by Gulrukh Tausif

Created on: August 31, 2009   Last Updated: September 02, 2009

Writing at Helium is a lot of fun and a bit addictive for the old guards but for a new member it can be frustrating and a bit confusing too. What topic to choose, how to write a good article, how to improve the ranking of a lowly ranked one, how to earn money and how to get those elusive blue writing stars that seem determined to remain elusive? Well, here's bit of advice that will help new Helium members to enjoy their experience at Helium.

~Write:

Whether you know the perfect recipe for cooking lobsters or a natural cure for asthma; whether you keep an eye on world politics or love to write book, movie and website reviews, whatever your interest or forte, Helium has titles for everyone. Choose a topic that you are most comfortable with or join a passionate debate and turn out a well crafted article. Remember that an article around 400-800 words does better on Helium than long, meandering ones.

~Things to Remember:

Give a solid beginning and a concrete ending to your article. Always spell check before you submit your piece and use Paste from Word to avoid your article from changing shape and mass in its published form. Divide your article in short paragraphs. Use links within articles to lead the reader to other things that you may have written on Helium. Cite your sources carefully if you are using material from other publications.

~Rate:

Many Helium members consider rating a boring and cumbersome chore but there are lots of advantages of rating other members' articles on Helium. One rating star is necessary to receive the page view earnings on your articles and 5 rating stars earn you $3 rating bonus.

While rating, you come across a wide spectrum of ideas, opinions and views, and errors too. You learn a lot, know what errors to avoid and hone your skills as a writer. By giving feedback, you make friends on Helium and often your praise and suggestions are reciprocated which helps you gauge your strengths and weaknesses.

~Seek Help:

If the ranking of your article stumps you, don't get discouraged. Seek help from other Helium members and there is never any shortage of those who will willingly go over your article and suggest ways to improve it. You can write to mentor@helium.com and send your article in the email body. You can also post the link of your troublesome article in Writing Critiques Forum where somebody, sooner than later, will come to your aid.

~Visit Community Boards:

One of the best features about Helium is its community boards. The Helium community

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