How to Succeed at Yahoo! Contributor Network 01/19/2011
by Lyn Lomasi, Article Writer for Hire  Photo: (c) Lyn Lomasi *Note that some resources mentioned below require being logged into your Y!CN account before clicking to read. If you've just joined the site, you are likely curious about how to succeed. Where do you start? What does it take to get to the top? How long does it take to get where you want to be? As a veteran contributor, here are some of the things I have learned. Step One: Before submitting that first article, browse around and take a look at some of the articles that are featured. Also, read advice from seasoned contributors. There are some great examples in the tutorials section. Also, be sure your content adheres to the submission guidelines, as well as the Yahoo! Style Guide. Step Two: Submit your work and learn more while you wait. There is always something new to learn. Do you need to learn more about SEO? Networking? Grammar and style? Ask fellow contributors for their advice and continue to learn from those around you. Step Three: Apply what you learn and rinse and repeat. There is never an end to what you can learn when it comes to writing. This is even more true for web writing. Rules are constantly changing, as is the needs of the audience. Keep learning and applying that knowledge to your work. If you put in the effort, you will see results. Things to Remember: 1) You get what you put into it. If you put in effort to ensure your work is what Yahoo! is looking for, you will see results. On the same vein, if you choose not to pay attention and just write what you want, no matter what Y!CN or the audience is looking for, you won't get very far. 2) Write what you know. It's easy to see the success of others and want to mimic what they have done. However, that can quickly cause burnout and loss of interest...and it will show in your work and your productivity levels. 3) Define your personal success. What does success mean to you? Is it getting your work published across multiple channels? Is it just knowing your subject matter could make a difference in someone's life? Do money amounts play a role? Figure out why you are here and what successes you wish to work toward. This will be different for each person. 4) Web writing is not the same as print writing. If you are good at writing for print venues, that's awesome! But not all of what you learned doing that will help you in web writing. Click here to learn more about web writing. Helpful Articles for Success at Yahoo! Contributor Network: The Newbie's Guide to Success at the Yahoo! Contributor Network AC Tips and Tricks Writing Your First Article How to Write Compelling Headlines for Search Engines Web Writing: The Ground Rules that Make a Good Web Article Best Article Writing Tips from Career Professionals How to Get Your Work Published on Your Favorite Yahoo! Sites Professional Article Writers: The Importance of Self Editing How to Build Residual Income Writing Evergreen Web Content Why Am I Not Making Money at AC? Page Views, Offers, and More How Can I Increase My page Views (PVs) on Associated Content? Internet Writing: Simple Strategies that Attract Readers Importance of Authentic Voice in Writing for Y!CN -- If you have questions, there is always someone around to help, be it one of the Community Guides (like myself) or any other helpful contributors. List of Community Guides: Lyn Lomasi R. Elizabeth C. Kitchen Marilisa Kinney Sachteleben Carol Bengle Gilbert Lisa Mason Abby Greenhill K. Valentine Sylvia Cochran Kathy Browning Jan Corn Cathy Montville 1 Comment As a journalist and writing peer mentor here at Y!CN and elsewhere, I get asked often which topics are the best to write. What brings in the best upfront payments? What topics pull in page views? What topics does Yahoo! want to see before giving high paying assignments? Overall, which topics make the most money? Continue reading this article>>> So, you just joined the Yahoo! Contributor Network and want to take advantage of the forums? There are a several things to keep in mind when participating in this (or any other) online forum. From simple etiquette, to following guidelines, and even reporting issues, here are some things I have learned from being a long-time member of the Yahoo! Contributor Network forums, as well as many others. Continue reading this article>>> by Lyn Lomasi, Write W.A.V.E. Media On Sunday, Nov. 14, 2010, Associated Content (AC) and Yahoo! revealed something exciting! Former Associated Content from Yahoo! Contributors officially became members of the Yahoo! Contributor Network – a brand new website, separate from AC. AC Contributors were told to expect maintenance Sunday night and were teased with exciting news on the horizon. Many were surprised when the site came back up with a new look and logging in led them to the Yahoo! Contributor Network, where they could create content for a variety of Yahoo! Destinations. Though contributors to AC had been creating some content for Yahoo! Sites since Yahoo's purchase of Associated Content earlier in the year, this was a big change. Not only are contributors now officially a part of Yahoo!, but performance payments will now be earned for work published on some Yahoo! sites. Articles, text, audio, and video will still be published on Associated Content from Yahoo! But now there will be more opportunities to publish across a variety of Yahoo! sites. Contributor profiles now feature content from Associated Content from Yahoo!, as well as that of other Yahoo! destinations, such as Yahoo! News, Yahoo! Finance, and Yahoo! Sports.
 There are always so many great articles to read on Associated Content from Yahoo! Starting today, each weekend I will post some of the best pieces of content published the previous week (Sunday to Saturday). Since I read so many articles and look at so many slideshows and videos (and there is an abundance of talent), I will inevitably miss many of my favorites. To be fair, picks will be based on quality work, rather than my agreement of opinions expressed within. Arts & Entertainment (Video) Meghan McCain on 'Tonight Show': "Who the Hell is Sarah Palin?" by Saul Relative Did 'True Blood' Season 3 Suck by Tamara L. Waters Automotive Carburetor Trouble Shooting: E4ME Quadra Jet Rich-Condition by Spencer Razo How to Finance a Car with a Low Credit Score by Sheila Chase Business & Finance Single and 30: A Woman's Guide to Investing for Retirement by Angie Mohr Creative Writing Three Little Words – a Poem by Theresa Mahieu 9-11: Peace Without Flower by Orchiolum Health & Wellness Positive Ways to Express Anger by Crystal Ray Identifying and Treating Fibromyalgia Muscle Spasms by Christine Cadena How to Use Rhubarb as a Natural Remedy for High Cholesterol and More by Jaipi Sixbear Home Improvement Bathroom Decorating Ideas for Winter by Tal Boldo Tips for Building a Koi Fish Pond by Jasmine Starr How to Grow Great Watermelon by Jaipi Sixbear Lifestyle How to Tell if Your Cat is Senile by Vonda J. Sines Recycled Craft: Halloween Treat Boxes by Sage Adderly The Best Fall Elementary School Field Trips in L.A. County, CA by Cheri Majors, M.S. News Harvest Dinner Benefits Capuchin Soup Kitchen by Michael Thompson Vancouver Man Dies in Car Crash to Save Wife and Unborn Child's Lives by Jeanne Rose September 2010: National Childhood Obesity Awareness Month by Adam Spencer Sports 5 Blogs About Fantasy Football by Lisa Stevens How to Catch More Fish by Changing Your Mental Approach by Brian Gorman Prevent Kids' Sports Pain and Injury with These Tips by Georgia Lund Technology Using Your Computer Monitor as TV Instead of Buying HDTV by Robert Falden Connecting Home Appliances to a Smart Electric Grid by Kevin Hagen Starting a Home-Based Videography Business by Robert Witham Travel Chicago's Hidden Discount Movie Tickets and Discount Movie Theaters by Shamontiel L. Vaughn Oklahoma City Bombing National Memorial Pictures by Mandy Robinson Exterior Photos of the St. Louis Gateway Arch by Kristen Wilkerson Please read and share these outstanding pieces and stay tuned for next week's picks! Favorite piece of my own work from this week: Englewood Family Matters: How and Where to Adopt Pets If you know of an article worthy of mention, please submit it to Ask Lyn with the subject line “Weekly Picks”. Please only send in high quality submissions. Only the best of the best will be included. Self nominations welcome. * Lyn Lomasi is a home school mom, award-winning journalist, author of "Positive Parenting Tips for Every Week of the Year", owner of several websites, and a Community Guide at Associated Content from Yahoo! Questions? Ask Lyn. Associated Content is a freelance writing site providing creative writers of all genres an opportunity to share their wealth of experience with other readers. Associated Content contributors number over 300,000 and have published over 2 million articles. This is a great opportunity for new writers to build a volume of work and get paid for it. Associated Content pays their contributors by Paypal for upfront pay for articles and page views. You can also publish content for "display only" retaining your republishing rights, while still getting paid for page views. Associated Content provides a valuable opportunity to writers who are specialists in a particular field to become a featured contributor. Continue reading>>> posted by Lyn Lomasi Many talented Contributors to Associated Content from Yahoo! are getting featured on Yahoo! Shine lately. From parenting tips, to lifestyles, relationships, and more, Yahoo! Shine has it covered. And now AC Contributors get to add to this highly popular, in demand site for women's issues. If you'd like to take a look at the awesome talent being featured, visit: Associated Content from Yahoo! on Y! Shine And because I am sharing Y! Associated Content pieces featured on Y! Shine, I may as well give you a link to one of my own: Back to school: How to ease the morning routine Yahoo! News Bites: Pamela Woon Introduces Associated Content (video featuring Luke Beatty) 08/16/2010
posted by Lyn Lomasi, Article Writer For Hire Staff In this Yahoo! News Bites video, viewers get introduced to Associated Content. Pamela Woon and Luke Beatty explain what AC is about and what it brings to Yahoo, revenue-wise. Beatty is AC's Founder and President.  New to writing for Associated Content? After signing up and reading the FAQ, TOU, and Submission Guidelines, you may still have questions. As a seasoned AC Contributor and Community Guide, I've compiled answers to some of the things new writers may wonder about and need help with. New to AC? How to Use the Social Networking Features If you're a new to Associated Content, you may not have given the social aspects of AC much thought. If you have, but you haven't done much social networking online, it may be slightly confusing at first. What does AC have to offer in this area? New to AC? Incomplete, Submitted, Offer, Pending, Removed, and Other Status Terminology You found Associated Content and have just started submitting content. But, now your article has a status you don't understand. Incomplete, Submitted, Offer, Pending, Removed, and more are statuses you might see on your article. How to be an Objective Reader in Social Writing Circles When participating in social writing networks and websites, you will come across a wide array of opinions. At times the viewpoints of others will not be the same as your own. It is possible to disagree with the writer without putting them down. How to Balance Time for Writing, Networking, and More at AC When I first joined Associated Content, I thought I'd only be writing. At first I didn't realize there was reading and commenting on articles, forum participation, writing lessons, promotion, and so much more. So how do I make time for it all? Business and Personal Benefits of Being an AC Contributor When I first joined AC, I had no clue just how valuable that choice would turn out to be. Based on my experience, AC's unique combination of writing opportunities, resources, and social networking features is vital to all freelance writers. How to Keep Readers Interested in Your Articles If you expect to make money in online article writing, you need to develop an audience. First, you need to draw readers in via promotion, SEO, and the like. But once they are there, you need to figure out how to keep readers interested. Why Am I Not Making Money at AC? Page Views, Offers, and More Struggling to make money writing for AC? About to give up and decide it just isn't for you. Maybe you just need a quick refresher on writing for AC and the web in general. As an experienced AC Contributor and web writer, perhaps I can help. *For more tips related to AC, stay tuned to this blog, check the page For Writers, or contact me here or at AC. I'm a Community Guide there and love helping fellow writers.  Associated Content is always looking for great parenting content. As a Featured Contributor in that category, I know that AC is always seeking out great writers, videographers, and more. The site accepts submissions of articles, videos, audio, and slideshows. So, what's the benefit to you? You could possibly be paid for articles that are unique, well-written, informative, and entertaining. Plus, you get to work any hours you want and stay home with the kids, too. And you don't need to pay some scam site, only to find out it wasn't what you thought it was. You can write about parenting. But you can also write about other topics as well. AC pays writers to write what they know. Once you join (always free - no "upgrade" fees), you are given the opportunity to choose from topics or to submit work on your own topics. If they choose to publish the content, you will get an offer. Whether you accept is up to you. You also have the option of submitting for performance-only, which (depending on the rights option you choose) can speed the process after the first few submissions. Videos, audio, and slideshows do not currently receive upfront offers. However, there still is earning potential with them. Sometimes there are requests for them, which offer upfront payments. Also, all published submissions (text, video, audio, and slideshows) receive a page view (performance) bonus, which starts at $1.50 per 1,000 views and grows with success on the site. 1,000 views may sound high, but in my experience, it does not take very long to get there and it can be done easily over and over. If you know SEO, it will help a great deal. If you don't, I can help you with some tips on that, topics, and any questions regarding writing for them. My acceptance rate is high and I've had experience in pretty much every aspect of AC. Joining is free. This is not a scam, nor is it a get-rich-quick scheme. Earning money is possible here, but it does take some effort, as with any content production. I have been writing for this site for around 3 and a half years as of the time this is published. You will be a freelancer, will not be committed to a certain number of submissions, and you will never be asked to pay them anything for being a member of the site. Being a member simply allows you to submit content and interact in various areas of the site. If you are interested, click here to join. Once you are signed up and signed in, click here to follow me on the site and then contact me there to let me know. If you have any questions at that time, or through any of the processes (article submissions, audio submissions, coming up with ideas, etc...) I can help you. I am a Community Guide and am extremely familiar with the site. I look forward to helping some talented parents earn money while staying at home with the kids. More About My Experience With AC: Why I Recommend Associated Content to All Writers Business and Personal Benefits of Being an AC Contributor ![[Get Copyright Permissions]](http://license.icopyright.net/images/icopy-w.gif){kind=small} Click here for copyright permissions!Copyright 2010 Lyn Lomasi | 
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