Often members want more feedback than they get. It's a shame because feedback helps writers to develop. In the real world this may come in the form of rejections from editors, while on websites like Helium, the member who wants to improve the manner in which they present Helium articles has to depend upon other members to help. Although not known by everyone, this isn't necessarily the case, as more and more helpful members are willing to give their time to help. All it takes is the willingness to improve, and taking that first step toward self improvement.
The mentoring system on Helium.
Members can get feedback on their writing by sending their article to mentor@helium.com as an effective way to get neutral feedback. The way to do this is to open the article in question, and then use the article tools which are found just above the article on the right hand side. Press this tool and it takes you to many choices. Choose Email this article, and fill out the form with the email address shown above, and the mentor will receive your article and will give you feedback on that item.
Asking other members.
One way of improving your work is to ask for help in the feedback forums. This is an informal part of the community on Helium, where members can post links, and have their work appraised by others. One should always remember that the idea isn't to criticize but to teach a writer to improve their technique and style. Learning from others is a great way to improve the style, format and even the quality of the content written in answer to a topic.
The message system.
The integrated message system on Helium allows other members to give feedback on your work. What happens is that when a member reads and wants to appraise your work, they can leave a comment upon that work or contact you as a writer through the article tools. Generally this happens when members are rating, and want to give feedback. You will receive a notification that you have a message on Helium, and can press your Inbox while logged in to reveal what others have to say to you about your article. This is a very useful system enabling members to communicate with each other and to use that communication to improve.
Things to remember.
It's worthwhile remembering that every writer has off days. If you receive negative feedback on an article, don't go on the defensive. Every writer on the site makes errors. The people who take the time to give feedback usually do so because they care sufficiently about the site to help out. Read what they say. Absorb the information and advice they give, and decide for yourself if you wish to leapfrog an article. Remember always to be courteous to all members whether that feedback is negative or positive.
Feedback from ratings.
The number one article in any chain of articles has already been given feedback. This may not come in the form of a message, but clearly the raters liked the article which was produced, as they voted it to the top. Similarly, the message being given to the member who is 10 out of 10 articles is that they need to improve. If finding an article at the bottom of the heap, this should be used as feedback and educate the writer into trying harder. Often it's hard to see what's wrong with an article and other members are usually very pleased to help you to understand this.
Similarly, the mentor service can be used in an instance like this to help you to improve and to give feedback.
Writing percentage.
Your writing percentage is instant feedback on the quality of your work. If it is low, the reason is usually because you have items which fall below or on the center of threads of articles and do not gain positive equity. To increase the value of your articles, and consequently your writing score, it's easy to use the writing percentage as feedback as far as your progress is concerned.
Instead of opening your page by pressing My Helium, press your name at the top of the site, and see your page as others see it. Then press Articles and go to the back page of the articles, since these are the lowest in ratings. The feedback you are getting from the raters is that other people's work is better than yours, though this doesn't have to have a negative impact on your value as a writer. Those writers who learn from feedback are those who eventually succeed.
Channel Managers.
The Channel Managers on each channel of Helium are there to help members. If you press the Helium logo, this takes you to the front page of Helium, from where you can navigate the channels and find out who the Channel Manager is. Send them a link to your work, and never be afraid to approach them and ask if your work is up to standard. Channel Managers want to encourage writers and also want quality items in their channel, so contacting them, you can expect to get feedback which helps you to help yourself.
It's easier than some may suspect to get feedback on Helium articles in the above ways, and once you learn what works for you, you also learn what your successful niche is. While you may fail in one particular channel, you may write superb articles in another. Use this as feedback as well, as it teaches you where your talents lie. With co-operation between you and other members, the site is improving, and it's worthwhile remembering that your feedback to other writers is every bit as valuable as theirs to you. With feedback and learning possibilities, Helium writers are well placed to improve their presentation, style and success.