Microcredit on Helium

Over in the Helium Marketplace I noticed a request for an article that was going to be really well paid. In common with 25 other writers I decided to give it a go and sat down to do the research.

What I read just blew me away. I spent hours reading the stories of the poorest people who'd managed to turn their lives around when they were offered life-saving loans of the the smallest amounts of money, on repayment terms that they could manage. I felt privileged to be able to write something that would do some awareness raising for the organisations that raise the money that can be loaned. I discovered that I can contribute an amount as small as $25 for an individual loan via an organisation called Kiva.

I didn't really expect my piece to be chosen (and it wasn't). I knew the competition would be stiff (and it was). But I didn't expect that it would damage my standing at Helium so much that I'd lose my stars. That was a bit of a blow, but I've now got it showcased at Constant Content with a non-exclusive price tag. If it sells I'll be investing my profit in a Kiva loan.

You could read it here at Helium (or choose to read one or more that are rated higher), or buy it here at CC.

I find the rating system at Helium very unpredictable. Often my articles start off really high and stay there for a while, then drop months later, so that I lose stars. I've been up to three and now I have none again, which means earnings are pitiful and I have little enthusiasm for submitting. But that's a catch 22 because I'm told that with a larger portfolio, you're less likely lose stars. Perhaps I'll get there one day. Sigh.

In the meantime I continue to earn from my commissions and my showcased articles at CC. At least I know some people like my work.

Feast and Famine

I’m feeling cranky today and up to now, I haven’t written a thing. That’s bad. I like to write something every day when I’m at home. At least I will get this blog post written and posted.

Earlier I was about to start responding to a request in the Helium Marketplace. In fact I started a bit of research and then went back to copy the assignment guidelines. That’s when I noticed it was just for people with Premium Marketplace Writer status. Ok. I thought I had that, but I hadn’t posted anything there for a while and my star ratings are still going up and down.

So I decided to check. And what do I find? My status has dropped to Marketplace Approved Writer. I can’t write to that title for Helium. I’d wasted about half an hour plus lots of thinking time while I’d been doing household chores. It could have been worse though. I could have written the whole damn thing and not been able to submit it.

The reason I had planned to go for it in the first place was because I had already written something similar for a client, although it would have to be translated for an American readership, whereas my earlier piece had referred to UK law. It’s always good to be able to double up my use of research and cut down what’s needed for the next job.

Last month I was especially busy with sub contracted work, and didn’t have time for much else. It was a trial month and I’d hoped it would be regular work, but that’s not happening. Although I discounted it heavily, it proved too expensive to be repeated, especially as it had felt like working for even smaller peanuts than my freelance writing usually yields, so I wanted to reduce the discount a bit.

So while I had a feast of work last month, I am now in famine time. This is when I really have to motivate myself to hunt for work and even write on spec. I haven’t posted much at Constant Content either and my sales there are down. They always seem to go up when I can submit regularly, so I guess that’s the next thing I must get on with.

Where I Live Now

Well I got my Helium star back. I know what to do now if I lose it again. Find a competitive title and write for it. Actually, I guess if I do some more of that and build up my portfolio there, it's less likely that I will lose it again.

Now to change the subject. I've had family and friends round today so did lots of vacuuming and tidying up this morning. Each time different people are due to come, a few more things find homes in this house and it gets a little tidier. I cooked a big roastie meal and we sat around chatting for ages till about 4.30 when I suggested a walk at the beach.

And this time I remembered my camera. Here are some of the views on the way.

Will Egypt Help Me Get a Star?

I recently lost my Helium star yet again. It didn't go last month as I had expected when they removed my top spot article that had been wrongly published elsewhere with someone else's byline - and accused me of plagiarism. So I did get my upfront payments added to my account then. But I realised I wouldn't this month unless I can get my star back.

So I've pulled out all the stops and posted a piece today for a competitive title and wait to see where it goes in the ratings. Hopefully it could do the trick. It's about our visit to the tombs of the pharaohs in The Valley of the Kings close to Luxor, where we went for our holiday this year. You're not allowed to take photos inside the tombs so I didn't take my camera, but I did take this picture near the temple we visited on the way there.

The article I wrote was about personal experience, which means it won't be accepted at Constant Content. I'll have to see what else I can do with it. In the meant time, you can read it here.