Meet AC Contributor Michael Thompson

I've recently been interviewing fellow AC Contributors who are either new, up-and-coming, or not as noticed as they could be. Associated Content Contributor Michael Thompson recently granted me an interview. He's been with AC since August of 2007 and has contributed quite a collection of articles. He may be one of the lesser-known clout 10 AC writers. His main topics are politics and social justice, but he also writes about education, health, holidays, parenting, and more. My favorite recent pieces of content by Michael are "Travel Close to Home and Still Travel a Great Distance" and "Memories of Sept. 11, 2002." I recommend, in addition to the above pieces anything he's written on politics or social justice. Read on to learn more about Michael Thompson and don't forget to check out his AC library afterward.

How Did You First Find Out About Associated Content?
Twas Google-researching during August 2007 and found an article by Shamontiel. The topic was the Jena Six, the story of discrimination directed toward African-American teenagers in Jena, Louisiana. Then started writing my own stuff, slowly but surely. I was (am) so stupid about computers, Shamontiel had to explain to me how to leave comments on other articles. However, I am not as stupid as I look.

Do You Freelance For a Living or Do Something Else As Well?
Am retired from The Saginaw (Michigan) News, after 32 years in local news reporting. Mainly covered local government and schools, nonprofit and neighborhood groups, the social services system, local politics, and racial relations. Thankfully, I didn't have to do the crime-and-violence stories very often. Won a few awards...

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If you're an AC Contributor who is either new, up and coming, or could use more attention click here to find out how to get interviewed. You must also have less than 1 million page views total on AC.
 
 
Meet AC Contributor Loraine Alkire

Associated Content Contributor Loraine Alkire recently allowed me to interview her. She joined AC in November of 2008 and has been consistently publishing since that December. Loraine writes poetry and articles about health, spiritual reflections, nature, beauty, travel, and more. Her topical experience is very diverse. My favorite two pieces by Loraine are Spring Cleaning Your Spirit and Eyes to See Through the Haze . Both of these speak to me about the strong and beautiful person that she is. Read on to find out more about Loraine Alkire.

How Did You First Find Out About Associated Content?
I found out about Associated Content through Freelancewritinggigs.com. I decided it would make a good portal for existing clientele and at the same time, (in time), allow me to earn some decent passive income. This overall has worked out well. I'm happy to say that I've met some wonderful people here right from the start, including Amy Brantley. As busy as she was she took the time to tell me about AC and its advantages.

Do You Freelance For a Living or Do Something Else As Well?
I freelance part-time at the moment. I'm hoping this will work into a career that will allow me to continue to increase revenues as I age.

I have Psoriatic Arthritis and some other problems related to the disease...

Click Here to read more.

If you're an AC Contributor who is either new, up and coming, or could use more attention click here to find out how to get interviewed. You must also have less than 1 million page views total on AC.
 
 

Have you ever thought of working from home? Many Americans have that same dream. It isn't as hard as it may seem. I spent a ton of time looking for legitimate work from home jobs before I found  the perfect work from home solution for me.

If you have some simple writing skills, it's easy to work from home as a freelance article writer. I'm not going to lie and tell you that you can lay around and do absolutely nothing - although certain areas of article writing do allow for that at times.

Anyhow, here's the deal. To become an article writer, you need to brush up on basic writing skills. If you've got that down, you've got a head start. The next thing you'll need to do is learn at least some basic SEO (the rest you can learn along the way through research and experience). For some basic tips anyone writing content for the web should know, read Tips on Writing for AC and the Web Part 1: SEO Tips.

The next thing you should learn is that writing for the web is not going to be the same as a school assignment and it's not going to be the same as writing for a newpaper, magazine, or other print publication. There are some smilarities, but there are notable differences that can affect your earnings and success. For more on that, read Tips on Writing for AC and the Web Part 2.

Those two reading selections rae geared toward a particular content site. However, many of the suggestions will ring true for other online writing venues as well.

Now that I've given you a little headstart on what you should know, here's a few great websites that will actually pay you to write articles for them:

Associated Content: TinyURL.com/JoinAC (my personal favorite)
Constant Content: TinyURL.com/JoinCC
Examiner: Examiner.com/refer (Please use Examiner #6183 as your referrer)

If you find you are having success selling your articles at these sites, you may also want to set up your own website with information on your skills, what type of services you offer, writing samples, and a way for clients to contact you with proposals.

Good luck! There are many sites like those above. Just do a google search for them.  Anyone with questions about online writing can feel free to contact us for advice. Your question and answer may be featured in an upcoming blog post or article (names an other personal info remains anonymous unless otherwise specified).