eHow's "I Did This" Feature: Have You Used It?

While studying my ehow account and trying to come up with more article ideas I came across an "I Did This" post I made back in May 2009.  I completely forgot about this feature of the site and noticed that now they want you to post at least 5 photos (mine only has 1--which at the time was sufficient, I guess) and explain in at least 300 words how you've done something that has already been explained in a previously posted eHow article. Are we compensated in any way for posting these? I noticed a group of "related ads" on my page but I've never seen any earnings reports or page views for my lone "I Did This," so my guess is no. I'm not sure if I would spend the time again, now that the pic and wordcount requirements have increased. What are your thoughts on this feature? Have you used it before and do you think it's worth investing the time? Or is this the first time you're hearing about it?

eHow Back From the Dead?

I hate to speak too soon but the technical issues at ehow seem to be resolved. I was able to publish 2 drafts, one last night and one this morning.

How to Get Your Big Fat Ebates Payment | eHow.com
How to Earn Amazon Rewards and Gift Codes | eHow.com

You will notice some changes on the site. In the article library there is a new column "Expiration Date" where they give you 30 days to publish the title you've selected. New articles now need to be reviewed and approved before they will publish them. They send you an email when this is done. Both of my articles were approved and published within 10-14 minutes. I certainly don't mind waiting a few minutes for approval if in fact this new procedure will eliminate or at least minimize the article sweeps we all dread. I can't imagine that a living breathing person is reading and approving/rejecting them. Has anyone else published recently? Let's hear about your experience with the latest changes. I'm curious to know what happens if an article is rejected...do they just delete it or explain why and give you a chance to correct the problem?

Strange Happenings at eHow--Forums Erupting with Complaints and Frustrations Over Editing/Publishing Issues

I've been trying to post a new article since yesterday and have yet to be successful. It's a draft I had saved a few weeks ago and wanted to put the finishing touches on it and now my edits and additional info won't stick. I checked the forums and found that many people are complaining about this issue. I've also seen forum posts about deleted articles appearing live again on the site. There's a post about the glitches being related to the Top Requested Articles but none of my drafts are Top Requested Articles. Maybe I'm missing the point here, so if anyone can explain this better please comment here and/or post on the forums. Have any of you been able to publish or edit recently? And have you found any other solutions on your own or on the message boards other than the Top Requested Article explanation?

The eHow Broom Strikes Again: The Latest Article Sweep

I know it's October and Halloween is fast approaching but I was not expecting to be visited by the Wicked Witch of eHow so soon.  These so-called "article sweeps" conjure up visions of a menacing green-faced, black cloaked evil sorceress swinging her broom at our pages while she diabolically throws her head back and cackles at our misfortune.

"Spelling errors?  Be gone! Too spammy! To the dungeon with you!" She screeches wildly as she sweeps our dreams into online purgatory.

Okay, enough drama, but seriously it's frustrating and confusing and for those of us who don't have hundreds of articles posted, a few casualties here and there can mean whether or not we make the $10 minimum payout each month.  I know the answer to this is to keep adding to our article inventory so if a few get the axe it won't be so damaging. However, in the meantime, I would really love to know what in particular is causing each article to be deemed unworthy of remaining on the site. I'm willing to listen and learn from my mistakes if given the chance. I've had 2 articles deleted this time and have yet to get an email explaining why. How about you?  How many have you lost and have you been told what your violation was?

I've updated my article list above to reflect the loss of 2 articles and shifted a few that have gained in value.  The top three best performing articles remained the same and a few others have moved up the ladder.  I now have 5 at the bottom of the list that have not made any money yet.

On a positive note, my list of eHow friends in the left sidebar has grown to 27! This includes people who've either posted a comment, subscribed via email or clicked the follow button. Whenever I gain a new eHow friend I invite them to this blog and link to their profile page. If you're new to eHow and want to have your profile linked here just comment, subscribe or follow and add me as a friend on eHow.

The Awesome, Helpful, Knowledgable eHow Community

After I published the first post on this blog last Wednesday I sent messages to my 300 or so eHow friends announcing the birth of yet another eHow blog, this blog. I've come across many blogs about eHow and I appreciate the perspectives of different writers and try to absorb some valuable tid-bits of knowledge from each and every one I read.  Since there are quite a few eHow blogs already, I really didn't expect the enthusiasm I received from my announcement and request for support on this blog. Within a few minutes of hitting the send button I had my first response from Edieness, then as the day went on I received 10 more comments and follows from other eHow friends.  On Thursday and Friday, several more arrived.  Anthony Zerrer was kind enough to link my blog to his eHow Field Guide which, by the way, is a must read for anyone wanting to understand the inner workings of eHow and how to make the most out of the site.

As I acquire new eHow friends I'll be introducing them to this blog and asking them to be a part of it too. By offering them a link to their profile in exchange for comments and follows I'm optimistic that the positive responses will continue. Had I not offered anything in return when I made my request for comments on this blog.....I bet I would have gotten a good amount of sincere and enthusiastic responses anyway by those eager to help out a fellow ehow pal. Most people I've met on eHow are very supportive of each other and are happy to answer newbies questions or reciprocate with comments and recommendations. The success of both the site and the individual writers, hinge on the team effort we all put forth in promoting our articles and strengthening the community. Thanks to everyone who so kindly responded to my request and contributed to the kick-off of this blog! Looking forward to meeting here again and of course at eHow.com.   

First Post- Casting Your Lines in All Directions

I've been submitting articles to ehow since March 2009 and wanted to create a page to document those articles and their earnings and also ponder and discuss the entire ehow experience with others.  Currently, as of today 9/23/09 I have 20 live articles on the site and a few brainstormed titles that I need to finish and publish.

The articles I've listed above are in order of top money maker to zero money makers.  The first article was published on eHow on 5/12/09 and has earned $5.92 with 585 page views.  The bottom 7 articles, which have yet to earn any money, consist of 3 being less than 10 days old and the other 4 being published during 3/30/09 thru 08/11/09 with much fewer page views than my top earners and obviously less popular topics. 

Although, those unlucky 7 articles remain penniless, any one of them may have been responsible for attracting some views and ad clicks on my other more lucrative articles so I do not feel that writing any of them was a waste of time. Here's why.....If a web surfer finds the eHow site while searching for "How to Find or Make Inexpensive Halloween Costumes for Your Kids" they may also be intrigued by my other articles and stay awhile to read more and click some ads.  So, that one article may have been the bait and another one could become the line that actually hooks the fish.

I know I can increase my earnings by posting more articles on a regular basis. I envy those writers who set goals for themselves, like 100 articles a month or 5 new articles a week and actually meet those goals. I'm sorry to say I'm not one of them.....yet! For now, I'm happy to just continue writing when I'm inspired to do so. What about you? Do you set article writing goals? Do you have so many eHow articles that you can just sit back and relax and collect your Paypal payment every month without a care?