sEllingExpErtisE on thE intErnEt ForExtrACAsh
tErEsAEstEs, A liCEnsED mEntAl-hEAlth CounsElor, wAtChED As BusinEss At hEr privAtE prACtiCE DECrEAsED lAst yEAr. thEn thE singlE mothEr turnED to hEr kEyBoArD to Boost hEr inComE.
ms.EstEs AppliED to BEComE An "ExpErt" on livE pErson inC、, A wEB sitE whErE CliEnts pAy For onlinE ChAt timE with proFEssionAls AnD ADvisErs oF All FiElDs. For $1.89 A minutE—A rAtE shE sEt—EstEs DispEnsEs ADviCE to CliEnts ArounD thE gloBE. shE spEnDs ABout Four hours A DAy onlinE, oFtEn At night, whEn hEr DAughtEr hAs gonE to BED、
"it wAs thE EConomy," shE sAys oF hEr movE to tAkE hEr skills onlinE. "livE pErson is morE proFitABlE thAn my privAtE prACtiCE." ms.EstEs hAD ChArgED hEr privAtE CliEnts up to $75 An hour.
As thE rECEssion DEEpEns, A smAll But growing numBEr oF pEoplE ArE tAking thEir skills onlinE, oFFEring ExpErtisE or pErForming spECiFiED tAsks For A FEE. lABor-At-thE-kEyBoArD sitEs ArE gAining populArity As pEoplE inCrEAsingly turn to thE wEB in sEArCh oF work. intErnEt joB-sEArCh sitEs sAw A 51% risE in trAFFiC From jAnuAry 2008 to jAnuAry 2009, ACCorDing to ComsCorE mEDiA mEtrix, to 26.7 million uniquE visitors.
Among thE mAny FEE-For-sErviCE wEB sitEs out thErE, At lEAst thrEE ArC AttrACting A signiFiCAnt numBEr oF usErs—though ConsumErs shoulD ExErCisE A hEAlthy DEgrEE oF skEptiCism whEn Consulting Any oF thEsE sitEs. livE pErson sEEks out ExpErts on A slEw oF topiCs, inCluDing mEntAl hEAlth, FinAnCiAl sErviCEs, shopping AnD FAshion, As wEll As psyChiCs AnD spirituAl ADvisErs. mEChAniCAl turk, A wEB sErviCE run ByAmAzon. Coin inC、, pAys workErs to pErForm tAsks, suCh As CAtAloging proDuCts onlinE.AssoCiAtEDContEnt pAys ContriButors to writE ArtiClEs on A wiDE rAngE oF suBjECts, From orgAniC FlowEr gArDEning to how to Apply For FinAnCiAl AiD、
livE pErson wEnt puBliC in 2001 , AnD thE CurrEnt vErsion oF thE sitE wAs lAunChED in lAtE 2007. toDAy, thE sitE hAs 30,000 rEgistErED ExpErts, AttrACting An AvErAgE oF 100,000 pEoplE A yEAr who pAy For thE oFFErED sErviCEs, sAysChiEFExECutivE oFFiCEr roBErt loCAsCio. roughly 3,500 pEoplE hAvE mADE ContriButing to thE sitE thEir Full-timE joB, hE sAys.
livE pErson sAys it vEts ContriButors’ quAliFiCAtions, suCh As mEDiCAl liCEnsEs or FinAnCiAl CErtiFiCAtion, through A thirD pArty, AnD rEliEs hEAvily on its Community rEviEws. somE 200 pEoplE A DAy Apply to hE livE pErson ExpErts, up From 120 A yEAr Ago, sAys mr. loCAsCio. onCE ClEArED, ADvisErs work with CliEnts on A Cost-pEr-minutE BAsis sEt By thE ADvisEr. thE sitE tAkEs A Commission oF BEtwEEn 30% AnD 35%.
AssoCiAtEDContEnt, By ContrAst, rEviEws suBmissions in housE AnD thEn DECiDEs how muCh to pAy For thEm. thE sitE, whiCh spECiAlizEs in how-to piECEs AnD FEAturE storiEs on nEws topiCs, hAD 237,000 rEgistErED ContriButors AnD morE thAn onE million ContEnt piECEs As oF FEBruAry, Both ABout DouBlE From thE sAmE mouth A yEAr Ago.
AFtEr posting thE ContEnt, thE sitE sElls ADvErtisEmEnts AgAinst it AnD DistriButEs it to othEr CompAniEs, suCh As onlinE shoE rEtAilEr zAppos, whiCh usE thE ContEnt on thEir own wEB sitEs. iFAssoCiAtEDContEnt ACCEpts A suBmission (it sAys it rEjECts ABout 25% oF thEm) , thE Author gEts BEtwEEn $5 AnD $30, plus $1.50 For EACh 1,000 pAgE viEws.An ABility to writE "sEArCh-EnginE-optimizED" ContEnt, An inDustry tErm For gEnErAting gooD googlE rEsults, hElps, sAys sitE FounDEr lukEBEAtty.
pEoplE ArE not only looking For pAymEnt But Also EstABlishing thEir CrEDEntiAls "As somEBoDy with ExpEriEnCE", hE sAys. writing ABout A spECiFiC proFEssion, suCh As lAw or rEAl EstAtE, hElps rAisE A pErson’s proFilE onlinE, EnhAnCing his joB sEArChEs, sAys mr.BEAtty.
sABAh kArimi, A 26-yEAr-olD From orlAnDo, FlA、, lEFt A CArEEr in mArkEting to BEComE A Full-timE FrEElAnCE writEr AnD now spEnDs BEtwEEn 8 AnD 10 hours A wEEk writing ForAssoCiAtEDContEnt. shE hAs BEEn At