Right up my street!

Sounds like London buses!!!

Hello, Pikey. Well, at least you're published. I'm really pleased, but of course, the way things are in the writing world, I could be starving in my lonely garret for months before another one comes along.

Petersum, I don't know where you come from, but when we're asked to write local guides over here, it means writing the truth - good and bad - about an area, so people can make an informed decision about whether to move there. Thankfully, our government do not censor what we write. Aadams, welcome to MyLot. Of course you're right - people want to know the truth. I wouldn't want to write under a regime where I couldn't tell the truth - especially in something as basic as a local guide for people wanting to move into the area.

Hello, GG. Thanks for those kind words. That's great that you're getting some freelance work. The new Director of Community does seem to be making some improvements over at Helium so I think you'll find it very different when you go back.

Hello, Abbey. Thanks for that. I think change is in the air at Helium, and it looks to be positive. There's a new Director of Community, and he's asking for feedback from the writers, and trying to address our concerns. For example, we've been asking to see our page view statistics and know how much we're earning per 1,000 views for 4 years. He's been in the job for 2 months, and we're getting that information this week. There's a much more positive attitude around the discussion boards lately, so it's a good time to take another look.

Hello, Bounce. It's not exactly killed yet, but it's in intensive care - 5 down, 1 to go. I bet your area isn't really boring. Even if it is, I'm sure you could make it sound interesting! Thanks for the good wishes.

You're welcome. And goodluck with that 1-to-go!

Hello, Inertia. I'm sorry to hear you're not doing so well at Helium. They do a mentoring programme, so it might be worth trying that to identify why you're not getting your articles accepted. Why not send an email to mentor@helium and ask for help? I wouldn't give up on them just yet.

Thank you for your advice I will think about it. I don't know why and because I am active in other sites right now, I do not have the time to fool with Helium right now. But I will think about that, maybe I will return there and get things straightened out. Thanks again.

Hello, Prasanta. You're right - the money is good, but it's the kudos that is even more important. My skills are acknowledged, and are judged to have value. Thank you for your encouragement.

Hello, Barbara. The great thing is that the site owner has retained me to write blog posts, so it's an ongoing project. The pay is not so high as for the articles, but it's a small amount of regular income, and I've made some new friends there, as well as making useful contacts in the writing world, so it goes on. Actually, MyLot was my first real adventure in writing for money. I joined at the same time as I joined Helium, and I found I got lots of ideas for articles from the various discussions. Just shows what can grow from a small start!

Hello, Sydney. Actually, there is only one of the regions - Murcia - that is local to me. The others, although I know something about them, had to be researched. That's proved quite interesting - for example, I know that the region I live in has just about the lowest unemployment rate in Spain. It doesn't affect us, as we're both retired, but it's useful to be able to pass that sort of information on to others. As for not knowing what to write about, that's helped by the fact that I was given specific headings such as history, traditions, working, living, etc. Some of the regions are a little more difficult, as there's less information available, but it's all been both challenging and interesting. Hope you get some more assignments soon. When this is finished, I'll be wondering when the next one's coming. Still, at least we're getting them.