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.

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.