Any Suite 101 writers out there?

[stldenise]

Hey guys! I just got approved to write for Suite 101 and I've got a question. Not sure if anyone would even know, but I thought I'd try.

I typed up my first article. Polished it. Tweaked it. Hit send to editor (per instructions)...and it vanished. The log in screen showed up.

Do you think it's sitting in an editor's email box, or did I just send it to the void? I can't find any trace of the article on my home page. Ugh!!

Now I've got a headache. At least I saved the body of the article in Word. I'll just have to remember my opening if I have to rewrite it.

[blueobsidian]

If it isn't listed on your "My Articles" tab on the "My Suite" page, I think the internet may have eaten it. As I recall, I could still access my first article while I was waiting for the editor to approve it.

[lostwanderer5]

Hi! Welcome to Suite. I am fairly new there myself.

I would think it did vanish if your log in screen popped up. Usually, when I submit my articles, I go back to "my suite" screen.

If your article was submitted, your screen should say waiting Editor's approval. If that's the not the case then it's not there.

[stldenise]

Argh!:Headbang:

At least I've got the long part saved. Why do they make you put it in so many little boxes?

Guess I'll go try it again before (knock on wood) the April 1st virus takes down my computer.

~Denise

[zoomusic]

I understand the frustration...it's never happened to me at Suite, but it's happened to me in enough places that I just go ahead and write the whole article--title, greenbox stuff, and all--in a Word doc, then cut and paste.

Sorry this happened to you...

[jenngreenleaf]

I've been writing for Suite101.com since 1999, and have experienced my share of frustrations with this, that, and the other thing over the years. Trust me, it gets easier. :) I've found that typing directly into the boxes is a good way to lose things, so I save every word before sending anything in. Otherwise, headaches...frustration...and all that will be on the horizon. My biggest issue has been with posting pictures, and this has been the case for a LONG time . . . I hope that is resolved someday.

[stldenise]

I pieced my article back together this morning. Had to write a fresh opening paragraph, but that's not such a bad thing. My brain is working a little slow with this cold...Now I'll just wait and let an editor tear it to pieces!

I wasn't feeling very inspired with this first one, but wanted to make a nice impression, so I reworked a piece I wrote that appeared in the Post-Dispatch. I hope I changed it enough!

[stldenise]

http://primaryschool.suite101.com/article.cfm/fingerprint_id_for_student_accounts

Ta Da!

The editor who worked me over...uh, worked on my article, asked that my keywords come from the title, subtitle and bold title what ever those are in the text. Is that normal at Suite?

[blueobsidian]

It's good SEO practice in general to make sure that your best keywords are in those areas, and Suite definitely stresses it. Have you read all the handbook information? It's super helpful while getting the hang of house style.

[Thrillride]

No worries - if you go over the House Style pages you really get the picture...plus after a while it's second nature! In fact, I have to fight the impulse to write like that everywhere!

[stldenise]

How about summary paragraphs at the end? And saying that an interview was on the phone and at such and such date? Are those common across Suite? My first article was in Education, but I'm thinking most of my others will be in parenting.

I haven't summed up an article since I wrote for school. I tend to write inverted pyramid...newspaper style.

I'll go read the manual again...I was kinda excited the first time so I skipped around a bit.

[Thrillride]

How about summary paragraphs at the end? And saying that an interview was on the phone and at such and such date? Are those common across Suite? My first article was in Education, but I'm thinking most of my others will be in parenting.

I haven't summed up an article since I wrote for school. I tend to write inverted pyramid...newspaper style.

I'll go read the manual again...I was kinda excited the first time so I skipped around a bit.

I don't do a lot of interviews, but I haven't seen anyone mention a time and a date for when they actually did the interviews.

The end summaries aren't hard. They just don't want the article to end abruptly. So, say I'm doing a how to make a container water garden...

so, I can talk about how cool it is to have one, etc...easy to do, etc...enhances the yard, etc...what you'll need. to do it, etc...how to do it...watch out for this, etc...where you might find cool pants ..blah blah...
then I can sum it up by saying something like:

Container water gardens add beauty, movement, and dimension; a welcome addition to any garden or yard.

Or something like that. Simple, but it ties up the end.

[stldenise]

I haven't interviewed anyone yet for a strictly web writing piece, but for that first article I pulled out something I did for the newspaper and re-slanted it for a national audience. I paraphrased a quote I used for the paper.

Maybe she wanted me to state plainly that this was an actually interview that I did, and not just some random quote I stole from another source.

[Thrillride]

I haven't interviewed anyone yet for a strictly web writing piece, but for that first article I pulled out something I did for the newspaper and re-slanted it for a national audience. I paraphrased a quote I used for the paper.

Maybe she wanted me to state plainly that this was an actually interview that I did, and not just some random quote I stole from another source.

True. Also, if you do take a quote from somewhere else (I have) say where it came from and quote it exactly. "Bob Williams states in his current book review on his website...blalabla.."

[Scrawler]

The first article usually goes through an approval process before it shows as posted. Subsequent articles will be posted as-is, with feedback (changes required) from the section editor following within the week. If you don't hear back on your first article within a few days, contact them. Sometimes things get stuck.

I suggest you write your articles in MS Word (or whatever) then cut/paste it to Suite when you're done.

The rigamarole about the keywords, subtitles, etc. can be annoying but once you get the hang of it, your articles we be posted without any issues.

The summary paragraphs at the end of mine are generally about 50 words to wrap it up.

I'm assuming you used quotes when you included your interview? What I typically do is say, for example, Ryan Derousseau of FORTUNE Small Business says, “You want to show a personal touch when contacting prospects for your company" and I have linked that to the article.

Have fun with it.

[Thrillride]

The first article usually goes through an approval process before it shows as posted. Subsequent articles will be posted as-is, with feedback (changes required) from the section editor following within the week. If you don't hear back on your first article within a few days, contact them. Sometimes things get stuck.

I suggest you write your articles in MS Word (or whatever) then cut/paste it to Suite when you're done.

The rigamarole about the keywords, subtitles, etc. can be annoying but once you get the hang of it, your articles we be posted without any issues.

The summary paragraphs at the end of mine are generally about 50 words to wrap it up.

I'm assuming you used quotes when you included your interview? What I typically do is say, for example, Ryan Derousseau of FORTUNE Small Business says, “You want to show a personal touch when contacting prospects for your company" and I have linked that to the article.

Have fun with it.

What Scrawler said - and don't forget to take it from Word and paste it into Notepad first before you move it to Suite's tools...learned that the hard way.:D

[Skyraven]

Is the pay worth it to be on Suite 101? I've wondered that for awhile.

[stldenise]

No idea on pay yet. (My first & only post has 18 hits and 38 cents, posted 7 days ago.) I've put Suite on the back burner since I've got other things that need attention right now. Like my freakin' taxes. And a Cub Scout craft I'm doing at 4:30 today that I haven't prepped for...

On that quote - it gave me trouble because the quote was from someone I interviewed myself. She wanted me to state that it was a phone interview from such and such date. I was re-slanting an article I did for the Post, and it seemed stupid to quote myself from the paper. It worked out ok:
http://primaryschool.suite101.com/article.cfm/fingerprint_id_for_student_accounts

[Laurie PK]

I've been writing for Suite for 2.5 years now, and I love it. I can't share exactly how much I earn per month, but it's several hundred dollars (not too close to $1,000 per month yet! But that's my goal). I write one article a week, and it usually takes less than an hour.

Here's my Top 10 Reasons to Write for Suite101 article -- at the end is a bunch of comments from Suite writers, sharing their thoughts. http://theadventurouswriter.com/blogwriting/quipsandtipsfreelancing/86

[stldenise]

Oooo, that's encouraging! Laurie, about how many articles do you think you have? 100+ I'm guessing - if you write one a week?

Edit:
Had to add that I just read your Top 10 Reasons to write for Suite 101... and this quote needs to be on a t-shirt:
As a full-time freelance writer, sometimes I have to write about things that make me want to drink gin straight out of the cat dish. ~Anne Lamott

[Laurie PK]

Glad you liked the Anne Lamott quote - she's great! (she didn't actually say that about freelance writing, but she did say the gin thing, and I melded the two in the article).

I have over 400 articles posted on Suite.......when I first started, I was writing 2-3 per week. Now I go back and tweak the older ones to make them better. Humbling! And amazing, to see you own old, bad writing and be able to fix it :-)

[ishtar'sgate]

Over 400! Wow. I'm pretty new and only have 12. Although the money isn't great yet, it's fun to check page views and watch my little nest egg grow.

[GAM]

Does anyone have any information on Suite 101? Their website says it's an "on-line writers network" for freelance writers.

[blueobsidian]

Check one forum down (in the SEO/Content Network section). Many of us are writers for Suite.

[Laurie PK]

I love writing for Suite; been doing it for 2.5 years! Wrote an article called Top 10 Reasons to Write for Suite101 (http://theadventurouswriter.com/blogwriting/quipsandtipsfreelancing/86). If you have any questions, fire away :-)

[GAM]

Appreciate the response. I may have questions later. THANKS.

[Wendy J]

I just started this week at Suite101. I only have one article posted so far.

Sorry I can't be more help!

[Amelia23]

I do not have much to show for published articles. How can I make my application be one they accept? I tried, but my application was denied. Any help will be greatly appreciated.

Amelia

[ishtar'sgate]

I do not have much to show for published articles. How can I make my application be one they accept? I tried, but my application was denied. Any help will be greatly appreciated.

Amelia
I enjoy writing for Suite 101 but there's no formula for acceptance. Write an interesting article in the 3rd person and carefully check your grammar and spelling. Good luck.

[blueobsidian]

I do not have much to show for published articles. How can I make my application be one they accept? I tried, but my application was denied. Any help will be greatly appreciated.

Amelia

Do you have other personal experience and education that you can use? Suite doesn't just like writers -- they want experts. Even though I write in a variety of subjects for them, my application focused on food and baking because I went to culinary school and worked as a pastry chef. Tie your writing samples to an area of expertise that you have in your life to show them that you have a knowledge base to draw from.

[Amelia23]

Just wanted to say thank you for the help and suggestions. Perhaps I will try it again after some careful thought and writing.

Amelia23

[MrsHannigan]

I have 113 articles up and in April I brought in over $500- Suite101 is awesome.

From what I hear, they reject a lot of apps in parenting and in home/garden because they get a lot- so the only advice I'd have would be to apply in a section that doesn't have a lot of writers.

How to divine that information- I have no clue:)

[GAM]

Taking you up on your offer to answer questions. Since we're in virtual lock down here in Mexico this week, I've had time to look through Suite 101 (by the way, like your articles). But I'm not understanding how the writer gets paid. THANKS!

[blueobsidian]

There are two ways that adshare websites pay out. Some pay based on page views. Others, like Suite101, pay a percentage of the money they earn by people clicking on ads. So if I write an ad about a television show, I want to make sure that the keywords help Google place articles about that show. If a reader clicks one, Google pays part of the revenue to Suite and Suite pays me.

If you take a look at Google Adsense, you can get a sense of how it works. That is the ad provider that Suite uses.

[Uncarved]

I love writing for suite 101 because I can write in my feature writer category which is a passion (online and video games) plus I can still write in health which I like to do every so often. There are times when I just research some SEO keywords and write on those so that my daily pay increases a bit. (There aren't many that will click an ad after reading a game walkthrough;) )

[blueobsidian]

I love writing for suite 101 because I can write in my feature writer category which is a passion (online and video games) plus I can still write in health which I like to do every so often. There are times when I just research some SEO keywords and write on those so that my daily pay increases a bit. (There aren't many that will click an ad after reading a game walkthrough;) )

That's one of my favorite things too. My problem has always been that I am interested in EVERYTHING. I want to see everything, do everything, and learn everything. I think that is what draws me to writing, and especially to Suite101. I have a category I enjoy but I can spread my wings and indulge my interests.

Actually, I have a few ideas that I've been meaning to write for your category, Tina :)

[Uncarved]

well we'd be happy to have you. Right now its really hot it seems for the "games for moms" and things like that. I can't do that, I've never been able to put myself into that mindset. I tend to prefer more "male" liked games than female. Hence I've never attempted those articles;) I read your category daily, its such a fun one!

[blueobsidian]

Well, I'm a "games for moms" kind of person (though I'm not a mom myself). I introduced my mom to the Wii after I got one for myself. It's the first system that she has really played.

My category came out of the blue. I really wanted one of the food sections, but they were all taken by people who were unlikely to go anywhere. So I started thinking about all my other interests and guilty pleasures :)

[GAM]

there's a lot of really helpful information here...thank much to all of you!

[Amelia23]

I have yet to have my first article accepted by Suite 101. The editor keeps sending me changes. The first time she sent my article back, she said the problem was, she did not like lists. So I changed them into informative paragraphs. Then she sent it back saying that I could have kept some of the lists, but I needed subheadings, and she also wanted my sources. (where I got the information.) So added subheadings and my sources and she sent it back again saying she did not like my sources. This one site sold vitamins, but that was completely on a separate page and was not the link I submitted. Is anyone else having this problem or is it just me?

Amelia23

[blueobsidian]

I get flags every once in a while but I haven't noticed anything change lately. Have you read through all the learning modules? I'm guessing "The Elements of an Article" would be the most helpful place for you to start. Suite has a very specific house style. You do have to include things like subheadings, and while they like bulleted lists, there needs to be more to an article.

I would check out the modules and a few Editor's Choice articles (you can see the most recent ones on the front page). While each editor is a little different, the main style points tend to be enforced across the board.

[Amelia23]

Thank you Kim, I will re-read the the Elements of an Article again plus Editors Choice Articles.. I am just wondering why she didn't tell me all this the first time around. Oh well, guess I will learn. I hope, I hope.

Amelia23

[blueobsidian]

You will. Plus, sometimes some of the flags can make you scratch your head. Some editors will let things slide while others enforce them. Or, she may have just forgotten to say something. The editors aren't paid all that much and have to go through every article in their section(s). Sometimes, it seems that they are just overworked. Which editor is your first article with?

[Amelia23]

Barbara Bell is my editor. I used a nutrition/health site, and they do not sell their vitamins or anything on the page I gave as a link. She told me that those kinds of sites only sell to gullible people. One site didn't sell anything it was for information on MSG, (As I had heard about this years ago, but she didn't want personal knowledge. Also on her computer, my title had periods in it. There is none on mine. I did not put any in as i know you don't do that to a title. I realize this sounds like an teed-off letter, and I realize that she may have her share of problems, and it is the weekend, Memorial Day weekend, at that. It has not been the happiest for me as my father passed away last year.

[Thrillride]

Barbara Bell is my editor. I used a nutrition/health site, and they do not sell their vitamins or anything on the page I gave as a link. She told me that those kids of sites only sell to gullible people. One site didn't sell anything it was for information on MSG, (As I had heard about this years ago, but she didn't want personal knowledge. Also on her computer, my title had periods in it. There is none on mine. I did not put any in as i know you don't do that to a title. I realize this sounds like an teed-off letter, and I realize that she may have her share of problems, and it is the weekend, Memorial Day weekend, at that. It has not been the happiest for me as my father passed away last year.

No, no ...hang in there...Barbara is good - she wants to make you good. Trust me. Emailing you.

[Amelia23]

Thank you Thrill. I just sent you a pm. By the way, I see you write for SF examiner. My SF is Sioux Falls as we live about 3 hours away. I did try for that but they emailed me saying that although they appreciate my knowledge, experience and enthusiasm for writing they were not able to bring me onboard as an Examiner at this time. Oh well, I decided to keep writing, and try again later.

Right now I have book edits to do, but will probably wait until tomorrow when I can think straight.

In reading some of your articles, they are really quite good! Years ago, I used to work at a greenhouse, but it went bankrupt. Wish I were as knowledgeable as you.

[Uncarved]

Thank you Thrill. I just sent you a pm. By the way, I see you write for SF examiner. My SF is Sioux Falls as we live about 3 hours away. I did try for that but they emailed me saying that although they appreciate my knowledge, experience and enthusiasm for writing they were not able to bring me onboard as an Examiner at this time. Oh well, I decided to keep writing, and try again later.

Right now I have book edits to do, but will probably wait until tomorrow when I can think straight.

In reading some of your articles, they are really quite good! Years ago, I used to work at a greenhouse, but it went bankrupt. Wish I were as knowledgeable as you.


In my humble opinion Amelia, tis better looking to be accepted by Suite than Examiner at the moment;) if Suite took you, don't be frustrated on the first article, we all had trouble. Read through the learning manuals, get used to seeing a few flags til you have house style nailed, and then look back in a month or two and see how far you've come. Barbara loves molding great writers, you'll be fine.

[Amelia23]

Tina, I love your opinion, humble or otherwise. I changed my topic, and have what I hope are better sources. I guess I don't understand all the housr rules, but will learn them as I go along. I do have one question though. How do they want the title. I tried to do it as instructed, but apparently something is still wrong. Would one of you please tell me?

Amelia23

[Uncarved]

titles should be very cut and dry, don't be catchy. If its a biography of samuel morse, title it "Samuel morse biography" or Biography of Samuel Morse" then the subtitle should be more of your keywords. Try to work all your keywords into the title, subtitle, and the intro so that you get highest placement. If you email me the article I can give you some hints and advice on getting it through the system and you'll see how its done easier. I'm at tinasam69 at hotmail dot com.

[Amelia23]

Hi Tina,
I sent you my article. Tell me if I am close to the mark or way off. Thanks a million!
Amelia23

[Health_Geek]

Amelia, I had my first article sent back to me twice, too :) I just wasn't getting what Barbara said about the subheadings, until she was kind enough to send my article back formatted the way it should have been. There is a learning curve, but it'll make you a great writer! Best wishes to you.

I have a question about sourcing, which I haven't been able to find in the S101 Handbook, or in the forum posts. Or at least it wasn't explained in a way that my anal-retentive brain needs to understand it (which is completely on me!) ;) Many of my articles are coming from research papers I did in school, because between my major in public health and my minor in writing, I have a LOT of relevant things I can use for my topics. They are all sourced from journals, most of which you have to subscribe to (for hundreds of dollars a year!) for access to the article. I have all of the sources in APA format, but unfortunately I won't be able to link directly to the source. Should I work the source into the text (Dr. SmartyPants of the University of Colorado found in her study of blue mice that...) and then cite the actual article at the bottom like a works cited?

Thanks in advance!

[Amelia23]

I am having trouble with citing my sources the right way. I have a link that is the title of the site and if you click on it, it takes you to that website. I copied it from my bookmarks tab. Am I supposed to do it another way? Like put http:// or what?
Anyway, she was happier with this article than the other one, so I must be improving. Thank goodness. (sigh of relief) And thanks to all of you for helping and giving me such wonderful advice. You all are great!!!
My editor highlighted things in yellow and blue and told me what they mean. I did use you, we, our and discovered that was a no-no.

Amelia23

[Thrillride]

I am having trouble with citing my sources the right way. I have a link that is the title of the site and if you click on it, it takes you to that website. I copied it from my bookmarks tab. Am I supposed to do it another way? Like put http:// or what?
Anyway, she was happier with this article than the other one, so I must be improving. Thank goodness. (sigh of relief) And thanks to all of you for helping and giving me such wonderful advice. You all are great!!!
My editor highlighted things in yellow and blue and told me what they mean. I did use you, we, our and discovered that was a no-no.

Amelia23

No, you have it right if you can't see the "http://...". The way you did it is called organically embedding it into the words - in this case the name of the site.

[Amelia23]

Thank you Thrill for answering. But I have one other question. My article went live today, and when I checked out the site, it didn't show the links as being links. In fact, it looked just like normal text. (no underlining, no change of cursor, no different color, ect.) Is it just that way on my computer? I would assume that if none showed up in the article, my editor would have flagged me again.

Amelia23

[Thrillride]

Thank you Thrill for answering. But I have one other question. My article went live today, and when I checked out the site, it didn't show the links as being links. In fact, it looked just like normal text. (no underlining, no change of cursor, no different color, ect.) Is it just that way on my computer? I would assume that if none showed up in the article, my editor would have flagged me again.

Amelia23

No, you should be able to see those links on the page. they didn't take somehow. The editor may not have flagged it because either #1 she doesn't know you want those linked. Or #2 - (in the case where they're links to a source) she didn't look at it live and has no idea.

Go back in and try linking them again. Also - seriously use the forums over there - an education like crazy!!

[Amelia23]

They must have been actual links because someone emailed me and said they enjoyed the link information. The only thing they wonder about it, the URL states the 12 most dangerous food additives (that was the title of my first article I was trying to submit, only with all the rewrites, I decided to change it to an article about stress and food. Everyone tells me that I must have sent the wrong link because instead of the food additives, they get stress and food.

I email them and tell them it was the URL my editor assigned. I didn't know what to do about it. Has that ever happened to any of you?

[Uncarved]

if you go back and edit an article, it will still have the same URL as the title of the article that it was to begin with. Titles can be changed but the URL of the link will remain the same. I've run into that once or twice. I even have one with a water gardens. suite 101 URL that has it officially in a different category (the water gardens submission was an oops and wasn't suppose to be that)

[Norman D Gutter]

I just applied.

Now waiting, waiting...

[Enna]

Hi all!

After reading through this thread, I applied to Suite101 and was accepted! I noticed a few of you mentioned the money can become steady and decent after awhile, and I'm ready to buckle down and give it a shot. I noticed they don't have a feature writer for world music, and I really want to go for it once I have enough articles built up (and hopefully an editor's approval!)

Right now, I haven't signed my contract because the page says "something is amiss", and they're working on fixing it. Can't wait to get started though!

So thanks, everyone, for the help on this board! Once again, AW to the rescue! :)

[Norman D Gutter]

Approved. E-mail was waiting for me this morning. Short wait.

[Thrillride]

Congrats, Enna and Norman!

Enna as far as going for a FW...I can tell you that want to see you put up quite a few articles up first and since you'd like to go for the World Music spot - keep these first articles in that section so they see your heavy interest and expertise.

Hint: When you're in the template writing the article you'll see three drop-down boxes so you can place the article into the right categories. The first box, you'd click on "Music"..the second "World Music" and the third box you'd click one of 5 sections inside World Music.

The sections are:

World Music (general)
Latin Music
Calypso Music
Indigenous Music
Reggae/Dub MusicGenerally speaking, editors want several articles in each subcategory of a topic before they'll promote you to FW status. So, I'd focus on that. I don't know how many this particular editor of this area wants to see...but it's all pretty similar.

Good Luck!

[Norman D Gutter]

Right now, I haven't signed my contract because the page says "something is amiss", and they're working on fixing it.
Enna:

That's what resulted in the link in the e-mail I received ("Something is amiss."), and it still says that. Have you been able to get your link to work? This seems a long time for them to have been trying to fix it, and I wonder if there was a glitch in their acceptance e-mails that went out today and they actually don't know about it.

NDG

[Enna]

Thrillride: THANKS for the advice! I'll definitely focus on putting out a bunch of good articles in those sections before I mention being an FW.

Norman: I just tried again, and still no luck. You're right, this is a long time. The email says no reply, and I can't seem to find a contact address anywhere on the site. Does anyone have any suggestions?

Update: It's been 24 hours, and no change. I can't find any contact info for Suite101 to let them know about the problem. I want to start writing! :(

[Norman D Gutter]

Enna:

Mine is still the same too. When I click on the link to go to the contract, the page that comes up says: "Something is amiss. Suite101 technical staff are on the case and will rectify this shortly. Thanks for your patience." And you can't reply to the e-mail, and I can't find any contact information at the Suite101 website.

Those of you who are already Suite101 writers, do you have an e-mail or a link for getting in contact with their IT staff? I really don't believe their IT staff even know about this.

Thanks,
NDG

[blueobsidian]

I would send the email to the help desk: help@suite101.com

[Thrillride]

I would send the email to the help desk: help@suite101.com

Yup - do it this AM. I know that Suite was having issues the day before yesterday...but it's cleared up for us now. So, email them ASAP.

[Enna]

On my way....THANK YOU!!!!

[Norman D Gutter]

Thanks BlueO and Thrillr. Don't know why I didn't think about simply trying "help" with the site address. That probably works on almost all sites.

NDG

[Crystal Lewis]

I write for Suite101, and I really enjoy it. I love the tracking tools on the "My Suite" page, and I appreciate the ability to write about whatever I'd like...

I don't get flagged as much as I used to. I think it's because I've gotten used to the house style. If you're not writing for Suite, give it a shot. It's great. I prefer it over eHow.

[Norman D Gutter]

Well, they fixed the link. I'm in.

The first thing I'll have to do is figure out how to correct my profile. Right after I hit send and before the page changed I saw an embarrasing typo.

[LindaH]

Hi Everyone!

I have been lurking for a couple of weeks, but no longer. I just got accepted to Suite 101 this morning, and am excited to participate in this and other discussions.

I did manage to upload my profile pic; now my next task is to read those newbie tutorials.

Any other "must-do" tips before I submit my first article? :)

Linda

[LindaH]

Oh, forgot to ask another question!

How do you promote your Suite articles? Are all of you on Facebook, Twitter, etc.? Or do you leave it up to the SEO to bring readers to you?

I have resisted joining any social networks for a couple of reasons: 1) I am very crunched for time, and 2) I tend to be obsessive/compulsive about things and can see myself getting addicted to them, thereby spending more time promoting than writing.

For those of you who do join these sites to promote your articles, how much time do you invest there?

Linda

[Thrillride]

Oh, forgot to ask another question!

How do you promote your Suite articles? Are all of you on Facebook, Twitter, etc.? Or do you leave it up to the SEO to bring readers to you?

I have resisted joining any social networks for a couple of reasons: 1) I am very crunched for time, and 2) I tend to be obsessive/compulsive about things and can see myself getting addicted to them, thereby spending more time promoting than writing.

For those of you who do join these sites to promote your articles, how much time do you invest there?

Linda

LOL...unfortunately, I do FB and Twitter and occasionally Digg, Stumble or Reddit. Social Networking WORKS..all there is to it. I just allow myself a certain amount of time to play with my Tweeples and I'm gone.

The search engines do a great job and you don't have to do that...but if you're trying to ptomote your writing - nothing like social networking.

[Thrillride]

Well, they fixed the link. I'm in.

The first thing I'll have to do is figure out how to correct my profile. Right after I hit send and before the page changed I saw an embarrasing typo.

In case you didn't find it...in "My Suite" up on the right - you should see your pic. Right up there it says "edit profile". You can also do it from the left die of the screen.

[Enna]

Whew! Well, I just finished going through all the newbie materials Suite101 provides. So interesting! I knew a little about SEO before, but that was really helpful.

Thanks to everyone for the help and support! :)

[LindaH]

LOL...unfortunately, I do FB and Twitter and occasionally Digg, Stumble or Reddit. Social Networking WORKS..all there is to it. I just allow myself a certain amount of time to play with my Tweeples and I'm gone.

The search engines do a great job and you don't have to do that...but if you're trying to ptomote your writing - nothing like social networking.

Thanks, Thrill. So how much time do you spend networking on these sites?

Also, does anyone know if you can edit an article after the fact? I'm working on my first article and am planning to write related articles. Can I go back to the original article and embed a link where appropriate? Or are all articles unchangeable once live?

[Enna]

I think the rule is you can edit up to 50% for a few weeks, then you can't anymore. The reason is so that when readers bookmark something the facts haven't suddenly changed on them.

(Did I get that right?)

[Thrillride]

Thanks, Thrill. So how much time do you spend networking on these sites?

Also, does anyone know if you can edit an article after the fact? I'm working on my first article and am planning to write related articles. Can I go back to the original article and embed a link where appropriate? Or are all articles unchangeable once live?

I don't have a true time frame, but I only take a peek first thing in the morning to see if someone was asking me something (Twitter) and then when I take a break from writing or when I'm done with an article I'll mess around for 15 minutes or so.

I've learned not to live there - but I've also learned how valuable it is, sooo *shrug*

As far as going back and changing stuff...I dunno what the limit is exactly - Enna could be right. But i know I go back and tweak it all the time. Not a lot but links and such...seems to do fine.

[Thrillride]

I think the rule is you can edit up to 50% for a few weeks, then you can't anymore. The reason is so that when readers bookmark something the facts haven't suddenly changed on them.

(Did I get that right?)

I seem to be able to go back to articles I wrote months ago and add links and a sentence or whatever. So, I'm not sure what the exact answer is on this.

[LindaH]

Thanks! I just found the answer: you are allowed to amend 50% of content within the first 30 days; after 30 days you can only edit 10%.

[Thrillride]

Thanks! I just found the answer: you are allowed to amend 50% of content within the first 30 days; after 30 days you can only edit 10%.

Cool! That's really all you need to work with anyway.

[Enna]

YAY!!! My first Suite101 article (http://worldmusic.suite101.com/article.cfm/the_history_of_samba_reggae_in_salvador) was published unflagged!!!!

I'm ready to write up another one! :)

[Amelia23]

Hi Enna,

Isn't that a happy feeling to get you first article up without being flagged. I'll celebrate with you. Keep writing.
Amelia 23

[Norman D Gutter]

Enna:

Mine (http://civil-engineering.suite101.com/article.cfm/flood_insurance_is_available_through_the_nfip) was flagged, but only to break up paragraphs and make two items a numbered list.

[jerseykat]

Does anyone not like writing for suite? Sometimes I just find it so frustrating compared to other sites I'm on.

[Enna]

Amelia: Thanks!

Norman: Congrats! :)

Jerseykat: What is frustrating you? I've only been writing for them for a few days. I have three articles up and have made $.03- but I'm not worried about that yet. Is it the money you find frustrating, or something else?

[Norman D Gutter]

jerseykat:

I'd also like to know what frustrates you about suite101.com. And what is it about other sites you find better?

I'm new to this content writer thingy, and want to do as much research as I can.

[stldenise]

I'm such an idiot. After trying so VERY hard to get on Suite (I was rejected the first time because my writing samples were too local) I didn't bother posting any content. My first 3 month contract is up on Monday and I need to post 5 more articles. I brainstormed a few last night, so I should be able to post them today. Arg!

Does anyone else have trouble switching between writing styles for different sites? I think I had such a writer's block for Suite that I couldn't warm up to it. Most of the stuff I write is local! Last night I just figured out I COULD write about my town as a travel item.

Right now I'm going to throw together 5 more posts on whatever's handy, then I'll come back and start focusing on one topic. It would be interesting if I could work up to a featured writer status.

[Thrillride]

I certainly have to put on different hats depending on where I write. Suite is more strict, but you have to know they also have standards. Standards that places like Examiner simply don't have - it's a fact. I write for Examiner too, so I can say that. There's some gawd-awful writing on Examiner. That's just one example.

Aside from the style (3rd person, authoritative), Suite will teach you how to write for the internet. Period. High standards, excellent guidance and a forum to die for - that's where you'll learn to get it right. So, if you're struggling (other than the switching styles thing) consider that you may be learning which is cause for celebration.

Denise...Take local things like maybe you do an article on your city's farmers market somewhere else (Examiner?). Then use some of those bones to write an article for Suite, "Top Ten Reasons to Buy Produce From Farmer's Markets". See? It's not the same article at all, but it's in the same research area. Also Google the article for Suite first so if someone just did that one, you don't step on toes. Just do a Google search with the title and "Suite 101" - the internal search tool sux.

[stldenise]

Oooo, I didn't think about checking out previous Suite stuff from others. Do they get fussy if you cover a similar topic?

I think I found two Examiner posts that will translate well. And I just did one on summer reading that I'm going redo for Examiner and link back. I think writing for the two sites can go hand in hand.

What I've found, since I needed to crank out several Suite articles this week, is it's just easier to stick to Suite's tone and style for Examiner. Like you said, they expect more quality. AND Examiner doesn't want first person anymore, so I should just toss my bloggy style right out the window. I don't need it for any of my writing anymore.

[stldenise]

Forgot what I came over here for! I got an editor's note on a recent Suite post giving me a big green check mark. Some sort of quality award. Cool, huh? Are those hard to come by, or should we be getting them all the time?

[Enna]

That's an editors choice award! Very cool, stldenise! I don't know how hard they are to come by, but that's great! :)

[stldenise]

Ouch! I shouldn't have bragged on the big check mark. I got two reviews back and I was slaughtered over grammar issues. Apparently I was writing in 2nd person, not third. (I didn't even know there was a 2nd person style. Crap!) I guess I need my mom (the 4th grade teacher) to give me a lesson on pronoun useage.

Interesting. Now I have to go read the article with the editor's award and see what I did differently. That one was on recycling, and I wrote it in my usual news style. The ones that got bloodied were parenting articles, and it looks like you can't say "your child" on Suite.

Back to the books!

OH, and here's something cute. Thrill, you're right about the tough editors. I read a couple articles on summer reading to warm up before writing my own. Both NPR and the Washington Post refered to "studies" and "experts" without listing said studies and experts. It was about how kids forget things they learn over summer, which I though was common knowledge by now. This editor wants me to site the research. Crap! The Washington Post didn't site the research! No fair! (Whine, whine...)

[stldenise]

Oh, I'm full of questions today. Since my writing is so gawd awlful, I think I better go back to typing out my stuff in Word. BUT that doesn't copy well to Suite. Is there a work around? Can I paste it into word pad to remove the gobblity gook?

[Thrillride]

Oh, I'm full of questions today. Since my writing is so gawd awlful, I think I better go back to typing out my stuff in Word. BUT that doesn't copy well to Suite. Is there a work around? Can I paste it into word pad to remove the gobblity gook?


Yes! You'll need to paste it into Notepad - that strip the gobblydegook. *grin*
Congrats on the Editor's Choice Award! As far as citing sources. Each editor is individual in that regard, For instance, I often write profiles on mammals and I don't cite where I obtained my knowledge at all. I research everywhere for it, so I doubt I could do that. It does depend on the topic and the editor.

As far as checking for previous article...well, it's up to the writer's discretion. Here's the thing. You don't want to piss people off there because Suite as the greatest forum anywhere. These are your teachers - and they're worth their weight in gold - you'll see.

So, I do a search on Google like, "Ferrets Suite 101". If an article comes up that's in the recent past say 2008/2009 or whatever and it's the same article I just let it go - someone got there before me, oh well. Sometimes, I'll go at it from a totally different angle. Maybe they wrote a profile on ferrets. I may then write one on ferrets as pets (different article entirely).

If I find an article from say 2006 on Ferrets, I go to it and read. if the info there is thorough and accurate, I usually leave that alone. If it's sorely lacking...I'll go ahead with the article. If you go back to 2000 or 2001 - Suite didn't have great standards back then and the articles are usually crap (sorry, not all of them, but just sayin').

It's so interesting to see the difference between those early articles and the current ones...go hunt some down - you'll be impressed with how far they've come.

[stldenise]

Thanks for the advice!

Do all articles get looked over by editors? I posted a bunch this week and haven't heard back on a few.

[Norman D Gutter]

Oh, I'm full of questions today. Since my writing is so gawd awlful, I think I better go back to typing out my stuff in Word. BUT that doesn't copy well to Suite. Is there a work around? Can I paste it into word pad to remove the gobblity gook?
I type my Suite 101 articles in Word. When I cut and paste, the Suite 101 software asks me if I want to "clean" it before posting. When I say yes, a Suite 101 clipboard comes up. I have to paste it again and click enter (or post, or something), then it goes into the S101 entry window. It seems pretty easy.

Are you going to make your contract amount, Denise?

I've got five articles up, with 33 page views and $0.00 revenue. :cry:

NDG

[blueobsidian]

Do all articles get looked over by editors? I posted a bunch this week and haven't heard back on a few.

They look over all of them, but you won't hear back on all of them. If there isn't anything that needs work you probably won't get any feedback.

[jerseykat]

Amelia: Thanks!

Norman: Congrats! :)

Jerseykat: What is frustrating you? I've only been writing for them for a few days. I have three articles up and have made $.03- but I'm not worried about that yet. Is it the money you find frustrating, or something else?

My frustration has stemmed from several editors that I have had dealings with. Suite101 articles are on the longer side for content sites and take awhile to write for very low income. Now with that said, I have had editors flag articles that were completely grammatically correct and have had the editors wish for me to rewrite parts of the article with wrong information or grammar.

After awhile, it has just begun to drive me insane, the amount of work I've put in and the extra steps I have to take for very little turn around. Some articles though, I will give them this, have made for great portfolio pieces, so I keep with it.

I also write for the examiner which I find to be a bit easier and with a faster turn around. I finally went back to Demand Studios last week to pick up some extra cash and am quite happy there as well.

[stldenise]

YES! I wrote #10 last night. And it got flagged this morning. Oh well. It would seem this editor doesn't like Top Ten lists.

Anybody notice editors using form letters to respond? I've gotten the 3rd rewrite from the same editor and she always says the same thing. Some of it applies, but the rest doesn't. Makes me wonder.

[Health_Geek]

I need to get on the ball, and finish my 10 articles soon! I have two done and need to do eight more in the next 4-5 weeks.

Using StumbleUpon brings me about 250 page views within an hour of posting. It's incredible. Now I will say that does NOT translate to revenue, but I do love to see that people are reading! The article I wrote on stress is my highest performing one by far, both in page views and revenue. I'm working up a few others along that same vein, none of which have very much coverage on the Internet at all, so I'm crossing my fingers they do well!

[Thrillride]

YES! I wrote #10 last night. And it got flagged this morning. Oh well. It would seem this editor doesn't like Top Ten lists.

Anybody notice editors using form letters to respond? I've gotten the 3rd rewrite from the same editor and she always says the same thing. Some of it applies, but the rest doesn't. Makes me wonder.

Denise,

Go to the editor's email link and email her directly. I promise they are real people looking at your stuff. Swear. Tell her that you see where whatever could be corrected, but don't see where the other corrections apply.

[stldenise]

I thought about it, but didn't want to sound snarky. And I tend to sound snarky, so I'm teaching myself to shut up around editors. I'm thinking this editor must see the same problems over and over and just started slapping a form letter together. Her big pet peaves seems to be no one using En Dashes and people writing trite one-liners at the end of an article.

I think I finally got my head wrapped around the style. Part of my problem is that they call that green box thingy a lead paragraph. Once I started thinking of it as a teaser I started doing better. This one editor keeps getting me for not writing a proper lead in, when I was thinking that's what the green box is doing. And the wrap up at the end! I haven't done a wrap up paragraph since school essays. I'm used to the inverted pyramid.

[jerseykat]

Here is a good example of what frustrates me about suite that I did not have for my last post. I submitted an article and it took a week for an editor to flag it. As it was the weekend, I was not chained to my email and since I did not change it asap, it was disabled by the editor. This is what really gets me sometimes. I refuse to write for that section anymore after this one and its a shame because I liked writing for it, despite the editor associated with it.

[Enna]

Well, that's pretty silly. It sat there for a week and the world continued rotating- why'd they take it down so quick?

Sorry, jerseykat!

[Norman D Gutter]

J.K.:

I can see the frustration in that. I suppose the editor was overworked, or maybe off on vacation for a few days. I can understand how it might take them a while to review and flag an article. The problem is with the quick disabling.

But, the good news is you can fix it and get it back up and running.

My frustrating part is I still haven't earned any revenue.

[Enna]

It's okay, Norman. I have 10 articles up and $.08 revenue. But that's normal- I really believe it takes time and quantity to build up to real revenue. I think a big part of the reason people don't make it at Suite and other content sites is impatience- they want money quick.

I just remind myself that while an article I spent almost 2 hours on has only made pennies now, it will still be earning years from now, and I'll be happy I wrote it. :)

[jerseykat]

Right. It's fine that it took a week to be flagged, but then give me time to rewrite it in accordance with your suggestions. I've had a few other disagreements with that section's editor, but this one just got me going when I saw it. I'm still waiting on it to be enabled again.

As for ways to boost your revenue, have you signed on for content pushing sites like digg? I just keep loading my articles in and I also cross link to other sites I write for like examiner. It'll get you more views and more revenue.

[Norman D Gutter]

Never heard of "digg".

Sigh. This seems like a spider web of things to learn.

[jerseykat]

It is a lot and is very time consuming if you want to make real money at it, however I have student loans so that's what keeps me going. www.digg.com. You just create an account and link to your articles that are on suite or examiner, etc. and more people will see it.

[Norman D Gutter]

Hey! I have my first earnings: $0.01. I didn't realize any ad paid only 1 cent per click. Oh, wait, that's my share. Wonder how much Suite 101 got.

[tprevost]

I was just accepted to write with Suite101 and I am loving it!!! I enjoy having so many areas of interest to write for, and am still determining which area I want to stick to. I only have two articles posted, but I'm hoping to increase that as time passes.

[jerseykat]

With all of the drama going on over at demand with the new CE's and the insane rewrites, I was beginning to feel really down on myself. I was submitting my usualy to Suite101 and BAM...it happened.

I actually got editor's pick. (http://artbooks.suite101.com/article.cfm/about_vernon_hyde_minors_art_historys_history) It's just about the coolest thing that's happened to me all week.

[Enna]

Yay, jerseykat! Congrats!!

[jerseykat]

Yay, jerseykat! Congrats!!

Thanks! It was pretty cool, I was sitting here with the dog and this little green mark appeared next to my article. Then like a crazy lady, I started talking to the dog thinking it was something bad, but when I clicked it was a very good thing!! Haha. Made my day.

[Thrillride]

I thought about it, but didn't want to sound snarky. And I tend to sound snarky, so I'm teaching myself to shut up around editors. I'm thinking this editor must see the same problems over and over and just started slapping a form letter together. Her big pet peaves seems to be no one using En Dashes and people writing trite one-liners at the end of an article.

I think I finally got my head wrapped around the style. Part of my problem is that they call that green box thingy a lead paragraph. Once I started thinking of it as a teaser I started doing better. This one editor keeps getting me for not writing a proper lead in, when I was thinking that's what the green box is doing. And the wrap up at the end! I haven't done a wrap up paragraph since school essays. I'm used to the inverted pyramid.

Bear with me here while I see if I might have some answers for you.

For one..the green box is not to be considered a tease - you can't play coy on the internet, although I do it on my personal blog all the the time cuz it's mine.

You want to put keywords in the green box that are pertinent to your topic in a big way. Think of it like this next time. I'm getting into the elevator - you're outside of it. You're quickly yelling to me the description of exactly the article is about before the door close on our faces...that's the little green box.

After the title and subtitle, you have a chance to add more words which are pertinent to your article. Google spiders don't read teases, they read and register words that are pertinent to the story and link them together so when someone is searching for a specific answer, this article will pop up. Now, that isn't to say you can't get clever with the facts.

Here's an example: "Rabies Prevention, Symptoms, and Treatment: Also, the New Human Rabies Vaccination Series"


Here's the green box: "Tips for preventing transmission of the rabies virus, symptoms associated with rabies, and the treatment if a human is bitten by a rabid (or potentially rabid) animal."

No tease here - I give it to you right up front. (BTW, I would not say that this is the BEST example...but it works.) A tease would have been "What happens after rabid dogs and people collide." - or something like that. Now, I will admit I didn't want to give away the answer to the question that everyone wants to know which is, "Does the human treatment for rabies still consist of 21 shots into the abdomen?" I didn't want to give the answer to that upfront, however, I did say that human vaccination series was in there and people would do a Google search that way. Probably, an online writing puritan would have done that differently, but I digress.

Tease-writing works well for magazines and books (in fact, it's paramount) because they're coming in the front door. They've picked up the mag or book and start from the beginning. For places like Suite, most people are finding you through the back door (search engines) and teases just don't get picked up to the article's best advantage. That's when the editors get picky - they're trying to teach you how to write for the web.

I will admit, however, that some editors are much more strict than others. I just want everyone to be aware that after you write 50 or more articles for Suite, you'll be a strong online writer and probably a much stronger writer all together.

I'm hoping that you're taking your questions inside Suite's forums because there are people there who are masters at teaching this stuff...much better than I can explain it.

[stldenise]

Hmm, perhaps "teaser" was a poor choice of words for me. I know you have to make that first line count and get right to the point. :)

I guess what was troubling me was them calling it a lead paragraph, but then expecting a 2nd lead paragraph in the body of the article. It's like, DANG, I already wrote one lead, now I have to write another? Enough already! It was the 2nd lead in the body that I kept screwing up. But I think I'm getting the hang of it.

As soon as my current looming deadline is met, I'll have to get over to the Suite forums and see what's happening.

[Thrillride]

Hmm, perhaps "teaser" was a poor choice of words for me. I know you have to make that first line count and get right to the point. :)



OH, LOLOL! Nevermind.:D
Yes, peruse the forums for sure!

[Norman D Gutter]

I guess what was troubling me was them calling it a lead paragraph, but then expecting a 2nd lead paragraph in the body of the article. It's like, DANG, I already wrote one lead, now I have to write another? Enough already! It was the 2nd lead in the body that I kept screwing up. But I think I'm getting the hang of it.
Yes, that second "lead" paragraph gave me trouble too. I misread or misunderstood the tutorial, and thought after the lead paragraph you were to have a subheading. I wrote my first six or eight articles like that, and most of them were flagged. So I went back to the tutorials and saw that the two paragraphs are described as "lead paragraph" and "introduction". So the introductory paragraph does not have to be a rephrasing of the lead paragraph. It can be the actual start of the article.

I'm up to eleven articles, with 110 page views, and $0.02 earned. Wo-hoo! The good news is Suite 101 is driving a little traffic to my blog, and my blog is driving a little traffic to Suite 101.

NDG

[stldenise]

Here is a good example of what frustrates me about suite that I did not have for my last post. I submitted an article and it took a week for an editor to flag it. As it was the weekend, I was not chained to my email and since I did not change it asap, it was disabled by the editor. This is what really gets me sometimes. I refuse to write for that section anymore after this one and its a shame because I liked writing for it, despite the editor associated with it.

I'm thinking they disable articles just to get your attention. I just got an article disabled after it was up for a good 5 or 6 days because I forgot to fix one of the problems the editor flagged. The editor flagged the article within 6 hours of it being published the first time. I took care of the major problem, which took a big rewrite. (I wrote a top ten, but that means that several items had "paragraphs" less than 50 words. She didn't like that. So I had to group my ten times under three sections to make it work.) But after all that, I forgot to fix the subhead into title case. It was disabled because of a couple capital letters. Ugh.

[jerseykat]

I'm thinking they disable articles just to get your attention. I just got an article disabled after it was up for a good 5 or 6 days because I forgot to fix one of the problems the editor flagged. The editor flagged the article within 6 hours of it being published the first time. I took care of the major problem, which took a big rewrite. (I wrote a top ten, but that means that several items had "paragraphs" less than 50 words. She didn't like that. So I had to group my ten times under three sections to make it work.) But after all that, I forgot to fix the subhead into title case. It was disabled because of a couple capital letters. Ugh.

Quite frustrating! My fixed article sat about a day before it was re-enabled. C'est la vie. I'm just not going to write in that section anymore. The editor in reading and publishing I seem to mesh well with, so that's where I'm sticking.

[LindaH]

Congrats, jerseykat! That's very cool, indeed. :)

[stldenise]

It would appear that I'm doomed. Suite kicked me out for not meeting the contract in time this morning. My 10th article was disabled by an editor because I forgot to correct a small mistake.

I'm hoping that this is a computer generated ban, since the email arrived at 2:30 am. I've written back explaining that the 10th article was written days before the contract was up, but is awaiting editor approval over a capitalization correction.

Wish me luck. I was finally figuring out this editor too. Out of the 10 articles I wrote, one got an Editor's Choice Award, four went through without remark, and all five for this one editor had rewrites.

Has anyone else had an article taken off line? I thought that was saved for serious issues. The form letter I got from her included this bit:
You may also write to your Editor using the text window on this form explaining your rationale for making the changes you did.
That makes it sound like disabling an article is saved for writers who disagree with the editor. I just missed a typo!

[Enna]

Hmm, that's odd. It sounds like a computer thing, not a personal thing. At least I hope so! :(

I'll keep my fingers crossed for ya!

[stldenise]

:hooray:Yippee! Those gals at Suite really are great people. I wrote an email back at the crack of dawn (I'm keeping weird hours lately) stating my case. I cc'd it to the editor who disabled the 10th article.

By 10:30 this morning, the editor has responded back that I forgot to click a button that let her know the changes were made and she hunted down the article for me and released it. She also emailed somebody else to help get me reinstated.

So I'm back! Whew! Now I just have to add Suite to my weekly rotation so I don't cut it that fine again. I was really starting to find my stride with them, and figuring out how I can take ideas and spin them for multiple sites.

[Thrillride]

:hooray:Yippee! Those gals at Suite really are great people. I wrote an email back at the crack of dawn (I'm keeping weird hours lately) stating my case. I cc'd it to the editor who disabled the 10th article.

By 10:30 this morning, the editor has responded back that I forgot to click a button that let her know the changes were made and she hunted down the article for me and released it. She also emailed somebody else to help get me reinstated.

So I'm back! Whew! Now I just have to add Suite to my weekly rotation so I don't cut it that fine again. I was really starting to find my stride with them, and figuring out how I can take ideas and spin them for multiple sites.

Awesome, Denise! They really are good people - just have a lot on their plate.

[Norman D Gutter]

Glad you're still on the team, Denise.

I just posted my 14th article. I've only earned $0.03 so far. This works out to around $0.22 per 1000 page views. Of course, so far I have no images uploaded, no internal links between related articles, and I'm still pretty unfamiliar with this whole SEO thing. Hopefully I'll do better with time. Overall I like the site, I enjoy writing the articles, and I really like that you can go back in and change the articles when needed.

NDG

[Uncarved]

the more images the better. I use to only use one, now I try to find at least three with good SEO keywords that I can label the pics. Also, try to use links to things whenever you can, also a good way to keep pvs coming and to raise the revenue. After I started adding more pics with better topic keywords and adding in the links, the better my revenue got.

I'm very happy with Suite. I make as much with 200 articles and 6 months of writing there in residual income than I do at AC with over 4 yrs and 900 articles.

[stldenise]

I'm having a hard time finding answers on the suite forum, so I'd ask you vets here. When an article is flagged, does it stay flagged forever? I got an email about a flag, and when I went to my Suite page, THREE artlicles were flagged. I just about fell out of my chair, until I noticed that two of the flags are old.

I already corrected those. Do the flags stay around like a Scarlet Letter? Or was my rewrite eaten by the system and I have to resubmit?

[Thrillride]

I'm having a hard time finding answers on the suite forum, so I'd ask you vets here. When an article is flagged, does it stay flagged forever? I got an email about a flag, and when I went to my Suite page, THREE artlicles were flagged. I just about fell out of my chair, until I noticed that two of the flags are old.

I already corrected those. Do the flags stay around like a Scarlet Letter? Or was my rewrite eaten by the system and I have to resubmit?

The Suite forum didn't answer your question? Weird. Anyway, yes the flag usually it stays there, but I did have mine fall off as far as the flag next to the title. Inside the article (in edit view) you can still read what the article was flagged for.

I wouldn't worry. Once you've done a nice amount of articles, it won't be so glaring, LOL.

[Thrillride]

the more images the better. I use to only use one, now I try to find at least three with good SEO keywords that I can label the pics. Also, try to use links to things whenever you can, also a good way to keep pvs coming and to raise the revenue. After I started adding more pics with better topic keywords and adding in the links, the better my revenue got.

I'm very happy with Suite. I make as much with 200 articles and 6 months of writing there in residual income than I do at AC with over 4 yrs and 900 articles.

I'm nodding over here, Tina. Yes, I try for 5 pics everytime. On occasion, I have to do four and in the case of a Honduran White bat that I'm going to be working on soon - I can only find 1, LOL.

[Norman D Gutter]

I posted this on the Suite 101 forums today (the Writer Networking/Off-topic room).

The Suite 101 Blues
One watches in vain, in considerable pain,
for a revenue bump or two.
I'm not havin' much fun on this Suite 101,
and in fact I'm beginning to stew.
They say, "Never mind, for in time you will find
that the money will roll in to you."
Well maybe that's so, but it's sure startin' slow.
Is this only because I'm so new?
Guess my readers won't click on those ads they find sick,
and I don't know what I'm gonna do.
So far I've earned three measly cents--woe is me!
What say you, fellow swabs on this crew?

[stldenise]

The Suite forum didn't answer your question? Weird. Anyway, yes the flag usually it stays there, but I did have mine fall off as far as the flag next to the title. Inside the article (in edit view) you can still read what the article was flagged for.

I wouldn't worry. Once you've done a nice amount of articles, it won't be so glaring, LOL.

I ended up contacting the editor who said it was a computer glitch and not to worry.

[sugarloaf10]

I posted this on the Suite 101 forums today (the Writer Networking/Off-topic room).

The Suite 101 Blues
One watches in vain, in considerable pain,
for a revenue bump or two.
I'm not havin' much fun on this Suite 101,
and in fact I'm beginning to stew.
They say, "Never mind, for in time you will find
that the money will roll in to you."
Well maybe that's so, but it's sure startin' slow.
Is this only because I'm so new?
Guess my readers won't click on those ads they find sick,
and I don't know what I'm gonna do.
So far I've earned three measly cents--woe is me!
What say you, fellow swabs on this crew?

What an awesome poem!

But I totally feel you. I just started with Suite 101 and am wondering if it will actually be worth it. My first article got flagged 3 times and the editor still wasn't impressed with it. She wanted to make it into a different article than it actually was, telling me that 400 words is not enough and that I should really not push it with the word count. What?! For a site that doesn't pay upfront, I'm not sure if the time I've been spending on a single article will be worth it.

What has everyone else's experience been like?

[Norman D Gutter]

sugarloaf:

Revenue has been a little better lately. My payout date (i.e. when I will accumulate my first $10.00 of revenue) has come forward from sometime in the 22nd century to mid-2010. I'm slowly learning SEO and the various SEO tools that have been recommended on the site. Possibly this is helping, although the inability to track revenue to specific articles makes this uncertain.

I haven't had too much trouble with flags. I've got 22 articles up, and I think five of them have been flagged, and none twice. I think flags are very much dependent on who the editor of the category is. Most seem to have generic reports for the reasons for the flag, although mine have always added something specific about the article. All of my articles have been over 600 words, and most push the 800 recommended maximum.

All in all, it is a positive experience. I like being able to chose what I want to write about and to write at my own pace. At this stage the research is minimal and the writing fast. Whether it will be "worth it" or not I don't know yet. Let's talk again in six months for an interim report.

NDG

[sugarloaf10]

I just checked out the Suite 101 forum today and learned something helpful. Apparently, they only go through a tough revision for your first article and the next ones are supposed to be easier. They want to make sure you know the guidelines for style and form first, I assume. Guess I'll keep plowing on!

[Norman D Gutter]

Hey! We've been pretty quiet here lately. How's everyone doing at Suite 101?

Specifically, how are you handling the new requirment that every arrticle must include at least one image? That could potentially double the time to prepare an article, and requires writers to add some minimal skills of layout artist. How do you all feel about it?

NDG

[Uncarved]

I have found that one to five images helps page views and visibility, I'm glad they are requiring it. Makes an article look better than just type on a screen.

They have made a nice NOTICEABLE leap in my earnings since I started to actively include at least one if not more images.

[Norman D Gutter]

Tina:

I hope that turns out to be true in my case. So far my earnings and pave views are too low to tell if the images are doing any good.

But I personally cannot see the benefit of images to the article on the page. The thumbnail image at the top is pretty meaningless. And the ones at the bottom are after all the reading. When I read someone else's article I don't even bother to look at them. They are typically generic photos, apt for the article but not specifically taken for the article. Maybe it is different in the travel section.

So far it is more of a pain in the neck and a waste of time, IMHO. Now, if eventually it means extra earnings commensurate with the amount of time it takes to find, fetch, download, upload, caption, attribute, and add the orignal link to the photos, I'll probably change my mind.

NDG

[Enna]

I'm still loving it! I have 20 articles up, about 2,300 hits, and about $5. I'm not sure how that stacks up, but I think it's a promising start.

[Norman D Gutter]

Enna:

You're way ahead of me. I have 25 articles up, 754 pages views, and $1.15 earned.

ETA: Although, it's not all bad. One of my articles is now an editor's choice.

NDG

[Thrillride]

Tina:

I hope that turns out to be true in my case. So far my earnings and pave views are too low to tell if the images are doing any good.

But I personally cannot see the benefit of imagews to the article on the page. The thumbnail image at the top is pretty meaningless. And the ones at the bottom are after all the reading. When I read someone else's article I don't even bother to look at them. They are typically generic photos, apt for the article but not specifically taken for the article. Maybe it is different in the travel section.

So far it is more of a pain in the neck and a waste of time, IMHO. Now, if eventually it means extra earnings commensurate with the amount of time it takes to find, fetch, download, upload, caption, attribute, and add the orignal link to the photos, I'll probably change my mind.

NDG

The more images the better for one because ideally, you'd add keywords on the images which is good SEO. Also, readers may end up seeking out your work on Suite because most people enjoy images when they read. They may click through all of the stuff of youras on that topic.

I know that I personally prefer to read articles where I can really see what they are talking about.

[stldenise]

Does anybody look at the keywords that brought readers to your article, and use those key words to write more stuff? It looks like my most popular title is 10 Wet Outdoor Summer Games. Hmmmm, maybe I should write more about games to play in the yard!

[Thrillride]

Does anybody look at the keywords that brought readers to your article, and use those key words to write more stuff? It looks like my most popular title is 10 Wet Outdoor Summer Games. Hmmmm, maybe I should write more about games to play in the yard!

Yup! I do this all the time!

[stldenise]

Hey! We've been pretty quiet here lately. How's everyone doing at Suite 101?

Specifically, how are you handling the new requirment that every arrticle must include at least one image? That could potentially double the time to prepare an article, and requires writers to add some minimal skills of layout artist. How do you all feel about it?

NDG

The photo thing doesn't bother me at all...but then I'm used to submitting photos with everything I do. I think photos add a little flair. Of course, the stuff I write about can be easily illustrated with a photo from the backyard or off Flickr's Creative Commons.

I don't like Suite's silly circle for the photos - the photos often look weird because you can't control how it's cropped. But having the thumbnails at the bottom don't bother me. If you have good closeups of your subjects, there's no need to click the photos to look at them. It would be better if Suite let you put the photos up higher in the article, like a normal magazine layout.

[Norman D Gutter]

Denise:

Thanks for the comment. I guess this photo thing depends on how much you consider yourself a photographer. I have barely graduated from film to digital. I have a digital camera, take photos, and can download them to my computer, but that's about it. Figuring out how to print them has been an adventure, not a joy. I've done a little cropping, but can't really figure that whole thing out. And the different file extension names are a mystery. What do they mean, how are they different, why should you chose one over the other? I'll need a week long course in photos to comply with Suite 101.

But, for the American colonial history articles I'm writing, or for the poetry articles, how many photos of Thomas Jefferson or Robert Frost can you attach to an article before it becomes silliness? I suppose for travel articles I can see where multiple photos/images would make sense. But for engineering? How many pictures of a flood does a flood article need?

I do think I figured out Suite's method of cropping for the circular thumbnail. I think it always inserts the photo from the upper left hand corner. So you have to crop the photo from the left and the right and maybe from top and bottom to get it to cernter correctly in the circle.

frustrated,
NDG

ETA: Suite 101's insistance that the writer also be a finder/manipulator of photographs/images is probably a deal-breaker for me. I'm going to take a few days to think it over, but I don't want to deal in photographs. Writing is hard enough without having to spend time researching the other.

[stldenise]

ETA: Suite 101's insistance that the writer also be a finder/manipulator of photographs/images is probably a deal-breaker for me. I'm going to take a few days to think it over, but I don't want to deal in photographs. Writing is hard enough without having to spend time researching the other.

Oh, don't be like that...it's really easy to find at least one decent photo for each post. Go to my favorite site for picking up free photos: Flickr.com

It's a photo sharing site. You want the Creative Commons photos, so do this to find them: www.flickr.com/search/advanced (http://www.flickr.com/search/advanced)

This will take you to the search page. Type in your search, like Thomas Jefferson. Scroll down and click that you want Creative Commons and commercial content. Search.

For Jefferson, I found a couple nice photos of statues, his monument, a couple books and several paintings. Though I'm not sure about the paintings...are those copyright protected? Hmmmm.

Robert Frost turned up a statue, grave stone, a quote of his on a building and a few people who wanted to illustrate the path less taken.

Flood came up with buckets of useful photos.

Ok, here's the cool part about flickr: once you find a good photo (in Creative Commons!) you click it. This will take you to a download area. Click the "all sizes" to the download area. Pick your size, usually small or medium. Click download, rename it, stick it in your hard drive. Then go to the Suite page and upload. No Photoshopping required! The photographer's name is in the right hand corner above the photo on the download page. If the photographer gives a goofy screen name, 8 of 10 times there's a real name if you click and look at his profile.

Easy-peazy.

[Norman D Gutter]

Right, easy-peazy. No more than eight steps, per your description. I'll give it a try.

[Laurie PK]

I get photos for my Suite articles from Stock Exchange -- and have for almost 3 years now! Mostly, it takes less than 5 minutes....though I have taken 10 for some harder-to-find images. I haven't used flickr, but keep hearing how great it is!

[downtherabbithole]

Its kind of difficult for me not using "I" in movie reviews or TV reviews. I do get a little annoyed with how long they take to review and potentially disable articles, but otherwise its okay. Its nice to be able to write about whatever you want to!

[Norman D Gutter]

Anyone besides me having trouble getting in to Suite101? I can get in, and even log in, but whenever I try to go to my suite I get this error message:

An Error of type "fusebox.missingCircuitXML" has occured
missing circuit.xml
The circuit xml file, circuit.xml, for circuit content could not be found in /var/www/suite101/releases/20090730005535/src/admin/content/.

Is it just me? I was fine on my computer at work at about 5:00 PM Central Time, but not okay on my computer at home at 8:30 PM Central Time.

ETA:Never mind; it was a site problem that seems to be fixed now.

[blueobsidian]

Well, I've made a big decision in the last two hours. I just emailed my resignation from my FW position. I'm going to stay with Suite as a CW. If you know anyone who might want the reality TV spot, tell them it will be available soon and to email Cindy!

[Thrillride]

Well, I've made a big decision in the last two hours. I just emailed my resignation from my FW position. I'm going to stay with Suite as a CW. If you know anyone who might want the reality TV spot, tell them it will be available soon and to email Cindy!

I think we know when the time is right for what - as you know, I, too, just resigned as the Mammals FW for Suite (staying as a CW). Personally, I have so many irons in the fire that I'd like to stick to my primary topic which is gardening and plants.
I really enjoyed being a FW and the Mammals section as well - just time to move on.

Have a great time with whatever else you have going on!

[blueobsidian]

Have a great time with whatever else you have going on!

Like moving to Oregon and starting law school. :) School start in three weeks (EEP!) and I have not unpacked all my stuff yet.

Plus, as much as I love my topic, I also found myself getting bored with it and wanting to spread out more. But as my time became more and more limited, I found myself unable to write on anything else that interests me. Sometimes when I feel constrained, I end up not doing anything at all and that just doesn't work!

[Thrillride]

Like moving to Oregon and starting law school. :) School start in three weeks (EEP!) and I have not unpacked all my stuff yet.

Plus, as much as I love my topic, I also found myself getting bored with it and wanting to spread out more. But as my time became more and more limited, I found myself unable to write on anything else that interests me. Sometimes when I feel constrained, I end up not doing anything at all and that just doesn't work!

That's right! Soooo exciting! Yes, i was having the same problem. Because I had a bigger obligation ot mammals as the FW, I didn't find time to write the other stuff I wanted to.

[blueobsidian]

So, I had a complete epiphany today. I was browsing the front page and noticed the Mafia Wars article that's permanantly near the top of the "most popular" list. It occured to me that I play another Facebook game from the same company, which no one on Suite has written about yet. Three articles ended up being banged out while I goofed around and played on Facebook.

Just sending the email resigning my topic seems to have opened my brain up again. I was feeling so stuck lately.

[Uncarved]

So, I had a complete epiphany today. I was browsing the front page and noticed the Mafia Wars article that's permanantly near the top of the "most popular" list. It occured to me that I play another Facebook game from the same company, which no one on Suite has written about yet. Three articles ended up being banged out while I goofed around and played on Facebook.

Just sending the email resigning my topic seems to have opened my brain up again. I was feeling so stuck lately.

I wrote one on Pathwords ages ago, but those Mafia Wars ones seem to be a permanent fixture there;)

[Norman D Gutter]

Wow! I just got my second editor's choice selection (http://american-poetry.suite101.com/article.cfm/the_death_of_the_hired_man_good_blank_verse).

Can millions of dollars be far behind?

[Enna]

Congrats, Norman! Great article.

I got my second recently, too - for a book review (http://teenfiction.suite101.com/article.cfm/review_of_the_forest_of_hands_and_teeth)!

I applied for FW in an area I feel like I'm super qualified for over a month ago. The editor responded quickly and promised to review my application, but mentioned being on vacation for three weeks. I'm getting antsy, but I haven't bugged him yet- I don't want to be pushy.

And I've hit 30 articles! Yay! The millions are coming, Norman...millions and millions of fractions of pennies... ;)

[ishtar'sgate]

Nice going Norman. I had to take a break from Suite as our house burned down and I'm busy dealing with insurance adjusters and rebuilding. Got paid today though anyway. How cool is that?

[Enna]

Well, glad you got paid, but SORRY about the house, ishtar!!! That's horrible! :(

[ishtar'sgate]

Well, glad you got paid, but SORRY about the house, ishtar!!! That's horrible! :(
Thank you Enna. We should be in our new house before Christmas. In the meantime we're living across the driveway in a 5th wheel. Pretty cramped quarters but we're managing and I get to watch the house going up. I'm toying with the idea of doing a group of articles on building your own home as my husband has been permitted to act as primary contractor so we're learning a lot about building, at least in British Columbia.

[Uncarved]

Thank you Enna. We should be in our new house before Christmas. In the meantime we're living across the driveway in a 5th wheel. Pretty cramped quarters but we're managing and I get to watch the house going up. I'm toying with the idea of doing a group of articles on building your own home as my husband has been permitted to act as primary contractor so we're learning a lot about building, at least in British Columbia.

And batches of articles on surviving a house fire, what to do after a house fire, etc. etc. etc.

[Enna]

When life hands you lemons.... ;)

[ishtar'sgate]

And batches of articles on surviving a house fire, what to do after a house fire, etc. etc. etc.
:DI wrote an article immediately after the fire on what to do when your house burns down.
I don't really want to look backward at that any longer so I'm focusing on the rebuilding process and will write a group of articles on being your own primary contractor. Kind of 'home construction for dummies'.
Lemonade it is Enna!

[Enna]

NICE! Way to go, and good luck with the rebuilding!

[ishtar'sgate]

Thanks Enna.
Anyone else motivated by the person who managed to earn just under $5,000 in July writing for S101? Don't know who it was or how many articles they've written but what a nice payday.:)

[sleepsheep]

Hi Everyone -

I was wondering what sort of background Suite101 is looking for. I remember applying a year ago, and getting rejected. I've been doing free-lance writing in the educational/psychological fields for a few months now, but would be interested in trying for Suite101 again. Any advice?

Thanks!

[ishtar'sgate]

I don't think they're looking for any particular background, just well written, informative articles. Make sure you follow their directions for putting together your sample articles. You're probably familiar with the ropes if you've been published elsewhere. Don't use first person though. That's a big no-no.
Good luck.:)

[IndianaJane]

What's the current CPM at Suite? Anyone know?

[stldenise]

What's a CPM?

[IndianaJane]

What's a CPM?

Cost per 1000 impressions. Like how Examiner pays.

I was under the impression that was how Suite 101 pays, but I might be wrong. I only did the Suite thing for less than a month. :)

[blueobsidian]

Cost per 1000 impressions. Like how Examiner pays.

I was under the impression that was how Suite 101 pays, but I might be wrong. I only did the Suite thing for less than a month. :)

It isn't. They pay based on the ad clicks. They do display what each persons average $/1000 is, but those vary widely -- I can name writers who have averages under $2 and others who make over $12 (although they tend to have lower PV topics, so it all balances out in the end).

[IndianaJane]

It isn't. They pay based on the ad clicks. They do display what each persons average $/1000 is, but those vary widely -- I can name writers who have averages under $2 and others who make over $12 (although they tend to have lower PV topics, so it all balances out in the end).

Ah. Okay. :)

Thanks for the answer!

[Enna]

If you want some fun with CPC, go to GoogleAdSense (https://adwords.google.com/select/KeywordToolExternal), type in any keyword for an article you have in mind, and choose "show estimated CPC from the drop-down menu. You can see how many people search for that keyword, and the average cost per click for the ads that match up with it!

Warning: addictive. :)

[Anastacia]

I've decided to give it a try. I applied this evening and was accepted about half an hour later.

[Norman D Gutter]

Anastacia:

Welcome to the team.

NDG

[Anastacia]

Anastacia:

Welcome to the team.

NDG

I like that the editorial process sounds more collaborative than at DS. I'm sick of edits that sound highly accusatory because I made a minor grammatical typo or because the CE believes that there is only one possible interpretation of a title.

[Norman D Gutter]

My experience with (I think) five editors at Suite is that they will make minor changes (spelling, simple grammar) and perhaps some SEO changes (improve key words in your subtitles, etc.) and maybe not notify you that they did so, but that they will "flag" your article if they recommend something more. If the article has glaring errors, they will disable it so people cannot see it.

In a couple of instances I disagreed with the editor on something. I made some suggested changes but not others, and explained to the editor in an e-mail why I thought I was correct. Always my arguments carried the day. It has been a pleasurable process, everything except dealing with images to attach.

Make sure you take a day or two read through all the learning modules.

Best Regards,
NDG

[Finchlark]

What a wealth of information here. I have just been accepted by Suite and now need to plough through all the info. Looks like I'll be hibernating for a while.....

[Finchlark]

Norman, I would be interested to know if you think Suite 101 is worth the effort? It seems a lot of work for just a few cents. I see you have 44 articles listed with them. An awful lot of work.

I am amazed at the low pay for writers, sometimes just a couple of dollars for several hundred words, and we take the time to make those words count, too, don't we. To always produce the best we can.


There are higher payers, of course. I have had some pieces accepted for market review for Blue Mountain Arts and if they are accepted the pay is $300-$500 each, but it's a long process.

Patience and poverty!

Mods, sorry if this should be posted somewhere else, but kind of relevant.



Ooops! Just seen the sticky on criticism about pay rates. Sorry, won't say any more on that aspect.

[Norman D Gutter]

Finchlark:

I don't yet know if Suite 101 is worth the effort. So far in a little less than 3 months and 45 articles I've made $10.84 (USD), and will received a payment today or tomorrow of $10.47. Whoopie! [/sarcasm]

The problem with Suite 101, from my perspectice, is the need to attach images to the article. This has worked out okay on a few articles where I created the image to illustrate an engineering article, for example. But for every article you have to find a photograph. I don't know much about digital photographs and don't particularly want to learn. I'm a words man, not a photos man. This morning I went to the site and found an article almost a week old had been flagged by an editor because I used WikiMedia Commons as a source instead of the photographer's name and obtain permission of the photographer to use the photo. With more investigation, I found that Wiki said the photo was taken in 1858 and the specific image was taken from a book published in 1893. What am I supposed to do, hold a seance and try to communicate with the dead?

I'm not so worried about the revenue. I suppose it will grow over time. My page views are certainly growing even if revenue is lagging at the moment. But the need to find, copy, save, upload, reference, link, etc. photographs is a huge burden I don't particularly want. It takes me more time dealing with photos than it does writing the article.

My purpose in writing for Suite 101 is platform building so that I can have a slightly better chance on getting my novels published. I want to be able to say, "My articles at Suite101.com are viewed by XX thousand people a year." It's part of a three-year plan to build a little bit of a platform. The revenue is secondary for me to page views. Don't get me wrong; I'd like for my revenue to get better, but I'm not stressing over it. Photos, I am stressing over.

NDG

[ishtar'sgate]

Norman, I would be interested to know if you think Suite 101 is worth the effort? It seems a lot of work for just a few cents. I see you have 44 articles listed with them. An awful lot of work.


I'm not Norman but I'm fairly new to S101 and I think it's worth it. If your articles are evergreen you will have hits for years to come. You can also update your articles as they need it from year to year. My earnings are slim but growing and I'm in it for the long haul. I have varied interests and I like that I can write about whatever I want. I also love to write, both fiction and nonfiction and view it as a good avenue for creativity.

[Finchlark]

Well I've just had my first article published so will give it a whirl, but I agree about the photos aspect, it really is time-consuming.

Good business plan, though, Norman.

[Laurie PK]

I've been writing for Suite since 2006, and I believe it's worth the effort. It is alot of work upfront, but if you can stick it out for the long haul and not expect immediate financial rewards, you'll probably find it rewarding.

My current goal is to consistently earn $20 per day on Suite, and I'm just about there....it's a fabulous source of passive income, and a great way to build web writing and traditional writing skills. I love it.

Also -- Suite recently revealed that a writer earned $5,000 in July, which goes to show how lucrative it could be! But, she is an outlier :-)

I did write a blog post about reasons to write for Suite, and posted it in another thread. If anyone wants that link, just let me know.....I'd be happy to post it here!

Laurie

[Norman D Gutter]

Finchlark:

Whether it is a good business plan or not remains to be seen. But most other avenues to building a platform (traveling and speaking, for example) are not available to me. I see no other way, so content writing it is, and Suite seems to be the best of the lot.

Congrats on getting your first article up,
NDG

[Norman D Gutter]

Lauri:

Your article total and $20 per day in revenue puts you about $1.28 per article per month, which is within the magic $1-2 per month per article they say you can earn at Suite101. Right now I'm at $0.06 per article per month. Question: Have you been at this kind of per article revenue since the beginning, or did it climb? If so, when did it seem to break out?

NDG

[ishtar'sgate]

Lauri:

Your article total and $20 per day in revenue puts you about $1.28 per article per month, which is within the magic $1-2 per month per article they say you can earn at Suite101.
Hm-m-m, I didn't know about that. I'll have to check mine.

[Laurie PK]

Lauri:

Your article total and $20 per day in revenue puts you about $1.28 per article per month, which is within the magic $1-2 per month per article they say you can earn at Suite101. Right now I'm at $0.06 per article per month. Question: Have you been at this kind of per article revenue since the beginning, or did it climb? If so, when did it seem to break out?

NDG

I never calculated my earnings per article, but am glad to see that it's in the magic range! My Psychology topics don't have high CPC's, which means I don't earn as much as other topics. But, my degree is in Psychology and I love writing about it, so there's the tradeoff.

How much you earn at Suite or any other click-sharing revenue program really depends on the types of ads on your site and the amount of traffic you have. The more traffic, the better! (that old saw)

Good luck -- keep writing, keep learning Suite's guidelines, and you will see an increase in earnings.

Laurie

[Enna]

I also think- or I hope!- that it's worth the effort.

I have 58 articles so far. Other than a few magical days, I started out with pennies a day which grew to nickels and dimes. Once I crossed 50 articles and got the bonus, I started seeing even more a day. And just yesterday I was promoted to Feature Writer for the "Resources for Writers" section!!! So I'm really excited to see what that brings.

As long as you enjoy writing the articles, I think S101 is well worth the time. It might not be bringing in the big bucks yet, but I believe it will, and with every article I write I get an idea for two or three more!

[Finchlark]

Well, I've made 27cents in two days!

[Enna]

That's actually really good! :D

[Anastacia]

I wrote my first article. It came back for minor changes, changes I found useful. What happens after I've made the changes in question? Does the article get approved? Can I start submitting more articles?

Thank you.

[stldenise]

Must vent:
I've put Suite on the back burner again, to make time for things that actually pay right now. I finally got the idea to write more articles on kids games - they're pretty easy for me.

But my editor doesn't like the format that seems most natural for a list of games. I've got an introduction, then the list. Each game is in bold. She want's "subheads". And the games can't be in bold. What the hell do I have to subhead? It's a LIST. With DESCRIPTIONS. :eek:

She did this too me before, when I submitted a list of 10 outdoor water games.

Oh, and I have to list some sources, because I'm not an expert. AAAAAAAAHHHHH! I'm a freakin' Cub Scout Leader. I AM AN EXPERT when writing about games for Cub SCOUTS. (Which is what this article is about.) I have boys. I have taken boys camping. I have lead den meetings, pack meetings and field trips. I know what I'm talking about.

But there's no place for this information. It's 3rd person.

Rememeber, Suite101 is about publishing well-researched, well-crafted articles that adhere to commonly accepted journalistic standards.
Oh, and I'm a journalist too! I have bylines in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, Boys' Life (OH- a Boy Scout Magazine!) and couple other publications.

Geez! Everytime I turn in an article to Suite I want to bang my head up against the computer screen. It's never, ever good enough for this lady. :rant:

Ok. Rant over.

So, has anyone ever submitted a list style article to Suite and gotten it accepted? It seems like I've seen them in other categories.

[ishtar'sgate]

I wrote my first article. It came back for minor changes, changes I found useful. What happens after I've made the changes in question? Does the article get approved? Can I start submitting more articles?

Thank you.
Don't quote me but I think it gets published when it's approved. I've only had an article flagged once and after I made the required changes it went up right away. Check and see if your article has been published. If it has then you're good to go!

[ishtar'sgate]

So, has anyone ever submitted a list style article to Suite and gotten it accepted? It seems like I've seen them in other categories.
Have a look at this article.
http://kids-outdoor-activities.suite101.com/article.cfm/outdoor_games_for_kids_to_play

They list games and descriptions. Maybe it'll help you figure out what she does and doesn't want.

[MelanieM]

But my editor doesn't like the format that seems most natural for a list of games. I've got an introduction, then the list. Each game is in bold. She want's "subheads". And the games can't be in bold. What the hell do I have to subhead? It's a LIST. With DESCRIPTIONS. :eek:

Can you group the games together in some way and use that description as your subheadings? For example, math games, imagination games, etc. Use keywords that apply to your article for an SEO boost. (SEO is the reason they want the bolded subheadings, from my understanding.)

For the game names themselves, how about italics?

(First post here, and I'm a new Suite101 writer... hope it's ok to jump right in! :)

[Enna]

Hi Melanie!

Sorry about the problems, stldenise. I've had weird problems with one or two editors as well. Some are very strict about adhering to how many out-of-suite links you include, while others acknowledge the truth- that some articles simply require more if you want to appear like an expert.

Maybe you should try submitting a few articles to other sections, just to give yourself a break from this editor. Your credentials are great- how about contributing to Writing and Publishing? Julie's the editor there, and she's fabulous.

[stldenise]

Thanks guys. I just really needed to vent. This editor sends out a form letter when she flags an article...and the tone of the form letter makes my hackles rise. I've gotten it for a major overhaul and for a capitalization error.

Melanie: Italics is a good idea, I think I'll use it. And, yes, I'll have to figure out some way to group the games...It's how I fixed the "10 Wet Outdoor Games". So how does one group Duck-Duck-Goose, Balloon Pop, The Telephone Game, and the Crocodile Race.... Argh, I might have to add more games to get a group. They're already "Indoor Games" for Cub Scouts, so its a pretty narrow topic as it is. Maybe games with props and games without props? If I add another game that uses balloons. Or add another game that requires teams...

Oh, and just to keep grousing...listen to this part of the editor's letter to me:
Write articles only if they offer actual documented and accurate information and assume that most people have a basic knowledge and are looking for more specific help. Articles written solely from your personal experience and based on opinion rather than validated sources are taken less seriously, and do not confer the authority for which Suite wishes to be known.

I'll stop whining now...I have to go find a reputable website that back ups me up.

[MelanieM]

Denise, would your piece work with each game name as a subheading and a longer description/section pulling in details? As for resources, maybe one of these books will do the trick: http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_ss?url=search-alias%3Dstripbooks&field-keywords=kids+games

I do know what you mean about the issues with citing experts. My first article was about the law of attraction and I was asked to list sources. I'm a law of attraction coach so I asked what I'm supposed to do when I am the source. I didn't actually get a reply to that...

[Norman D Gutter]

Denise:

All of the editors send out form letters with flags. They might have one or two specifics about the article, but most of it is boiler plate. I suppose you might try writing this editor and explaining the situation. I had an engineering article flagged, about public bidding projects. The editor came back with a "need a source" comment. I replied in an e-mail that I was my own source, that I had handled about 100 public bid openings in my 35 years as an engineer and trained others how to do it. I never heard back from him.

I also suppose, if you cannot agree with your editor, you could e-mail the managing editor, or chief editor, or whatever the title is of the supervisor of editors. Give the link to the article and explain how you think this change from the house format will be beneficial to readers of the article, and see what happens.

Last, I suppose the Suite house style, if it must be rigorously adhered to, will not be conducive to certain types of articles. It's probably their loss, but it's their way.

Best Regards,
NDG

[stldenise]

I guess what I'm wondering now is if Suite's house style is what it is, why do I see a lot of top ten and lists when I search Suite? Are other editors not as strict, or can you ignore the editor?

I'm just going to have to make myself a template for Suite articles and pull that up whenever I decide to to post something there. I can rework this games article to make it fit, it's just annoying that I have to.

It's doubling annoying that I've jumped these hoops before a few months back. But I forgot about it because I haven't written for Suite for a while -- I got busy with stuff that actually pays. Its my own stupid fault.

[Enna]

I agree, Denise. The editor I have the most experience with is super nice, but I have received some flags from others that rub me the wrong way, as you said. And I see plenty of articles that break all kinds of forbidden rules-- and not just those that were written a few years ago!

[stldenise]

Hey guys...I'm trying to figure out if I want to keep Suite. Right now I'm super busy, but I've got a temporary gig that might dry up in November. So, I could have more time to figure Suite out this winter.

Does Suite require that we write 10 articles EVERY 3 months? Or was that part of the starting contract? Is there a place on the writer's site that tells you how many articles you need to write to stay current, or do I just have to dig out a calendar and keep track myself?

Suite is a little frustrating because of the pay scheme. I enjoy my Examiner posts, and I've figured out how to get a monthly payment that justifies the work (not a lot, but I don't feel like I'm wasting my time). Demand is ok because they don't mind if you come and go, and they tell you exactly what they want and pay you that Friday for it.

Suite? I don't know. I got my first 10 dollar payout from them, and I started 4-5 months ago. Sure, I only wrote 11 articles...But would I get more if I try harder? I don't know.

[Finchlark]

What does Examiner pay in contrast to Suite? Anyone know if Examiner accept contributors from outside the US?

Although I'm only at 49cents I'm actually starting to enjoy Suite. Now I know their format it doesn't take long to write 400 words or so and there are so many topics to choose from. I like it that you virtually have the freedom to write about whatever you want as long as it is in their format.

[Norman D Gutter]

Denise:

On your MySuite page there is a link in the menu on the left called "Writer's Productivity". This will tell you how many articles you have posted in the last 90 days. And, just to make you feel bad, it will also tell you how many articles the most prolific writer during that period wrote.

My understanding of our contract is that you must post 10 articles each 90 days. I signed my contract on June 21, 2009. So I had till Sept 20, 2009 to write my 10 articles. I went way over that, posting 47 so far. But, beginning Sept 21, 2009 I must post a minimum of 10 articles before Dec 20, 2009. The extras I posted in my first 3 months are not counted toward the next three months. At least that's my understanding.

ETA: So far I've earned $12.02 in three months with 47 articles. Sounds to me that $10 with only 11 articles is pretty good. You minght want to re-think discontinuing if you are writing articles that generate so many ad clicks.

NDG

[ishtar'sgate]

Does Suite require that we write 10 articles EVERY 3 months? Or was that part of the starting contract? Is there a place on the writer's site that tells you how many articles you need to write to stay current, or do I just have to dig out a calendar and keep track myself?


I'm afraid so. I found out the hard way and had to ask for reinstatement. I don't think there's anywhere on the site that tells you where you're at article wise, it just gives you your total published articles.

[stldenise]

Norman: I've seen the depressing little graft with the "somebody so much better than you wrote 200 billion articles this month." My bar is stuck at "you have written 10 articles."

I think my problem is shifting gears between writing styles and formats. (Right now I string for a paper once or twice a week, do PR work, blog for Examiner, whip up a few how-tos and write the occasional article for a kid's mag. I get whiplash.) But I don't really want to lose my Suite privleges, I just don't have time at the moment. AND I don't want to get that note saying I've got to write a whole bunch of stuff or loose it again.

[KellyM]

Hi all,
I submitted my application late last night and this morning I got an email telling me they accepted me. I haven't even looked at the contract yet. I'll spend the next couple of days looking through all their guidelines, etc.

I also just came across Demand Studio. Do any of you write for both? If so, how do you handle that? Can you use the same topic as long as it's not the exact same article?

BTW, I've been lurking here for YEARS and when I tried to sign on with my old username, I couldn't remember it. It wasn't even my current email address.

I came up with about 20 article ideas during my kids' soccer practice today.

Have a good evening!

Kelly

[stldenise]

Kelly: welcome out of the shadows!
A lot of us work for several sites. Demand is great because their contract doesn't require you do a set amount of work -- you can work as much or as little as you want, according to your schedule. They list topics for you to pick up, so you can try to find subjects that match your area of knowledge. (Demand stopped paying decent money for our own ideas.)

If you want to write from your own ideas, take them to Suite. BUT Demand pays a flat fee on the Friday after it's edited, so it's good for quick money. Suite pays after the article has earned ad views, so it could take a while. A lot of people have success after they build up a library of articles on Suite.

[Finchlark]

Unfortunately Demand don't accept writers from outside the US at the moment

[stldenise]

Update
I was grumping a while back about a Suite editor who keeps picking my stuff apart and driving me crazy...and yes, I'll admit it's at least half my fault for not keeping better track of the formats for all the places I write.

Anyway, the first flag was on the 15th, right after I posted the article (she's quick, I'll give her that). But I don't have time to fix it, I'm busy...so she flags it again on the 18th. I've been doubled flagged! So I wrote her an email about how I plan to fix it, I'm just really busy with some magazine work I need to finish up first. Which I am.

So I have time tonight to fix the dang article. One of the things I need is another good link to back me up. So what shows up in the FIRST page of Google when I search my topic? MY SUITE ARTICLE. If my keywords were so dang crappy(the big thing she needed fixed), then how come it popped right up there, item number freakin' four?

Vent over. Please return to your normally scheduled programing.

[Anastacia]

I have two articles up for four days and .14 in revenue so far. Is that good or bad?

[Enna]

Denise- that's crazy! Well, congrats on the great Google ranking!

Anastacia- that's good, as far as I know. I think I stayed at around $.07 for the first week. :)

[stldenise]

*$!@#%! :eek:

Ok, so I'm butting heads with this editor. I FIXED the stupid article the way she might like it on Saturday night. Hit save. Forgot about it.

Yesterday I'm wondering why the flag hasn't been removed from the article yet, because this editor might be a pain and a stickler for format, but she's also incredably fast. So I look at the article again, zip to the bottom and see that there's a PUBLISH button. Hmmmm, maybe I saved it, but didn't publish it. So I hit PUBLISH.

This morning I get a crabby note saying that the article is still flagged because I didn't fix anything (with details on what I didn't fix, like I'm a 2-yr-old).

:eek: I think I may leave Suite just because I can't handle the publishing software.

So where did my fixed up article go? Geez. I'm hoping I saved it on Word. I don't know that I did, because Suite's software really really really hates Word and garbles it all.

I think I'm going to go back to bed and start this day over. (I have other issues, but they involve my Cub Scouts, so I won't bore you with them here.)

[ColoradoMom]

:eek: I think I may leave Suite just because I can't handle the publishing software.

So where did my fixed up article go? Geez. I'm hoping I saved it on Word. I don't know that I did, because Suite's software really really really hates Word and garbles it all.



I hear ya. I think Suite is a lit-tle too picky for their own good. I don't do well with nit-picky editors when they aren't even PAYING me, unless you count that measly few cents as payment, which I don't. And that publishing software is crap, you're right. Honestly, I joined Suite to do fun stuff, like Examiner, but if they are going to make me work as hard for one of their articles as I do for ones that pay real money, I'm not interested.

[Finchlark]

3 cents off my first dollar!

[Norman D Gutter]

Well, I agree the payment at these early times is not very good. I'm at 49 articles, about 38,000 words, and I've made $16.06. Not much per word. However, my page views are now appearing daily at an annual rate of 85,000. To me that's huge. 85,000 people are accessing my stuff; hopefully many or most are actually reading it.

I haven't had any problems with the software, haven't lost an article, and haven't had any disabled. I've had a few flagged, perhaps six to eight, but was always able to make the edits. I still hate working with pictures, but just put up the minimum. So far I'm foregoing most of the SEO stuff in favor of reader-centered articles.

NDG

[stldenise]

The more I think about it, the more inclinded I am to letting Suite go. I just looked at my Examiner numbers, and it's not fantastic, but... I've been there since Feb and made about $275 with something under 30,000 page views and 112 articles. Plus, all my articles have been fun to write with no one but myself handling quality control (and I'm tough enough on myself).

Suite has paid out once in the 4-5 months I've been there. I've made a total of $13 bucks.

I think I'll save my serious writing for print outlets. At least if an editor out there gives me a hard time I get a decent check at the end.

[ColoradoMom]

Well, I agree the paymet at these early times is not very good. I'm at 49 articles, about 38,000 words, and I've made $16.06. Not much per word. However, my page views are now appearing daily at an annual rate of 85,000. To me that's huge. 85,000 people are accessing my stuff; hopefully many or most are actually reading it.

I haven't had any problems with the software, haven't lost an article, and haven't had any disabled. I've had a few flagged, perhaps six to eight, but was always able to make the edits. I still hate working with pictures, but just put up the minimum. So far I'm foregoing most of the SEO stuff in favor of reader-centered articles.

NDG

I understand and if it is good for you then just ignore me! I was having a bad moment! LOL. :poke:

But really, I made $60 on Adsense on my own website this month and I have a terrible click-through rate, it is like less than 30%. So if you started your own website with adsense you could make a lot more money and put all those articles up there. Last month I made $100, but it was "back-to-school" season, so not typical.

[Finchlark]

Digressing slightly, but ColoradoMom I just love your avatar.

Norman, you are now in double dollar figures which is something, presumably it will rise as time goes by. Well done.

[ColoradoMom]

Digressing slightly, but ColoradoMom I just love your avatar.



Thanks! Those are my Mandarin ducks. I love them. :)

[ishtar'sgate]

Digressing slightly, but ColoradoMom I just love your avatar.

Must join in. Love the ducks. They're beautiful.
I've only written 15 articles but I'm earning just over the required $10/mo to get my PayPal payment so I'm happy. I think you simply have to be in it for the long haul. Also, I like being surprised by the number of page views for articles I didn't realize would generate such interest. I gravitate between gardening articles and history. I wrote an article on ground cherries a while ago and it's still getting the most views. Go figure.

[Finchlark]

Almost at my first $10 I might actually get paid soon!

[ishtar'sgate]

[QUOTE=stldenise;4048305]Norman: I've seen the depressing little graft with the "somebody so much better than you wrote 200 billion articles this month." My bar is stuck at "you have written 10 articles."

I think my problem is shifting gears between writing styles and formats. QUOTE]

Probably. Writing for more than one site can make you cross-eyed. I like it but always have to remember what they want and write to suit.

[stldenise]

I'm giving Suite another shot, but I'm avoiding the topic under the editor that drives me nuts. She's just...grating.

[Anastacia]

If I don't write for them for a few months will I still continue to earn money on the articles I've already written?

[Thrillride]

Just throwing this out there about writing for Suite 101 - extra insight for you.

It does take a while to build revenue through ad clicks on Suite - absolutely. But, here are a couple of thoughts (that I know we've all mentioned before but it bears repeating).

Suite 101 is strict about who they hire. I've personally known three writers who have been turned down by them. They're also strict about the writing being well-done and in a certain voice - in this case 3rd person; authoritative. Because of these things, Suite is gaining a good reputation out there for producing good content as well as writers who can back up their information. If you can hang there for a while I'll promise you that they'll certainly make you a stronger online writer. What this amounts to is good writing credits.

Personally, I adore becoming a good craftsman at all the different voices which is why I write for sites where I can use 1st, 2nd, and 3rd. I also write for print mags which is quite different than online..books are different, too. Learning to do these styles well keeps things exciting for me. There are those writers who want to stay in a certain style, though. Certainly anyone who lives for blogging (1st and 2nd, person) isn't going to find it easy to write for Suite at first.

You won't make big bucks to begin with and maybe even never...but it will be steady and it will keep coming in for articles you wrote three years ago. I know more than a handful of people that are pulling in $500 - $700 every month no sweat at Suite - but it took them a year or two or three...they just kept plugging along. They only write a couple of articles a month now and see those same numbers. By the way - I'm not one of them yet, lol.

Places like Examiner have a bad reputation as far as good writers and reliable information (yes, I write for them). My jaw drops at some of the lousy writers that have been accepted at Examiner. I could seriously write an article cussing someone out and I'm honestly not sure anyone would call me out on it - except maybe another writer. Examiner has zero the credibility that Suite does as far as writing credits. Other than practicing, there's no opportunity for writers to hone their craft through the guidance of editors. I write for Examiner for driving traffic either to my books, websites I write for, my personal site, or my friends' websites.

Demand Studios is nothing in terms of writing credits. They're great for the quick buck...and I write for them on Garden Guides occasionally. In the end if I only wrote for Garden Guides, that may help me as far as writing credits - but that remains to be seen. Letting an editor know you write for DS won't mean anything to them in terms of print mag or book projects. But, it's good and fast money. That said, I have run into editors there that SERIOUSLY have no idea what they're talking about. To be honest I've run into more problems with their editors than anywhere else - including book editors.

It all comes down to why you're writing for these places...what are you looking for? If you want pretty decent online creds - Suite is the better choice or About.com. If you're looking for steady money upfront - go for DS.

But all the discussion in the world over all these different sites and which is better than what doesn't mean anything unless you know what you're after.

Find what you love and do it well.

[Thrillride]

If I don't write for them for a few months will I still continue to earn money on the articles I've already written?

Yes. Your articles earn money for you forever even if you're inactive.

[Anastacia]

Just throwing this out there about writing for Suite 101 - extra insight for you.

It does take a while to build revenue through ad clicks on Suite - absolutely. But, here are a couple of thoughts (that I know we've all mentioned before but it bears repeating).

Suite 101 is strict about who they hire. I've personally known three writers who have been turned down by them. They're also strict about the writing being well-done and in a certain voice - in this case 3rd person; authoritative. Because of these things, Suite is gaining a good reputation out there for producing good content as well as writers who can back up their information. If you can hang there for a while I'll promise you that they'll certainly make you a stronger online writer. What this amounts to is good writing credits.

Personally, I adore becoming a good craftsman at all the different voices which is why I write for sites where I can use 1st, 2nd, and 3rd. I also write for print mags which is quite different than online..books are different, too. Learning to do these styles well keeps things exciting for me. There are those writers who want to stay in a certain style, though. Certainly anyone who lives for blogging (1st and 2nd, person) isn't going to find it easy to write for Suite at first.

You won't make big bucks to begin with and maybe even never...but it will be steady and it will keep coming in for articles you wrote three years ago. I know more than a handful of people that are pulling in $500 - $700 every month no sweat at Suite - but it took them a year or two or three...they just kept plugging along. They only write a couple of articles a month now and see those same numbers. By the way - I'm not one of them yet, lol.

Places like Examiner have a bad reputation as far as good writers and reliable information (yes, I write for them). My jaw drops at some of the lousy writers that have been accepted at Examiner. I could seriously write an article cussing someone out and I'm honestly not sure anyone would call me out on it - except maybe another writer. Examiner has zero the credibility that Suite does as far as writing credits. Other than practicing, there's no opportunity for writers to hone their craft through the guidance of editors. I write for Examiner for driving traffic either to my books, websites I write for, my personal site, or my friends' websites.

Demand Studios is nothing in terms of writing credits. They're great for the quick buck...and I write for them on Garden Guides occasionally. In the end if I only wrote for Garden Guides, that may help me as far as writing credits - but that remains to be seen. Letting an editor know you write for DS won't mean anything to them in terms of print mag or book projects. But, it's good and fast money. That said, I have run into editors there that SERIOUSLY have no idea what they're talking about. To be honest I've run into more problems with their editors than anywhere else - including book editors.

It all comes down to why you're writing for these places...what are you looking for? If you want pretty decent online creds - Suite is the better choice or About.com. If you're looking for steady money upfront - go for DS.

But all the discussion in the world over all these different sites and which is better than what doesn't mean anything unless you know what you're after.

Find what you love and do it well.

Excellent summary.

I write for Demand Studios for a quick buck and nothing more.

I write for eHow for quick residual income and nothing more.

I am writing (when I have time) for Suite 101 in hopes of building a platform to launch a book proposal eventually.

[Finchlark]

I thought you had to continue to write ten articles every three months or you lose any accrued income?

[blueobsidian]

I thought you had to continue to write ten articles every three months or you lose any accrued income?

Nope, you just lose your status as a writer and can no longer contribute. One of my favorite parts about Suite is that they aren't like some other writing sites that stop paying you when you become inactive. Suite keeps paying you even when you no longer write for them.

[Finchlark]

Oh, thanks blueobsidian for clarifying that. Actually I'm quite enjoying writing for Suite at the moment. I like being able to choose what to write about. On other sites I write for I have to write 25 articles at a time on one subject and I climb the walls!

[Norman D Gutter]

How's everyone doing money-wise on Suite101?

I keep posting articles, and try new subjects that I think might add to revenue. I got one spike week before last, but now I'm back to my normal pace of about $0.13 per day, and $1.24 per 1000 PVs. Actually, that's a little higher than normal, but heading back to about $0.75 per 1000PVs.

Getting pennies per day for 65 articles and over 50,000 words is not my idea of fun.

Very discouraged,
NDG

[Anastacia]

I've made about $12 on 45 articles there this month so far. I have decided only to write about what I care about and not sweat the money too much.

[Norman D Gutter]

What's everyone think of the new look?

So far I don't like it, but I suppose it will grow on me. Already from early this morning to a few minutes ago a lot of the bugs seem to have been worked out and the site is functioning better.

Page views seem to have tanked, however.

NDG

[blueobsidian]

I have no positive comments on the changes. None. I spent quite a bit of time attempting to navigate through the site, and I am baffled at how the expect visitors to do it. The "browse sections" link at the top blends into the bar (it took me a long time to even notice it was there) and the only other links to the sections are all the way at the bottom of the page. The navigation on topic pages and individual articles is just as bad.

The ads are ridiculously obtrusive. That's all I see when I visit an article, because the ad column is almost as wide as the actual text of the article! If I found that site from a search engine, I wouldn't even bother reading it. It looks like it's only purpose is to place ads and not to display useful, well-written articles.

The home page is one big ad for new writers. On my browser, I have to scroll down to see a single article. I can't imagine that visitors looking for content would do the same. I would just navigate away.

This may end my writing career with Suite. I joined because they felt like one of the most professional content sites. I was proud to put my work there. I really loved writing for them and was planning on spending the next two weeks focusing on meeting my commitment (school has gotten in the way of any writing for the last few months). Now, I am going to try and talk them into allowing pen names. I don't want to be associated with it.

[stldenise]

Actually I like that they removed the circle formats for the photos - those always seemed to crop the photos in a weird way.

The problem with the ads is that they are the left. Since we read left to right, our eyes hit that first, which is confusing. It makes the ads look more important than the writing.

The front page isn't so bad. I've got to scroll down for everything anyway.

[stldenise]

Oh, and you have to go update your photo. They're wanting color now, and the new size requires bigger photos. I didn't see anything that said exactly what size to submit, so I sent it a couple of times until it cropped right. Too bad they don't let you crop the photo on site.

[stldenise]

I'm going to let my 2nd Examiner post dry up -- its not worth the effort and not getting any page views. I'm thinking about converting a couple of the posts into Suite articles. They'll need a little work, of course, to fit the format.

So here's the question. If I rework the articles to Suite's format, delete them from Examiner (while it's still mine to do) will Suite consider them "original" enough? I'm thinking they'll need completely new titles and a fresh lead just to get it into the format...but the body would be ok as is. OR should I really give it a good re-write?

[Finchlark]

Does anyone know how the payment system works? I thought it said on the first Tuesday each month, which would have been 1st December? I have well over $10. Do we have to apply for payment? I have supplied paypal details.

[Norman D Gutter]

Finchlark:

I believe payment is intended for the first Tuesday of the month, but is guaranteed on or before the 15th of the month. Since the first Tuesday was the 1st, I didn't expect payment until the 8th. The verterans on the site say it typically comes the 7th through the 9th.

NDG

[Norman D Gutter]

...I'm thinking about converting a couple of the posts into Suite articles....

...If I rework the articles to Suite's format, delete them from Examiner (while it's still mine to do) will Suite consider them "original" enough? I'm thinking they'll need completely new titles and a fresh lead just to get it into the format...but the body would be ok as is. OR should I really give it a good re-write?

Denise:

I'm not sure how much has to change in those Examiner articles for them to be considered new. For sure the title. And probably about 30 to 50 percent of the content, I would think.

There's probably a thread here in Suite about re-purposing articles for other used. That would probably be similar guideance as for an Examiner to Suite re-purposing.

NDG

[Finchlark]

Thanks, Norman. I'll wait and see what happens.

[Finchlark]

Yes, first payment from Suite now received. Onwards and upwards.

[Chris P]

Thanks everyone! I think it might be a good outlet for stuff I learn doing research for my novels, or for non-fic ideas I have but don't want to write an entire book on. I'll look into this further.

[Finchlark]

Well, I've been asked permission to have one of my articles read on an American radio station so I guess you never know who might be reading.....