Anyone ever do any writing on Helium?

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   starme77posted 14 years ago

   if so, how did it go?

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      Ronaldosposted 14 years agoin reply to this

      I been there for about 2 months and only made $30, then again, i never use it anymore due to the fact that my country doesnt support paypal. Tax reasons. So i cant really do anything now. I enjoy HP more. Helium does have alot of potential if you enjoy writing.

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   relacheposted 14 years ago

   You might want to read the variety of threads and hubs,
   
   http://hubpages.com/search/helium

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   darksideposted 14 years ago

   Here's my thoughts on Helium.

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   habeeposted 14 years ago

   When I was working hard on Helium, I averaged $1,000 per month. I was their most selected writer for Marketplace articles.

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      Don Simkovichposted 14 years agoin reply to this

      So are you still writing on Helium and, if not, why not?

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      JulietduPreezposted 14 years agoin reply to this

      That sounds good - well done.
      I'm interested, what is "working hard"?
      

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   starme77posted 14 years ago

   Thanks for the insight folks - I may give it a try one day - just not today LOL

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   Don Simkovichposted 14 years ago

   I have almost 50 articles on helium and I was actually earning okay when compared to Assoc Content . . . I haven't written for a few months since I was concentrating more time here, on AC . . .
   
   it's a bit different style but it's a fine site to write to.

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   .Ninna.posted 14 years ago

   Helium was the first site I joined to contribute articles to. I'd been a member since beta stage but now I can't log in anymore. They have changed in that writers from countries that don't have English as their native language can't contribute anymore. I felt really bad when I learned of this change. I earned some there (I placed in their first contest ever, twice). Too bad. I'm glad I found HubPages though ...and now I must work on getting more hubs published

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      Uma07posted 14 years agoin reply to this

      That's sad.I must have got banned too for the same reason.It's been ages since I visited that site.

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         .Ninna.posted 14 years agoin reply to this

         Yeah, I felt awful about it. I think I'm a fairly competitive English writer and speaker even if it's not my native language (I'm from the Philippines). Some of my articles ranked #1 there, and when I checked back after they deleted my articles, I saw that my articles were far superior than the present number 1 articles. To be honest, I felt discriminated upon because of this policy.

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            sannyasinmanposted 14 years agoin reply to this

            Are you a "competitive" writer or a "competent" writer?
            Are you "superior than" or "superior to"?
            Are you ·discriminated upon" or "discriminated against"?
            Is this what they mean?

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      emievilposted 14 years agoin reply to this

      That's what happened to me. Posted one article (which went to number 2 in the top 10 list for that topic) then was told I can't post anymore because I'm from Asia . Kind of disheartening but, same as you, I found Hubpages .

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   thranaxposted 14 years ago

   I don't think I will like Helium, just going on there not specific earning scale and the weird set-up.
   
   ~thranax~

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   Lisa HWposted 14 years ago

   At one point it was writers from India who were the issue, but it was made clear that any writer from India who felt he had good skill in using the English language could e.mail Helium and ask to be an exception.  It was all about trying to improve the level of English grammar usage on the site.  I think that's fair enough.  (I don't know if they've since changed their policy on reviewing individual cases, but I know I've had to prove my writing skills on a few sites, myself, before being accepted as a contributor; and I'm an American.)

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      .Ninna.posted 14 years agoin reply to this

      I didn't know some sort of appeal could be made. I think it was unfair to weed out the contributors based solely on the where they came from and not on the quality of writing they contributed (that could have been based on the writing stars and article rank). I've read some badly written articles there, and I can't believe some even rank as number one. I think it's really sad and unfair. Well, that's my two cents on it.

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         Lisa HWposted 14 years agoin reply to this

         Unless they've since changed their policy, someone can e.mail an "appeal" if they know they have good English skills.  I'm not defending them (I have no stake in the matter), but I believe the problem may have been when they began offering upfront payments they got a huge load of people in India posting material but not using English very well (at all    ).

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    C.V.Rajanposted 14 years ago

    I have been writing in Helium for over 20 months. It's a very nice and writer-friendly site. I have some 360+ articles there and my earning from the site (page view pennies + marketplace sales + stock content sales + contest wins) is in the threshold of crossing $1000 sooner.
    
    One great advantage of Helium is that it accepts articles previously published elsewhere by you. (i.e. non-exclusive content). It means, if you had published your articles in some other site and if that site has no strings attached to it, you cam post them in Helium. If they fit to Helium' Terms and conditions and titles, you can earn your upfront payment for the articles ($0.5 to 2.5) based on your star status.
    
    Helium has its cons too. Every site has. But in my personal experience, I have found pros outweigh cons.
    
    I have this Hub about Helium here:
    
    http://hubpages.com/hub/Writing-For-Hel … tayed-Away
    
    
    CVR

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       SunSevenposted 14 years agoin reply to this

       Is that on a monthly basis?( the money part)

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       .Ninna.posted 14 years agoin reply to this

       I see you're from India. I just want to know if you emailed them so you can continue to contribute there? They deleted all my articles there, but I still have my profile over there (which is sort of weird since there are no articles to be read), they should have just deleted it all together.

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    C.V.Rajanposted 14 years ago

    SunSeven,
    
    I wish it is the monthly figure (!) but it isn't. It is my total accumulated earnings. But my experience in writing at several websites tell me that unless one works exxxxxtrrreemely hard, it is very difficult to earn $1000 a month from writing in Internet.
    
    My current average earnings by writing in various websites stands at Rs.2,400.- ($52)
    
    From one angle it's not bad at all; from another angle, it's not at all proportionate to the time and effort spent.

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    C.V.Rajanposted 14 years ago

    .ninna.,
    
    When I joined Helium it was an open gate. My son too joined afterwards. While my account escaped helium's scrutiny based on their "acceptable" standards, my son's account was banned. He was a 3-star writer there.
    
    But some of Helium's arguments about the quality of English not acceptable to predominantly American readers seem justified.
    
    I was told that American writers too are banned on case to case basis based on review. But blanket banning of India, Philippines etc was rather too harsh. Many Helium writers, cutting across country barriers, had expressed their strong criticism about this move in the Helium discussion forums.
    
    But Helium has so far been adamant on this issue. But I believe things can change. Helium is mostly receptive to member's suggestions and criticisms.  I have always been one of Helium's strong critics there but still I am tolerated at the site.
    
    CVR

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    Randy Godwinposted 14 years ago

    I was banned from Helium for exposing untruths and unfair practices on the site.  Of course they kept my 109 articles which are still making them money.  Stay far away from this site, they have some awful people working there.  They give you no idea concerning what percentage your articles earn.

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       catwoman89posted 14 years agoin reply to this

       I just recently, because I am SO darned impetuous, published my BABY on there (a favorite poem I wrote) and I SO REGRET IT, because I am looking into publishing poetry in general (haven't yet, but just bought "Poet's Market 2010"), and most places won't accept work that is "previously published," which now my baby IS. I neither like, nor fully understand this sort of "co-ownership" thingy they have. What unfair practices did you expose?

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          Randy Godwinposted 14 years agoin reply to this

          The stewards were being called volunteers when some of them were getting paid each month.  Other stewards were not getting paid and were hurt when I exposed the truth.  I did not care if the stews were paid but they were also attacking me and calling me a liar for saying they were.  Barbara Whitlock finally admitted I was right but brushed it aside saying it was just a trial program.
          
          I also exposed the fact of stews having special rating abilities.  They could choose any channel to rate in giving them the ability to manipulate the system.  Babs asked me not to post anything else about this system for a few weeks as a favor to her.  I was then banned from the site and my articles confiscated.  They use and sell my work with no recompense to me for my work. 
          
          The rating system is a joke just like the people who moderate the forums.  Do not waste your time on Helium, they will steal your hard work.

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    habeeposted 14 years ago

    Don, in answer to your question, I still write for Helium sometimes, when I see a Marketplace article the piques my interest. I guess I just got "burnt out." I wanted to start something new, so I came here. I also write some for constantcontent, and I write a good bit for Horseman.
    
    I don't like all the politics on Helium, as Randy referred to. But their payout for Marketplace is good. I've sold several articles for $200 each, more for $100 each, and lots in the $40-$80 range.

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    habeeposted 14 years ago

    BTW: Hi, C.V.! I didn't know you were here! Nice to see your pic!

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    habeeposted 14 years ago

    The rating system on Helium is a big problem. I have made good money on Helium, along with some friends. They have always been straight with me. I do not think, however, what they did to Randy was right. Kicking him off the site was one thing, but HOW can they keep all his articles and any revenue they generate?

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       Marisa Wrightposted 14 years agoin reply to this

       Habee, this is the biggest problem with Helium.  I'm still a member there, but I know several people who got banned for no apparent reason.
       
       If they ban you , they don't explain why. They apparently send you an email with generic reasons, but they don't tell you which one applies to you.  However, a common reason seems to be fraudulent Adsense clicks. Because Helium users don't have their own Adsense account, there's no way for users to monitor this or argue the case if they're accused.  they're just wiped.
       
       You can also be banned for being difficult on the forums - and sometimes that just means you're telling the truth, or asking questions they don't like, like Randy.   Rex Trulove once threatened me with a ban, simply because he made a sweeping statement and I kept badgering him to provide some factual backing for it.

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          Randy Godwinposted 14 years agoin reply to this

          Rex threatens everyone who asks difficult questions.  He called me a liar but refused to say what I lied about.  He's ultra quick with the censor button but manages to get in the last word before locking the thread.  A creep if I ever met one!

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             Marisa Wrightposted 14 years agoin reply to this

             I used to get on well with Rex, when he was just another Helium writer.  In fact, I referred several would-be sci-fi writers to him, because of his experience self-publishing science fiction. 
             
             Ever since he became a steward and then forum moderator, I've watched him become more and more of a dictator.  He has actually said his job is to "protect the forums", which is a strange thing to say.
             
             When I briefly joined the Stewards, I was told my job was to be positive about everything, regardless of the facts - which is why I promptly resigned, because I didn't want to be that hypocritical.

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                Randy Godwinposted 14 years agoin reply to this

                During the time I accused Helium of lying about paying a "bonus" to some volunteers Rex compared the members to Nazis and the stewards as the allies.  I resented this statement as did many other indignant members.  Some of the other "cheerleaders" had to take over the defense for him as he was too embarrassed to post for a few days.  The power has apparently gone to his head.

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                   Marisa Wrightposted 14 years agoin reply to this

                   That's what I mean - Rex sees his job as protecting the forums - from whom?  The forums are run for the members, yet he seems to see them as the enemy.  Strange.

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                      Randy Godwinposted 14 years agoin reply to this

                      I still have mixed feelings about the site.  On the one hand I want them to go bust, but on the other hand I hate to see you, CV, Holle, and others lose the articles you guys have worked hard writing.  It is indeed a mess!

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             debugsposted 14 years agoin reply to this

             I agree. Rex is an ashhhhhhhowwwleee.. by the way, one of these days, I'll TELL you about Helium. You should see my communications with Barbara about NOT KNOWING where my 333 missing articles are. If I wanted "traffic", I could cut and paste the WHOLE THINGY and it would look hilarious!

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                Randy Godwinposted 14 years agoin reply to this

                Same here debugs, I kept much of my correspondence with Babs and the other cretins working for Helium.  They do not mind lying in the least to try to quell dissent.  And they still feature some of my articles and list me as a member.  This is without paying me a dime of course.  They can still sell my articles too and have apparently done so. 
                
                Anyone reading this-stay far away from this corrupt site and believe nothing the staffers tell you.

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                   debugsposted 14 years agoin reply to this

                   You know the truth is that I STILL wonder HOW they can get away from this scam? You don't just "lose" 333 articles without any rational explanation.. I mean it's not because I am incredibly stupid because I've SOLD 9 marketplace articles and won about three contests there. The FACT is still that THEY DON'T KNOW where my articles are and WHY my account was blocked.. I mean, how stupid is that? I think Helium and its so-called stewards are a scam.. They "bait" you at the start and your articles disappear. This is illegal and I wonder why no one cn really DO SOMETHING about it. If some site like Mashable perhaps would do a thorough investigation of Helium, they'd be doing online writers a great favor -- it would be saving them from all getting cheated. Stealing "articles" is the same as pirating someone's intellectual property.
                   Rex Truuleeleelove is a fruitcake. Add MIss PMS the Czar of Alexandria and you have a perfect combination of frankly sinister people.

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                      Randy Godwinposted 14 years agoin reply to this

                      They do know bugsy, I spoke with Mark Ranalli (head guy at the time) on the phone and he is no better at telling the truth than his cohorts.  They just deny and deny.  I filed a Better Business Bureau complaint but Helium would not respond to the bureau.  They obviously do not respect business ethics.  It would probably be amazing at how many people they have banned and kept their hard earned articles.  Scumbags!

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                         debugsposted 14 years agoin reply to this

                         They're a REAL SCAM.. but if some respected site like Mashable really tries investigating them, AT LEAST they'd save a lot of other writers who are baited into getting involved with Helium. It's stealing another person's time, work and intellectual property. If these people have real integrity they would follow the laws; pay their writers and not change their TOS at whim. I even wonder if Rexxxxie Trueleelee is a real pastor (see why I'm turned off by religion?).. all this peer rating sucks because I think that any responsible site should properly be able to HIRE an editor! I mean are they THAT cheap????

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    Jennitasiaposted 14 years ago

    I wrote so many articles on Helium it is just imaginable the amount of work that I put into their site! I never earned a dime more than a buck! I think Hubpages is just the way to go!

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    C.V.Rajanposted 14 years ago

    I will not agree to the idea that writing at Helium is a waste of time nor to any suggestion that Helium is a scam or a fraud.
    
    You must remember that Helium is a business organization which has to make profits for its survival and growth. Organizations will always have certain rules and regulations, some of which will be intentionally bent to their favor. Certain rules and regulations ,certain boundaries of secrecy, certain dos and don'ts, certain individuals with bloated egos -- everything will be part and parcel of any organization.
    
    You can't expect 100% democracy everywhere. Individuals cannot fight with organizations.
    
    For one to succeed at Helium, one requires sustained effort. The same will apply to Hubpages too. I have been with Helium for almost 22 months now. Have put in some 360 articles there. I have had my complaints and heatburns at Helium. But still, I would rate Helium community to be a vibrant and warm one.
    
    Helium listens to its writer members. I have no doubt about it.

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       Randy Godwinposted 14 years agoin reply to this

       Well, they didn't listen to this writer member or many others I am aware of.  I have had many conversations with Babs Whitlock about the unscrupulous behavior of some of the stewards and staff.  When I revealed some of them I was banned from the site.  I am glad they did so now because I didn't give them anymore of my work.  109 articles I worked hard to write still earns money for the site.  I sincerely hope they go belly up!

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    Uninvited Writerposted 14 years ago

    I get frustrated on Helium because I have seen inferior articles with contests. I entered one once...I didn't expect to win anyway. However, the one who won had written an article about Canada and had several facts wrong and awful grammar and spelling...and part of it was plagiarized from another site. I am Canadian, I knew it was wrong. But still it got voted highest.

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       starme77posted 14 years agoin reply to this

       I notice people call themselves writers ...but just write stuff with nothing to back it up ....in writing ...to be published for real your have to have your source facts and research done ... one should never write what they can not back up

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    starme77posted 14 years ago

    I checked it out a bit and posted an article there - I think helium is a rather neat place - I think I'll like spending time there

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       PirateGirlposted 14 years agoin reply to this

       Don't waste your time, it's shite !

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    C.V.Rajanposted 14 years ago

    Randy,
    
    Human tendency is always to complain about others' bloated egos totally ignoring own own!
    
    We can see this obviously in politicians. When a politician's individual ego is hurt, he will go to any length to damage the others and in this process, he will forget his patriotism, his duty and responsibility to the people who voted him to power etc.
    
    One thing I know in my 2 years of writing and making money at Internet. No site is perfect. No sites' rules and regulations are too favorably placed towards writers. No site can give you sustained earning opportunities unless you concentrate on one site much more than others and use the other sites as buffers just in case your main site fails one day.
    
    And the glaring reality is, whatever be the time you spend on one site, the income is just not going to be proportional to the time and effort spent. The reason is simple. The supply far too outnumbers the demand. There are simply tooooooo many freelancers hanging around the Internet sites, hopelessly dreaming to make it big one day!
    
    Except for a very few "experts" in the writing trade, It's not possible for every one to earn any big money through web content writing. We have to live with certain sites. The sites too have to live with we, half-baked writers!

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       Randy Godwinposted 14 years agoin reply to this

       I am confused as to your response CV.  I made money on helium and had four writing stars when booted from the site.(Big deal!)  You will find writers who cannot spell or understand basic grammar with multiple writing stars on the Helium site.  I also sold creative writing to a site which requested more from me.  I also won money in the contests but was still not satisfied with Heliums's method of rating the members articles.
       
       Perhaps you feel that Helium should be able to lie and misrepresent their part of the agreement but expect the members to keep theirs.  I am not sure how things are done in your country but I cannot condone this type of behavior in mine.  I reported Helium to the Better business Bureau but they said Helium refused to even respond to the complaints filed against them.  Does this sound honorable to you?

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    C.V.Rajanposted 14 years ago

    I agree Randy that in our country, we digest certain things "as matter of fact"; In India, bureaucracy is quite strong (in Govt) whose "don't care" tendency can be seen even in private sectors like banks. You can say, we have grown a bit thick-skinned on all these matters!
    
    Americans, I have seen, express very strong sentiments in such lack of transparency issues. Even in Helium, I have seen Americans coming out very strongly, to express dissatisfaction about any action seen to be discriminatory to any particular country writers or some such thing.
    
    But one thing could be a fact. Individuals fighting against institutions is an uphill task. One has to spend lots of time, money and effort to get justice; institutions can afford to do it, because they have the resources. But individuals can't. So, except seething in anger, individuals may not be able to do much about it. That's more practical. That's my feeling.
    
    But look from another angle. At the time of joining any site, we, out of over enthusiasm, tend to overlook the terms and conditions, right? Helium is very clear that once articles are posted, they won't delete them, even if the author is unceremoniously chucked out! It is so glaringly one-sided, but we still click the "accept" button and go ahead.
    
    Only when things go wrong, we are bitten by the "injustice" and we take up cudgels against it! As long as my account is in tact at Helium, I won't bother about these things; suppose, Helium chucks me out tomorrow, I too will start with others and shout aloud about all the "unfair rules and regulations"!
    
    Human mind plays as such. What to do?!!

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       Randy Godwinposted 14 years agoin reply to this

       I have no problem with those who simply lie down and take injustice, this is their choice not mine.  My fault for clicking the accept button, a lesson well learned.  The TOS agreement basically says : The agreement means whatever we say it does.
       
       I doubt you were privy to the stewards forum when they were calling me the devil for revealing the stews were not all "volunteers."  It seems those getting paid were the ones cheerleading every controversial change Helium introduced. 
       
       But suit yourself, we all have to draw a line in the sand sooner or later.

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    wychicposted 14 years ago

    I am a writer on Helium and love it, it is by far my favorite site. Currently I have 567 articles posted there and certainly wouldn't do it if it weren't for accepting non-exclusive content.
    
    They are still doing case-by-case review for non-US contributors to try to get some people back on the site (our senior editor is non-US ) but I don't know if there's any kind of time limit on people who got booted when that change took effect. I know it does seem like a harsh measure, but as a community editor on Helium I can tell you that we were getting literally thousands of unreadable articles per day and the higher-ups decided it best to stem the tide quickly before those articles lowered the site's reputation. Despite a pretty good editorial team, there's just no way we could keep up with that.
    
    So far I have made about $1,500 off of my articles for the upfronts and dailies (and more coming in) though most of them are reviews that are earning slowly. In addition, I have been making a bit of money as a community editor and marketplace editor, plus work in title admin and as a sub-channel steward. I don't get paid for my stew position, but I'll be the first to say that if anyone should get paid for their work it's the senior and channel stews that have to put a lot of effort into managing sub-channel stews and tens of thousands of articles in any given channel. For me, I have about 6,000 articles to keep an eye on with the help of one other person and don't have any of the hassle of the stews above me, so I can certainly see why I'm less worthy of pay in that area.
    
    The rating system is still a problem, mostly because of the lack of member participation in it. With the requirement of keeping rating stars now that has improved, but still has a way to go and no system will ever be flawless. Luckily, though, anyone rating can not see any details about the writer so they cannot ding somebody just because they don't like the country they're from.
    
    RG -- So...they banned you for inappropriate content, but kept the content? Sounds like slow deletion to me. True, articles are not deleted once posted because they can be sub-licensed by other sites, but inappropriate content should be removed, though sometimes it takes them a while to get to it.

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       Randy Godwinposted 14 years agoin reply to this

       No, they did not ban me for inappropriate content.  They sent an email to my spam folder with two possible reasons for booting me.  Neither one was correct but they refused to elaborate.  I knew they would probably boot me because I exposed their dirty little secrets.  They have not deleted any of my articles to date and still feature some of them on certain channels.  When a member is booted they don't have to share the revenue with them anymore. 
       
       Many members still do not realize the stews can rate on any channel they desire.  The staff wishes to keep this as quiet as they can.  Recently someone asked on the forums why a member couldn't rate on any channel they pleased.  One of the new stews replied "just click on the channel you want to rate in."  As suspected, this post was removed very quickly. 
       
       "I have seen no evidence this privilege is being abused."  Fill in the name of the chief censor and damage control staffer who said this.  I'll give you a hint, he is a mail order reverend.

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       Marisa Wrightposted 14 years agoin reply to this

       So... you've made $2 per article.  How long have they been on the site?

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          wychicposted 14 years agoin reply to this

          Anywhere from six months to a week. However, there are about 200 that I didn't get upfronts for because they were movie reviews, and another 270 that are book, product, and website reviews so the earning is slow. These have earned consistently every month, but I expect it to be a while before they earn substantially. As with any affiliate site I'm on, I take full advantage of the acceptance of non-exclusive content and Helium is only one of four sites each of those has made money on so far, it's added a nice chunk to my earnings without having to wait for clients. Reviews are generally what I write when I need a break from more creative forms of writing, I never expect them to earn much but between all the sites each has earned about $10-$15 apiece so far anyway .

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    habeeposted 14 years ago

    Randy wasn't banned for innapropriate content in his articles. His articles were good.
    
    Like I said, I don't agree with everything on Helium, but I think for someone who writes well, it's the best site on the internet to make money writing. The Helium Marketplace usually offers excellent pay, and if you learn what publishers are looking for and write consistently, you will make money there. I don't make a lot from page views, but I have racked up in Marketplace.

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    habeeposted 14 years ago

    I just think if they "boot" someone off, they should send their articles with them.
    
    BTW, a prolific writer on Helium has disappeared, along with all of her articles. I've had several emails from Heliumites asking me about it, but I don't have a clue. I wonder if she just changed her pen name...

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       Randy Godwinposted 14 years agoin reply to this

       If it is who I think it is, wasn't there someone who accused this person of plagiarizing many of the articles in their portfolio?

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    habeeposted 14 years ago

    Yep, RD. That's the one. And she sold a bunch of MP articles!
    
    Randy, go to the forum about which two hubbers you'd like to have lunch with.

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    habeeposted 14 years ago

    BTW, RD - we'll need the horse trailer Sunday instead of Saturday. Otay, Buhwheat?

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       Randy Godwinposted 14 years agoin reply to this

       OK Spanky!

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    habeeposted 14 years ago

    What, RD? You're gonna spank me? Again??

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    habeeposted 14 years ago

    Whatever you does, don't throw me in dat brier patch!!

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    sannyasinmanposted 14 years ago

    I don't know Helium, but if the site is making an attempt to improve the quality of written English, then they have my whole-hearted approval, and I will definitely check it out. It is time that Hubpages introduced a similar policy, and then we would no longer have to suffer and cringe at hubs such as this one below, and I quote:
    
    "Internet -Tomorrows
    Due Internet the future of business is perfect as far as today's trend. Now a days many Paid to click, read, promote,etc. are coming at a storm and many youngster to earn handsome pocket income are getting attracted towards it. As well as now marketing is also going on and many sites are coming to sell their products. But from middle of this many hyip are also coming up that guarantee returns but they are all scams. This is my request not to believe such hyips. So, now you will be thinking yourself and would  ready to face a new challenge on Internet. "
    
    . .and sub-standard hubs like this are not uncommon on Hubpages. Does anyone really think that rubbish like this should be published? 
    
    Yes, this subject is a particular hobby horse of mine, and I did write a 1000 hub on the subject called "Never Mind the Quality, Feel the Width".

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       Randy Godwinposted 14 years agoin reply to this

       I do not think quality is what Helium was so concerned about, rather it was because of the amount of plagiarism coming from some countries.  You will still find many sub-standard articles ranked #1 on Helium.

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          sannyasinmanposted 14 years agoin reply to this

          I had a look at helium. They do make a big deal about insisting on quality writing. Quotes:
          "Throughout Helium, excellence counts and quality rises to the top"
          "With new tools to improve quality and increase traffic"
          
          . . whilst at the same time, I found several showcased articles with badly written English and grammatical errors. Mmmmm.

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             Randy Godwinposted 14 years agoin reply to this

             It's the same problem everywhere.  The rating of articles by bad writers does not guarantee quality.

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       tksenseiposted 14 years agoin reply to this

       An attitude like that carries a heavy responsibility.

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31. 59

    stuart747posted 14 years ago

    never tried to write on it but it's great when you speak as it makes your voice sound squeaky,

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32. 81

    Tom Cornettposted 14 years ago

    You can't delete any articles.   They obtain use of your articles for LIFE...use them without your consent and don't have to pay you a dime.

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       Randy Godwinposted 14 years agoin reply to this

       Tell it all brother, tell it all!

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33. 58

    Pr0metheusposted 14 years ago

    I tried it once... my high pitched voice wasn't apparent in the text.

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       Luciendaskyposted 14 years agoin reply to this

       lol

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34. 92

    habeeposted 14 years ago

    Marisa, that's one reason I have turned down requests to become a steward. I don't mind helping people; I just don't want to get into the politics of the site. When people email me and ask for advice about MP or about writing in general (guess they saw on my bio that I was a writing/lit teacher), I have always tried to take the time to do so.
    
    Like I've said before, they've always played it straight with me. Randy says that might be becasue I'm one of their "favorites" because of my success with MP. There are still a lot of folks there whom I like, and when I see a title on MP that interests me and has a good payout, I'll write to it. That monthy deposit into my Paypal is nice. For now, though, I'm pretty addicted to Hubpages!
    
    If I were ever "booted" from Helium, I would re-write every one of my articles there (almost 500), and post them here.

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       Lisa HWposted 14 years agoin reply to this

       I turned down a few invitations to be a steward because ("bad attitude" as this may be) there was no talk of any bonus (other than more exposure) when I was approached.  I actually tried it for a while, but I found it unbearable and not something I wanted to do for no compensation.  At the same time (in fairness to them), I've also turned down some Helium opportunities that someone else would have thought were great. 
       
       I haven't added anything to my Helium stuff in a long time, mostly because they've taken a direction that doesn't really "apply to me" , but I remain "rating active" and am keeping an eye out to see if they may take a direction that suits me a little more.  The people who are at Helium headquarters, itself, have been very kind to me; but there's kind of mixed message to writers.  On the one hand, there is the "real-world-knowledge" thing and the "attracting-the-best-writers-on-the-web" thing.  On the other, the primary emphasis is on people who want/need to learn to write.  I think the problem is that a site like that is run by business and/or technology people (who tend to think competition and "rah rah team" thinking are great); but then, in their attempts to offer better quality they've begun to emphasize the "helping-others-learn-to-improve-their-writing-skill" thing.  A lot of people who do have solid writing ability are people who have "writer's personalities" (not "business" or "technology" personalities), so that means (essentially) that a site run by business people, and heavily populated by inexperienced/unskilled writers, is not going to focus on those members who already know how to write and don't like turning their writing into a competition.  On top of those factors, skilled writers know what they can get in terms of pay.  As the Magic 8-Ball says, "All signs point to" some people drifting away from some writing sites. 
       
       Having said all that, I'm not like others who seem to have real "issues" with Helium.   They do offer their members some things that other sites don't.  I like the site and the administration folks who work at their headquarters.  Writing sites are what they are. (Helium emphasizes they are a "writing collaborative").  People will find the a site that most suits them.  I have noticed that the forums, which were once pretty vibrant and enthusiastic-seeming, seem to have taken on a "flavor" of talking about improving quality while pretty much seeming to embrace ideas that don't necessarily lead to "high quality".  Over time, the whole online writing picture is going to evolve anyway, because one-size-fits-all writing and sites are going to sort themselves out "into sizes". 

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          Randy Godwinposted 14 years agoin reply to this

          It seems Helium asks almost anyone with any writing talent to be a steward now.  Since they cut their staff so drastically last year they are continuously pushing the steward program because they do not want to have to pay anyone for the duties.  Nearly everyone I have talked to has been asked to join the program.  (including me, believe it or not)
          
          It sounds like a "fruit basket turnover" now as new names come and go in the steward program.  Some of the old "fruits" are still around but have a "bitter" flavor to their posts nowadays.

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35. 0

    bloodnlatexposted 14 years ago

    I only wrote on Helium once, but my Mickey Mouse voice didn't carry over to the paper.  Then it wore off.  Oh well, I can't say I never tried it...

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36. 77

    Bard of Elyposted 14 years ago

    I posted one article there nearly two years ago and can't even remember what it was because I haven't been back!

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37. 61

    Randy Godwinposted 14 years ago

    Before being banned I sold several hundred dollars worth of marketplace articles.  Zonder bought some of my travel articles and I also sold some short mystery stories.  Some articles did earn fair page view money, but since Helium doesn't tell you the percentage you receive nor the number of page views, you really can't tell how much they make from your work.

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38. 85

    Stacie Lposted 14 years ago

    I started out on Helium...
    was really turned off my other writers rating me...
    they keep asking me to come back

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       debugsposted 14 years agoin reply to this

       Oh I agree, it's not even an honest peer rating really..

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39. 61

    Randy Godwinposted 14 years ago

    I was told by a former steward that Rex obtained his ordination by mail-order and paid $25.00 for his collar.  His bragging about his many articles and self published books made me dislike him from the start. 
    
    The peer rating system is terrible as the stewards can rate in any channel and many rate each others articles up and others down.  This explains how the stews win a large number of the contests.  They simply rate down the competition.  Just check who answers any complaint there.  Almost all are brown nosing stews.

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       debugsposted 14 years agoin reply to this

       Hey Randy.. I've always wanted the title Rev. before my name.. I wonder where I get that for just 25 bucks? No, that's an enterprising idea..((ponders))

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          Randy Godwinposted 14 years agoin reply to this

          Anyone can become a reverend if they pay the money.  There are many such sites who would be glad to oblige you.  Then you can act arrogant, self righteous, and eat a lot of fried chicken for free.  LOL

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    Uninvited Writerposted 14 years ago

    I remember signing up on a website once and becoming a minister. I don't even remember the site It cost me nothing. So, technically, I could marry people...
    
    About Helium, I have been stuck at $22 for almost a year now. I can't earn until I get my rating points up again. I do not like that, they earn on my views but I don't...

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       Randy Godwinposted 14 years agoin reply to this

       I did make a few hundred dollars there from selling a couple of mystery stories and several travel articles but unless you rated according to the other members you didn't make a cent off of page views.  If you desire rating stars just rate at random as the majority does.  Do not pay attention to grammar, spelling or good content, in other words just choose one of the two articles. 
       
       I know several people who have done this and attained 5 rating stars.  I did this for a few months and got my 5 rating stars but then confessed to show helium how faulty their system was.  They scolded me for telling something everyone already knew.

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          Marisa Wrightposted 14 years agoin reply to this

          It's even easier than that.  The secret is to open the rating screen while you're doing something else. Rate a pair of articles, then go and do something else for 5 minutes. Then rate the next one, and so on.  Time appears to be part of the algorithm - if you rate too fast, you don't get credit. You only need to do about a dozen rates a month this way to keep a guaranteed rating star.

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    Randy Godwinposted 14 years ago

    Nothing pisses the Helium brown nosers off more than to suggest their rating system is flawed.  Rex gets red around his $25.00 priests collar.
    
    The rating system is a joke as terrible articles are ranked #1 above those which are obviously better.

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       Uninvited Writerposted 14 years agoin reply to this

       Glad to hear someone else say that. I have seen such crap win contests...and it's not just sour grapes because I haven't won one

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          Randy Godwinposted 14 years agoin reply to this

          The contests are gamed by those in the know UW.  One has to leapfrog the articles which are ranked low at the very last minute so they will rise to the 50% level or higher.  The winners have nothing to do with being the best written article.  Stewards have the ability to rate in any channel, unlike ordinary members.  A steward can rate articles competing with theirs and rate them down.  They can do this over and over therefore making the results unfair.
          
          The steward's ability to rate in any channel also allows them to reject the leaps of the common members attempting to better their ranking.  It only takes three rejection votes to kill the leap.  Is it any surprise the same people win often?

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