Helium.com is a great place to write. Over the last couple of years this website has undergone many changes, most of which have been improvements. Helium is now a very professional website and its writers need to take that into account when contributing.
In its early stages, Helium had few members and its writing demands were brief. As the website have adapted and changed though Helium have increased their standards.
Personal viewpoint.
There are a few instances were a personal opinion is warranted but more often than not this is not the case. Articles that are written from personal experience and include the word I, are not usually rated high. In Helium's Marketplace most publishers actually state that they will not accept such articles. If the publisher's guidelines stipulate that you must not use the word I then you must not. If you do, you may find that your otherwise perfectly good article will be disregarded without a second glance. Such publishers may also tire of Helium and part company with the marketplace.
Capitals
Articles that are written completely in capitals will be deleted. They may survive for a brief period but eventually they will be flagged and deleted. Avoid using capitals for titles and sub headings also. Currently Helium prefers its writers to use a lower case font for titles, headings and sub headings
Formatting
If you do not take your time, proofreading and previewing your article you may find that the formatting is wrong. Double spaces showing between paragraphs, large white spaces and sections, which are in a different font, all spoil the overall effect of your article. Even if your article is brilliantly written, the formatting could let it down. Ensure that you have thoroughly checked the appearance of your article before pressing the publish button. As a double check look at your published article and leapfrog amendments straight away if necessary.
Spelling and grammar
Make sure that you run the spell check on Helium.com or in Word or the like, if you initially write there. Bear in mind that Helium is an American website and both the spelling and the grammar may vary a little to say that of English. Stick to one particular form of spelling such as English rather than swapping and using more than one.
Plagiarism
Copying someone else's work is stealing. The person who wrote the original work may have slaved over the words for hours or days. If you then simply copy and paste this work it is theft. You may think that because you have changed the odd work it is ok to do so but it is not. Write original articles and use your own experiences. It is fine to research a particular subject to check out the facts but plagiarism will result in your article being flagged or perhaps your Helium membership will be revoked.
Citing your sources of information
Citing any sources that you have used to write your article is the done thing. This can be tricky because sometimes the information may have been read and learned years before. Generally citing your sources of information will mean that you show at the bottom of your article the URL for any website, which you have used for your work.
Minimum word count
At one time articles on Helium were acceptable even if they were very brief. Currently articles need to be at least 400 words long. This could change in the future and so you need to keep up to date with Helium's guidelines. Having written many brief articles when I first joined Helium and having had to leapfrog them all I would say the longer the better. This way they will be fine if, and when, the minimum word count changes again. (Sharing my experiences with you here is a perfect example of when it is ok to use the word I) Do not ramble on though in your articles and just waffle to add to the word count. Get to the point. If your article is unnecessarily long it may also be flagged.
Offensive material.
Helium is a family friendly site and as such, certain standards must be met. The subject matter is vast and varied but some things are not appropriate. Do not swear, be rude, detail pornography, be abusive, be disrespectful, be racist or sexist, and the like. Use your common sense to work out what is and what is not allowed. If you are still not sure, refer to Helium's guidelines. Remember that Helium has many young members and people from all walks of life, so act accordingly.
Off Topic.
Occasionally you may post an article to the wrong title. This can happen. Such an article will be flagged off topic and need to be moved. Similarly, if you choose to write to a particular title, and then detail anything but information which is relevant, you will be flagged off topic. Read the title of your article, followed by the draft version of the article you have written, in order to assess its relevance.
Check your facts.
Some articles will involve opinion or perhaps be creative work. However, if your article is designed to pass on information make sure that this information is correct. Check dates, names, treatments, events and any information that may be used by the reader. Apart from writing well you need to be credible.
In conclusion
Helium.com is a great writing platform and information service. Write to the best of your ability, rather than just a hastily put together article. Write often, following the guidelines and your writing should improve. Remember that, although Helium may delete some articles, you do not have that priviledge. Unfotunately your articles, whether they are good, bad or ugly will stay with you at Helium.
Use the leapfrog facility to amend your articles as necessary, but also to update them be a top Internet website.