Helium Writing Highlights 5/24/2012
Posted by MarkMurphyHelium
Hello Helium.com Writers!
Introducing a new weekly feature to the Helium.com Blog: Article Excerpts! Each week, we’ll select excerpts from well-written, up-and-coming articles across multiple channels on helium.com. It’s a great way to expose talented writers and inspire our community to keep writing. We’ll post a piece of the article, a link to the article and a link to your author page.
Like what you’ve read? Why not Tweet it or post it to your Facebook wall or Google+ page? Our goal is to help you get noticed, get read and get motivated!
Title: Knowledge is power and power is knowledge
Author: Michael Greaney
Channel: Ethics
“It is the use of knowledge, not knowledge itself, that confers a type of power. Even that, however, is a misleading statement, for to use knowledge properly implies not just the wisdom to know what to do, but the ability to do it. Since ‘power’ means ‘the ability for doing,’ we necessarily come to the realization that neither knowledge nor wisdom is the source of power. The source of power is whatever vests us with this ‘ability for doing.’ The obvious question then becomes, ‘Where do we get this ‘ability for doing’?'”
Title: Everyday habits that can wreck your health
Author: Carol Gioia
Channel: Healthy Living and Wellness
“Even if you have a gym membership and work out in the morning, if you spend the rest of the day immobile while watching television, playing video games or on the computer, you are putting your health at risk. If you have a job that requires you to sit all day, make it a point to get up and move around at least once every hour. Go for evening walks, as opposed to watching television non-stop until bedtime.”
Title: Short Stories: The time is now – “We Three”
Author: Rochelle Foulk
Channel: Short Stories
“‘Rachel,’ she never called her by that name. ‘I am older now, and somehow that old woman’s words keep coming back to me. Marcy, she is full of anger and rage, I suppose I can’t blame her for that. I don’t know what a normal person can handle in a lifetime but I suspect we have each handled enough for 6 lifetimes…’”
Title: What are the best ways to engage young people in family planning?
Author: Virginia Gaces
Channel: Pulitzer Center
“The problem now lies on how to discover the best ways to engage the youth so that they would participate with fervor. The key to this dilemma is simple: give young people essential roles that would affirm that they are a significant part of society.”
Title: Key differences between the book and the movie: Jurassic Park
Author: Ben Kenber
Channel: Movie Analysis
“When it came to the characters, some of the biggest changes occurred with John Hammond, the curator of Jurassic Park. The book describes him as a ruthless businessman who is arrogant, deceptive, utterly disrespectful, and thoughtlessly rude. Even though he eventually comes to see the consequences of his experiments, he still moves ahead with his plans in the name of profit. He is even willing to sacrifice his grandchildren to the dinosaurs if that’s what it takes.”
If you have an article you think should be excerpted and promoted, send a link to mark.b.murphy@rrd.com.
Leave a CommentHelium Member of the Week: Sara Lugardo
Posted by MarkMurphyHelium
Congratulations to Helium’s new Member of the Week!
Helium Member of the Week: Sara Lugardo
“Creative ideas aren’t something that can be forced, it comes when you least expect it.”
Helium Member Since: March 2009
Articles on Helium: 179
What do you write about mostly? Why do you write about this subject? Do you consider yourself an expert in your field?
The majority of my articles on Helium are in the Style & Beauty field, but the articles that I am most proud of are about social change and society. I write about style and beauty because I find it interesting and I have a passion for fashion. I do not consider myself an expert on the field because I’ve had no formal training. However, I can say that I am and have always been the go-to person for style and beauty advice for my friends and family, and I’ve always considered myself to have a unique style all my own (which simply can’t be taught).
How do you promote your work?
I use social networking sites, I have a personal email subscription service for online articles I post and I have great word of mouth traffic from my loyal readers.
What motivated you to become a writer?
I have always had a passion for writing, and I enjoy doing it. It’s amazing to have a job that doesn’t feel like work.
What advice would you offer new Helium members?
Write about something you are passionate about. It will bring out the best writer in you.
Articles by Sara
How pop culture is helping quell homophobia
Tips on choosing the right stroller for your newborn
Every Wednesday, Helium’s blog will feature a new Member of the Week. Member of the Week is chosen through a process of nominations and assessment by Helium community members and staff. If you know a great writer you’d like to nominate, send a link to that member’s About Me page along with an explanation of his/her accomplishments to mark.b.murphy@rrd.com.
Meet Kat Apf, Senior CM
Posted by Libby O'Brien
In addition to being a senior channel manager,
Kat is the root channel manager of the Creative Writing channel,
a role she has filled since the steward program was first established.
She also manages the Drama channel
and is a member of the EAB.
She has written more than 400 articles on the site.
How did you first learn about Helium.com and what’s your favorite aspect of the site? I found Helium via an ad on Gmail. What I loved right away was the rating system. (Don’t throw rocks!) I loved rating then and I still love it. On another site I used, you rated in public and after a while, when you formed relationships with people, you tended to be less than honest about their work. So on Helium, being able to rate anonymously is the best part for me.
How did you become a senior channel manager? I actually had to look up when I became a senior. It was in January of 2009. To be honest, I do not know how I was picked or why! I know another senior had resigned and I was asked to come on board. I was really happy to lend a hand.
What do you enjoy best about managing the Creative Writing channel? I love reading other people’s take on titles. It amazes me how differently each person can interpret a title and run with it. My favorite thing is to find an article or poem in CW that jumps out at me and makes me HAVE to write the author and tell them how great their work is.
Have you always been a creative writer? What’s the first creative writing piece you remember writing? I think I have always been a creative writer. I feel it’s my comfort zone. I actually thought when I first joined that I wouldn’t do any creative work to, if you will, broaden my horizons. Which didn’t happen exactly. I DID end up realizing I could write something that wasn’t a poem. My first creative piece came at about six or so. My mom would let us use her typewriter (a manual Smith Corona!) and I wrote about Sue and her blue glue!
Do you have a favorite author or a writer who inspires you? As a kid I was very inspired by the “problem novel” writers of my early teen years. Judy Blume, M. E. Kerr, Norma Klein and all those writers from the 70s. These days, I read Alice Hoffman and wish I could write like her.
Where else do you look for inspiration? I look for inspiration in everyday life. Many times my experiences come from my kids and husband. I’m a mom and a housewife, so sometimes I get inspired by laundry and the dishwasher. Writing is also a good way to avoid laundry and dishes! I never know when inspiration is going to hit and have learned, the hard way, to keep a notebook in my bag and by my night table.
I hear you have a new addition to the family… care to share? Recently, our beloved dog Mack died, which was very sad to my whole family. Last week, we got an adorable Sheltie, Leo, who is the cutest little ball of fur you’ve ever seen. He’s keeping me entertained and laughing. While Mack is not replaceable, Leo is making missing Mack a little bit easier.
Do you have a favorite piece that you’ve written on Helium? There are two poems on Helium that I think are my better ones: Poetry: Who I am and Poetry: Not fitting in.
Who are your favorite Helium authors and what do you like about their writing? There are many really good creative writers on Helium. I’m afraid I’ll miss someone so I think I’ll skip this one.
What tip would you give to a new Helium writer? Take the time to learn what is and isn’t acceptable on the site. Look around for a bit before submitting a lot of work. Know that in the creative writing channel, there is a lot of work and if you aren’t rated high, it doesn’t necessarily mean you’re not a good writer! Take the time to really check your work, proofread, spell check, proofread again. I also highly recommend not writing something and submitting it ten minutes later. I like to write something and let it sit for a day before rereading and making improvements and then, submitting it.
Read any good books lately? I recently re-read Sophie Kinsella’s Shopaholic series. Fun stuff and perfect for me at the end of a long day.
What’s your favorite thing to do when you’re away from Helium? Altered Art is my favorite thing to do when I take Sundays off. I use old books, photos, magazines and so on, to make a new piece of art. It’s a lot of fun and it relaxes me!
That sounds fun—and like you might have a craft article in the making! Thanks for sharing Kat!
Leave a CommentWe want you for civil discourse
Posted by Steve Singer
As the US 2012 election season heats up, Helium is announcing Helium Election Debates 2012.
At Helium, we encourage everyone to contribute their ideas, because we believe readers deserve a variety of viewpoints on topics they care about. Civil discourse, written, read and rated by our members, helps break through the partisan gridlock that the US currently faces by presenting a collection of voices from our great-minded community.
Throughout the current US election season, we’ll be presenting a series of debates covering a variety of topics, and encouraging our writers and raters to contribute to the civil conversation of ideas.
We’re kicking this off with this week’s featured debate: Will President Obama’s embrace of gay marriage hurt his re-election chances?
Leave a CommentMeet Nan Keltie, CM of Education and Thanksgiving
Posted by Libby O'Brien
In addition to being the channel manager of two channels,
Nan, who lives in Alabama, is also a member of the EAB.
She has been writing on Helium.com since 2008
and has written more than 300 articles.
How did you first learn about Helium.com and what’s your favorite aspect of the site? I was Googling for a freelance writing site and came across Helium. I really enjoy the community found here!
What motivated you to become a channel manager? I’ve been a receptionist much of my life, so that experience gives me the ability to meet people, help them get the information they need and find their way around in a new environment. I’m honored to be the “face” of both the Education and Thanksgiving Channels.
What do you enjoy best about being a channel manager? Contacting new writers and letting them know someone on site cares about their experience and their writing.
Of the various Holiday channels that you could have managed, what drew you to Thanksgiving? I think it’s one of the most important holidays and often gets overlooked in the year-end rush. My desire is to build the channel up and seed titles that will draw more writers.
Tell us about your Homeschooler badge–how did you earn it? I taught our three children at home over a period of 18 years and documented everything, so I presented samples of that documentation to Helium. Educating the children was a joint effort by my hubby and me, and it gave us the opportunity to travel as a family, making what they read in their texts come alive. We also encouraged them to become experts in their individual areas of interest. For our daughter, it was music with an emphasis on piano. She now teaches music in a community college and gives private piano lessons in her home. Our first son was interested in history and politics and is earning a degree in Foreign Policy and Homeland Security. Our younger son was a technology buff and is manager of the Geek Squad at the local Best Buy store.
How did you decide to join the editorial advisory board? I was submitting lots of titles and was approached by a senior manager.
What is your favorite article you’ve written on the site? Probably my submission to the title Funny Parenting Stories. I hope to never experience another day like that in my life, but if it makes you smile, it was worth it!
What inspires you to write? I think the memory of my dad inspires me much of the time. He was a wonderful story-teller and a good communicator. I’d like to think I take after him a little bit.
What advice would you offer a new Helium writer? Once you’ve read the guidelines, find something you would enjoy writing about and get started. Also, don’t be afraid to ask lots of questions while you’re learning your way around.
What’s your favorite thing to do when you’re away from Helium? I enjoy roaming with my camera in the great outdoors. The intricate designs found in God’s amazing creation never cease to amaze me.
Have you read any good books lately? Last night I finished Angel Sister, by Ann Gabhart. It’s set in the Depression Era and is loosely based on the author’s memories of stories she heard while growing up. A fascinating read from start to finish!
Leave a CommentHelium Member of the Week: Emily Doe
Posted by Shira Hillyer
Congratulations to Helium’s new Member of the Week!
Helium Member of the Week: Emily Doe
“When you write to the best of your ability, people notice!”
Helium Member Since: January 2012
Articles on Helium: 54
Who inspires you?
My mother, who is an English teacher, is one of my greatest inspirations. As a teacher and a writer herself, my mom cultivated a true love of the written word in me since I was a child.
What have you gained from being a member of an online writers’ community?
For me, there is nothing more exciting and comforting than being surrounded by individuals who feel the same passion and love for writing that I do. Like anything else, knowing there are others who really ‘get it’ makes all the difference.
How do you promote your work?
Social media is an excellent way to promote my writing: Facebook and Twitter, primarily. I also write a personal blog, City Girl Can Survive: www.citygirlcansurvive.blogspot.com
What advice would you offer new Helium members?
Keep pushing yourself! It’s easy to look at your account balance or the stars next to your writing and become discouraged, but it is important to pay your dues, push yourself and dedicate your time to expanding your portfolio. Take it from me: when you write to the best of your ability, people notice!
What is the best life advice you’ve received?
Never underestimate the importance of following your heart. Life is about making decisions for your own happiness, not to satisfy the expectations of others.
Articles by Emily
Why is it important to layer clothing in the winter
Fashionable dress styles for spring 2012
Every Wednesday, Helium’s blog will feature a new Member of the Week. Member of the Week is chosen through a process of nominations and assessment by Helium community members and staff. If you know a great writer you’d like to nominate, send a link to that member’s About Me page along with an explanation of his/her accomplishments to mark.b.murphy@rrd.com.
Leave a CommentGood news from Helium
Posted by Steve Singer
At Helium, we’ve always been about the cooperative nature of our community. The community shares its considerable accumulated knowledge with other members and the larger Internet community. Helium members volunteer their time and expertise to help writers on the platform develop their skills, check facts, comment on poems and creative writing, and make close personal friendships. Helium provides the platform, publishes the content and shares advertising revenue with the members.
In October 2011, we announced set rates of pay per channel based on the number of views for articles in that channel. That allowed us some flexibility in the page layout and design, and we were able to address the advertising clutter on pages without cutting into members’ revenue share. Lowering the number of ads on a page helped increase Helium’s standing with search engines. We also launched the article image feature, which allows writers to add relevant photos to their Helium articles. Images provide readers with additional context and increase search engine optimization (SEO) value.
The good news is that cleaning up the advertising clutter and adding images to articles has begun to pay off. Since January, traffic to Helium –both visitors and page views– has increased nearly 20%. That traffic is coming from a wider variety of sources, including StumbleUpon, Twitter and Facebook, thanks to the continuing efforts of writers who promote their work. We believe the recently announced ‘article headline’ feature, which differentiates individual articles, will also increase visibility to search engines. So keep up the good work: Continue adding headlines to your existing articles.Continue adding (appropriately sourced)images to your new and existing articles. The payoffs may not be immediate, but as shown above, good news comes to those who show patience with their efforts. Thanks for your support.
Here’s a graphical display of the growth trajectory on Helium since the beginning of 2012.
Helium's YTD traffic growth
Meet Sun Meilan, Senior CM
Posted by Libby O'Brien
In addition to being a senior Channel Manager, Sun is and EAB member,
the title seeding manager, and the CM of Entertainment, Style & Beauty,
and Law & Justice. She has been a member of Helium.com since 2008
and has written more than 2,600 articles.
How did you first learn about Helium.com? I used to write regularly on a review site, ciao.co.uk, and heard about a promotion on Helium. I took part, earned about $60, then kept on writing from there. It took me a while to get to grips with the site and how it worked, but I eventually became a channel manager, then joined the EAB and became totally hooked.
What do you like best about the site? It inspires me to write. I’d never have thought of writing about some of the things on which I’ve written articles, but I’ve learned loads from the process and, hopefully, I’ve improved as a writer as well.
When did you become a senior channel manager? I became a senior channel manager in January 2011. I’d already been a channel manager for about two years by then and became really involved in what I was doing, so it seemed like a natural progression.
What do you enjoy best about being a channel manager? Having the opportunity to see what other people are writing about. There are some great writers in the channels I manage and others, and it always inspires me to keep aiming higher. I like the interaction with members too—I’ve gotten to know a lot of the writers.
Which one of the channels you manage is your favorite and why? I’ve been channel manager for entertainment for around three years now, so that has to be my favourite. I’m a big film buff—especially of horror and foreign language films—so I love having the opportunity to read other people’s reviews of films I haven’t seen, as well as writing my own reviews.
You wear many hats at Helium.com—what’s your favorite role to take on? The title seeding role. I love coming up with new titles, but I also enjoy the interaction with title seeders, many of whom I’ve gotten to know really well.
What are your favorite articles you’ve written on the site? That’s a hard question, because I’ve written a lot. Probably 3D Express Coach: The Chinese bus that straddles traffic simply because I lived in China for a long time and have fond/frustrating memories of sitting in endless traffic jams in Beijing! If only the Express Coach had been in existence then… Also a memoir piece I wrote about my time in China, Memoirs: Living in China in the 1990s. It was an amazing time to be in China because of the pace of change.
What inspires you to write? I have quite a short attention span and love being able to write short pieces and then move on to something else. That’s what inspires me to write on Helium. I love learning about new things.
Who are your favorite Helium authors besides yourself and what do you like about their writing? I’d never class myself as a favourite writer of mine. I’m too impressed by other writers to be that confident about my own ability. It’s hard to name favourite authors, especially because they change on a regular basis, but three that spring to mind as I’m writing this are Richard Hogsflesh, John Welford and Rosetta Taylor. They’re always word perfect and they write on subjects that interest me. However, there are many others who will probably come to mind as soon as I’ve submitted this!
What tip would you give to a new Helium writer? Spend time reading before you start writing. Many people come to Helium after writing on other sites, but there are expectations of writers on Helium that don’t necessarily exist on other sites, for example sourcing information, writing in the second/third person and avoiding blog-style posts. Reading the writing guidelines may seem tedious, but it really will save a lot of time in the long run.
What’s your favorite thing to do when you’re away from Helium? Watching films—I’m a member of a couple of local film clubs. Watching retro British sitcoms (and a fair few US ones too). Long-distance walking when I have the time. And I probably spend more time drinking beer than I really should!
Sounds fun—next time we’ll chat over drinks! Thanks for taking time for the interview Sun.
Helium Member of the Week: A.W. Berry
Posted by Shira Hillyer
Congratulations to our new Member of the Week!
Member of the Week: A.W. Berry
Helium Member Since: April 2007
Articles on Helium: 982
Favorite quote:
“A public opinion poll is no substitute for thought.” -Warren Buffett
What have you gained from being a member of an online writers’ community?
Being a part of Helium’s writing community has given me a chance to be part of a progressive writing community and publishing industry. It has also encouraged me to develop writing techniques, make something out of nothing, and learn a lot about what it means to be a writer.
What do you write about mostly? Why do you write about this subject? Do you consider yourself an expert in your field?
Finance is interesting to me so I practice, examine, and write about it. Since financial regulations, products and industry practices change, staying aware of the industry’s pulse through ongoing research is necessary when delivering up to date and useful content. There is also never a shortage of financial scenarios, contexts, and methodologies to learn as the financial landscape is dynamic and differs between individuals, corporations and financial systems.
How do you promote your work?
To promote my work I use a combination of social media, SEO, and backlinks. My blog called Moneycation allows me to generate an additional audience, and accounts at Twitter, Google Plus and LinkedIn help raise awareness of my content at Helium. Occasionally I also email articles or use additional article URLs from Helium on third party websites.
What motivated you to become a writer?
A friend in high-school suggested I write down my ideas, it was difficult to stop after that.
What is the best life advice you’ve received?
Just live your life.
Articles by A.W.
How to benefit from Helium’s personal finance channel
Every Wednesday, Helium’s blog will feature a new Member of the Week. Member of the Week is chosen through a process of nominations and assessment by Helium community members and staff. If you know a great writer you’d like to nominate, send a link to that member’s About Me page along with an explanation of his/her accomplishments to sh.helium@gmail.com.
Leave a CommentHelium Member of the Week: Christina Meadows
Posted by Shira Hillyer
Congratulations to our new Member of the Week!
Member of the Week: Christina Meadows
“Focus on the positive, and be grateful for the good in life.”
Helium Member Since: June 2010
Articles on Helium: 65
Who inspires you?
The author and philosopher Ayn Rand is a huge inspiration to me. Like me, she knew she wanted to be a writer from an early age, and she wanted her work to be inspirational, informative and honest.
What have you gained from being a member of an online writers’ community?
My writing has improved since I discovered Helium and found an outlet for exercising journalism skills that had been dormant since I worked on my law school newspaper about two decades ago. Thanks to the element of competition in the writing contests and the article ranking process, I have an extra incentive to do my best. Reading the work of so many talented writers here also inspires me; the quality seems to keep getting better!
What do you write about mostly? Why do you write about this subject? Do you consider yourself an expert in your field?
Many of my articles are about crafts, as I love painting and many other creative pursuits. Parenting and pet care are other favorite subjects, drawn from my experiences as a life-long animal lover and the mother of three terrific children ranging from pre-school age to a high school senior. However, I like writing about practically any subject! If a topic isn’t already familiar to me, I relish researching it, and absorbing new knowledge and ideas.
What advice would you offer new Helium members?
I recommend that new Helium members hone their skills at distinguishing good quality articles by rating articles, and by reading submissions in the writing contest sections. Judging others’ articles for quality, and determining which characteristics of a piece warranted a contest prize, inevitably improves your own writing skills. Also, read over the posting guidelines, and remember that Helium wants articles written in the third-person viewpoint, which means not using “I” or “we” in your sentences.
What are your future goals with regard to writing?
I’m shooting for those five writing stars on Helium! I would also love to write a novel and a work of non-fiction and have them published.
What is the best life advice you’ve received?
The most helpful advice I’ve received is to focus on the positive, and be grateful for the good in life. This not only makes you more aware of the joyful aspects of existence, it actually increases them!
Articles by Christina
Using positive reinforcement with teens
Ways to get your dog to stop digging holes in your yard
Every Wednesday, Helium’s blog will feature a new Member of the Week. Member of the Week is chosen through a process of nominations and assessment by Helium community members and staff. If you know a great writer you’d like to nominate, send a link to that member’s About Me page along with an explanation of his/her accomplishments to sh.helium@gmail.com.
Leave a Comment- Helium Writing Highlights 5/24/2012
- Helium Member of the Week: Sara Lugardo
- Meet Kat Apf, Senior CM
- We want you for civil discourse
- Meet Nan Keltie, CM of Education and Thanksgiving
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