by Cody Hodge

Created on: June 08, 2009   Last Updated: June 24, 2009

Whenever someone is new to a website, or even maybe to writing itself, it is common that mistakes can be made. It is only human, and everybody is bound to make a mistake from time to time. Whether it be that you just didn't read the terms of service closely enough, or you just made an honest mistake, you need to make sure that you are playing by the rules. If you don't you can get kicked off the site if you commit a major foul. Most mistakes are easy to fix, and here are a few that people make more than others.

The first major mistake I see out of new writers is that they don't always use paragraphs. Whether this is due to a poor grasp of the language, or not knowing how to format on a computer, it is never going to get your articles ranked very high. Paragraphs are essential in any form of writing, but they are ultra important when you consider that writing for the web means you write shorter paragraphs.

The next major mistake I see out of Helium writers when they are new is that they want to put their name at the end of the article. This is a major no-no, and this is because of how it effects the rating process. You will always be given credit for everything that you write, but when people rate it has to be a blind process. When the article has a name on it, it could influence the rater to give a certain author a good rate, or a lower rate.This really isn't fair.

This isn't so much a composition mistake, but a lot of new Helium users think that they can take material off the site if they wish. While the work that they publish is non-exclusive, and the author retains copyright, it is stated in the terms of service that all writing is owned by Helium, and cannot be deleted. This might leave a lot of new members scratching their heads, but it throws off the rankings if articles are randomly taken off by writers. This can effect the entire community.

A lot of new Helium users also can get confused by the different things that Helium offers. I see a lot of questions about the empty title bonuses, or the contest rules, or leapfrogs. They don't realize that contest rankings can be a little different from regular rankings, or that leapfrogs can only be done once. I was a little confused when I started writing here, but I see some new users just a little confused by how much Helium offers.

There is a lot to learn when you first get to Helium, and I'm not talking about all the information that the articles contain. It can be a scary experience to be a new writer on Helium, and especially if this might be your first time as a published writer. Don't worry though, it gets easier as you get used to what Helium offers, and how it operates. After awhile you will be giving advice to new writers trying to figure everything out.

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