General Blogger

There are a plethora of new sites popping up on the web where freelance writers can sell their content. This is in addition to older sites that have become very popular, eg, AssociatedContent.com, Constant-Content.com, Helium.com, etc.

New Sites That Allow Freelance Writers to Sell Content

I reviewed one of these new sites on my blog last week, TheSyndicatedNews.com. One of the things I like about pay-for-content sites is that you can sell your content in a variety of ways, eg, you can sell all rights or limited rights.

For the most part, I don’t believe freelance writers should sell all rights to their content. Before we discuss this though, following is a brief overview of two types of writing rights.

Two Types of Writing Rights

Exclusive Rights: This basically means that you sell all rights to one publisher. For example, the content I produce here on BloggingTips.com can’t be published elsewhere. It belongs solely to this blog.

Non-Exclusive Rights: Non-exclusive rights means that you can sell (or give) the content to more than one publisher. For example, I write articles for AssociatedContent.com (AC). Sometimes I publish these same articles on my blog and distribute them to article directories. This leads me to the main reason I don’t think freelance writers should sell all rights to their content.

Freelance Writers: The Main Reason NOT to Give Away All Rights to Your Content

As writers, it’s our job to figure out how to make what we write as profitable as possible.

When you sell all rights to an article cheaply, that’s time you can never get back. So, if it takes you half an hour to write a piece and you got $3 for it from AC, for example, double that and you’re making an average of $6/hour – which is below the U.S. federal minimum wage (currently $6.55).

Not to knock sites like AC, but most of them pay very little. In the case of this site, the rate per article ranges from $3 to $40. The most I’ve ever gotten from an article I sold to them (non-exclusive rights) is $9. FYI, I have close to 600 articles published on AC. So, why do I submit content to them?

Freelance Writers: How to Make Your Writing Do Double and Even Triple Duty

I don’t submit content to AC to earn what they term “upfront payments” (eg, a one-time payment for an article). I do it to drive traffic to my website and blog, where I sell ebooks and freelance writing seminars. The fact that they pay for page views allows me to earn a nominal amount in passive income each month. This is simply an added bonus.

In essence, the articles I submit to AC do double — sometimes triple — duty in that I also distribute them to numerous article banks and publish them on my blog and website. Hence, the time I spend writing one article for AC serves me in a number of ways.

Note: AC used to offer upfront payments for non-exclusive content. They no longer do. But, you can still earn payment for page views (as of this writing, $1.50 for every 1,000).

Freelance Writers: Maximize Your Time to Increase Your Income

As a freelance writer and web entrepreneur, time is the commodity I trade for income. In order to maximize my income, I must maximize my time. This starts with owning my content.

The Value of Fresh, Unique Content

Every webmaster wants fresh, unique content for their site. It’s what drives traffic and increases online sales. Sites like AC make a lot of money from naïve writers who blithely give away full rights to their articles. This drives the pay scale down for all freelance writers.

After all, why should a webmaster pay $25 for a well-written, 400-word SEO article when they can pay $3, $4 or $5 for unique, fresh content from new writers who don’t realize their worth?

So the next time you put pen to paper, realize your value as a freelance writer. Good writing is a skill that is rarely reflected in how much writers get paid. Hence, it’s up to us as freelance writers to change this. And, it starts with retaining ownership of the content we produce.

Right ear is better in picking up rapid speech while the left ear is better at picking up sounds and music.

This causes the vomer bone to rock, which loosens your congestion and clears you up. After 20 seconds, you’ll feel your sinuses start to drain.

At this sleeping position, it will keep you from suffering from acid reflux. This position, your stomach is lower than your esophagus which help keep stomach acid from sliding up your throat.

Alcohol dilutes the blood in the part of your ear called the cupula, which regulates balance. This is the reason why after drinking lots of liquor, you will feel really dizzy. Putting your hand on something stable gives your brain another reference point. It gives the brain a second opinion thus making you feel in balance. The nerves in the hand are sensitive thus making this kind of body hack more effective than conventional foot on the floor wisdom.

The thumb has a pulse of its own. Blowing your thumb will calm it down and eventually, it will calm your heart too!

Press your tongue flat against the roof of your mouth and cover as much surface area as possible. Brain freeze occurs because the nerves in the roof of mouth get extremely cold when you are consuming, eating or even drinking ice cold foods/drinks. When this happens, your brain thinks that your whole body is cold. It compensates by overheating which causes your head to hurt. By doing the hack above, you will chill your brain and feel better.

Staying hydrated before a meal can prevent you from overeating. This is a time tested method.

When the nerves in the ear get stimulated, they create a reflex in the throat thus causes a muscle spams which cures the itch.

Coughing causes a sudden but temporary rise in pressure at your chest. It inhibits the pain conducting work of the spinal cord that leads to pain free injections.

Between the bloating, the cramping, the cravings, and the mood swings, the time of the month is usually not the best week in any woman’s life. Premenstrual symptoms (PMS) symptoms have caused diets to derail, as you begin to lose count how many times you’ve been caught with your hands in the cookie jar. Optimizing your energy, and relaxing your mood swings can be as simple as adhering to a healthy balanced diet, or eating right.

Women tend to jones for junk food before and during their period due to the fluctuation in hormones. Estrogen, testosterone, and progesterone — the main reproductive hormones — go down, and remain at low levels during your menstrual cycle. These changes are responsible for your cravings going into overdrive, signaling the need to have replace unhealthy food cravings with the specific nutrients the body needs.

While it may sound overwhelming to fit all these specific nutrients in your diet, Natalie Stephens, registered dietician, nutritionist, and on the executive committee of the Ohio Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, suggests keeping it simple by getting back to basics. "[E]at a balanced diet every day (get all your food groups in every day), eat fruits and vegetables with as many meals as possible, get a variety within each food group-eat what’s in season or buy frozen foods that are picked at their prime to get a variety of vitamins and minerals daily,” she told Medical Daily in an email. To prevent, and cope with PMS symptoms, replace seriously unhealthy cravings with these seven healthy foods by adding them to your diet to consume the adequate amount of nutrients needed.

Salmon, and other fish are a good source of omega-3 fatty acids that not only have heart benefits, but can also provide menstrual relief. A 1996 study published in Obstetricians and Gynecology found women who received a daily dose of 6 grams of fish oil, providing 1,080 milligrams (mg) of EPA, and 720 mg of DHA, had experienced significantly less menstrual pain while taking the fish oil supplements. The women were between the ages of 15 to 18, and took these pills over the course of two months.

The consumption of healthy fats like omega-3 fatty acids is recommended by physicians like Dr. Jennifer Burns, of The Bienetre Center in Phoenix, Ariz. “Omega 3 helps along with decrease caffeine, vitamin b-6, decrease sugar intake, more complex carbohydrates, and use of liver herbs like milk thistle and dandelion,” are ideal foods to consume to treat PMS symptoms, she told Medical Daily in an email. These healthy fats are not only found in salmon, but also avocados, nuts, and olive oil.

This green vegetable has a high fiber content that can actually ease bloating. Broccoli has calcium, vitamins A, C, B6, and E, potassium, and magnesium — nutrients that help alleviate PMS symptoms. A 2000 study published in Obstetrics & Gynecology found a low-fat, vegetarian diet that emphasized the consumption of plant-based foods, significantly reduced pain and PMS for many women. The symptom effects could be due to the dietary influences on estrogen activity.

Since broccoli is 91 percent water by weight, it helps eliminate bloating while getting rid of puffiness, gas, and fatigue. Stephens advises to stay away from salt and salty foods that can exacerbate symptoms. “Salt can cause bloating and water retention. Ergo, salt can make those problems of PMS worse,” she said.

Pumpkin seeds are no longer just a seasonal delicacy, these seeds can help alleviate water retention, and mood swings due to its magnesium content, and its ability to regulate serotonin levels. “Magnesium is a great way to decrease water retention during PMS,” Burns said.

Bananas are known to be rich sources of potassium, but also have a high magnesium content. This fruit is known to be a natural sleep aid since it contains melatonin that helps regulate the body’s natural rhythms, and provide a good night’s rest. Pain and sleep is a vicious cycle as pain interrupts sleep, and a lack of sleep makes pain worse. Eating bananas could help combat both.

Quinoa has recently become the new health food superstar since it is rich in proteins containing all nine essential amino acids, and twice as much fiber as most other grains. The complex carbohydrate can help regulate mood swings, and stimulate energy production since its high in iron and vitamin B12. A 2010 study published in the Archives of Internal Medicine found those who followed a low-carb diet were more prone to being depressed, anxious, or angry than those who consumed whole grains on a daily basis. It is believed carbs promote the production of serotonin — the feel-good brain chemical — which helps carb eaters feel happier and more energized than their counterparts.

Calcium and vitamin D nutrition go hand-in-hand when to reducing PMS symptoms. A 2005 study published in the Archives of Internal Medicine found a high intake of calcium and vitamin D may reduce the risk of PMS. Researchers recommend getting four servings of skin or low-fat milk, orange juice, or low-fat dairy foods like yogurt, to get the adequate amount of vitamin D which is 400 International Units a day. “Vitamin D helps to increase the immune system thus helping to fight off free radical damage thus decreasing cancer cells. Food with vitamin D fish, fortified food products, mushrooms, and egg yolk,” Burns said.

Similar to vitamin D, calcium can act as a smooth muscle relaxant, according to Burns, which is great for anyone who has PMS. Foods high in calcium include leafy greens, cheese, almonds, soy, sesame seeds, and milk. High levels of vitamin D and calcium together help ward off PMS symptoms.

It’s important to gradually add these foods to your diet to not overwhelm yourself with keeping a balanced diet, and to ease period pain.