JamieL said:They have prospective guides go through a prep program where you compete with other potential guides for the same subject.
JamieL said:Hello,
I've been lurking for a while and thought this was a good point to jump in since I am an About.com guide. I've been a guide for several years and really enjoy work. They give you a lot of freedom to write about your topic, the other guides are friendly and helpful, and they pay well.
It can be difficult to get started. They have prospective guides go through a prep program where you compete with other potential guides for the same subject. You need to create content and write articles. It works out well if you get the job. But, it can be a bummer if you end up doing all that work without getting paid! So, if you get accepted to the prep program, I'd suggest you spend a lot of time getting the site together upfront.
If you haven't already read this page, it's a good source of info: http://beaguide.about.com/index.htm
Good luck!
Deb Ng was recently hired on as an About.com guide, and has indicated in this thread that the pay has actually increased from the minimum of $500 per month, though I'm not sure by how much. I do know someone else who is currently working for them and mentioned that the pay has, indeed, increased.Sassenach said:I've heard that they've significantly reduced payments to guides. Is that true? Do they retain the rights to your work?
JamieL said:cool_st_elizabeth: They have really been pushing to make the medical sites stellar. It's a good sign that you were accepted into prep. It is true that it can take forever to hear back from them! I waited weeks!
Actually, that was Allinfoabout.com, Catty. I remember when that was happening. About.com is different.cattywampus said:I tried to get into this a year or so ago. I was approved with no problem, and fairly quickly. But at that time, you had to set up your own site using HTML, inserting code into their code. I couldn't get it to work, although I followed their instructions. I spent a couple of weeks with this, then I guess they got tired of all my questions and more or less barred me. They seem extremely picky, but some of their sites must really be making money.
JamieL said:Marilyn Braun: I don't think there's a way to apply for a guide position that isn't listed on the available topics page.
Same here. I never see popups.BlueBadger said:I didn't even notice. God bless Firefox.
I heard all of these horror stories about how prep takes up all of your time and there are all of these tools and templates to learn, but I found it to be a breeze.