by Ruth Belena

Created on: November 17, 2009   Last Updated: April 16, 2012

Choosing where to publish your articles online is a bit like dating. Most writers remain faithful to the website they love best, but finding the ideal partner requires a few guidelines. Each writing site has its own attractions. Compatibility largely depends upon the needs of a writer and the demands of a website.

Take your time deciding which online writing community to join. Take a good look at the requirements of each website, and be sure of the terms and conditions you will have to agree with when you publish your articles. Take a look in the forums or message boards, to see what issues are discussed, and check how much support there is for members of each writing community.

• Location

If you live in the USA, there is generally no problem in publishing your articles online at a writing site, provided you write articles of an acceptable quality. Some sites offer upfront payments only to American residents, others accept articles from writers in countries where English is the first language, or from writers who use standard English. Some International sites make payments with PayPal, which is not available in all parts of the world.

• Style and Content

If you are a specialist writer it is worth checking each site for style and content. Not all writing sites accept articles in any style. There are some sites that will only accept reviews, "how-to" articles, academic essays or news based items. Big writing communities, such as Helium, Triond and Associated Content, have many channels for a wide range of topics.

• Ways to earn money

Each paid-to-write site has its own system for paying writers for their articles.

Most sites have a revenue sharing system based on number of page views. Payment might be offered per thousand page views. Associated Content pays different amounts according to status on the site. Bukisa sets a rate which can change at any time. Helium writers with rating stars can see exactly how much income is earned daily by each article they publish.

There are a few writing sites where you need to have your own Adsense account, so you can earn a share of ad revenue from your article pages. At HubPages and Squidoo you create a page, known as a hub or a lens, for each topic, and you can use these to earn affiliate commission from Amazon and eBay, as well as from the ads.

Several sites offer upfront payments, but not all writers will be qualified to receive these. Helium has a star system based on the writing score you achieve when your

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