Earlier this week I became an Examiner. And now I’m recommending it to all of you, especially those of you who are looking for a way to build a portfolio and dip a tentative toe into the waters of freelance writing.

But first, I’ll offer a little explanation. Examiner.com is a site where locals write about goings on in their area of expertise. I’m writing about Atlanta Green Business and that’s perfect for me because it’s something I keep up with anyway and so it doesn’t take up too much of my time. I can go in daily, post an item or two about upcoming events, the state of local green businesses, new green businesses, some fun facts, etc. and keep Atlanta informed about my topic while basically just leveraging the various mailing lists I belong to. (Check out what I’ve been up to here.) If you have a similar area of expertise, I’m willing to bet that you can do this with a minimum of fuss, too. And, while you’re doing it, you can build up your portfolio.

Examiner.com is one of those undisclosed-pay-formula-it-has-something-to-do-with-page-views sites, but I can assure that I’ve been on the site three days and I’m already seeing money add up. That is a welcome change from article marketing sites like Suite101 where it may take months for all your hard work to produce a check, and it’s another reason why I’m recommending Examiner.com to new writers.

Now, I’ve been on this site for less than a week, but so far I haven’t found any hidden bugaboos to report. However, I’ll keep you posted. I have talked to a few other Examiners around the country, and they say that you don’t even have to live especially close to the city you are reporting on as long as you are still able to Google. I’m not sure how I feel about that, but hey, if you at least live within 100 miles of a city, I’m sure you fall into its sphere of influence somehow.

How about you guys? Has anyone tried Examiner? Do you want to try it but have questions?

Before I forget, if you decide to become an Examiner, I’d love it if you say I referred you. My referral number is 8115 and I would very much appreciate the credit. In return for that favor, I wouldn’t mind looking over your application materials, especially if you are a new writer and still unsure about your work. Email me!

Update:

Mea culpa. Sometimes we are all wrong now and then. Please see my post 5 (Paying) Alternatives to Writing for Examiner.com for my updated opinion on writing for this site and sites like it.