freelance writers to earn money writing for a living. Until recently UK writers weren't accepted at Demand Studios, but that has now changed, which is brilliant news for UK freelance writers.

Demand Studios provides work for freelance writers. Applicants must provide a professional CV and should ideally have English qualifications and freelance writing experience. The company has previously refused UK writers, but recently altered its policies - much to the delight of UK Associated Content writers, who were recently told their services were no longer required. Demand Studios offers the perfect alternative.

Demand Studios pays its writers twice weekly for submitted articles, and members are free to choose which topics they write about from a list of available titles. Once claimed, these titles are reserved exclusively for a period of seven days, within which time writers must have finished writing the article and submitted it to an editor for approval. Editors at demand Studio don't just check articles for spelling and grammar mistakes - they also check facts, so this is a venue for serious writers with specialist knowledge of particular areas, or those committed to conducting serious research.

At Demand Studios, each article commands a fee of anywhere between $3 and $15, depending on which type of article you choose to write. This could mean a half-reasonable wage for freelance writers who can create several articles per day in the higher paying categories.

There are also member forums to enable communication and support between Demand Studio members, and the editorial team claim to be around to help their writers, should they require any assistance. All in all it seems like a reasonable set-up for those new to freelance writing, and will certainly help build a beneficial portfolio.

If you sign up to write for Demand Studios please pop back and leave a comment to let us know what your experiences are.

Apply to Become A Freelance Writer for Demand Studios

Infobarrel: Online Publisher For Freelance Writers

Infobarrel is a relatively new online publisher for freelance writers. It uses a similar system to Hubpages, in that writers are not paid by Infobarrel for page views - they instead monetise their articles using Adsense, Amazon Associates, and Chiquita advertising accounts. Infobarrel makes its money by placing in-text ads on the articles. It does not share this revenue with its members, nor does it disclose any information regarding how much it makes. This aspect of the site is less than transparent and begs the question, is Infobarrel fair to writers, in the way it arranges payment?

Infobarrel is open to all freelance writers, although publishing standards are fairly high, and they intend this to always be the case, because it is beneficial for SEO. Because of this, all articles are approved prior to publication, unless written by a pre-approved member. In order to become pre-approved a writer must have been a member for at least fourteen days, and have published at least ten articles about a diverse range of topics, the majority of which should be without self-serving links. After this period articles written by competent writers are published automatically. This doesn't mean that errors don't slip through, however, but when encountering errors in other writers' Infobarrel articles it is possible to contact a member of editorial staff who will either correct the error/s themselves, or ask that the original writer correct them. This is a facility not offered by many online publishers, and an important aspect of creating a successful website.

Infobarrel allows its writers to publish articles previously published elsewhere, provided they have been removed from the previous publisher’s website. Articles are published on the main Infobarrel website, in the relevant category. Each category also has an article on its main page, describing the category in question. Infobarrel members are able to write these introductory articles themselves if the category description page is empty (which some still are), thereby attracting many additional internal visitors, due to the increased exposure on the Infobarrel site.

What makes Infobarrel attractive to writers is that - besides the potential to earn revenue through using the advertising methods already mentioned - they are also able to add two self-serving links to each article, in addition to a signature link. This means that for every article published a writer can add three separate links to additional web pages, thus promoting additional articles on other websites, a blog, or any other form of internet business. This makes Infobarrel a lucrative opportunity for bloggers, website owners and other entrepreneurs, who can take advantage of Infobarrel’s good page rank and use it to promote their blog, website and even individual (related) product pages.

Infobarrel has installed some gimmicky features, such as a points system - to show how often/well/appropriately writers use the site - and regular contests for its members. There’s also the opportunity to donate a percentage of earnings to charity, a member's only forum, and the usual facility to network and make friends, follow writers' RSS feeds, leave comments, ‘like’ articles, etc.

Overall, Infobarrel isn’t a venue for professional freelance writers, but it can provide experience for those new to freelance writing online, or hoping to improve their writing skills. Its usefulness regarding promotion is a major selling point, since many online publishers do not allow self-serving links. This is probably Infobarrel's most useful feature, but it unfortunately leaves the system open to abuse, with a danger - particularly as the site grows and editorials become automated - of repetitive articles advertising the same websites and products again, and again being published.
Infobarrel is recommended to beginners to freelance writing online, and hobby writers.

Online Publisher Associated Content Turns Its Back on Non-US Freelance Writers

On the 28th April 2010 online publisher Associated Content informed its non-US resident writers that from the 1st May onwards it will no longer pay them for page view performance on their articles. Non-US Associated Content writers were already prevented from receiving up-front payments for their articles, so the publisher is basically turning its back on its non-US writers entirely, with their only option being to remove all published articles from the Associated Content site and find an alternative online publisher with which to publish them.

This astonishing move is due to a change in American tax laws, which state that Associated Content must withhold a portion of any non-dom's payment, which it has unfortunately decided too costly to implement. It seems there are a few talented, non-US writers whom Associated Content deems lucrative enough to keep on its books, but the vast majority have been told to pack their bags.

Shockingly, Associated content has given its writers just two days notice that their articles will no longer earn them money for page views, despite the fact that Associated Content itself will still earn revenue generated from the advertising in place on any remaining articles. Anyone who is currently on holiday, ill in hospital or bed, or otherwise too busy to log on to their computer, will be literally handing money over to Associated Content for nothing.

The change seems especially unfair to those writers who have invested precious time and energy not only in writing the articles, but also by improving their page rank by steadily building up back-links to promote their work - only to now find they must start again from scratch elsewhere, where they may be treated in the same manner later on.

Where will Associated Content's non-US article writers go? There are plenty of alternative online publishers, but Associated Content pays its writers better than many online publishers do, and those resident in Europe - and the UK in particular - may not be prepared to write for peanuts. Some may decide they simply no longer trust online publishers to look after their interests, and that they don't want to risk doing the same hard work all over again when it might result in a similar situation.

Considering the fact that associated Content writers are often fairly well-trained regarding SEO, they might do well to consider going it alone with their own blogs, or forming groups of writers with similar interests, to blog as collectives. Whatever Associated Content's writers decide to do, this event is bound to affect the way many feel about working with online publishers in future, and perhaps freelance writing online in general.

Which is Better for Freelance Writers: Residual Earnings or Up-Front Payments?

Upon starting a career in freelance writing online the majority of writers, when considering potential publishers, will ask themselves which is better - residual earnings or up-front payments? The answer to that question depends upon many factors, including - but not limited to - skill level, experience, SEO knowledge, marketing skills, area/s of expertise, and the publisher/employer.

Another important factor is whether or not an individual can afford to wait for residual payments to build up (a large number of articles must be published before significant earnings are generated), or whether it's necessary to earn more substantial amounts immediately. Only the individual writer can decide which system is ultimately best for their needs.

There are two main categories of payment type in the freelance writing arena: residual payments (when writers are paid per view or per ad-click, with money coming in slowly during whatever period the article remains published - which could be decades, or longer) or up-front (when a single payment of a previously agreed figure is made upon submission of a finished article). Various sites pay hugely varying rates for both residual and up-front payments, so careful research should be undertaken before choosing a publisher.

For amateur writers with poor English skills up-front payments may be entirely out of the question - at least until improvements have been made regarding writing ability. But that doesn't mean less able writers aren't able to make money writing online; it simply means they must go about it in a different manner. After all, no-one wants to buy a poorly written article, but people do click on them accidentally.

For highly skilled writers the best form of payment is usually up-front, but this depends largely on the publisher. Some sites are very particular about whom they accept as writers, whilst others are not; the level of pay is usually reflected by the publisher's discriminatory powers, so better writers will naturally be better paid, provided they find the appropriate publisher/s. 

It is possible for less able writers to find sites offering up-front payments, but these rarely exceed $5 per article, and can be as little as $1. However, for those resident in countries with currencies weaker than those of the UK, Europe, or the US, these lower figures may represent a more significant amount. A small number of online publishers offer a combination of residual and up-front payments, which some amateur writers choose to take advantage of. However, these are few and far between, and the choice between to the two is usually necessary.

Less able writers with an understanding of SEO are able to use these techniques to their advantage when it comes to residual earnings, and suffer a lesser disadvantage in this arena than they do regarding up-front payments. Providing an article is titled appropriately and keywords are used correctly it is possible for a low-skilled, amateur writer to earn more than a highly skilled writer writing for the same site.

For those professionally trained in the English language, or to whom writing well comes naturally, it should be easy to find publishers or freelance companies which pay appropriately. Equally, for those less able when it comes to writing, but willing to learn techniques such as search engine optimisation, marketing, etc., there is also the potential to build a career as a freelance writer.

Writing about the same general subjects continuously, careful use of SEO techniques, and marketing work using any of a number of online services will eventually lead to an increase in earnings. Over time, and coupled with future article submissions, this could indeed lead to a reasonable monthly wage. However, patience and perseverance will be required, and it will be a long and winding road to success for 99% of the freeelance writers who choose residual earnings.  

Of course, better writers would also do well to learn basic SEO techniques. Many freelance writing jobs consist of creating web content, which needs to be written with the correct keyword density to make it visible to search engines. A proficient writer with a good understanding of SEO can demand a high fee for creating quality web content for new website owners desiring a high page ranking and topic-specific, high-quality content, in one package.

Depending upon what subjects an individual is able to write about, some sites may be out of bounds entirely, or pay may be far lower. For example, creative writing is generally lower paid, and informative 'how to' articles are usually better paid. 

Those choosing up-front payments need to be prepared to research and write about pretty much any topic, while those preferring residual earnings can choose their topics more freely - although popularity will play a large part in determining future topics, if increasing earnings is important.

For many writers it's not a question of either/or - it's a question of bringing in money in whatever way possible, at that particular moment in time. If there are no suitable up-front payment jobs then time can be spent writing articles for sites with residual earnings. These sites usually provide a profile page with the facility to add links - or at least url addresses - for other sites. In this way they provide a way for freelance writers to market their work and abilities.