Helium

Helium actually does have flat fees once you have writing stars. They are small (I believe it is 50 cents for each star you have). Since they take anyone and let you post anything, my account there is under a very generic pen name. You have to have a rating star to accrue ad revenue, so if you stop being active on the website you will not earn any more money.

That said, there are some benefits. Because they pay based on PVs, using Stumble/Digg/etc to promote your writing can actually increase your pennies pretty quickly. I would focus on Marketplace titles to try and earn extra income. They pay a flat fee and if your article isn't chosen, it transitions over to the main website and earns the upfront payment and revenue share.

Helium always pays on time and as promised. I don't actively write there, but I do keep my account active by rating and occasionally write to a Marketplace title.

I don't have an account there, but I read a complaint this morning at Freelance Writing Jobs about multiple complaints that "they have been stealing content, not compensating writers and canceling writer accounts without deleting their content giving them no access to their own work or any revenue that it may generate."

I also found the following links by doing Internet searches with the company name and words like "scam" and "complaints":
http://www.complaintsboard.com/complaints/heliumcom-c172962.html
http://www.complaintsboard.com/bycompany/heliumcom-a68683.html
http://www.ripoffreport.com/reports/0/430/RipOff0430465.htm

I would err on the side of caution with this. Sadly, there seems to be a current trend of several writing companies locking their writers' accounts whenever a complaint is voiced. Whatever happened to customer service?

EDITED TO ADD: BlueObsidian has made some great statements in defense of this company, complete with her own long-term experiences. I would delete my post, but then the rest of the thread wouldn't make sense in light of the situation.

I've actually never found Helium to behave like that. The people who complain generally are ones who do not read the user agreement. I've seen their type on the boards often and they are the ones who whine and yell about the fact that once you post on Helium, your work is never removed from the site -- which is clearly stated in the agreement.

Personally, I voice many complaints on the forums (and rather loudly). If anyone's account should have been locked for that, it's mine. I get very heated when I debate and have never recieved as much as a time out for my controversial posts. In fact, I often get emails from Helium's personal asking for suggestions or offering information to help soothe my frustrations.

I don't necessarily agree with all their terms anymore. It's a very different site than the one I joined. But they are not a scam and the staff is filled with good people just trying to do their jobs.

Yeah, I just read through the complaints and I stick with what I said. Why would anyone be so naive as to sign a user agreement without actually READING what it said? Especially on a site that you expect to have a financial transaction with? I only post content that I know I can't sell anywhere else because I signed an agreement stating that Helium will display my content in perpetuity.

I actually know Randy through Helium (the person who posted two of the three complaints linked). Let's just say I wouldn't worry about his opinions too much.

Thanks for piping up, Kim. That's definitely helpful information from the perspective of someone who seems to really know what they're doing.

And I totally understand what you're saying about whiny complainers.

Piping up is what I do best There was a lot of drama involved with the people who have written those complaints. I recieved multiple emails from one of them trying to suck me in because I'm vocal about my negative feedback. It wasn't just a one-time thing that got their accounts closed -- they were treating the staff horribly and recieved many warnings.

At the end of the day, we live in a capitalist society for better or for worse. Business is going to look out for their best interest. We have to look out for our own

Tried it a couple years back, didn't find it a benefit to me. Plus I was really busy with school and work.

BTW, I took blueobsidian's hint and decided to use a generic name. I edited my account and changed my pen name to "Alan Smithee". Should've thought of that when I was applying to work for Efollett a few months ago - I typed my name in a search and an article I wrote on Helium about the cost of college textbooks being too high came up, I knew if they found that in a background check I wouldn't even be considered no matter how qualified I was, so I didn't even submit my application.

I have an account there, wrote a few articles, but it's mainly for hobbyists. Once you earn a writing star, you can write marketplace articles that pay okay, but you have to compete. If I could forego the income I make at Demand Studios I'd consider writing more for Helium because I actually like the way it's set up. It appeals to my competitive nature. Hee hee. But they don't pay much, that's true.