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I have had a love-hate relationship with Suite 101. Since it is the first place I began my online freelance writing career back in 2008, I guess I have never completely given up on the roller coaster relationship.  I took a hiatus at the end of 2009, but that was more for personal reasons.

I have seen so many changes with the site (mostly good), that I am quite impressed with their tenacity.  After the Google Panda debacle, they made more changes.  Again.

One of the big changes is to give all writers their own subdomain.  So, for example, my profile and all my Suite 101 articles now fall under julie-mcelroy.suite101.com.  This is good and bad in my opinion.  The bad news is now writers lost that PR 7 link juice that came from the main domain.  It is like starting over to build up your online reputation in the search engines eyes.

The good news is is separates the good writers from the spam and poor writers.  This is the intent of Suite – to not punish the entire site for a few bad apples, but reward individual authors. It all gets your name out there in the search engines (which could be good or bad depending on how you feel about your name on the Internet).

Many people on Suite 101 are claiming their Page Views and income has gone up since this subdomain change occurred.  I have not seen this yet, I think it is too early to tell.  However, I have seen a slight increase in my revenue since pre-Panda.  But that is also due to that fact that on September 1st, I became a Feature Writer, which includes a revenue bonus.

Overall, I have seen that Suite 101 is starting to slowing creep back up in traffic, but mainly in the last month.

It is too early to say what is going to happen. However, Suite has been around since 1997 and I don’t see them throwing in the towel anytime soon, despite what Matt Cutts thinks about them.

Should You Write for Suite 101?

Well, that depends on your goals.  I would say, don’t use it as your only place for writing.  If you want to take your career as a freelance writer to a more professional level, seek out other options.  If you don’t care about making a lot of money and just want to publish online, Suite 101 is one of the better options.  The community is helpful and they are more partiuclar than some sites I see.

In Google’s eyes, it is a “content farm,” but I disagree.  First of all, not anyone can write for Suite.  You have to apply with a sample of your writing. Not everyone gets accepted, so I don’t consider it a place for spammers.  Back in 2008, I was accepted as a writer there.  I imagine now, they are even more particular in who they accept.

They also have editors and now topic editors.  I guarantee any spammy, overly promotional, affiliate link filled article will get rejected.  So while it does have a lot of content from various niches, the content is regulated to keep the spam out.

Overall, there are possibilities at least to get your foot in the door as a writer.  But don’t expect riches or even enough for a car payment for quite awhile.  It is a way to get clips and exposure as long as your articles are of high quality and helpful to online readers.  You first have to get past the application process.

Some writers would argue that you should not get your start with a content farm, but I guess it depends on your definition. I happen to disagree with Google.  But, that is just me.

With all the recent crackdown on “content farms” and junk floating around the Internet from search engine giant Google, many content sites are becoming more strict on their submission guidelines.

Sites like eHow and Suite 101 are revising their guidelines to align with the quality Google is expecting and looking for. Consequently, this affects writers for those sites.

So, I have to ask for the strict writing guidelines writers are expected to follow, shouldn’t the pay increase along with that?  Or am I just off base here by demanding more revenue? I don’t think I am.

When you are expected more, you should get paid more – right?

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eHow Changes

When I first began writing for eHow back in 2008, pretty much anyone could write for the site and craft articles titled, “How to Tie You Shoes.” In the last 2-3 years, there have been lots of changes to rid those “duh” articles from their site.

The biggest change was moving over to Demand Studios in order to submit your articles.  Once moved, you had to get your article reviewed by an “editor.”

At Demand, the editors there expect “how to” articles to get the same scrutiny as a high-quality journalistic piece.  For what?  A few pennies – if you are lucky – of residual income a day?  I do understand the expectation to get away from the how-to-boil-an-egg type articles, but don’t you think we should get paid more if we are expected more??

Image via CrunchBase

Suite 101 Guidelines

Another web content site that has recently changed their submission guidelines is Suite 101.  Now, throughout the last 2-3 years, this site has made some changes, but mostly for the better.  They pulled back on the reigns on some of their guidelines (only 3rd person perspective and a contract of minimal articles were removed).

However, they are tightening up again.  They expect cited resources (sites like Wikipedia, Associated Content, or About.com are NOT allowed).  A photo is required on ALL articles.

There are other websites as well including eZine which does not even PAY their writers that are trying to attract better articles with tighter writing guidelines.

Okay. I think it is a good idea to improve upon a site and expect higher quality articles to avoid spammers and those only using the sites for article marketing. However, how long can you squeeze work out of a quality writer before they realize they are literally getting paid pennies a day to have their well-written and well-researched article on your site?  I imagine not very long.

Thanks for the Loose Change!

These sites are high up in Google search engines and are getting lots of revenue from the articles.  Yet, the ones who actually WRITE the articles get some loose change thrown at them for the effort.  Gee, thanks!

I know there are a few writers for these sites that bring in several hundred dollars a month from these sites.  But, they have  probably written over 200 plus articles to get there!  Let’s say you have 250 articles on Suite 101 and that gives you $1000 a month.  That means each article you have written is only paying your $4!  And that is if you are actually making $1000 from these articles – some earn less!

I will tell you right now, you can write an okay article for an Internet marketer without any of those guidelines – no photo required – and get paid $5 and up for an article.  And that is on the low end!

I realize, it is residual and you will continually get paid that $4 every month, but still – is it worth all those man hours you put in to get that $4?  I have to question that.

If you are going to ask more of your writers – pay them more!!

I have to ask if a site has such high expectations and is trying to improve their reputation by removing any sign of being a content farm, shouldn’t they pay their writers more?

Please respond!

Samantha Brown - Wikipedia

One of my long-life writing dreams is to be a travel writer. Someone who travels the world like Samantha Brown or Anthony Bordain and learns about cultures. Then puts those experiences in a book or an article that millions of readers view.

Well, that dream has not come true yet.  Well, not exactly.  I do write travel articles, yes.  But, I don’t get paid to travel the world and write the articles, nor do I get millions of readers.  I also do not have a cable show sharing my adventures.

However, I still enjoy traveling and I continue to write articles on this topic.  I discovered two sites that I can explore my travel writing and they are both completely different: Suite 101 and Trazzler.

Writing for Suite 101

Since 2008, I have been writing travel articles for Suite 101. If you have been reading my blog for awhile, you may be aware of some of my struggles with Suite 101.  I have recently decided to resurrect my profile there and began writing more articles.  Since I started writing for this site, they have changed a lot of the rules I did not like, so I am much happier writing for them now.

Suite offers a more subjective, magazine-style writing – facts and date.  Since the changes, they are more lax on things like writer point of view – thank goodness.  You used to have to write only in 3rd person.  That was a bit of a pain to be honest.  Now, you can use 2nd or even 1st person point of view, but they still expect a more subjective article – not a post about your trip to Disneyworld.

There is also a expected word count of at least 400, SEO knowledge, subheadings, and a required photo.

Trazzler

On the other end of the spectrum is this new site called Trazzler.  This site is more of a hip travel site designed around YOUR experiences.  Sure, the posts should be helpful, but not necessarily objective.  It is more personal in nature – which I LOVE.

The posts are short (60-120 words), creative, and interesting.  You do not have to include a photo (they only accept ones you personally took), SEO is optional, and there are no subheadings.

Trazzler expects the posts to be from personal experience, a place you have been.  While there is no residual income, or a place to put a backlink to your website, or blog, there are cool contests you can join to get paid. In addition, there is no application process to apply as a writer.  But, if they like your work, you could get cool freelance travel gigs.  Yep, they will PAY you to go somewhere and write articles about the place.  Pretty cool!

While I am sure I will not get paid the big bucks like Samantha Brown or get sent to Borneo to write a piece, I have a chance at going on a real live travel writing assignment.  Plus, I get to like about what I want and actually use my creative writing skills.  That is the best part of all!

Once again, three months fly by with me trying to knock out articles for my Suite 101 contract. Ten in a three month time period does not really seem like much. Does it?  I guess not. Well, I have written six and have four more articles to go by the end of May. 

I guess what really throws me off is the character limitations on the title and the summary paragraph, the third person writing, and the limit on the number of subheadings, links, and the emphasis on Search Engine Optimization (SEO).

I am a lot more comfortable without restrictions. My inner thoughts flow on to paper easier than edited thoughts that are not even from my perspective.

However, Suite 101 is a magazine-type website, NOT a blog or a personal essay.  It is a well-respected site that has editors and an application process. 

So, I keep plugging away hoping to make that 2010 goal of 50 articles by year’s end. 

Any Suite 101 writers out there care to comment?

There are endless opportunities to find freelance writing gigs.  If you just do a Google search, you will find all kinds of links to writing jobs. They may not all be good opportunities or many not even legitimate. There are great websites that have information and include compiled links to writing jobs. Two of the sites I enjoy looking at for information is The Freelance Writing Jobs Network and About Freelance Writing.

Currently, I have 20 articles on Suite 101 and have not written one in almost a year.  My goal is to get back into writing for that website because it is a great site with lots of opportunity AND I can stick with one niche: travel.

SMART Goals

This goal is very specific and states exactly what I plan to do to accomplish this goal. The thing is that  these type of specific goals, while it fits the SMART model, cause the most pressure.  There is no out.  Maybe I need the pressure to prevent me from slacking.  Maybe.  Either way, since this goal is so specific, I decided to be a little conservative in the ‘M’ and ‘T’ part of SMART.

Truthfully, I would like to have about 50 articles done by the end of the year.  But, 30 seemed more reasonable since Suite is more particular on their articles.

Aim High (Or Somewhere Within Reach)

Aiming high works for some people, for others it may be better to aim low or at least aim at a target that is within your reach without over exerting yourself.

The point is to find a goal that is reasonable and achievable… sound familiar?  SMART goals!! Sure it would be nice to have a goal of 50 articles a week.  But, is that realistic?  You do not want to set yourself up for failure.  This will only lead to disappointment!

Find Your Niche

When I began freelance writing, I started with a few different sites and over time lost interest in some of those sites. There are so many subjects and topics to write about, it was difficult to decide. There may be a high demand for a topic that seems to be high earning, but you know nothing about,  You will struggle with this niche and be frustrated and tempted to give up.

But what I have learned is this: write about what you enjoy or at least know a lot about. Find an area or two and stick with it.  Otherwise, you will spread yourself thin and get bored.  Travel articles are my passion.  At some point, I would love to JUST write about travel… my niche.

I once had to write a single (only one) article for a freelance gig on “handicapping” related to horse betting. Yep, I didn’t even know what that meant!  Well, I will tell you what it is NOT — horses with some sort of injury or ailment. If you choose that as a niche for some reason, you better have a passion for it.  Don’t get me wrong, I learned that some people DO have a passion for it.

Bottom line is this. Look for freelance writing jobs that you can reasonable accomplish, that are worth your time, and most of all that you enjoy writing. Find your niche and stick to it!

So, this summer, life happened. And then it happened again, and in August, life happened one more time. In other words, I have had some big things happen in my life this summer that have been distracting me from writing.

Since about the middle of May, I have not written a single article on any of the three websites I write for which include eHow, Suite 101, and Today.com. The exception is this blog, which earns me NO income.

And since I have not been writing, two of my writing contracts are on hold and the third site, eHow, does not require a contract or for you to remain active. However, all three sites are still bringing me in some money each month. How? Why?

Two words. Passive Income.

Passive income has always been a goal of mine since I realized at age 16 that I didn’t want to work hard for the rest of my life. Okay, that may be an slight exaggeration, I think I realized it when I was about 25. Not that I am not a hard worker…

Either way, passive income means just as it sounds – income without doing anything. Passive. Yep, not doing ANYTHING. It is the opposite of ACTIVE income, which eludes to some sort of action being involved, which means you are actively earning income. Usually this means, you will actually have to work for your money.

Now, passive income does not mean you did not work hard to earn that money, it just means, even when you are NOT working, income is still coming in. Because I did work out to get all those articles written.

Makes sense, right? Great plan, huh? Well, yes, but at some point, you do have to put in some effort to maintain that passive income. As a freelance writer, this means, I will have to write some more to earn some more passive income.

Now, I can stop writing right now and never write again, and I will still earn some money each month, but it will probably not increase a whole lot. Darn. But, it still is nice.

I will pick up my writing again as soon as life slows down again. Oh, it will. In the meantime, I am enjoying the monthly payments, even if I do not do anything to earn it! Oh, the joy of passive income.

As a freelance writer, you always want to be open to writing opportunities. Sometimes those opportunities are more demanding and challenging than others. Since I have completely slacked on my writing, I am way, way, way behind my deadline for Suite 101. I even got a one month extension and I have still not written one of the ten articles required by my contract. Yikes! This is definitely a challenge.

Should I give up and lose this opportunity or knock out 10 articles in the next 10 days??

I realize that when I was hired at Suite 101, I was so thrilled that I sent out a mass e-mail bragging to family and friends, “I am going to be a professional writer!” Yep, I was excited. At that time. My enthusiasm was off the charts. While, yes I am a “professional” in the sense that the articles are intended to bring me earnings. Earnings, yes. Income, no.

I realize why I have such a hard time knocking out articles for Suite 101. They have strict editing rules and I am not good with those boundaries when I am trying to be creative. They expect objective, third person point of view. Think of it as a news article–just the facts, maam. Instead of an editorial, which the writer can add his or her own ideas, opinions, and humor. Ahh.. this suits me better. But, that is not what Suite is about.

“No, maam. Keep your opinions to yourself please, and please do not add more than two hyperlinks in your article, watch the word count, and please, please, use keyword optimization.”

Keyword optimization? That just not seem to flow off the fingertips. But, I do it because that is what they require. Third person.

Writing objectively and in third person is not really as much fun as my initial enthusiasm had portrayed. So, I put it off and I put it off. While the topics are right up my alley – travel – I think I would find more joy in writing about my travel experiences, in a more of an Anthony Bourdain, or Rick Steves style.

But, Suite 101 does not publish articles in that style. So, I go back and forth with writing there. I have been told, Suite 101 is a “in for the long haul” or “slow and steady” type of income-producing freelance writing job. So, that is why I have not quit yet. I also like that there is someone editing your work because that does provide useful feedback, and the site is more professional than some freelance writing websites.

However, I am starting to panic, since I actually may not meet my deadline, which means, I will not fulfill the obligations of my contract. This means, I will no longer have the choice whether to write for Suite 101. They will make it for me. So long, Julie. Thanks for playing.

And that is my dilemma.

It has been a busy few weeks and my deadline with Suite 101 came sneaking up before I realized it. I have been focusing most of my freelance writing on eHow and have neglected my Suite 101 articles. However, with Suite 101, you have a contract that says you will complete 10 articles in 3 months. That doesn’t seem like much. However, Suite 101 is more particular about the articles and require a little bit more research. Therefore, I tend to procrastinate on writing for them lately. Well, I did meet the minimum for this time period. Whew! I will still need to knock out 10 more by April.

I have been busy with school work, so I have cut back in general with my writing. This is where you can see the passive income really kick in. My income on eHow has been rising even though my writing have been decreasing compared to previous months. It is nice to get money even when you are not working. The beauty of passive income. It takes patience and a lot of work upfront. I will still write more articles when I find time. But, it is nice to know, I can still make the money even if I don’t write a new article everyday.

This past six weeks has been quite the writing adventure for me. It started with Facebook and an ad from Suite 101 looking for freelance writers. Well, this triggered my interest and I checked it out. After looking over the website, my creative juices started flowing and I was on a mission.

Then, during my research for Suite 101, I came across a website/blog written by a freelance writer that also writes for Suite 101. After reading her blog and asking her questions, this launched ideas of my own. And, this started my professional writing career.

Since that last week in October, writing has taken up quite a bit of my time and energy. Some of it has been fruitful and some seemed like too much work for little payout. I guess the bottom line for me is I have to keep on writing since this was a dream. Realized dreams sometimes come hard. Realized dreams take work. Realized dreams take patience. This is where I lack.

So far, I have 58 articles on eHow, five on Suite, and four on Bukisa. Well, obviously eHow has been the one with the biggest profit. This is motivating and I think eHow articles are fun to write. There is also a community on the site that allows you to read the questions, comments, and concerns of other eHow members.

Suite 101 has been more of a challenge since the writing is more difficult, but it has been more rewarding to write since I put more into it and I have kept the focus on travel. Of course, travel is my number one passion of many in my life.

Bukisa is a site I joined up to write for only a couple weeks ago. Honestly, I have not had the time to put more articles on this site. However, I have heard good things and plan on contributing more as time goes on.

The key to all of this is to keep a positive attitude, keep the creative juices flowing, and KEEP WRITING!

So, I am requesting again, so my efforts are not futile, PLEASE KEEP READING.

Thanks loyal readers and feel free to comment.

I made a decision one month ago to start freelance writing online. I signed up with eHow and I applied to be a contributing writer for Suite 101.

eHow. Since October 24, 2008, I have written 40 articles for eHow and have made $16.70. That may not sound like much to people, but for my first month and only 40 articles, it is actually not too bad. For all the n0n-freelance writers out there, writing is not a get rich quick way of making money. It takes a lot of work out the gate and the more articles the better. My original plan when I started writing was to have 50 articles by January 1st. Well, I think I will surpass that goal. Even though that is my goal, there is no contract for a minimum article count.
My eHow articles.

Suite 101. This is a little bit of a different website and the articles are a little more challenging to write since there a limits on character length in the title, subtitle, and introductory paragraph. There are also editors involved and it is not an opinion piece and is told in third person. I did get my first article published and I have to complete 9 more in the three months I was given according to a contract I have.

So far, I am on a pretty good track, I have found mentors and supporters from the freelance world. I thank you all as I continue the journey.