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Ehow.com...Good, Bad, and how they Pay??

by bbminded
53 replies
I was just looking over at Ehow.com and was wondering how many people use it for marketing there articles etc and how effective they are compared to other sites like Ezine etc??
Also they say you can make money from them based on the performance of your articles, but dont specify any number amounts. Can anyone enlighten me on them? Thanks!!
#bad #ehowcomgood #pay
  • Profile picture of the author oliverwinston
    Hi, I just read an awesome article on ehow.com.

    They pay out 20 million per year to authors so I don't think it will be a problem getting paid.

    They make money on adsense clicks, so they let you share that revenue.

    Not sure what your skills are but if you can make videos you can make $20 each :-)

    The article was on the wired.com website if you want to find it.
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    • Profile picture of the author x3xsolxdierx3x
      oh boy, bbminded....give me a sec, and I can post some VERY interesting stuff about eHow....

      P.S. I recently removed all of my 150+ articles from there....
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    • Profile picture of the author kilakiwi
      [QUOTE=oliverwinston;1512614]Hi, I just read an awesome article on ehow.com.

      "They pay out 20 million per year to authors so I don't think it will be a problem getting paid."

      ***PLEASE review the eHow forum before assuming your will be paid fairly and on time. This has been a HUGE problem there for several months

      "They make money on adsense clicks, so they let you share that revenue."

      ***The eHow terms of service make a point of letting writers know that they WILL NOT tell you what your pay--or lack thereof--is based on. A recent forum post on eHow that asked whether eHow writers are paid for their cloned articles on eHow UK was (finally) responded to with, "That's part of the secret algorithm." Meaning, they won't even tell you that.

      "Not sure what your skills are but if you can make videos you can make $20 each :-)"

      ***NO. Demand Studios (not eHow) once offered $20 for videos for applicants they accepted. I had several videos on eHow that made even LESS than my articles, and because eHow offers an embed code to anyone who wants it, I eventually had to delete my own videos because they were stolen by a large website, with links to my original video deleted. They represented it as their own work and eHow would not help me stop the plagiarism. eHow never even responded to my requests for help.

      ***Sorry to have to disagree here. I'm sure your intentions were good, and Wired magazine is certainly a reputable source, but times have changed at eHow. Caveat emptor. Check the eHow forums to learn the real truth of what is going on there CURRENTLY before you waste 5 minutes of your precious time.

      And while you're there, check the monthly earnings polls. eHow writers make 67 cents, on average, per month, per article. And that seems to be dropping.
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      • Profile picture of the author x3xsolxdierx3x
        kilikawi,

        is there any other website you would recommend writing for?
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        • Profile picture of the author kilakiwi
          Originally Posted by x3xsolxdierx3x View Post

          kilikawi,

          is there any other website you would recommend writing for?
          I keep hoping eHow will get their act together, but that's looking less and less likely. And I still like Examiner for the contacts and training they offer, though I have heard mixed opinions from others (and of course you have to apply at Examiner and be accepted, and not all good writers are, from what I've seen).

          So after extensive research, my money--literally--is on Info Barrel. I will earn 75% to 90% of my articles' AdSense and Chitika earnings there, and I can add do-follow backlinks to my own sites (and affiliate links, too, I think). That beats ANYTHING else I've seen.

          I also appreciate the fact that Info Barrel edits members first 10 articles. I think that was one of eHow's major downfalls. Kinda tough to shut the proverbial barn door after the horses are out...and stampeding...
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          • Profile picture of the author x3xsolxdierx3x
            Originally Posted by kilakiwi View Post

            I keep hoping eHow will get their act together, but that's looking less and less likely. And I still like Examiner for the contacts and training they offer, though I have heard mixed opinions from others (and of course you have to apply at Examiner and be accepted, and not all good writers are, from what I've seen).

            So after extensive research, my money--literally--is on Info Barrel. I will earn 75% to 90% of my articles' AdSense and Chitika earnings there, and I can add do-follow backlinks to my own sites (and affiliate links, too, I think). That beats ANYTHING else I've seen.

            I also appreciate the fact that Info Barrel edits members first 10 articles. I think that was one of eHow's major downfalls. Kinda tough to shut the proverbial barn door after the horses are out...and stampeding...
            There are just so many companies out there to write for Kilakiwi (I think I spelled your screename wrong in my last post...lol)....I mean...it's easy to see that people could get lost in trying to figure out which one to write for....and which one is the 'best'....

            I can see PROs and Cons to their having to edit their first 10 articles. I know that people can get impatient while waiting for articles to be approved (I know, I like my articles to show up as soon as they are submitted)....but, I guess a quality control process is a good thing to have in the long run....
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          • Profile picture of the author redrossero
            Stay away from writing to such sites...look at squidoo now.
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            • Profile picture of the author x3xsolxdierx3x
              Originally Posted by redrossero View Post

              Stay away from writing to such sites...look at squidoo now.
              Do you write for Squidoo alot, Redrossero? I have about 80 "lenses" over there.....do you do pretty well over there? ($$$)
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            • Profile picture of the author x3xsolxdierx3x
              Originally Posted by redrossero View Post

              Stay away from writing to such sites...look at squidoo now.
              Which websites do you write for, redrossero?

              As far as I can see, the issue at hand here is that it is often very difficult for every day people to just begin a blog/website, host our own advertisements, and have it earn without dedicating hours upon hours to creating content....only to find that many of these websites have a clear edge over us in the search engines...

              Because of the established favor and authority in Google, these sites are indexed very quickly...

              I'm not saying it isn't possible to make money from a blog/website, but, I think it's become increasingly difficult to. In my honest opinion, there is a reason why these types of sites rank so high. I think they'll clearly be the wave of the future...

              The victor will be the company/website that brands itself the best....that listens to its users....addresses bugs/glitches quickly...and has implemented article quality control measures, while also providing incentive for writers to continually provide content there....
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              • Profile picture of the author psresearch
                Has anyone used triond.com - looks like a pretty robust system as it syndicates the content to their own network of sites it looks like.
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                • Profile picture of the author x3xsolxdierx3x
                  Originally Posted by markquinn View Post

                  Has anyone used triond.com - looks like a pretty robust system as it syndicates the content to their own network of sites it looks like.
                  Hey markquinn,

                  I really liked the professionalism of Triond's welcoming video ("Take the Tour), when you first reach their site...like most sites, I've heard some good and some bad things about them...

                  ....their 50/50% Revenue share isn't very generous, and, isn't very "competitive" at all compared to other sites...

                  on the brite side, at least they are transparent about their revenue share allocation percentage that they offer to writers. You are lucky to even get THAT from some sites....

                  Transparency is something to be admired in the article submission/revenue sharing industry, because many companies still think they can pull the cloak over writer's eyes by operating behind a "secret algorithm". (There are three websites that I can think of right off the top...)

                  Hope this helps!
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                  • Profile picture of the author psresearch
                    Originally Posted by x3xsolxdierx3x View Post

                    Hey markquinn,

                    I really liked the professionalism of Triond's welcoming video ("Take the Tour), when you first reach their site...like most sites, I've heard some good and some bad things about them...

                    ....their 50/50% Revenue share isn't very generous, and, isn't very "competitive" at all compared to other sites...
                    What would you consider a decent revshare?
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                    • Profile picture of the author x3xsolxdierx3x
                      Originally Posted by markquinn View Post

                      What would you consider a decent revshare?
                      Hey again Mark,

                      The thing is, there are a few variables at play here. There are one or two sites out there that actually have 100% revenue share (but, people aren't attracted to them because they aren't put together very well or aesthetically appealing at all. They lack basic functionality that other sites make up for). Even though these sites offer so much revenue share, the chances are very likely that writer's articles will never be found. (so, it's not even "worth" $$$ writing for a website like this if your goal is to develop a long term passive income revenue stream).

                      What you are seeing now is a significant amount of greed and failure to be transparent that has emerged in this industry. Based on current functionality, Info Barrel is the best site to write for right now (I have a very comprehensive spreadsheet breaking down the functionality of roughly 19 similar websites) (This doesn't mean they could change with management decisions and the general evolution of the internet). In fact, I forsee many companies having to significantly adjust their business plans/revenue share in order to remain remotely competitive with Info Barrel's 75%-90% revenue share (I consistently make 90%, each month)....

                      The thing is...they DON'T offer 100%, however, they are a site that people will "want" to talk about because their interface is user friendly and, I think, aesthetically pleasing.

                      ....People SHOULDN'T just look at a website's revenue share, though....there are so many other elements of functionality and general operation that new users should consider prior to joining.

                      1) Customer Service
                      2) Do they have a referral Program?
                      3) What other means of generating revenue to they have established (that they share) with writers?
                      4) Do they have a supportive forum?
                      5) Is it FREE to use. (Believe it or not, there are some companies that will charge you a monthly fee, in order to purchase a "package", that allows you to provide content to them. They then go ahead and further take 100% of all revenue your writing produces. cough....cough....go Google a company called "Instructables".....
                      6) If a company refuses to disclose their revenue share, stay away from them!

                      Hope this helps!
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                      • Profile picture of the author psresearch
                        Originally Posted by x3xsolxdierx3x View Post


                        ....People SHOULDN'T just look at a website's revenue share, though....there are so many other elements of functionality and general operation that new users should consider prior to joining.

                        1) Customer Service
                        2) Do they have a referral Program?
                        3) What other means of generating revenue to they have established (that they share) with writers?
                        4) Do they have a supportive forum?
                        5) Is it FREE to use. (Believe it or not, there are some companies that will charge you a monthly fee, in order to purchase a "package", that allows you to provide content to them. They then go ahead and further take 100% of all revenue your writing produces. cough....cough....go Google a company called "Instructables".....
                        6) If a company refuses to disclose their revenue share, stay away from them!

                        Hope this helps!
                        What about traffic to the site? It seems like that should be a huge factor. I'd rather earn 50% revshare on a site where the average page might get 5 times the traffic of other sites paying 100% revershare that get 1/5 the traffic.
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                        • Profile picture of the author x3xsolxdierx3x
                          Originally Posted by markquinn View Post

                          What about traffic to the site? It seems like that should be a huge factor. I'd rather earn 50% revshare on a site where the average page might get 5 times the traffic of other sites paying 100% revershare that get 1/5 the traffic.
                          Hey again Mark,

                          There have been tons of people that have told me "I know eHow probably won't be around in the future, but I'm milking them for all I can get while they are still around..."

                          ....statements like that always made me wonder. Yes, eHow sees 37,000,000 some visitors a month, however, even with all that traffic their website is nearly unusable (seriously, just go check out their "bugs and glitches" forum).....

                          Clearly, they did something right though. Being on of the first "how-to" sites out the gate certainly helped alot, but, I really believe what occurred was that they developed a website on pure marketing and advertising, with very little means or forsight to maintain adequate quality control. While bombarding their site with tons of writers and articles, they simply grew beyond their own means to maintain themselves.

                          Even with ALL that traffic, they are one of the last websites I would recommend to anyone (seriously). So what I think you now have left on eHow are:

                          1) the People who just don't know better, or don't understand what is going on (and may be too busy or pre-occupied to research...or simply don't care)
                          2) the People who can forsee the inevitable, and are just milking them for whatever they can, without adding any further real content.
                          3) the People who can forsee the inevitable, get fed up with the nearly inexistant customer service and glitches, and spend hours attempting to remove their content in order to submit it elsewhere.

                          .....if anyone is looking for a REAL long term 'relationship' with a revenue sharing company, I think the most wise thing to do is to look at so many aspects of their business model and functionality offerings. The company(s) that manage to be superior in these areas will (errr....should) rise to the top. I think we are beginning to see this nowadays. There are 2 or 3 websites, in particular, that are closing in on eHow. They may not have 37,000,000+ million visitors a month, however, if they do things right, they can.

                          I once heard someone refer to the "How-to" article industry as 'booming', and, in the same sentence, they referenced that it was still in its "infancy". To say that there is HUGE potential here for new sites to emerge would be quite an understatement.
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                          • Profile picture of the author psresearch
                            Originally Posted by x3xsolxdierx3x View Post


                            .....if anyone is looking for a REAL long term 'relationship' with a revenue sharing company, I think the most wise thing to do is to look at so many aspects of their business model and functionality offerings. The company(s) that manage to be superior in these areas will (errr....should) rise to the top. I think we are beginning to see this nowadays. There are 2 or 3 websites, in particular, that are closing in on eHow. They may not have 37,000,000+ million visitors a month, however, if they do things right, they can.

                            I once heard someone refer to the "How-to" article industry as 'booming', and, in the same sentence, they referenced that it was still in its "infancy". To say that there is HUGE potential here for new sites to emerge would be quite an understatement.
                            Great.great piece of insight here. Thanks.

                            I've learned a ton from the blogs you referenced in this thread, too, btw.
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                            • Profile picture of the author x3xsolxdierx3x
                              Originally Posted by markquinn View Post

                              Great.great piece of insight here. Thanks.

                              I've learned a ton from the blogs you referenced in this thread, too, btw.
                              Oh, no problem at all Mark! I'm glad you have benefited from reading those blogs. I'm quite hesitant to continue to post blog links though (I don't want to be seen as overly promoting, even when the blogs aren't mine...)....So much great insight has been shared in this thread, it would be a shame to see the thread deleted.....especially when some could really benefit from it.

                              If you scroll back up, on the link that I shared earlier to an article entitled "The eHow Clone Wars", you can read another article she actually posted yesterday entitled "4 Predictions for Future of User Generated Content Sites"......that was REALLY a great article and had some great insights as well.....
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                    • Profile picture of the author x3xsolxdierx3x
                      Originally Posted by markquinn View Post

                      What would you consider a decent revshare?
                      P.S. Honestly, I think you should shoot for greater than or equal to 75%!

                      But, like I said, also pay attention to referral programs...and, if they afford writer's a particular percentage of writer's referral's earnings, as well.....

                      Many sites either don't have a referral program, or don't offer anything back to writers for referring new members.
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                      • Profile picture of the author ilaavu
                        I write for this site and it pays 75% via its affiliate program. writerich.com
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                        • Profile picture of the author kilakiwi
                          If you are one of the members who believes they have been adversely affected by the problems there and who wants answers, PLEASE post your views on the eHow forums tonight.

                          Several members have been risking their own accounts to speak up on behalf of everyone, and it's time to make yourself heard if you have been playing it safe.

                          There is strength in numbers, and posting there helps document that you reported being affected by the problem. PLEASE.
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          • Profile picture of the author x3xsolxdierx3x
            Originally Posted by kilakiwi View Post

            I keep hoping eHow will get their act together, but that's looking less and less likely. And I still like Examiner for the contacts and training they offer, though I have heard mixed opinions from others (and of course you have to apply at Examiner and be accepted, and not all good writers are, from what I've seen).

            So after extensive research, my money--literally--is on Info Barrel. I will earn 75% to 90% of my articles' AdSense and Chitika earnings there, and I can add do-follow backlinks to my own sites (and affiliate links, too, I think). That beats ANYTHING else I've seen.

            I also appreciate the fact that Info Barrel edits members first 10 articles. I think that was one of eHow's major downfalls. Kinda tough to shut the proverbial barn door after the horses are out...and stampeding...
            oh, I've heard some really sad, heart-wrenching, stories of people who have had articles 'deleted' over there....

            sigh...I feel bad for the work at home mom, or college student, who is sold on how they can simply write articles and make money....they submit their articles, they are approved, and then 5-6-7 months later those articles are deleted with little to no feedback..... (I guess, like you said, this is just a reflection of their inability to employ effective quality control standards since the get-go...)

            I do know alot of people that make good cash on eHow, I just...well...I don't know....based on some experiences, as well, I'm not sure it's the best place for a writer to invest their time and money.....
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    • Profile picture of the author x3xsolxdierx3x
      Originally Posted by oliverwinston View Post

      Hi, I just read an awesome article on ehow.com.

      They pay out 20 million per year to authors so I don't think it will be a problem getting paid.

      They make money on adsense clicks, so they let you share that revenue.

      Not sure what your skills are but if you can make videos you can make $20 each :-)

      The article was on the wired.com website if you want to find it.
      Do you have a link to it oliverwinston? I can't seem to find it...

      hm
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  • Profile picture of the author x3xsolxdierx3x
    Originally Posted by bbminded View Post

    I was just looking over at Ehow.com and was wondering how many people use it for marketing there articles etc and how effective they are compared to other sites like Ezine etc??
    Also they say you can make money from them based on the performance of your articles, but dont specify any number amounts. Can anyone enlighten me on them? Thanks!!
    This is because the operate under a "Secret Algorithm"....many once longterm/former and disgruntled eHow members are becoming very attuned to their lack of transparency...

    I have written MANY articles about them....

    Am I allowed to post links to articles here?
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  • Profile picture of the author x3xsolxdierx3x
    I'll give it a shot here, bbminded.... (I hope an admin/mod here understands....)...

    A blogger friend of mine wrote an article recently that your thread title actually reminded me of....

    "eHow articles -- the Good, the Bad, and the Ugly"
    eHow Article Sweeps – The Good, Bad, and Ugly

    We can start there, but the rabbit hole gets REALLY deep with some very questionable activity....
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  • Profile picture of the author kilakiwi
    Squidoo can be one aspect of article marketing for backlinks, but I have been reading in the past month or so that people are complaining they can't get their lenses indexed, and they aren't making money there. The consensus seems to be that Squidoo has lost favor with Google due to too many spammy lenses. I have 3 lenses that are a couple of months old, about 40 views, and no money.

    However, my first Info Barrel article was published on 11/19, and is #1 in Google for its exact keyword phrase, beating out my previous article on eHow at #2 for the same title (I had deleted it from eHow, but eHow being what it is, its staff reinstated droves of user-deleted articles last week).

    I hope this helps. I know it can be confusing. I have researched until I have 'analysis paralysis,' and I can promise you this: If you search current blog posts and content site forums, you'll soon know where to invest your time and effort.
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    • Profile picture of the author x3xsolxdierx3x
      Originally Posted by kilakiwi View Post

      Squidoo can be one aspect of article marketing for backlinks, but I have been reading in the past month or so that people are complaining they can't get their lenses indexed, and they aren't making money there. The consensus seems to be that Squidoo has lost favor with Google due to too many spammy lenses. I have 3 lenses that are a couple of months old, about 40 views, and no money.

      However, my first Info Barrel article was published on 11/19, and is #1 in Google for its exact keyword phrase, beating out my previous article on eHow at #2 for the same title (I had deleted it from eHow, but eHow being what it is, its staff reinstated droves of user-deleted articles last week).

      I hope this helps. I know it can be confusing. I have researched until I have 'analysis paralysis,' and I can promise you this: If you search current blog posts and content site forums, you'll soon know where to invest your time and effort.
      you know...come to think of it....as much as I like Squidoo....they also are another case study of a company/website that failed to implement any real quality control measures (as evidenced by that infamous "Squidoo Slap" that occurred...errrr....I think it was in 2008 or 2009)....they basically had lost alot of favor with Google....

      ....the future of these sites, I truly believe, will be found in their ability to effectively grown, while gaining and maintaining a high quality of content....this is a tricky thing to do....

      (surprisingly, for as many geniuses there are out there....I keep believe they are forgetting something so fundamental as implementing some quality control procedure/protocol)
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    • Profile picture of the author x3xsolxdierx3x
      Originally Posted by kilakiwi View Post

      However, my first Info Barrel article was published on 11/19, and is #1 in Google for its exact keyword phrase, beating out my previous article on eHow at #2 for the same title (I had deleted it from eHow, but eHow being what it is, its staff reinstated droves of user-deleted articles last week).
      eHow writers still seem to make alot of money though....it's easy to see why alot of people would still write for them (if the checks are coming in, can we REALLY blame them for writing there?)
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  • Profile picture of the author kitmaneco1
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    • Profile picture of the author x3xsolxdierx3x
      Originally Posted by kitmaneco1 View Post

      i think ehow better than ezinearticle because you get quicly article with each article you write
      Kitmaneco1,

      Are you saying that eHow is better than ezinearticles because you can write an article more quickly?

      ....well, I do agree that the "How-to" format does naturally lend to immediately organizing writing into "steps"....this is easier for both the reader, as well as, the writer....

      eHow has mentioned that it generally prefers/recommends steps being between 2-3 sentences long. Unfortunately, the difficulty I have with this is that there is great indication that search engine value can be found in producing longer articles...

      of course, just because an article is "long" doesn't mean it is of quality....and, vice versa: just because an article is "short" doesn't mean it doesn't provide alot of quality information: actionable steps that a user can take immediately....

      There DOES seem to be a growing trend of websites inherently incentivizing writers to write longer articles. For example, they may provide authors with extra points to create what they deem increments for article word length (for example: a 300 word article may get 1 point, while a 1,000 word article may get 5 points....)

      ....I'm not so sure that producing "shorter" articles, although easier, is the best way to go......

      It is typically assumed that a longer article will encourage a longer visitor visit stay because the information contained is of upmost quality....that the reader searching will naturally want to read it because it falls in line with what they were searching for/their interest....

      of course, like I said, just because an article is long doesn't mean it is quality....
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      • Profile picture of the author Titan86
        Soldier,

        Do you prefer Info Barrel because of a combination of revenue sharing and article marketing benefits, or purely for the revenue?

        If it's purely for the revenue, do you think it's better to write for them or to sell your articles by the piece to Constant Content or Daily Articles?
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  • Profile picture of the author marketeers
    Yehhh i think im going to stay away from ehow now lol
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    • Profile picture of the author x3xsolxdierx3x
      Originally Posted by marketeers View Post

      Yehhh i think im going to stay away from ehow now lol
      Hey marketeers,

      I know there are still people making GREAT money on eHow. That is one of the benefits of being a PR 7 site. I don't mean to turn you off to them completely, however, I begin to seriously question their longterm viability strictly on a variety of resounding factors.

      1) It is true that MANY search engine queries can be answered with "How-to", however, many search engine queries also go beyond eHow's strictly "How-to" formatting. Unfortunately, by virtue of the very limitations inherent to their platform, I STRONGLY believe they are ostracizing/segregating/neglecting a huge population that could possibly traffic their site. Those websites that offer multiple article formats, beyond just "How-to" format templates, I truly believe will be the one's that stand the test of time. Those are the websites that we should devout time to, IMHO.

      Because another poster had addressed it, HERE is an example of a Compete.com graph of an emerging company that employs multiple article formatting, and makes this functionality available to users way beyond just a "how-to" formatting. (Videos, Reviews, etc.)

      http://siteanalytics.compete.com/infobarrel.com/
      http://www.quantcast.com/infobarrel.com

      2) I have conducted my own 'informal' testing of the customer service of various platforms. A resounding deficiency that MANY users have just accepted is the fact that, if you write eHow, the chances are highly likely that your email will not be responded to. In fact, over the course of several months (to be fair) I had sent them upwards of 5 emails. Because I had actually wanted to be an active member of their community, I offered suggestions, and I even offered to do many things free of charge (help to re-write their vague article submission editorial guidelines, etc.). I had wanted to see their community succeed and thrive and continue to make writers tons of money. Unfortunately, not a single one of those emails was responded to.

      A true testament to the longterm growth and viability of a company, I truly believe, is their ability to employ outstanding customer service. This doesn't mean that they have to respond to an email query within the same day, but, within 24-48 hours should be expected and striven for. If a company won't respond to your email, I would be very wary of writing for them. Compounded with clear transparency issues in earnings percentage allocation, I would just be very cautious and do your DD (Due Diligence) prior to submitting a ton of content.

      ....just to name 2.....lol....
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  • Profile picture of the author TrigMan
    If you want to get paid to write articles, isn't it better just to go to Elance or something like it to begin with, or are most people using these websites like ehow, etc to promote other websites, i.e. for personal marketing purposes?
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    • Profile picture of the author psresearch
      Originally Posted by TrigMan View Post

      If you want to get paid to write articles, isn't it better just to go to Elance or something like it to begin with, or are most people using these websites like ehow, etc to promote other websites, i.e. for personal marketing purposes?
      That, plus many of them offer ongoing revenueshare.
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  • Profile picture of the author Cash37
    Lotta crappy articles on that site. They dont pay as well as other sites as well. Why use them?
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  • Profile picture of the author x3xsolxdierx3x
    (I don't want to post the name/URL of the forum, just in case I could get in trouble here, but I thought THIS thread was interesting)

    ....This is a thread a lady had begun....even though eHow is currently the biggest fish in the water, this post, among many, gives further vidication to the fact that you should REALLY research and test similar company websites before you start dedicating an insane amount of time and effort towards writing for them...

    this post is kind of heart wrenching....especially if you think about how much those "awesome earners" brought her in per month....

    "Hello Everyone,

    I am so upset with Ehow, In the past three months I wrote a lot of articles to try to get to 300 , I now am down to 211 articles over 70 have been deleted some of theme were awesome earners. The last email of the last batch of articles has dumb reasons why the articles were deleted. People were obviously finding the keyword phrase and found the article to be useful. Why is there now a review process if the articles are still deleted within the same month?

    I think that my efforts are better at my own sites and projects, S101 for help improving writing ( a human editor), and Info Barell for back links where work is not deleted, and print work.

    Thanks for listening to my rant. What are your thoughts?"
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  • Profile picture of the author kilakiwi
    Ian Lurie of ConversationMarketing.com spanked eHow on his blog today. He said they are "blatantly conning their writers," and called their actions, "evil." A must-read if you're thinking of writing there. Check out his post titled, "eHow, I Call Bull****."
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  • Profile picture of the author cowsgonemadd3
    This thread has provided some good info on why not to use Ehow.
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    • Profile picture of the author kilakiwi
      I don't have enough posts to qualify to add a link to Ian Lurie's article--would appreciate someone else adding it here...thanks!
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      • Profile picture of the author GeorgettaSterling
        Originally Posted by kilakiwi View Post

        I don't have enough posts to qualify to add a link to Ian Lurie's article--would appreciate someone else adding it here...thanks!
        Edit - Fixed the link using Kilakiwi's shortened URL version. Sorry I didn't try the link - I didn't expect WF to break the link...

        Lurie's article "eHow, I call Bull****":
        http://bit.ly/8Oo4wU

        Regards, Georgetta
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  • Profile picture of the author kilakiwi
    Thanks, Georgetta. Unfortunately, Ian's choice of titles, while apropos, created a conflict leading to a 404. Could you please post the shortened URL? Thank you so much. It is bit.ly/8Oo4wU
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  • Profile picture of the author mlord10
    As an online marketing consultant ehow is part of my arsenal. However, it has nothing to do with the earnings you make on the articles, it has to do with branding a business and getting high quality and relevant backlinks to the websites of my clients.

    If you are using ehow to make money from the adsense earnings, then find a new business model, because you are wasting your time. You can seriously offer articles writing services for $5-$10 an article and make more money.

    Bottom line, use ehow as a branding tool, and it can also get you some good search engine rankings. However, do not use the adsense earnings as a business model, because their are many more efficient ways to make money online by writing articles.
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  • Profile picture of the author dokli
    Originally Posted by bbminded View Post

    I was just looking over at Ehow.com and was wondering how many people use it for marketing there articles etc and how effective they are compared to other sites like Ezine etc??
    Also they say you can make money from them based on the performance of your articles, but dont specify any number amounts. Can anyone enlighten me on them? Thanks!!
    yes, their payment method is secret. They will never disclose it, but many suspect it is Adsense based. I do ok on eHow, but I'm not married to it. I think my success is just in sheer number of articles, and the fact that I have been a contributor for more than a year, so my articles are well aged.

    It doesn't work so well for marketing, since they have an unofficial goon squad of flaggers who will flag anything that seems overly promotional or isn't a how-to guide to the letter.

    Give it a month or two and write some articles centered around high paying keywords. At least 30 articles should give you an idea of it's potential. All said, I feel only lukewarm about the site and its future, but best of luck to you.
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    • Profile picture of the author Nirvanos
      EHOW

      They basically use you as a way to see what works, and then dump you.

      I had a few articles that ranked number one on highly-competitive keywords, and went viral. It was mostly due to the subject.

      I was making 200$ a month from these... Guess what? Ehow declared them inappropriate, after 2 years of being the top articles on there....

      This part I don't mind. Its in their prerogative... The very next day, I found they published THEIR OWN versions.

      They deleted my versions for being inappropriate, and the very next day they published THEIR OWN rip-offs. You'll recognize these as the "ehow contributed".

      Basically, they use you to find out what works. And if something works, they just rip you off... Spin your article, and call it their own.
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  • Profile picture of the author gjbusinessman
    I visited the site ehow couple of times and wondered about the topics there. It is nice to read also but writing the how articles , it seems, unique talent is needed to come out with variety of topics. It is surprising they do not disclose the fee for articles written. It should be good. I am going to try there soon with some interesting topics and will see how I am able to promote my own business
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  • Profile picture of the author chromolume
    Has anyone really made any money writing for eHow? If so, how did you get started?
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  • Profile picture of the author dete49
    eHow does a good job but their technical issues crop up all the time. New writers try and spam all the time and don't follow eHow TOS.
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