by Victoria Tiegert

Created on: December 24, 2008   Last Updated: December 30, 2008

There are so many websites on the internet today, many of which provide seemingly endless sources of information and entertainment, but one has stood out from the rest in 2008. Growing in leaps and bounds, Helium.com offers writers a place to come together and share what they know and readers an opportunity to learn about a plethora of interesting topics, ranging from the stock market to raising goldfish and covering just about everything else in between. Since its inception only a couple of short years ago, Helium has recruited in almost 300,000 writers. What a wellspring of viewpoints to tap into. The success of the site can be attributed to three things: the community, the income potential and basic principles of giving and receiving.

COMMUNITY

The community of writers at Helium remains close, even through the amazing growth. People willing to help others achieve success abound here. Friendly competition aside, this is not a "dog eat dog" or "writer eat writer" world in the least. The spirit of cooperation and oneness is apparent if you take a moment to glance at the forums. When one succeeds, the whole group celebrates their accomplishments with them. The forums are open for members to go and ask questions, get a dose of constructive criticism, or just socialize at the "cafe".

Each article contains a link to "contact the writer", another way that members share with one another. You may want to offer praise or pointers. You may want to let them know the article touched you in some way or that you related to it. Whatever you want to say, this is an easy way to do so.

The writers at Helium have short bios where people can go and get to know a bit about them. Most of the bios have photos and show any writing credentials they have earned on the site. There are badges for assorted achievements and there are stars that are earned through the number of articles written and the placement they have in the rankings. You can learn quite a lot through this area which can be accessed with a click on the author byline.

EARNING POTENTIAL

Members of Helium have the opportunity to make money through their writing. How much one makes is completely up to them. There are several ways that earnings are accumulated, so there is something for everyone.

Each article makes a relatively minor amount through "clicks", typically amounting to pennies per day on average. There is also a revenue share that Helium generously disperses a portion of to its active members. Authors don't only write

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