by HillyBillyB

Created on: November 04, 2008   Last Updated: November 11, 2008

Helium and Money

How can a nonprofessional make money on Helium? They cannot! That is the simple answer. Helium continues to advertise the simplicity of making money by writing for their site. I got an email just today, November 4, 2008, with a subject line reading, "Get in on increased pay and earning opportunities at Helium". In the content on the email I read the following:

"Look at what we just introduced:

Upfront Payments yes, you read that right! You write, you get paid.

A Rating Bonus.

"Kill fees" for transitioned Marketplace submissions.

New calculations for writing stars we separated the Creative Writing from the nonfiction!

Daily revenue share for members with at least 1 rating star.

And all it takes to get paid for Upfront Payments is at least 1 writing star and 1 rating star. All it takes for the daily revenue share is at least 1 rating star.

It's that easy!"

Folks the advertisement mailed out to probably thousands of people are quite simply not true. I have been a member of Helium since April 30, 2007. I have written 28 articles. My earnings are $8.49. Last year my earnings totaled $2.80. Although I did not join Helium to make money, I do not want to be lied to. I joined Helium and learned that most of the writers were knowledgeable, friendly, and willing to help out in various ways. Helium has a great number of wonderful members. Most of them will jump to defend Helium at the first sign of negativity. I do not know why this is. There are a very few writers making any significant money from the sight and I can only conclude that they hope to gain a few brownie points by defending these false statements. However, brownie points will not pad a bank account.

How could I really make money from Helium? The only way is probably to get Helium to put my articles in the queue for being rated or featured in prominent places on their site. Now I have contradicted myself about the brownie points. If I could gather enough brownie points to cause Helium to spotlight one of my articles it might get read and I might make a few cents. Is that why I joined Helium? Absolutely not! If that is the only way I can have my articles read at Helium I will gladly keep them sitting in their quiet, hidden, insignificant corner, where they are not read and they make no money.

Now that I have mentioned that quiet, hidden insignificant corner, I would also like to encourage people to snoop around in these hidden, dusty corners of Helium. There are some great writers hidden there. I have

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