Write Articles Online: Review of Publishers

Three of the major  publishers for writing on line are Triond, Helium, and Associated Content .  I suspect divine providence was in operation the day I decided to begin writing for Triond. Compared to Helium and Associated Content, Triond is by far the most straight forward “share the profit organization”.  This is not to say the Triond doesn’t have its own unique form of editorial constipation, but compared to Helium and Associated Content, it is the most non restrictive in terms of article content. 

However, Triond’s major strength is that it does not play games when it comes down to paying writer’s for their work.  Helium, is possibly the most outrageous when it comes down to sinister gamesmanship with writers.  Their rules for actually making any money are as  complex and capricious as a Health Care Insurance plan.  They have an ingenious star rating system that is directly tied to whether or not your articles will actually get distributed in order to receive any payment. If you are considering writing for Helium it would be advisable to read all the fine print before committing your time to submitting an article.  After my experience with Triond (about 20 articles) I tested the waters at Helium by first selecting one of their writing assignments (you do not chose your own subject matter with Helium) then submitting one article. And of course I happily did this without ever having read the fine print which outlines the conditions of payment.  I will never receive one cent for that article, because it will not be distributed for reader consumption.  And the reason is that the requirement is that you have to maintain at least one rating star which you get if you have at least 4 articles submitted. But it gets even more complicated, those articles are all but pointless if they are not in some sort of competition with other writers who have written on the same subject.  I have no desire to play Helium’s silly games, therefore my efforts with Helium will go unpaid. 

Associated Content is not as nefarious as Helium when it comes to payment conditions, but unless they chose to distribute what you have written it will simply stay in limbo.  Somewhat like Helium, Associated Content lists specific topics for a writing assignment.  What is really strange is that the topics available are not the same for everyone.  Your profile somehow determines what topics are available to you.  I don’t have a clue as to how this is accomplished.  And to date I am stumped as to how to get anything actually distributed. 

The winning writers from Helium and Associated Content have made it their business to learn how to play the distribution game.  If you enjoy that type of activity then you have a chance of actually making some money for what you write.  As to how much, well that is something I simply don’t know because at a personal level I don’t enjoy that type of anal retentive activity. 

Unlike Helium or Associated Content, Triond is really simple to work with.  The rule is simple:  submit an article on any topic that has not been published anywhere else, including your own blog etc..  Payment is upfront and simply depends on number of views.  However, number of views alone does not determine payment amount.  You can have two articles each getting the same number of views but one outdoing the other in terms of payment.  It depends on what type of advertisers happen to be associated with the web page that contains your articles.  The system works very well and is simple to use.  No games, no silly kindergarten star system, just write, and if you write well you will make some money.

The bottom line to all of this is that you would have to be a really popular author to make “real” money.  I suspect you could make more money on line by completing surveys, but that is super boring.  If you like to write, and are not all that concerned about making money, then you will enjoy using a publishing system such as Triond.  If you are writing in search of making a viable income, you are not likely to realize your goal by writing for any of the on line publishing companies.