Writer Access

Writer Access is a website that I discovered a while . I registered as a writer and performed the writing test so I was rated and receiving updates of new titles; however, I was mostly writing for Demand Media so I didn’t really spend a lot of time getting to know the ins and outs of the website. Unlike Demand, Writer Access simply connects third-party clients with writers. The system ranks writers,  and writers can select any of the available titles at or below their rating. This is very similar to Text Broker, another website  I have been using more frequently.

However, Writer Access definitely has one problem: there aren’t a lot of titles. At any given time, I really wasn’t seeing any titles. I would receive an email about available titles, but others would snatch them up in, literally, seconds. Timing is defnitely crucial with Writer Access. It’s not that it isn’t crucial on other websites but it’s even more crucial when there are so few titles.

Luckily, the system has a few features that help the writer. Clients can post casting calls, describing specific projects for which they need writers. As a writer, I have applied to and been accepted to specific casting calls. If the clients like me, they can add me to their “Love List.” Love list assignments only appear to that select group of writers, and I now have access to more articles that are right up my alley and have better pay.

The pay rates on Writer Access are lower than I am accustomed to. However, not by much. Writer Access offers 2.38 cents per word at level 3, for example. Text Broker offers just one center per word at the same rate. So, a 500-word article earns about $12 while an 800-word article earns about $19. Of course, higher rated articles go for a higher rate. 800 words really is no big deal when I’m writing about a techie subject that I find personally interesting.

After being added to the love lists, I’ve had some assignments that I really enjoy. I’ve also responded to a few very specific casting calls for only one writer. As long as I’m diligent at checking casting calls, I think I’ll be okay. However, I am having a difficult time catching some titles that post very early in the morning. I’ve made some money, however, and for that I am glad. Writer Access pays via PayPal once monthly and uses an electronic W-9 system, which is more user friendly than that of Text Broker.

Not everyone has has luck with Writer Access but it can be useful if you know how to work it.

InboxDollars allows members to earn money through a variety of methods. You’ll receive several emails on a daily basis and, when you click the links on them, your account is credited. I also receive periodic messages to take surveys. I head over to the site and enter my information to see if I’m eligible. I’m usually not but sometimes I am. The emails all pay $.02 per message while the surveys pay between $.25 to $2 or $2 each.

You’re not going to get rich. I just reached my first payout and I’ve been a member for well over a year. However, the links are a very passive way to earn money. I get a handful of emails a day and take a few seconds to click on the links. I mean, what have I got that’s better to do?

InboxDollars offers more ways to make money, too. You can download programs, register for other sites (many of which are also paid to read or paid survey sites), sign up for services (T-Mobile, DirecTV, Netflix) or play online games for money through their affiliate WorldWinner. I personally stick to the emails and surveys but I have played some games and downloaded files.

As I mentioned, I just reached my first payout of $40. You can actually request payout at $30 but there’s a $3 fee for them to cut the check and they ask you if you want to earn another $10 to waive the fee so I figured, “Why Not?” When I went to cash out, it still said there was a $3 fee but I saw that they actually credited back into my account so while I will only be getting a $37 check, I didn’t lose the rest. InboxDollars offered a cash survey after I cashed out about how likely I was to use certain features or remain a member so I earned another $2 for completing that right away.

The one down side to this is that the check won’t be cut until November 1. That’s quite a long time. In the mean time, I have to remain an active member–and I will. I understand this system deters folks form joining and earning the first payment and never returning but, honestly, it took me so long to earn that first payment that I can’t see many people abusing the system like that anyway.

The one thin I like about InboxDollars over the sites I’ve used in the past is that it has a decent layout. It’s clean and easy to use. You can view your recent cash messages, see how money is in your account, find other ways to make money and refer others quite easily.

Yes, there’s a referral program. It does not look like you earn a percentage of your referrals’ earnings but you do earn bonuses for referring them in the first place. If you’ve noticed the addition of InboxDollars ads on the site, this is why. The ads appeal to folks by offering a $5 sign up bonus. Everyone is eligible for it, as far as I know. If you were a member and wanted to appeal to your visitors or friends, there are quite a few banners in a variety of standard sizes. They use the default green and cream colour scheme of the InboxDollars website.

While the money is not yet in my hand, I find InboxDollars to be generally favourable.

I prefer Elance by far. The site is better designed on the whole; it looks more professional. I was able to easily browse for projects when I wanted. The only thing I didn’t like is that free accounts only get so many credits, which you can use to bid on the work projects. I believe I got 10 credits a month so I had to make sure I was bidding on the 10 most profitable/enjoyable/realistic projects for myself. That is definitely limiting and some projects can even cost more than one credit.

Freelancer (formerly Get a Freelancer) has a much higher limit. Mine was something like 50 so I was putting in quite a few more bids. Freelancer was also easy to search. I liked their keyword suggestions, something that Elance does not have. If you’re looking for article work, like I was, you can easily click “articles” or “article” from the list and see applicable topics. Both sites group work by category as well. Freelancer’s project list is a little messier, design-wise. While both allow you to view extra details about the projects, Elance has a “watch list” where you can save things that you might be considering but arent’ so sure about.

I also have to say that the quality of work on Freelancer isn’t as desirable for a couple reasons. There’s a lot of reselling. There’s also a lot of people looking to get you to do ridiculous amounts of bulk work. Many of the sellers do not have a strong grasp of English and it’s obvious that some sellers have multiple accounts and/or are posting similar projects over and over. It’s quite confusing but even after you get your head around it, you’ll see the going rates on Freelancer are, quite honestly, ridiculously lower than those on Elance. I’ve noticed some of the same projects being posted on both sites. While I typically ask for $5 per 500 word article and that has been acceptable on Elance, some sellers on Freelancer ask for $.25 per same 500 word article. Um, what? I think not.

The attitudes of sellers on Freelancer are frustrating as well. There’s a lot of “This is how much I’m going to pay and you’re an idiot if you bid over it” kind of thing, as if buyers are wasting their precious time. Well, I kind of feel like these unreasonable offers are wasting my time when I have to stop to read whether it’s work applying for or not. But a lot of people do apply for these projects so I think Freelancer may cater more to people who do not fluently speak/type English or cannot find work on Elance.

These attitudes spill over into many communications. I find my conversations have generally been terse, unhelpful and sellers are unrealistically pushy. How soon do you think I’m going to complete an article if you’re paying me .0005 cents per word?

It’s easy enough to big for articles on either site. Elance has a slightly more efficiently system. You can bid, send a message and upload attachments of previous work on one page. Freelancer allows you to bid and send a message but you have to use the inbox system for sending attachments. I’d think that would become quite confusing for sellers. The inbox is confusing enough for me. It’s really impaired. You can’t even delete messages. Messages are simply there forever.

That’s also the case for projects. Whether I bid and win, the project is canceled or I lose, all my bids stay in my list forever. There’s no reason for bids I didn’t win to remain in that list and once I finish a project, I want the ability to close/archive it. If I want to access it for reference or something, that’s great but I like being able to differentiate between other projects.

Elance really has a leg up on Freelancer when it comes to project management, though. You can set milestones, send status reports and each project has a message board for buyers and sellers to communicate. Elance also lets you do projects that are based on hourly rates and you can manage that on site, too. Each project has its own “work room” so you can easily do this all in one place.

Freelancer is just much more messy. Maybe that’s why so many sellers take their business off site. The problem is, the fees are automatically (10% for free members whereas Elance will take 6% maximum) taken out of any project you accept but if something happens like, say.. you accept a bid but the seller winds up inviting you to some completely different site and you don’t want to do that but the account is obviously abandoned, you’ve paid for a project you won’t be able to do. Yea, that totally happened to me. Plus, doing things off site seems a bit.. not exactly legit to me and I don’t like it much. Unfortunately, Freelancer has a whole lot more underhandedness and sneakyness going on.

I’ve completed some projects where the seller paid through Paypal. This is interesting because, ultimately, Freelancer will send your money to PayPal but you need to have accumulated at least $30 and pay a $1 fee for withdrawing. I certainly don’t mind bypassing these steps but this method keeps the projects open forever so you can’t leave feedback. Therefore, feedback isn’t really important on Freelancer. Remember when I said it’s obvious some people have multiple accounts to get more action? On the contrary, feedback and history is much more important on Elancer and you can feel a little better about the people you work with. At least, I did.

Elance also pays through Paypal (or by check or several other methods) and there is a minimum of $35, I believe with a 2.75% fee. Depending upon how much you withdraw, it is almost always a better deal than Freelancer’s PayPal option.

Both sites have options where you can increase your number of bids and decrease money withdrawal fees for a small price. I did this once with Freelancer, over a year ago, but I’m not sure it’s worth it unless you’re really consistent with your work.

It’s important to remember, however, that there is all sorts of work to be found. I have only written articles. You might be a programmer or data entry person and your experience may vary greatly depending upon your expertise.

Even though EntreCard hasn’t benefited me greatly, I like the idea. I really do. I’m just constantly disappointed by the overall quality of the blogs which are listed. Perhaps that is an indication that most people who use the service view it as a “get hits quick” scheme and are less “legitimate” than bloggers who do not need to rely on a service such as EntreCard.

Either way, I noticed some blogs which used similar services, such ad Adgitize and I thought I’d check it out. Mostly, I’m looking for a way to connect with other bloggers on a more solid, personal level and not necessarily a way to make money (although, I wouldn’t turn it down). I definitely am not going to spend money on advertising for a hobby site like Reviews by Cole. Sorry, ol’ gal.

When you sign up as a publisher on Adhitize, you must choose a type of ad space to display on your site. I chose the 125 x 125 px ad and inserted it into my sidebar. An ad displayed, although I’m not sure why or how it was chosen. There is a little badge beneath the ad which links to Adgitize but nothing to clearly indicate to my visitors what the point is (it might be different if more people had heart of Adgitize but an “advertise here” link would be more useful than just the service name). Not a good sign.

What really gets me, though, is the completely unuseable site that Adgitize has. I mean, come on. It’s 2010. How can your site suck so badly? There are a million–okay 18–links above and below the header. It was easy enough to read about the options as an advertiser or blogger (although; my questions weren’t really answered) and sign up but then you’re lost.

Here’s a few major complaints:

• The login link is in the middle of a list of links, not emphasized by itself
• Looking for an “acocunt” or “control panel” area? Adgitize uses the ridiculous uncommon terminology “member’s lounge” for this area.
• The site gives the impress that you sign up for one type of account (advertise, affiliate or blogger) but you have access to all types (access is good, confusing set up is not).
• No blog list. There is a preferred publishers list but I’m not entirely sure why they are preferred. Maybe it’s something you buy? I do like EntreCard’s “campaign” which lists and allowed you to search blogs, categories and other information.
• Community link. Because that doesn’t sound like the exact same thing as “Member’s Lounge.” Apparently it’s a sort of updates blog but it’s not the blog; that’s something else.
• And what the hell is the leaderboard? Apparently you earn points (again, no idea how) and you get listed there.
• There is a Help page and a FAQ which could and should be combined into one page–they’re both in Q&A format.

In short, the Adgitize website has too much going on and most of that is promotional material which does not aid the user. I would suggest a complete overhaul of the website, condensation of content, removal of unnecessary links and “widget” update. That is, if the service even wants to be seen as a legitimate advertising solution. Right now, it looks like a joke.

Mechanical Turk, which is named after the Chess-playing computer, allows requesters to post Hits (individual jobs) which workers can complete. These hits are usually easy and timeless and range anywhere from $.01 to $5. Some hits take literally a matter of seconds (although the hits are timed and may offer you more time) so your earning is usually only limited by how many tasks you can achieve. 30 quick tasks which pay out $.01 can result in $7 an hour, assuming it only takes you 5 seconds to complete a task. On the other hand, hits which have more of a reward tend to be more complicated and take more time (like article writing).

These are not complex tasks and, especially with large groups of tasks, may become a little mind numbing after some time. I try to do the easier hits in groups, 25 here, 50 there. If you’re anything like me and like variety, this is a good way to make sure you’re never bored. Before there are so many hits and groups of hits, nothing ever has to get old (and, if it does, you can just stop). If you do work diligently at a certain task, there is always the chance you may be rewarded a bonus or that a requester will open a task only to you. MTurk may also help some find freelance work at much more appealing prices.

In 3 months or so, I’ve earned over $50. It’s not going to pay the rent but it is a little extra cash. The money earned on Mturk can either be transferred to a checking account or used to purchase things in the Amazon marketplace. If you have no credit card, it might be nice to have some money which can be spent online.

I wouldn’t call MTurk a way to get rich fast and maybe not a ya to get rich. It is a way to earn a little extra money and, if you’re going to waste time online anyway it doesn’t hurt to get paid for it.