About.com

Posted on June 4, 2007 and filed under Work at Home (WAH) Companies

Do you want to write about about your favorite topic? Here is what About.com says about being a Guide for their website:

You’re the passionate expert that other people turn to for advice, and you wouldn’t have it any other way. You enjoy telling people what computer to buy, explaining how to fix a broken ceiling fan, giving out cheesecake recipes, or helping total strangers plan their vacations.

You’re a seasoned writer with an engaging voice and an infectious enthusiasm for a particular topic. You’re not necessarily a techie, but you’re familiar with HTML.

If all of the above is true, perhaps you have what it takes to be an About.com Guide!

About.com is the Web’s leading provider of practical solutions to everyday problems. Our expert Guides offer advice and tutorials on hundreds of topics, ranging from asthma to action movies, from home repair to home cooking, from gadgets to getaways.

As a Guide you’ll build and maintain a GuideSite, a topical section of About.com which contains:

  • Original content (articles, reviews, FAQs, tutorials) written by you
  • A blog featuring your unique voice and personality
  • A directory of the best content in your topic, whether it be your own work or links to other sites
  • A discussion forum where you serve as community leader

All About.com Guides are freelancers who work online and set their own schedules, giving them the flexibility to log on from anywhere in the world whenever they have the time. With no timesheets to fill out and no timecards to punch, working for About.com gives you the flexibility to write when you want, even if you have a full-time day job.

Think you have what it takes to be an About.com Guide? Check our list of available topics.

How Do Guides Get Compensated?
The basis of Guide compensation is year-over-year page view growth. As of 1/1/07, if your page views grow you will never make less than $725 per month and it’s likely you’ll make much more than that over time (in some cases we have Guides who earn in excess of $100,000 per year).

How Much Content Does a Guide Need to Create?
At a minimum, About Guides must publish two full-length articles every 14 days and update their blog one to three times per week. However, the potential for your GuideSite is really up to you. The more high-quality, relevant content you produce, the more you can earn.

A Special Guarantee for New Guides (less than two year):
New Guides - Guides in the first two years of their contract - are guaranteed to make at least $725 per month, and it’s likely that they will make much more than that over time.

The Legalese
All Guides are independent contractors and shall not be subject to the direction, control, or supervision of About.com regarding time spent or procedures followed in performing services hereunder. However, About.com is the final decision maker in regard to the produced product and reserves the right to request modification and/or modify the product to ensure, among other things, that it complies with quality standards. All Guides are responsible for all tax liabilities emanating from their payments. Guides are not eligible for any benefits from About.com and waive any right to them.

Please note: compensation earned by other Guides is not a guarantee of any kind that any other Guide who meets the minimum expectations will earn that much, or any specific amount. About.com offers this information as a means of sharing with applicants the potential compensation that they may earn. About.com reserves the right to terminate a Guide’s engagement and/or change the Guide compensation model at any time for any reason, notwithstanding any information contained in the engagement materials.

To apply check out their website at http://www.about.com