by Rachelle de Bretagne

Created on: August 25, 2008   Last Updated: September 02, 2010

Having worked with new members for the last 6 months, my experience tells me that new members face all kinds of problems in their initial membership. They want to join in but simply are unsure of their footing on a new site. This article is written with them in mind, to help new members find their way and get started in an experience, which I hope will become a great joy and add wealth to their experience as a writer.

*Guidelines.
*Filling out their profile.
*Choosing a pen name
*Title Search
*Reading what people write.
*What kind of articles should they write?
*Where to find creative writing slots.
*Learning how to get more money.
*Give and take.
*Help available for new members.

Guidelines.

Before attempting to write onto a website, knowing the rules helps. One of the biggest mistakes that new members make is that they have no concept of anonymity. They are proud of their work and happy to sign it off with their name. Not naming yourself in an article is a prime guideline, and this is because articles are rated anonymously. How can one rate fairly when the name of the writer is written in the rating boxes? On many sites, readers have preconceptions about who they are rating. On Helium, not knowing makes rating easier, more neutral and instead of pulling the writers name into the rating equation, people concentrate on reading the article and judging it on its own merits.

Guidelines ask you not to write adult content, as there are children on the site. They also tell you not to write about other members, or use bad language. The length of an article in the knowledge area is between 400 words and 1500 words, as a guideline. Articles should be typed in normal type and never in capital letters.

Work should always be original. Never borrow ideas, or copy and paste from other websites, because this can jeopardize your account, and is strictly again the guidelines of the site.

Filling out your profile.

The reason writers fill out a profile is that it provides a "Book Jacket" for the work you do. Without it, your profile looks unprofessional and this is easy to complete. Take a look around the site, and get a feel for what people write within their profile, and then do fill yours out. A photograph which is best of head and shoulders will be a great addition to your page, and instead of remaining a faceless member, you become part of the writing community, ready to get to know and meet other members, and to be taken more seriously by publishers, who like to put a face to a writer's

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