I could subtitle this post “Why I Appreciated Writing There and Why I’ll Probably Never Write There Again”.

I started writing with associated content a few years ago. I was a brand new stay-at-home mom cruising around for something better to do with my computer than chat rooms and Mai Jong (Have you ever noticed how addicting that game is!?). When I found Associated Content I thought, “Oh, I can write articles” and off I went.

Let me say this – I didn’t know anything about being a serious freelance writer. I would never choose to write for Associated Content today, but I’m glad I did at that time.

The Benefits of Writing for Associated Content – What I Got From the Freelancing Experience

I wrote about 40 articles for Associated Content and made about $400 total in upfront pay. It’s not great, but it’s not horrible. I also continue to make about $15-$25 each month through the new pay model which pays on page views.

The forums are very active, and many of the writers are extremely helpful. I made contacts at Associated Content that have been fabulous – both personally and professionally. I learned how to format my articles to be successful on the world-wide web, in addition to just being informative articles. I discovered that not only do I have a lot to say, but there are people who actually want to read it!

The Downsides of Writing for Associated Content

Now that I am an experienced freelance writer, and have written so much web content for both public sites, and private contract, I will not contribute new material to Associated Content at a high rate. In order to get an upfront payment with Associated Content you must give them exclusive rights to the work! And the pay you get is usually not very much – sometimes only $3 or $4.

There is also a lack of editorial oversight, and an inability to edit content once it’s posted – both of which I personally dislike.

How Associated Content Pays Freelance Writers

Associated Content will publish your article one of two ways. If you sign away all exclusive rights they will offer you a small, upfront payment. OR you can publish the article as “non-exclusive” and you’ll get the page view payment only.

All articles published on Associated Content will be paid according to page views. Starting out, you receive $1.50 for every 1,000 page views. That’s only about one-third or one-half what I currently make at Suite101, and one-tenth what I make at Examiner.com!

If a writer had some research they wanted to reuse and put out in another forum, and wanted the exposure of the bio and information on Associated Content, they might find it a viable option. I appreciated the quick response in getting my articles up and paid. And, as I said before, it was a great way to learn the ropes of web content writing.

Ultimately though, for me, I stopped contributing to Associated Content on a more regular basis because I picked up other markets and other, higher paying jobs.

Visit Associated Content for more information about getting started.

Visit my Associated Content Profile and see some of the articles I’ve published there!