Use Bukisa to Increase Page Views on Other Writing Sites

 Bukisa is an online writing site that pays residuals to writers. The site works on a revenue-share basis and writers receive money based on page views. At a minimum of only 250 words, Bukisa articles are short and simple to write. Membership to the site is free and anyone can quickly sign up and start writing.

Beyond the potential to make money with Bukisa articles, writers can also use the site to drive traffic back to articles on other sites. By using this simple strategy, writers can increase their income.

Start by finding articles you wrote that highlight a couple of different points. For instance, say you wrote an article entitled, "The Top Three Sushi Restaurants in Chicago" or "Three Green Craft Projects that use Recycled Supplies"? Both of those articles highlight three distinct items under one unifying theme.

After finding these articles, start promoting them through Bukisa. Start by writing a short article about one of the topics in your larger article. For instance, if you want to link back to the article on the top three sushi restaurants, write a Bukisa article on one of those restaurants. Because the original article contains three restaurants, three seperate Bukisa articles can be created and linked back to promote the original article. So for each larger article, you will create multiple Bukisa articles that link back to it.

The great thing about this strategy is the fact that you end up making money on all fronts. You increase your  page views for your other writing sites. You also earn residual income from your Bukisa articles. It's also a simple way to create a great amount of content with the same key words and topics. This helps to prevent research burnout and writer's block.

Use this writing strategy to work smarter instead of harder. Sign up for Bukisa and start writing short articles that can promote larger articles. It's one way to generate a larger audience and greater income without much more effort.

Suite Writers Now Accredited to Write Google News Articles

Yesterday I received a message in my inbox informing me about the new Suite news accreditation program. Suite writers who have written over 30 articles have the opportunity to become accredited to write Google news articles. The accreditation process is extremely simple and it doesn't seem like there is much of a difference in the article formatting of news articles.

Suite has provided new learning hubs to help writers understand which articles are considered newsworthy. It also provides help on formulating titles and attaching seo-optimized images. Aside from those tips, the basic Suite style of using seo sub-headings and third-person writing is still intact.

So what's the advantage of writing Google news articles? Well, news articles, on timely issues, could result in a high number of page views and added clout to a writer's resume. I must say that it was quite a thrill to see my first news article intermingling with big-name media conglomerates like BBC news and MSNBC.

The down side to writing news articles is the fact that they will eventually lose their appeal and cease to generate page views or income. Even at their height of popularity, these articles will probably not bring in as many ad clicks as the evergreen Suite articles.

All in all, I think this new opportunity is fantastic. I probably won't be writing a ton of Google news articles, but it's nice to know that I have the option now. It's just one more way of expanding my writing experience. I'm sure I'll also learn much more about writing online news stories as the program continues.

If you want to, check out my first dive into the deep end of the Google news pool here.

Say Hello to the New Ceramics Feature Writer

I've taken the next step at Suite101 in becoming the ceramics feature writer. Now I will be writing four articles a month on all things clay. As a ceramics minor in college and someone who has taught high school ceramics, I'm excited to share my knowledge on the subject. Beyond the obvious instructional articles, I will also be writing about mosaics, art schools, specific artist bios and ceramic art history. It should be fun.

In exchange for my clay knowledge, I will earn an extra 20% on top of my current residuals, and then an extra 10% once I reach 100 articles. I'm pretty excited about the added income and the extra motivation to keep writing.

Because I also need a lot of time to work on my jewelry, I'm focusing on writing ten ceramics articles to save in my drafts. They will be my emergency backup articles for those times that I'm too busy with jewelry to focus on writing. I've got two down and eight more to go this week.

Anyway, I just want to emphasize again how much I appreciate Suite101. I have discovered numerous opportunities through the site from contests to my new position. I'm excited to be on board and I can only highly recommend the site to anyone else who enjoys writing.

eHow's Writer Compensation Program is Over

I can't really say that I'm surprised that eHow decided to end their WCP. Though administrators continually told eHow members that nothing was changing, they announced this Monday that articles could no longer be published through the eHow publishing tool. Instead, all future articles must be written through Demand Studios.

Though I am a Demand Studios member, I am upset that eHow publishing tools are no longer available. Publishing with Demand Studios can be so much more arduous due to the inconsistent editors and the time it takes to find a title. Ofcourse you can create your own assignment, but it is still not as simple as eHow.

I also think that the closing of the WCP will only logically lead to mass article sweeps. It only makes sense that Demand Media would want to flush out old content in favor of flat fee articles that would make them more money over time. Because of this, I strongly encourage all eHow writers to back up their articles as soon as possible. If the articles get removed, you can post them to AC or Bukisa.

Anyway, I'm hoping that the transition to the Demand Studios publishing model for eHow content will be relatively simple. I guess only time will tell. I do know that I will continue to diversify my content over a number of sites to protect myself from any future sweeps or problems.

How do you feel about eHow's decision to drop the WCP?

Writing for Residuals: It's a Marathon, not a Sprint

I'm sure there are a number of people online who could refine SEO research down to the finest of sciences. I'm not one of those people. Yes, I have learned what separates good SEO keywording from the bad, but I have yet to pinpoint a formula for making thousands, or even hundreds of dollars in the short term, off of one article.What I do know, is how to keep it real, kind of like J-Lo (just kidding).

But in all seriousness, I will tell anyone who is listening that online writing CAN contribute significantly to a monthly income and it has the POTENTIAL to turn into a full-time job. Will most people be able to quit their day jobs and just write for residuals though? I'm afraid the answer to that question is, not anytime soon.


Making a Full-Time Living from Writing Residuals

Those who wish to live off of residuals need to start writing now and commit to the long haul to build their monthly residual streams. For most people, it could take years of dedicated writing before they are making enough from residuals to quit a full-time job. That said, it IS possible, and can become a reality by following some key steps.

• Diversify: There are many sites that pay residuals for articles. Some are better than others and each has its own method of assessing performance and payment. As a writer, I think it is important to experiment with each of these online platforms to see which ones work best for you. Writing for a number of sites is also like writer's insurance. For instance, if a website goes out of business, a writer can take articles from that site and publish them at one of the other sites he or she writes for. During that time, the writer will still be earning residuals from all of the sites he or she has written for. Some sites that pay residuals include Suite101, eHow, Associated Content, Bukisa and Triond.
• Prioritize: By writing for a number of sites, you will quickly learn which ones provide the largest return for your writing time. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to know that the majority your writing time should then be dedicated to those higher-paying sites. This doesn't mean that you shouldn't continue to write for other sites, but just that you should focus the majority of your writing at the more successful sites.
• Learn SEO Research: Read up and learn about SEO research strategies. It really does help to drive traffic and increase residuals. There are a number of wonderful online resources and Suite101.com learning hubs provide some excellent tutorials for beginners. Absorb all of the information and apply it as often as possible.
• Write: This should be the most obvious tip, but many people just write four or five articles and expect to see residuals streaming in. Unfortunately, that's not how it works. Instead of worrying about daily stats and earning trends, just keep writing. I always think of a twist on the Nike slogan, "Just Write It". Believe me, writing every day is the best way to create residual wealth.
• Endure: Luckily, I have run some distance races in my time, otherwise I would really struggle with residual writing. Online SEO writing is much like a marathon. It is all about incremental steps toward a far-off goal, and it requires fortitude. It is so easy to quit at any point along the course, but anyone can reach their goals with commitment and persistence.
• Plan: Financially successful writers treat their writing as a business. They set work hours and quotas to help them progress toward their goals. One of the best ways to stay productive as a writer is to create a long list of possible articles and post it next to the computer. A list like this allows writers to progress from one article to the next without sitting and pondering the next writing topic. Writers should also set a weekly or monthly article quota for each site they write for. Writers should also set long-term goals. Perhaps they could write a series of online articles that could later be put together to create a book. Each writer will have his or her own goals, but it is important to have an idea of where you are going so that you can create the path to get there.
• Scale Back: To make a living from writing, many people will have to scale back their finances. This might not require huge changes. It could be something as simple as giving up Starbuck's or renting movies instead of going to the theater. For others, this might require moving to a less-expensive house or even town. I'm lucky as I live in an area with a low cost of living, but I've even found ways of cutting costs here and there. I'm trying to make more food from scratch instead of eating out. I'm also living on a clear budget that helps me keep close track of my finances. If you need help creating a budget, there are a number of budget calculators online that can help you determine your monthly financial needs.

Keep Plodding Toward Financial Success as a Writer

Bottom line, writing is not for anyone looking for a get rich quick scheme. It takes a long time to create revenue streams large enough to equal a full-time job. That said, it is possible to build wealth over a long period of time with focused dedication and endurance. Remember that you are running a marathon and you have to run it to the very last mile to see the benefits. Stay dedicated and keep the faith. You will reap the rewards in the end.

Buck up Buttercup and Work, Work, Work!

Lately I have been spending a lot of time online and little time actually working. I'll get on the writing forums, read blogs, play around with my Facebook page and even create iTunes playlists. None of these things are getting me to where I want to be financially. They are also deceptively time consuming. You feel like you are doing something when, in reality, nothing gets done.

My struggle to stay focused is more than just the average daydreamer's. I was diagnosed with attention deficit disorder when I was very young. I'm not sure I even needed the diagnosis though. The kids at my school were well-aware of my space-cadet mindset. They even stuck alien and space stickers on the back of my desk chair.

Now to clarify, I have the type of ADD that lends itself to daydreaming and spacing out, not the type that makes a person run around in circles and fidget in a chair. I was perfectly happy to watch a plant grow, instead of focusing on the daily lessons. I think that same mentality crops up in me from time to time in my adult life as well.

Over the years I have learned to deal with my ADD. I have never taken medication for my lack of focus, so I have been forced to learn coping mechanisms to get through the day and be successful in life. Though it hasn't always been easy, I'm glad I became somewhat self-reliant in my ability to correct my inattentiveness. Sometimes though, I will still go through periods where I will allow full days to go by without really focusing on anything that needs to be completed.

So I've decided I need to just make a schedule and stick to it. Even though focusing is more difficult for me, I've got to buck up and work in order to reach my goals. To compensate for my ADD, I'm going to set shorter timed work sessions for myself and set a buzzer to alert me of when it's time to work and time to stop. I'm also going to set a limit to my freetime on the Internet. I can so easily lose time online if I'm not aware of how quickly it is passing.

Anyway, this post is almost like a note to myself to be more self-sufficient and find a way to make it happen, regardless of my challenges. So to myself I say, "Buck up buttercup and work, work, work!!!"

What are the challenges keeping you from your goals?

I Took the Amazon A-Store Plunge

After putting it off for a while, I finally decided to take the Amazon A-Store plunge. For those of you who haven't heard of an A-store before, it's a store that is made up of Amazon affiliate products. You pick the products and then when someone purchases a product, you get a percentage of the profit.

I knew that niche marketing was important in setting up the shop. As a vegetarian, I always have problems finding high-fashion products that don't use animal materials, so I decided to create a Vegetarian Fashion store. I also incorporated a blog onto the site to drive traffic using SEO blog posts.

I set up the store on a Google Blogger site, just like this blog. I integrated the store into the heading and then placed the blog postings at the bottom of the page. I have no idea if this will be successful or not, but I will monitor my progress and report back.

I'm really just feeling my way through this process blindly. I really enjoyed choosing my products and setting up the site, but I have had very little success with affiliate marketing. I decided that it might be worth my time to invest a little more effort into the process though.

Anyway, I would love to hear any advice from those who have had some success with an A-store. I am sure there are some marketing tips that I am missing. I'm curious to see how the first month of the store pans out. I'll make sure to report back on my progress and let everyone know what worked and what didn't.