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 here, they also rate the work of others and can earn an additional three dollar bonus per month for maintaining a certain amount of rating. This year, Helium started paying on the majority of articles upfront, the amount depending on the "star quality" of the author. These are earning possibilities, but the site offers real money in the following areas.
The Marketplace is where the writers go to find various assignments that are available. The assignments are from sources such as magazines, newspapers, websites, etc. and pay amounts that vary from ten dollars to over one hundred. Some assignments are available to any member and others (typically higher paying ones) are available to "premier writers" who have met certain requirements and qualifications.
Contests are offered weekly on various topics that Helium provides and pay for first, second and third place on a point system. In addition to these, there are also random contests and challenges that Helium provides throughout the year, such as the most recent Rewardathon in which writers had the opportunity to get paid more than usual per article on thousands of topics.
GIVING & RECEIVING
Helium and its writers give to a variety of charities, partnering with non-profit organizations worldwide. Writers can select any of these organizations to donate the profits from their articles to. They can donate the proceeds of one article or all of them. What a wonderful way to give!
Helium has grown and worked to accomodate that growth, increasing benefits to their members and providing the world with insights from every perspective. Two thousand eight has been an amazing year for this amazing collaboration of writers. We look forward to a successful two thousand nine from this innovative and inspiring site!