Textbroker Update

So last week I decided to check out the freelance possibilities on Textbroker. I talked here about what I knew and what I didn't, and then I tried it out. So I've learned a few things and thought I'd share some observations.

The Pros:
- It all adds up for extra income
I've written 5 articles, for a grand total of about $35.

- The hourly rate is decent to start
I estimate 4 hours for the 5 articles I've written so far. That gives me an hourly rate of between $8 and $9, which isn't great, but it's at least minimum wage.

- It's not too difficult
I spend a LOT of time on the internet, and I'm a great researcher in general. Finding the relevant info to include in my articles has not been problematic. For people who are unfamiliar with internet research or research in general, this may be problematic, but for me, it's a great fit for a skill set that I already possess.

- It can be interesting
I've written on a variety of topics already, from heat pumps to rice cookers to cotton candy machines. Since I get to choose the articles I want to write, I can choose the ones that most interest me.

- There's a lot to choose from
I'm a Level 4 writer (from 1-5, where 1's are not allowed to write for Textbroker and 5's are the elite), and on the days when I've checked, there have been many possible articles to write.

- The time and place is flexible
This is, for me, the most important positive point about Textbroker. I wrote my articles whenever and wherever I wanted. Some I wrote at 2am in my jammies, and others I wrote on my lunchbreak at work. I love the flexibility, and as I consider increasing streams of income as we consider becoming expats, flexibility in when and where I work is crucial.

While I'm feeling pretty positive about Textbroker in general, there are some definite disadvantages as well.

- I'm currently locked out
Textbroker's policy is that they lock your account after the first 5 articles, so that they can check your work. I finished my last article on Wednesday of last week, and have been locked out since then. It's unclear how long this lockout will last. Textbroker says that new writer ratings go to the top of the heap, but the long lockout period is frustrating. I believe this only ever happens once, but it's difficult to get momentum going and want to continue writing, but be unable to due to the lockout.

- Article length can be difficult
The clients provide you with a topic, a word range, and any additional instructions. Sometimes, it's difficult to write their minimum word count, especially if you are a concise writer. I can be quite verbose at times, but come on, how much is there to say about tip and roll bleachers? I had to really dig and get creative to write enough for that one.

- Article search isn't super user-friendly
Articles are divided by category, but they don't always readily fit in that (or any) of the general categories given. So even if you are only interested in writing home and family articles, there may be good choices in other categories.

Overall, I'm looking forward to doing some more writing for Textbroker and seeing what it's like beyond the first 5 articles, and especially investigating how realistic it will be to consider this a potential stream of steady income once we leave the country!

Making extra money

As I've previously mentioned here, P-daddy and I have been exploring income options. One purpose is to make some extra money now, so that we have plenty in savings before we move. One way to do that would be to get part-time jobs here and just bank everything we make, but we are not really convinced that we want to go that route, for several reasons. First, we both have full-time jobs, plus we want to spend quality time with Pooh and with each other. Second, the pay for part-time jobs that would severely restrict our schedules is probably not enough to make it worthwhile. Finally, taking just any part-time job would somewhat defeat our greater purpose: attempting now to find ways to support ourselves once we are in another country. If we get part-time jobs here, we want them to be jumpstarters for things we can continue later.

An option we've been seriously considering is online work. We've looked at several possibilities, but for now, the one I've decided to consider is freelance writing. But I'm a beginner at this! I've been writing all my life, was an English major in college, and have successfully written all kinds of things from lesson plans to how-to guides to a dissertation, but I've never defined myself as a writer. So, I'm starting small. I applied yesterday to write for Textbroker, and this morning received an email saying I'd been accepted as a Level 4 writer. I figure I'll start with a few articles and see how it goes, and if I enjoy it, I might have found a way to potentially earn American dollars overseas.

I am still learning all the ins and outs of Textbroker, but here's what I know, in a nutshell:
- Writers select the projects they want to work on
- Writers can only select projects one at a time; you select another only after submission of the current project
- Writers may be asked for revision, and have 24 hours to comply
- Writers can build up clients who request them, and can make additional money for these direct orders
- Level 4 writers get paid 1.4 cents per word for articles designated level 4. Choosing articles designated level 2 or 3 is less pay per word (but I'm not sure of the exact amount)
- Level 4 writers may eventually be eligible to upgrade to Level 5 status, but this seems to take 1) articles consistently rated 4, and 2) a proofreading test that is apparently pretty hairy
- It's probably worth it for a writer to do all s/he can to get to Level 5, because Level 5 writers make FIVE cents per word - that's quite a jump from the 1.4 cents of Level 4.

Here's what I don't know:
- How consistently there are interesting articles to write
- How much research the articles will take
- How long it will take for me (a semi-perfectionist) to complete an article
- How difficult it will be to make it to Level 5
- Whether it's something I'd want to stick with long-term
- How payment compares to other freelance writing jobs

The way I look at it, each article of 350-400 words is $5. I know that I can write that much pretty quickly, but whether or not I can find particular articles that I can write that quickly is another question. If I can, and if I can produce 2 of those articles in an hour, that's $10 an hour. That's probably more than a lot of part-time jobs pay. If I can write them faster, even better. If I can't, and I can only produce one an hour, well, that's less than minimum wage, and probably not something I want to do. Either way, I'd rather figure it out now than when we are in a position where we really need the money!

So, I'm trying it, and I'll keep you posted on how it goes! I think I'll go write my first article right now!