Wednesday, October 11, 2006

Helium - not just something that makes your voice sound funny

Similar to Google Image Labeler in its logistics, Massachusetts based Helium is a user-generated article database which combines original writing with rankings and profit sharing. The writing may not be of the highest quality at this point in time, but give it time and the ranking system should weed out the poorly written articles.


Here is a quick rundown of how it actually works:
Users are asked to write articles on topics from 25 categories and many subcategories, starting with nothing but a subject line. After writing one article, users are taken to a page to rank other articles in the topic area they just wrote about. Two articles written by other users but with user names removed are placed side by side and the reader is asked which is a better article. Any number of articles can be compared two at a time on a continuum (”article A is much better, or a little better than article B” for example). The best articles are then displayed on the category’s front page, followed by related articles in order of reader ranking.

Users can also see how their article is doing by logging in. The only thing that isn't as clear on the site is the actual revenue sharing, but it appears that once your account reaches $25 you can request a payment.

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