by Karon Brandt

Created on: March 18, 2009   Last Updated: September 19, 2010

Helium is a top quality, freelance writers' platform: a safe, self-monitored community of paid staffers plus hundreds of thousands of peer-writing members. Helium's 40,000 active members are highly motivated to protect their community.

Helium has created a reputation for top-quality writing from credible writers around the world. Writers should present themselves in the best light possible. This is the equivalent of free advertising.

By doing a search on Helium, readers view several titles about a topic. If they click on one that you've written to, you'll want to be in the top five because that is what they'll see.

Once they read your informative, high-quality article, they will probably click on your name, which directs them to your "About Me" page. Sell yourself; brag a bit. Feature your favorite article; change it often according to ongoing news' interests: home mortgages, saving money in a tight economy, health care, open job markets, cars that get great gas mileage, etc.

Emphasize your writing experience - starting with keeping a diary or journal in elementary school - or even before that.

A searching editor or publisher could learn a lot about you in 5 minutes from your personal bio and photo; you want to make a good, and lasting, impression.

Publish only your highest quality works on Helium from your writer's portfolio. If you are a serious writer, and a member who is earning blue stars, you probably want to be featured on Helium's front pages or chosen by Marketplace publishers. Both require a credible name and photo. Readers want to know something about you, the writer of the featured or purchased article.

Include an active link to your other works, your personal blog, and your website. Include some of your top-rated Helium writings under your "favorite articles." Have you been published in other places? Where? What other kinds of writing have you done? Do you have an upcoming publication in the works? Advertise it.

Underscore your previous writing experience and note your special areas of expertise.

Your "About Me" page lists your writing stars (which recognize a level of proficiency), your stats - with the number of articles you've written and the channels they were written to - and the titles of the last 10 articles you wrote.

You might also have a badge identifying you as a site steward, another for creative writing, and another with the number of articles you've published in the Marketplace. If you have earned one blue star, you will also have

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