In the past I have expressed the need for more authors writing for dotTech. However, previously the author positions were strictly voluntary, unpaid positions. Now dotTech is making a little money thanks to active dotTechies visiting, so I figure why not share the wealth; dotTech is now offering paid author positions!

Before you get your hopes up for becoming a millionaire by working for dotTech, let me say this: The amount any author will make from dotTech is minimal. Truly, if the hours worked on articles were compared to the payoff, one would make more via a below minimum wage job. So, if you are thinking about writing for dotTech for the money, I highly recommend you think twice, and then think a little bit more. However, if you are looking to help foster a budding online community and earn a little bit of extra cash along the way, then writing for dotTech may be for you.

That said, dotTech is not backed by venture capitalists or investors. The only source of revenue dotTech has right now is Google AdSense ads. Therefore, all dotTech authors will be paid via sharing of revenue from AdSense ads. This is how it will work. For every author I will track how much revenue is made from each article they write. Then, at the end of every month the total revenue made by each author from all their articles will be divided on a predetermined percentage between the author and dotTech. The author is welcome to do whatever they want from their share of the revenue, while dotTech’s share will go to paying off bills, investing into dotTech’s future, and Ashraf’s Xbox fund (just kidding — I don’t play console video games anymore, and hardly delve into computer games now).

How much can one realistically expect to make per month? Well, it really depends on the quality of the articles one writes. Authors that write better quality articles will get more traffic to their articles, making advertising revenue higher, and thus their pay will be higher. However, in terms of actual dollars at this moment in dotTech’s life, $25-50 (USD) is a good estimate of what you can expect to make per month. As I said, this really isn’t a large amount, but it is better than nothing.

All authors will be paid at the beginning of every month (i.e. the money earned from the previous month will be paid at the beginning of the next month). The preferable method of payment is via PayPal. However, if anyone does not have a PayPal account and cannot/will not make a PayPal account, other methods of payment can be arranged. For example, payments can be made via purchase: if you would really like to purchase some software, I can purchase that software for you and subtract the costs from the money dotTech owes you. So don’t let the lack of a PayPal account deter u from applying to become an author.

Here are the details about writing for dotTech:

• You must write a minimum of four articles per week (week starting on Monday and ending Sunday). You are, of course, welcome to write more than four if you wish.
• You must be active at least three days a week. In other words, you cannot write all four of the required articles in one day — they must be spread over three days, minimum.
• AdSense revenue sharing will be determined based on the following schedule:
  • Articles 1-4 – No pay. This is a trial period to evaluate authors to see if they are a good match for dotTech.
  • Articles 5-24 – Author will keep 40% of all AdSense revenue generated from his/her articles.
  • Articles 25-48 – Author will keep 50% of all AdSense revenue generated from his/her articles.
  • Articles 49+ – Author will keep 60% of all AdSense revenue generated from his/her articles.
• You must be able to write in English. While your English written skills need not be flawless (after all, I have pretty bad English too), it must be “understandable”.
• Authors must have a strong sense of morality and ethics! dotTech was built upon strong morals and ethics, and if you don’t have them you won’t be a good fit here.
• All paid authors will get a [name]@dottech.org e-mail address.
• Because this is now a paid position and not voluntary, paid authors who have their own websites will no longer be able to advertise their websites in articles. You may, of course, link to relevant articles on your website (if applicable) but no advertising like in the past.

(If you feel you want to write for dotTech but you cannot meet the minimum four articles per week requirement, you are still free to write as a guest author.)

Currently dotTech is looking for all types of authors: Apple (Mac OS X, iOS, etc.), Android, Windows, Windows Phone/Windows Mobile, Linux, programming, freeware reviews, commercial reviews, website reviews, freebies, etc. In other words, you can pretty much write about whatever you want (I must approve beforehand, though). So if are you ready to make a difference in the world (literally), send an e-mail to admin [at] dottech [dot] org with a subject of “I Want To Be A Paid Author”. Include any examples of any previous work you may have done. Good luck to everyone and thanks to everyone that wants to help out around here!