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ANDOVER, MA – May 18, 2009 – Helium.com, the world’s largest writing community, today announced that its writers have exceeded $1 million in total earnings. The amount — more than half of which was generated over the last six months — is a significant validation of the Helium publishing model. At present, over one thousand Helium writers have earned more than $100, and top earners have made over $5,000 in a matter of months. In addition to the rapid acceleration in earnings, the company has experienced a 70% increase in traffic to Helium.com over the last six months.

“This milestone represents definitive proof that there is a real market for writers to be compensated for their work online,” said Mark Ranalli, CEO of Helium. “In the midst of increasing volatility in the traditional media industry, Helium is attracting thousands of publishers and connecting them with high quality subject matter experts on a regular basis.”

Recently named by Writer’s Digest as one of the “101 Best Websites for Writers,” Helium rewards its writers based on merit, including the number of articles purchased through the site’s Freelance Writing Marketplace, winning writing contests and achieving high ratings from fellow writers.

In addition to increasing interest on the consumer side, Helium has benefited from forming partnerships with major media companies. Last fall, the company announced an alliance with Hearst Newspapers, which is leveraging the platform to cost-effectively access premium local and lifestyle editorial content for its newspapers.

Helium has also attracted attention by forming partnerships with prestigious journalism organizations such as The National Press Club and The Society of Professional Journalists, which view the site as a resource for their members to build their digital writing credentials and showcase their work in front of thousands of publishers online.

Helium is free for anyone to join and the community includes a variety of writers, including professional journalists, college students, stay-at-home moms, and medical and legal industry professionals.

About Helium

Helium is the world’s largest community of writers. Since its inception in 2006, Helium’s writers have published over 1.25 million articles on 125,000 unique topics. Each month more than 3 million people visit Helium.com to read articles on a range of subjects from careers to home & garden, parenting, politics and more. Helium writers earn money and establish digital credibility by publishing articles on Helium, securing writing assignments with publishers through Helium’s freelance Marketplace, competing in writing contests, and engaging in civilized debate around the issues and causes that are most important to them. Recently named by Writer’s Digest as one of the “101 Best Websites for Writers,” Helium is a privately held, privately funded company headquartered in Andover, MA. For more information please visit www.Helium.com.

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