About.com, owned by The New York Times Company, is now hiring contributing writers, in addition to About.com guides.
For years, the site only hired web writers to work as About.com guides, who write articles, blog entries and newsletters about one particular topic. Now, professionals in dozens of fields can work from home writing online as a contributing writer on About.com.
Earn Money Online as an About.com Contributing Writer
About.com's contributing writers earn money on the web by writing about a particular subtopic that falls within a broader About.com guide topic. Like About.com guides, the site's new contributing writers are selected based on factors like their ability to produce SEO-friendly content and their professional credentials and experience in their chosen topic.
According to About.com, "Contributing Writers work alongside our Guides, covering specific subtopics that fall within the larger topic areas of our GuideSites. They are responsible for producing a certain amount of content per month on that subtopic. They are not responsible for managing or maintaining a full GuideSite. The About.com Contributing Writers program was created to help us cover topics that may not be broad enough for a full GuideSite."
About.com contributing writers can earn money writing from home, provided they pass a stringent selection process and prep course. About.com is known as a very selective site when it comes to hiring web writers, but once hired, contributing writers are guaranteed minimum monthly earnings of $500 for the first two years; after two years, the web writer is guaranteed a minimum of $250 per month.
In terms of minimum writing requirements, About.com contributing writers must produce at least 12 pieces of web content each month.
The new web writing model on About.com is similar to Suite101's model of feature writers and contributing writers, though there are a couple differences. Suite101's contributing writers are assigned to one topic and they can write about any topic on the site, while Suite101 feature writers can earn money writing online about many different topics, in addition to their assigned feature writer topic.
Earning Money Writing on the Web as an About.com Guide
About.com's more than 750 guides are responsible for maintaining a more comprehensive guide site, which includes articles, blogs, forums and newsletters.
About.com guides earn a minimum of $675 per month for the first two years, with the monthly minimum lowered to $500 thereafter. According to one current About.com writer, guides must also undergo evaluations after a few months on the job, at which time, it is decided whether the web writer will continue to work for the site.
Web writers and professionals who earn money online as About.com guides must adhere to stricter publishing requirements. During the first two years as an About.com guide, the web writer must publish at least four articles every month (with no more than 14 days between each article,) in addition to a minimum of one to three blog entries per week.
About.com is perhaps the only site that guarantees its web writers a minimum monthly stipend. But unlike other sites like Suite101, About.com limits its guides and contributing writers to just one topic/subtopic, which means web writing jobs are difficult to come by and there is a great deal of competition among writers when a popular guide or contributing writer position becomes available.
Related Articles on Web Writing and Earning Money Online
Looking for other ways to make money online as a web writer? Check out How to Make Money Online as a Web Writer.
For web writers who are looking to make more money writing on the web and blogging, check out How to Write for the Web – Using Keywords and SEO.
Wondering how to make money blogging? Check out How to Make Money Blogging – Blog Advertisements.
Mia Carter - Mia Carter - Journalist, Producer/Editor & Web Writer. Carter's work has appeared on CBS and CNN.com.
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