Who else keeps independent records of their progress at AC?
By queenbean
@queenbean (97)
United States
May 24, 2007 8:31am CST
Do you keep records of your articles, payments, etc., or do you just rely on the information on the My Content tab? I made a spreadsheet with the title, date of submission, exclusive/non-exclusive, pay/no pay, offer amount, pay date, and each pageview update. It's helped me to keep track of what topics tend to pay better for me, and whether or not my promotional efforts are working, and I can easily find out my average PVs per article because it's all right there. Does anybody else do this, or am I just a nerd? :)
2 people like this
5 responses
@morgandrake (2136)
• United States
24 May 07
I do stuff like that for most of the stuff I write, whether it is for Helium, AC or print magazines. It helps me track trends, so I stay up to date with what is going to be worth the time to write.
1 person likes this
@queenbean (97)
• United States
25 May 07
I haven't kept track with Helium, largely because they pay so little and it just doesn't matter as much. I'm hoping to reach the $25 payout with them by Christmas and use it as some extra bonus money. One of the reasons I started keeping track with AC is that the exclusive/non-exclusive option disappears after the piece is published, and I was having a hard time remembering which pieces were non-exclusive. It took a while to get it set up, but now it doesn't take much time at all to keep updated.
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@morgandrake (2136)
• United States
25 May 07
I just print mine out at the end of the month for Helium. I am mainly tracking categories there.
Yeah, keeping tracks of what rights you still control (and therefore can sell) is something you just have to do. I started doing that in the print market a few years ago. It is easier to just jot it down when it happens than dig though the files later.
Have you noticed a difference in payment between your exclusive and non-exclusive articles?
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@scarywhitegirl (2766)
• United States
26 May 07
Last year, when I was writing a lot more on AC, I was keeping track of payments, particularly sorting them out by which CM had reviewed my article. We don't get that information anymore, and my writing for AC has slowed considerably, so I've given up on my spreadsheet. It is a good idea, though, especially to help you determine which topics are more profitable or get more page views.
1 person likes this
@queenbean (97)
• United States
26 May 07
Actually, I discovered that you can still access the information about which CM has reviewed your content. Go to http://reports.associatedcontent.com/cms_queue.cfm and you can see that information. Although it looks as though now we are each assigned a specific CM... all of mine are the same person, even when they're on very different topics.
1 person likes this
@AnythngArt (3302)
• United States
24 May 07
I don't keep any kind of detailed tracking like that. I do write down the amounts that I've earned in a notebook. I like to see my "extra earnings" at the end of the year, but it's not just for Associated Content. It's for all the money I make online. I don't think that I write enough for AC to justify that detailed of a record-keeping system. Kudos to you; probably, with that sort of information, you can make decisions without having to log on to AC all the time like the rest of us.
@mommy20212004 (350)
• United States
25 May 07
I don't keep a personal record of my content on AC, but I do record the amount I make in my personal budget sheet. It does sound like a good idea to keep a separate record sheet specifically for AC though. I may just create my own spreadsheet. Thanks for the tip!
1 person likes this
@lovelyladydancing (1016)
• United States
24 May 07
Well I don't make enough to do all that so congrats on making so much :)
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@queenbean (97)
• United States
24 May 07
Oh I don't make a ton either. I just find that it helps me stay organized, and that way if there's ever any mistake in their records, I know I have the right information in my own records.
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