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.

An Independent Review of Online Publisher Bukisa

This article provides the general pros and cons and a detailed review of the online publisher Bukisa.

Pros:

• Bukisa's rate of pay per view is far higher that of other online publishers, meaning earnings can be far higher if articles are marketed effectively.
• The Bukisa website is clean in  appearance and easy to navigate.
• Articles and other forms of media are displayed in a professional manner, with no pop-ups or hugely distracting adverts appearing in completely inappropriate places (as is the case with some competitors)
• Bukisa offers a referral system and professional looking banner ads to its members, allowing them to increase their earnings by referring fellow freelance writers to publish their articles at Bukisa.
• Bukisa has recently created a new widget, allowing members (or their friends and relatives) to display their articles on other websites, such as blog pages, facebook, other social networking profiles, and individually owned webpages.
• Bukisa's crrent rate of pay per thousand views (this does fluctuate slightly) is displayed on the website at all times, and all articles are paid at the same rate.
• The quality of the articles published on the Bukisa website is generally slightly higher than those published on websites owned by other amateur freelance publishers.

Cons

• Bukisa is a relatively new publisher with fewer members than many similar sites. As such, internal traffic is low.
• Bukisa allows previously published articles to be republished, which will eventually impact search engine results, with one of the articles being ignored in results. This could be detrimental, depending on exactly how you use Bukisa, and which other publishers you use (including self-publishing on a blog).
• Bukisa provides the option of uploading a thumbnail (which increases the chances of the article being viewed by other Bukisa members), or choosing from their own image suggestions, which are virtually never suitable. The system for adding images to articles is also less simple than that of competitor Triond, although a simple solution to this is to create the article using the Triond text editor and simply copy it in its entirety (including images) over to Bukisa to publish.
• Earnings sometimes mysteriously increase and decrease overnight, although this seems to rectify itself eventually, without any loss of earnings for members.

Bukisa is an online publisher that publishes articles and other forms of media produced by its members. Bukisa members earn money through the advertising revenue their articles or other media generates, and are paid via PayPal on a monthly basis, as long as the minimum pay-out level has been reached. It is possible for members to edit the monthly pay-out level from the default setting of $10 to either $25, $50, $100, $200 or $500, or even to put payment on hold indefinitely, until enough funds are saved for a particular project.

Bukisa pays its members a very high rate per view in comparison with other online publishers, and for those with an understanding of SEO and marketing or promotional techniques, Bukisa can provide a reasonable wage. However, they don't appear to have a particularly high page ranking, which may be due to the fact they republish articles previously published on other websites (providing the publisher owns the original rights), so Bukisa may be a better option for those with large numbers of subscribers on social networking and bookmarking sites.

Bukisa pays in a timely manner and usually deals with complaints within a reasonable time-frame, although there are some members who say they have been completely ignored when asking for assistance. Technical problems in general seem to be reducing in number since last year, when the site was often down, and logging in was sometimes impossible. Thankfully, Bukisa seems to be on top of the problem, and have recently updated the dashboard and added some new features to improve functionality.

Although there's no forum at Bukisa, members do have the ability to make friends with, or becomes fans of, other members, and it is possible to build a loyal and supportive network of followers within the Bukisa community by leaving comments on other author's articles, and responding to those left on your own.

Overall, Bukisa can be a financially rewarding venue for those willing and able to promote their articles with the use of blogs, social bookmarking sites, email marketing, and other internet tools, such as forums. The site is easy to use and articles are published in a professional manner.

Promoting Residual Earnings Articles Online Using Social Bookmarking Sites

For freelance writers earning via residual payments, self promotion is a vital step in increasing readership and earnings. But what are the most effective methods of doing so, and how much time does promotion take up? This article will provide clear instructions regarding successfully promoting articles using social bookmarking websites.

Anyone reading this article who is already writing for an online publisher and earning via residual payments will be only too aware of how important self-promotion is with regards to increasing readership. Internal site views simply aren't enough to generate an income, so external visitors must be garnered, and one of the easiest ways to do this is by using social bookmarking sites.

Of course, there are a huge number of social bookmarking sites - with more popping up on a daily basis - and these all have individual rules regarding site use, and whether or not self promotion is allowed. However, even on those sites where self-promotion is permitted (or overlooked), some basic guidelines should be followed in order to avoid having your account terminated for inappropriate site use, or being seen as a spammer by other members (everybody hates spam).

Basic Guidelines for Using Social Bookmarking Sites to Promote Articles:

Do:

• Invite your friends, relatives and email contacts to join the site and subscribe to your posts.
• Post links to sites you genuinely like or find interesting (especially if they re relevant to subjects you usually write about) before posting any of your own links.
• Subscribe to other members' posts and make friends with those whose interests are similar to your own before posting your own links. Without being too obvious, try to make friends with members whose friend/subscriber lists are larger than average and who are very active.
• Use the social bookmarking site regularly - people like to subscribe to active members, not people who log in once a week or so. Post something useful or interesting each day, whenever this is possible. 
• Search websites for interesting new articles to add, because eventually other members will notice you are discovering interesting material and subscribe to your feed.
• Add full reviews and/or excerpts of the articles/sites you link to wherever possible. The more information provided the more likely those with a real interest in the subject will click on your link and view your article.

Don't:

• Post links to your own articles before you have made friends or gained any subscribers. It's a waste of time, and once you've entered them other are unable to do so. Until you have a definite audience you'd do better to allow others with large subscriber groups to post your links, should they happen to come across your article/s.
• Post links solely to your own articles, and those of your fellow freelance writers. Use the social bookmarking site exactly as a normal member would. Add anything you come across and genuinely like, and network with other members.
• Post using the same name you write under. It seems less like self-promotion if you use a different name. It may also prevent you from being banned for spamming.
• Expect to gather followers/readers/subscribers without putting in some effort. The time spent networking prior to posting links will eventually pay off. Aim to spend a month or more using each social bookmarking site before adding any of your own links.

There are far too many social bookmarking sites to review - or even list! - here, but below are a few of the better ones:

Stumbleupon
Digg
Reddit
Fark

Individual social bookmarking sites will be reviewed in detail in future articles.

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.