One of the many new things I vowed to do at the start of the year (or decade?) was to try my hand at writing for the web. I've met a couple of people who swear by the financial opportunities a decent writer can get online, and even know a few who actually make their living as web-based freelancers. So I did my own research on sites that accept non-US based writers and signed up for some of them.
It has been a little over four months and to date I've made around $850. That's not really too bad, considering I only spend 2-4 hours a day (or rather, at night), and not everyday at that, writing online. Here's a breakdown of my earnings so far:
(Btw, I've written a separate review of some of the sites listed here. You can read it here if you want more in-depth details about each site.)
1. Getafreelancer = around $830 (net)
When I started out at GAF (now known simply as Freelancer), I took on the $1.25 per 500-word article jobs. I soon felt so sorry for myself that I had to beg off a job to look for more lucrative projects. Luckily, I was taken aboard a semi-long term project which was right up my research-geek alley. This lasted for about 2 months and paid me about $420 in all. Around the same time I took on another semi-long-term project writing articles on makeup and beauty, which was a happy distraction from the technical writing I've been doing. I made about $100 for that. Recently I've moved on from writing articles to doing academic papers and essays, which pays as much as $200 per 4-page paper. At first I felt guilty doing other people's schoolwork, but heck it pays.
If you're wondering why the math doesn't add up: GAF deducts commissions for every project you take and every payment you receive. So far GAF has deducted about $130 in fees from my account. It's part of the service, so I'm not really complaining.
You'll find some of the jobs that are currently available on GAF at the bottom of this blog's sidebar. Newbies can start with $1-$2/500-word jobs at first to build credentials and confidence, then move on to better-paying projects later. If you'd like to try out earning on GAF, you can use my referral id here.
2. MyLot = around $4 (need $6 more to cash out)
MyLot is an online community that pays members to be active and respond to discussions, post topics and news, and do tasks. So no, it's not really a writing site. But you do get to practice your writing (and interpersonal) skills on the site, plus you get paid per post. I only stumbled on the site upon the recommendation of a friend, but so far I think it's pretty great. The members are really active, and they're generally helpful and friendly. The earnings are really just a bonus here. I've written a full-length review of the site; you can read it here. If you're interested in being part of MyLot, you can try it out here.
3. Helium = around $0.50 (need $24.50 more to cash out :p )
I signed up for Helium just 2 months ago. To really make money on the site, members have encouraged me to write as much as 3 articles a day. So far I've only written five (lol). There was a time when I was bent on getting a writing star (which will qualify me to earn upfront payments of for each article), but I was put off after being blocked from logging in for a couple of days. These days I can access my account again, though, and I've resolved to write more. I'm now aiming to be a Marketplace-approved writer, so I can take on Marketplace jobs which pay upwards of $5 per article.
If you really invest time in building your writing portfolio, or if writing is really effortless for you, then I really think you can earn a lot with Helium. If you're also interested in being a Helium writer, you can ask me for an invite here.
4. Factoidz = around $0.50 (need $0.50 more to cash out)
I became a Factoidz Wrter just a month ago. I liked the "knowledge hub" feel of the site - plus the layout is clean and not cluttered with ads. To date I've only posted 3 articles, but they're doing pretty well. The residual income you get on the site varies at $2-$5 per 1,000 views, which is higher than what I get on Triond or Helium. The community is pretty active and helpful, too. Factoidz requires articles to be accurate, unpublished, and facts-based (no opinionated essays here). You also have to apply first with samples of your writing to be able to qualify. To bypass this application step, you can get invitations or referrals from friends. If you'd like to try your hand at writing for Factoidz, I'll be glad to give you my referral link here.
5. Triond = around $0.25 (can cash out next month!)
I joined Triond a day before I joined Factoidz. I've been a lazy writer, so I've only posted 3 articles so far. I haven't been really active on the site, either. It's a good idea to spend time reading other members' articles and commenting on them on these sites,as this expands your network and helps in adding to your page views, too. What's nice about Triond is that is accepts poetry, essays, commentary and fiction in addition to photos and videos. And the minimum Paypal payout of $0.25 is swell, too.
6. Bukisa = $0.01 (need $9.99 more to cash out)
Yeah, I know, it's pathetic. I joined Bukisa a day after joining Factoidz, and mostly I've just reposted content from other sites (all of the above, actually) here. Just today though I computed my earnings versus the page views I've gotten so far (just 6, lol), and realized that it actually pays as much as $3 per 1,000 page views. So I'm thinking of trying to post original content here first and see how it goes.
Addendum: RedGage = $0.02
This is a site that I've just discovered. It's a content submission-slash-online community that pays members for each original blog post, photo, video, link, and document they upload on the site. I've been a member for less than a day and I've made $0.02 already from the blog posts I've reposted and the links to my articles online. Photos look really profitable, so I'm off to look for my old camera. The community appears to be made up of friendly folks too. If you want to be part of RedGage, please do sign up as my referral here (which is actually true, right?).
^==^==^==^==^==^==^==^==^==^==^==^==^==^==^==^==^==^
There you have it, my four-month experiment on freelance writing on the web. It's not really enough for me to quit my day job at the lab (which I love, by the way), but it's enough to buy me a Notion Ink Adam tablet (*drool*) and then some. It's also quite satisfying to know that I've used my talents and services to help (or perhaps touch?) others during my downtime, rather than spend the off hours playing a really addicting MMORPG (WoW, anyone? hehe).
As a conclusion I've decided to maintain my online freelance activities. I've also resolved to try submitting at least an article a day to any of these sites, just to get my creative juices flowing. And to try to shake off my inner wallflower and be more friendly and active in the communities. In another six months (by the end of the year) I'll post an update of how I've fared. Who knows, I might have made enough to treat my loved ones to a nice holiday vacation ;p
It has been a little over four months and to date I've made around $850. That's not really too bad, considering I only spend 2-4 hours a day (or rather, at night), and not everyday at that, writing online. Here's a breakdown of my earnings so far:
(Btw, I've written a separate review of some of the sites listed here. You can read it here if you want more in-depth details about each site.)
1. Getafreelancer = around $830 (net)
When I started out at GAF (now known simply as Freelancer), I took on the $1.25 per 500-word article jobs. I soon felt so sorry for myself that I had to beg off a job to look for more lucrative projects. Luckily, I was taken aboard a semi-long term project which was right up my research-geek alley. This lasted for about 2 months and paid me about $420 in all. Around the same time I took on another semi-long-term project writing articles on makeup and beauty, which was a happy distraction from the technical writing I've been doing. I made about $100 for that. Recently I've moved on from writing articles to doing academic papers and essays, which pays as much as $200 per 4-page paper. At first I felt guilty doing other people's schoolwork, but heck it pays.
If you're wondering why the math doesn't add up: GAF deducts commissions for every project you take and every payment you receive. So far GAF has deducted about $130 in fees from my account. It's part of the service, so I'm not really complaining.
You'll find some of the jobs that are currently available on GAF at the bottom of this blog's sidebar. Newbies can start with $1-$2/500-word jobs at first to build credentials and confidence, then move on to better-paying projects later. If you'd like to try out earning on GAF, you can use my referral id here.
2. MyLot = around $4 (need $6 more to cash out)
MyLot is an online community that pays members to be active and respond to discussions, post topics and news, and do tasks. So no, it's not really a writing site. But you do get to practice your writing (and interpersonal) skills on the site, plus you get paid per post. I only stumbled on the site upon the recommendation of a friend, but so far I think it's pretty great. The members are really active, and they're generally helpful and friendly. The earnings are really just a bonus here. I've written a full-length review of the site; you can read it here. If you're interested in being part of MyLot, you can try it out here.
3. Helium = around $0.50 (need $24.50 more to cash out :p )
I signed up for Helium just 2 months ago. To really make money on the site, members have encouraged me to write as much as 3 articles a day. So far I've only written five (lol). There was a time when I was bent on getting a writing star (which will qualify me to earn upfront payments of for each article), but I was put off after being blocked from logging in for a couple of days. These days I can access my account again, though, and I've resolved to write more. I'm now aiming to be a Marketplace-approved writer, so I can take on Marketplace jobs which pay upwards of $5 per article.
If you really invest time in building your writing portfolio, or if writing is really effortless for you, then I really think you can earn a lot with Helium. If you're also interested in being a Helium writer, you can ask me for an invite here.
4. Factoidz = around $0.50 (need $0.50 more to cash out)
I became a Factoidz Wrter just a month ago. I liked the "knowledge hub" feel of the site - plus the layout is clean and not cluttered with ads. To date I've only posted 3 articles, but they're doing pretty well. The residual income you get on the site varies at $2-$5 per 1,000 views, which is higher than what I get on Triond or Helium. The community is pretty active and helpful, too. Factoidz requires articles to be accurate, unpublished, and facts-based (no opinionated essays here). You also have to apply first with samples of your writing to be able to qualify. To bypass this application step, you can get invitations or referrals from friends. If you'd like to try your hand at writing for Factoidz, I'll be glad to give you my referral link here.
5. Triond = around $0.25 (can cash out next month!)
I joined Triond a day before I joined Factoidz. I've been a lazy writer, so I've only posted 3 articles so far. I haven't been really active on the site, either. It's a good idea to spend time reading other members' articles and commenting on them on these sites,as this expands your network and helps in adding to your page views, too. What's nice about Triond is that is accepts poetry, essays, commentary and fiction in addition to photos and videos. And the minimum Paypal payout of $0.25 is swell, too.
6. Bukisa = $0.01 (need $9.99 more to cash out)
Yeah, I know, it's pathetic. I joined Bukisa a day after joining Factoidz, and mostly I've just reposted content from other sites (all of the above, actually) here. Just today though I computed my earnings versus the page views I've gotten so far (just 6, lol), and realized that it actually pays as much as $3 per 1,000 page views. So I'm thinking of trying to post original content here first and see how it goes.
Addendum: RedGage = $0.02
This is a site that I've just discovered. It's a content submission-slash-online community that pays members for each original blog post, photo, video, link, and document they upload on the site. I've been a member for less than a day and I've made $0.02 already from the blog posts I've reposted and the links to my articles online. Photos look really profitable, so I'm off to look for my old camera. The community appears to be made up of friendly folks too. If you want to be part of RedGage, please do sign up as my referral here (which is actually true, right?).
^==^==^==^==^==^==^==^==^==^==^==^==^==^==^==^==^==^
There you have it, my four-month experiment on freelance writing on the web. It's not really enough for me to quit my day job at the lab (which I love, by the way), but it's enough to buy me a Notion Ink Adam tablet (*drool*) and then some. It's also quite satisfying to know that I've used my talents and services to help (or perhaps touch?) others during my downtime, rather than spend the off hours playing a really addicting MMORPG (WoW, anyone? hehe).
As a conclusion I've decided to maintain my online freelance activities. I've also resolved to try submitting at least an article a day to any of these sites, just to get my creative juices flowing. And to try to shake off my inner wallflower and be more friendly and active in the communities. In another six months (by the end of the year) I'll post an update of how I've fared. Who knows, I might have made enough to treat my loved ones to a nice holiday vacation ;p
May 24, 2010 at 7:09 AM
Thank you for sharing your experiences on these sites. I am on all of these too. My Bukisa earnings have picked up recently. We should help each other out. I already know where to find you on Factoidz.com. Here is one of my articles on Triond.com I return all comments. http://writinghood.com/style/how-to/how-to-write-a-nice-obituary/
I am also ladym33 on Regage. Here is one of my articles on Bukisa: http://www.bukisa.com/articles/283338_how-to-cut-down-on-monthly-expenses If you comment on my content then I will be able to find you and help you out as well.
May 27, 2010 at 11:49 PM
Congratulations! I can see you're doing welll. I'm also a member of Bukisa. What's your username there? I'm looking forward to more of your writings. Have you tried article marketplace like dailyarticle and constant-content? The former is least strict than the latter. Still it could add o your streams of income. And you may want to join ReviewStream, for more information you can read my tips in http://clumsyfancy.blogspot.com/2010/04/write-and-earn-at-reviewstream.html
May 28, 2010 at 8:32 PM
Thanks, Caerol. You can check out my Bukisa profile from the sidebar (look for the Bukisa logo under me @ other sites). I'm also a member of Constant Content...haven't really written much for the site, though, as I find their editorial control too rigid and limiting for my taste. I'll look into dailyarticle and reviewstream. Thanks for the advice! And your blog looks really great and useful too. Keep it up! :)