Constant Content and Making Money Online

I've been writing steadily online since January. I write for eHow, Xomba, InfoBarrel, my other blog, and now Constant Content. So far, I have not really cracked the code when it comes to Adsense revenue. Of all the services that I have been making money online with, eHow has steadily paid the best. That may change in the very near future though.

I've only sold two articles for Constant Content and I have almost made as much there as I have with eHow in the last six months. My very first impressions of Constant Content can be found in the initial website review I did for InfoBarrel. It's time to update those impressions here and talk about the potential for making money online at this site.

Constant Content is not an Adsense sharing site. Instead it is more like an agent. You, the author, receives sixty-five percent of every sale made. Constant Content gets thirty-five percent. If you refer an author, he or she will earn sixty-five percent, Constant Content will get thirty percent, and you get a five percent referral fee. Most people on the internet view referrals or affiliates with suspicion. Personally, I don't have any problem with it. In the real world, we look to friends, acquaintances, and coworkers for referrals all the time.

Constant Content has a very stringent set of requirements before they accept an article. It boils down to spell checking, proper punctuation, and proper grammar. There are also formatting guidelines. What this does is present your article in the best possible light for the customer.

Some writers will prefer eHow for residual income, others will prefer making money online with Constant Content by direct sales. I recommend you do both. There is that old saying about putting all your eggs in one basket after all.

Read More...

Summary only...

Review of e-Speaking: First Impressions

Well Folks, it's been a long time since I did a blog entry. To be honest, I have been busier than one legged man in a butt kicking contest. Well today instead of talking about the every little writing website that I've found I want to talk about a product that has changed my writing forever.

It's called e-Speaking. It is a bare bones voice recognition software program that cost a grand total of $14.00 if I remember correctly.

And let me tell you what this stuff is amazing . I truly never realized just how fast you can get your thoughts out in your head and onto the "paper". From then on your time is spent editing. This is simply awesome and I just can't believe and I'm still this amazed.

There is a small learning curve. Unlike the more expensive voice recognition software programs that cost hundreds of dollars, you have to train your voice using the Microsoft SAPI. And of course there was spent some time simply practicing. The thing I've found toughest to get used to was speaking out loud and enunciating the punctuation marks. That takes some serious adjusting. And I'm not going to tell you that the final product when you're done talking is perfect. There will be editing involved. I figure I am up to about 90% dictation accuracy. And, you will realise that when dictating there is a tendency to ramble. Both are issues I am willing to deal with, and the price was right.

Voice recognition software is the wave of the future. We all grew up watching Star Trek, and the speaking computer is here now. I have to say that I really wish I'd done this a long time ago.

When you go shopping for voice recognition software the first thing you want to consider is how often you'll use it. The second thing is how patient you are. If you are a low to medium user, and you have the patience to practice e-Speaking is the voice recognition software program for you.

If you are going to be using your voice recognition software a lot, or have no patience, then I'd recommend looking at a product like Dragon Naturally Speaking. Just be prepared for sticker shock.

Technorati Tags:
voice recognition, e-speaking, writing tools

Read More...

Summary only...

Wordtracker Tools for the Freelance Writer

Every freelance writer has literally dozens of special tools in his/her toolbox. There are word counters and SEO tools galore. One of the most common freelance writer tasks is to do a keyword search so that articles they write are more likely to be found on the web. This post is going to look over three keyword search tools that I use regularly. The good news is that each is easy to learn and the better news is that they don't cost anything. So let's kickoff with an old favorite that deserves some respect.

I'm sure that you may've seen this free keyword search tool already. But just to be safe let's take a quick look under the hood. Free Keyword Suggestion Tool from Wordtracker

When you first open it up, it looks like this. Notice the Keyword already inserted. All Images are linked to my Flickr account. Clicking on one will expand it to full size in another window.

This is the basic keyword search tool that Wordtracker offers. Functionally it allows you to quickly see which words are being searched the most. And, by clicking on one of the results you can literally drill it down to the smallest increment. I work this particular keyword search tool half to death when I need a quick look. The big takeaway is that this tool is actually a base foundation from where the other two tools are built. You are going to like them.

The next tool is fairly new to me anyway. It is Word Trackers Keyword Questions – Keyword Research Tool and it is a beauty. You enter a keyword and it shows you actual questions used in search engine queries related to that keyword. eHow writers take note. If you are an expert in knitting, this engine will provide plenty of "How To" questions on your keyword. Answering each question = one eHow article. I can't overemphasise this enough, freelance writers everywhere should really get a kick out of this. Think about it for one second. Instead of simply giving you the rankings of various keywords, this keyword search tool tells you the questions being asked on the net. That means that you and I can form content by answering those questions.

Last and certainly not least is a tool to help freelance writers keep track of the keywords they use in an article. It's also from Word Tracker. This is a keyword search tool and a keyword tracker all in one. The Screen shot is of me writing the very post you are reading. Just take a look.

Of the three tools presented here, I use the keyword search tool for questions the most. Then I use the SEO Blogger tool. They are great for reminding me to stay focused on the topic. Hopefully you freelance writers found all this to be useful. If so, drop a comment, or feel free to bookmark it for a friend. Thanks for reading. - Phil

Technorati Tags: freelance writing, freelance writers, wordtracker, keyword search tool, keyword optimization

Read More...

Summary only...

Dealing with Publishing, Blocks, and Slow Loading Blogs

I wonder how many writers give up because of the publishing game? You need agents, you need a publisher willing to give you a look, and you need timing. I've never tried to publish a book in the traditional sense. But I have a copy of The Everything Guide To Writing A Novel and the game you play for publishing doesn't sound like fun to me. So this first website is bookmarked for the day when I want to finally hold my book in my hand. Enjoy

Book Publishing Companies - Publishing Books - WEbook Online Company: "So you want to be a writer!

Once upon a time, writers were solitary creatures, agonizing in isolation over every word, waiting for the day when their books would get noticed by an agent and wind up on the shelves of bookstores around the world.

No longer! In the brave new world of all things digital, there's more than one way to skin a cat - and more than one way to write and get published. WEbook is a community of writers who come together to write, give and get tough, honest feedback, and maybe make a few friends along the way. WEbook is transforming the landscape-one writer at a time."

There's a bit more after the jump.

I get writers block all the time. One of my key techniques for dealing with it is to simply write on a tablet with an old fashioned input device called a pen. Here is another take on how to simply get words out without distraction. I think if you try it, you will like it.

DarkCopy - Simple, full screen text editing: "DarkCopy is for anyone who enjoys the simplicity of a typewriter, and wants to increase productivity by focusing only on writing. It was created as a free, web-based clone of WriteRoom."

If some of your writing involves a blogger blog, I would like you to leave a link. Karma is a good thing y'know? And if your blog seems to be a slow loading one, here is an excerpt and link from Blogger Help that ought to help you track down the problem. That's all for today, Write on Folks - Phil

How can I make my blog load faster? - Blogger Help: "The most important content of your blog that catches readers attention should load the quickest. To help you identify which items are taking the longest to load you can use Stopwatch. To use Stopwatch, enter your blog's URL into the text box and click 'Start StopWatch'. Stopwatch will then open your blog in a frame and will record the time it takes for everything on your blog to load, including images, videos, widgets, etc. Take note of the items that take the longest to load and modify them appropriately using our suggestions."

Technorati Tags: writing, writing websites, writing techniques, writers block

Read More...

Summary only...