eHow to Make Money

This is no get-rich-quick scheme. But eHow.com whose popularity has soared during the recession as DIYers seek advice on topics like “How to Run Bathroom Plumbing,” will pay any Joe Blow for content. All writers are welcome, regardless of expertise or ability to string sentences together. Since 2007, the site has paid its Everyman scribes more than $1 million. A single how-to might net all of $20 a year, but the prolific can earn much more. Maria O’Brien, a stay-at-home mom in northern Virginia, has written 367 (and counting) articles, for which eHow deposits some $1,500 a month into her PayPal account. “The stories are not hard to write,” she says. “A few hundred words total and you’re done.” Pay is based on page views, subject matter and user ratings. The more accurate and engaging the articles, the better the ratings. So it pays, dear authors, to write about what you know.

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