Associated Content 2008 People's Media Award Winners

We are very excited to announce the winners of Associated Content's 2008 People's Media Awards.

In every category, we evaluated a diverse list of talented finalists before settling on this year's distinguished honorees. It is with great pleasure that we present the following winners, who exemplify the spirit of AC's publishing platform and content community.


Content Producer of the Year

Sabah Karimi

The prolific and multi-talented Sabah Karimi is the winner of AC's top award this year. Throughout nearly three years of active participation on AC, Sabah has published over 2,000 articles on topics like e-commerce, fashion, travel and social media, which have accumulated more than three million page views overall. Her contributions to the AC Community are also numerous. Beyond her consistently supportive presence on AC, her tireless advocacy of her fellow CPs reaches deeply into the World Wide Web. On her personal blog, The AC Weekly (formerly known as The AC Daily), she profiles other CPs, rounds up some of the best AC content, provides insightful publishing tutorials and reports on the latest AC news. By harnessing social media tools like Facebook and Twitter, she's projected her positive messages even further. Visit Sabah's profile, check out her content and congratulate her on becoming the 2008 Content Producer of the Year!

Read Sabah's Acceptance Speech
View Sabah's Acceptance Video


Articles of the Year

Carol Bengle Gilbert: "Obama Advocates Change at Leesburg, Virginia Rally"

Angie Mohr: "Ending an Abusive Marriage: Important Financial and Emotional Advice"

Christopher Cudworth: "Coping with a Cancer Diagnosis"

Our 2008 Articles of the Year awards honor two of AC's most accomplished Content Producers (Carol Bengle Gilbert and Angie Mohr) along with one rising star (Christopher Cudworth). Each inspiring article evokes common and highly topical themes -- channeling hope and empowerment in periods of crisis. These authentic, original voices embody the AC spirit, eloquently translating personal experience into poignant information for the good of their audience. Be sure to read each extraordinary piece, and take some time to peruse all three of these talented writers' rich and diverse libraries of content.

Read Carol's Acceptance Speech

Read Angie's Acceptance Speech

Read Christopher's Acceptance Speech


News Provider of the Year

Connie Wilson

Throughout 2008, Connie Wilson demonstrated extraordinary commitment to covering politics for AC, professionally and ceaselessly writing about the year's biggest story: the presidential election. From campaign barnstorming in Iowa in January to Barack Obama's celebration in Chicago in November, Connie was often on scene, interviewing campaign workers and maneuvering her way into one-on-one chats with politicians. She traveled cross-country for AC, most notably to Denver and St. Paul for both parties' conventions. All along the way, she contributed an enormous number of detailed, fresh and engaging stories.

Read Connie's Acceptance Speech


Videographer of the Year

Greg Reese (aka "Greg Reese from Cincinnati")

In 2008, Greg Reese set out to "unite the political parties with hip hop," and his clever odes to Barack Obama, John McCain, Joe Biden and Sarah Palin certainly succeeded in bridging that gap. He took Associated Content by storm with infectious, affirmative rap videos about presidential politics, business moguls and even the AC publishing process. He also took his video camera around town and provided fascinating firsthand coverage of local events in his native Cincinnati. Stay tuned for more catchy, creative and informative videos from Greg Reese in 2009.

Watch Greg Reese's AC Tribute Video


Audiocaster of the Year

Judlyne Lilly Gibson (aka "Second Street Dreams")

Judlyne Lilly Gibson is a seasoned journalist with both radio and television experience, who began publishing professional-grade and highly informative audiocasts on AC in '07 using the name of her audio production company, Second Street Dreams. Since then, she has expertly tackled a wide range of topics over the AC airwaves - from entertainment and the Internet to politics and spirituality. Judlyne expertly engages her subjects in insightful, entertaining interviews that address all sides of the issues and events she covers. Follow her dynamic audio stream to stay in the loop!

Listen to Judlyne's Acceptance Speech


Top Performing Content

Mark Whittington: "John McCain vs. Barack Obama on the Issues"

Steve Thompson: "Common Causes of Left Side Stomach Pain"

Pam Gaulin: "4th of July Fireworks in Massachusetts 2008"

The recipients of this year's Top Performing Content awards were published by experienced Content Producers (including 2007's CP of the Year, Pam Gaulin) who possess an expert understanding of how to create effective and search-friendly content for the Web. Each timely, informative article has attracted a large volume of traffic since its publication, and showcases "best practices" in three of AC's leading content categories -- politics, health and local coverage.



Congratulations again to all of the winners of the People's Media Awards! Thank you for all of your hard work and dedication in 2008, we can't wait to see what 2009 brings from each of you!

New Content Producers You Should Know

Tons of new CPs sign up for Associated Content every day. They're a diverse group of people looking for experience, exposure, excitement, income or a combination of all of the things that AC has to offer it's users. Below are three new Content Producers who've been with AC for about a month and have been creating great stuff.

"My 2 Cents if I'm not Overcharging" joined AC in December of 2008 and has been busy publishing articles on the economy and employment since then. He holds a B.S in Applied Mathematics and has a real love for writing. He even writes poetry.

Homeschool teacher and former Naval Officer Brooke Lorren became a Content Producer for AC in December, 2008 and earned $100 in her first month. She wrote about her expriences as a new AC-er here. She also writes about family, kids and news articles.
Stop by and give her some encouragement!

D.W. is an American expat living in the U.K. He has also been with AC since December '08 and is a music lover who writes on a wide variety of subjects. Check out these two articles and tell him what you think of his song choices.
Top Ten Submlime Sonic Youth Songs
Tips on Being Your Dog's Boss


Please take a moment this week to welcome these CPs to the AC community!

Open ID Login Available on Associated Content

Associated Content recently added a new login option with OpenID.

We're pleased with the addition, and please rest assured that AC users are not required to use OpenID. Your traditional login remains the same. We added it as an option for the convenience of the AC users who already use the OpenID service. OpenID is a handy, reputable program that is used by other organizations like AOL, Google, Microsoft, MySpace and Yahoo!.

If you'd like to learn more about OpenID, especially in relation your Associated Content account, AC Sr. Software Engineer Mike Scarborough has just published two articles for your edification. In this article, he answers the following questions:

• What is OpenID?
• What is my OpenID?
• How does Associated Content use OpenIDs?

Mike specifically addresses OpenID security questions in "Is OpenID Secure?"

You can visit their website at openid.net. No login required.

Martin Luther King Day and the Inauguration on Associated Content

Happy Martin Luther King Day, AC blog readers.
Whether you're at the office or enjoying a day off, today feels like an especially poignant MLK holiday. There is a plethora of amazing content about today and tomorrow on AC right now and I've gathered a few highlights here for you to check out.

• Carol Rucker recalls sitting in on a peaceful protest as a 15-year old in Cincinnati on the day Dr. King was shot.
• Veralidaine wrote a year ago on Dr. King's legacy for Americans with disabilities.
• Traci Freeman has excellent suggestions for volunteer activities and children's crafts to teach them about MLK, such as writing their own "I have a dream" speech, creating a timeline of his life and even a Martin Luther King, Jr. scavenger hunt.

Inauguration will be dominating the news cycles for the next 24 hours (at least) and every possible angle is covered on AC by our Content Producers.

• The News Team has gathered much of the Inauguration into a single list here.
• Dr. Frank Czarny offers a scholarly take on trends in Inaugural speeches as part of his "Transformational Leadership Times" article series.
• AL Horan shares some thoughts on race and history on the eve of Inauguration from Marietta, GA.
• If you don't have access to a TV but will be in front of a computer, here are a few places that you can watch coverage of the events online.

It's an exciting time to be participating in the proliferation of new media, and all of these contributions are building a resource for the public record. If in 6 months or 6 years we need a reminder of the hopeful tone of the beginning of 2009, Associated Content will be a place to find a variety of authentic, sincere voices from all over the U.S. and the world.

Associated Content CPs Making Moves

There have been some impressive developments lately amongst our Content Producers.

The lovely Momie Tullottes was interviewed on WAHM Bootcamp's website. Her work ethic and energy level are nothing short of astounding! She shares sound advice for women who dream of making a living from home.

“The G-Man”, Gary G. Toms just landed at gig as a writer at Felony Magazine and credits AC in this press release. The G-Man recently broke some hard-hitting news on Associated Content about discrimination in Cincinnati schools. Read Xio Ying's War and learn about one family's struggle to find the American Dream. The article attracted a prominent attorney to take on the case.

Finally, "The AC Daily" is no more. Sabah Karimi's blog has been resurrected as The AC Weekly. Stop by once a week for Sabah's updates on the world of Associated Content.

Town Hall Tonight on Title Writing

There is a Town Hall meeting tonight! Brush up on your title-writing skills (very valuable for attracting readers and web crawlers to your content) with AC's Lead Content Manager, Valerie Singleton.

Sign up here to attend tonight at 8:00 pm, EST.

The Single Page View Option: Your Questions Answered

Lots of Content Producers have been writing in to ask why Associated Content decided to build a "Single Page" viewing option into the new AC, and how that will affect page views.

We created the single page viewing option because it was requested often by visitors, and is becoming an industry standard. [New addition] It was also a feature that was frequently requested by advertising partners. We rely on advertising income to pay our Content Producers, so complying with those requests is in everybody's best interests if it means they'll buy ads on AC and we can use that money to pay CPs.

When someone navigates to your content, it is still spread across multiple pages by default. If someone chooses to view your content on a single page, two separate page views will be registered - one for the initial view and one for the reload.

Certainly, you (and AC) will receive fewer page views if everyone chooses that option instead of navigating through all of the article pages one-by-one, but here are two important things to keep in mind:
(1) A small percentage of site visitors actually use that option.
(2) A positive visitor experience makes someone more likely to continue browsing the site, which benefits everyone.

We're carefully tracking traffic patterns on the new site. As the data comes in, we'll continue to make tweaks to generate the most traffic throughout all of Associated Content. And remember, what is good for AC, advertisers and site visitors is good for Content Producers--we're all in this together!

More questions about the new AC? Pass 'em along to admin[at]associatedcontent.com.

December's Best of AC Award Winners

January is progressing rapidly and before it is too late, the standout Content Producers from December deserve their due. Congratulations to the Best New CPs and the Best of AC Award Winners from December '08!
Information about this month's Best of AC categories is at the bottom of this post.

Associated Content's Best New CP's for December, 2008: Please congratulate them and welcome them to AC!

Kathryn Marshall has been a member of Associated Content since mid-November. She's already written 29 articles on parenting and children.

Lisa Parris lives in Tennessee and writes frequently on a wide variety of topics from diet tips to fiction and opinion pieces.

Californian Ryan Miguel publishes lots of colorful local content and longer research papers.



Best of AC Awards for December, 2008:

Jeff Gedgaud for his Technology Reviews

Christine Bude for her Winter Travel Guides

Chris for Religion & Spirituality



Thanks to the 6 CPs above for their hard work in December. This month's "Best of AC" awards are in the following categories: Diet & Fitness, Op-Ed and Movie Reviews. Nominate winners in the Forum here.

Take the Unofficial Associated Content Challenge

CP Amy Browne gets AC.
A Clout 10, Top 1,000 CP with 1.2 million pageviews under her belt, she's fed up with rumors that Associated Content is a scam, and has taken action.
Amy just issued the Unofficial AC Challenge to prove that articles on Associated Content can and will earn page views if you take a few simple steps to make them do so. All of the successful CPs on AC have worked hard to earn their PVs and ANYONE can do it if they put in some effort.
This challenge is still unofficial but I wanted to be sure that blog readers saw it in case they'd like to participate.

Charitable Causes on AC

Content producers publish their work at Associated Content for a variety of reasons, ranging from supplementing their income to gaining experience writing on the web. There quite a few individuals and organizations using Associated Content to raise awareness and money for their charitable causes by publishing their work here, too.

The folks and groups listed below are a sampling of the wide variety of causes represented on AC.

All articles categorized on AC as nonprofit can be found here.


Gayle Crabtree is the founder and Executive Director of Hope for Healing.Org in Tennessee. Hope for Healing.Org works with victims of domestic violence, juvenile offenders and assists with the personal emergencies of local citizens battling poverty.

Dee is a prison activist and advocate in MA. She writes on AC to raise awareness and bring reform to the U.S. prison system. She is also the founder of the The Abolishment Movement website, dedicated to abolishing the death penalty. Dee's articles cover news and issues related to all aspects of the prison system including taxes, death row and even interviews with inmates.

Mindy Block is the founder of Quality Parks, a registered 501(c)(3) charity. All of the proceeds from her work on Associated Content go to the foundation. She writes about nature conservation and outdoors as well as the occasional Trekkie article. Drop her a line if you'd like to help out.

Solution Writers is a group focused on using writing exercises to help individuals with physical and mental disabilities. Based in the U.S and Canada, these writers are encouraged to complete various writing exercises, writing poetry, prose and articles, which help them heal emotionally and gain sense of being and independence. They're eager for help from Content Producers who are therapists, psychologists and educators. Write to solutionwriters [at] gmail.com with the subject "article" to learn more and to help them out.
Carol Rucker teaches inner-city women how to create and sell jewelry.

*Update (5/1/09), Nikki published an article called How to Make Money for Charity Using Your Computer that is an essential guide to online charitable earning and donation. She offers suggestions like using Goodsearch.com and Goodshop.com to raise money, simply by using their website!

If I missed you, drop me a line in the comments and I'll get you added to this roll-call.

These generous souls are not uncommon on AC. Many of our Content Producers donate their time and money to a wide variety of causes, as a few briefly discussed in the Forum. At the request of our CPs, Associated Content is currently working on developing a program that will enable direct donations of AC payments to charity through the site. It is a ways off yet, but we're committed to making it happen. We'll keep you updated here as things develop.

Starting the New Year with Associated Content

Welcome to 2009! This time of year is always thick with talk of New Year's Resolutions aimed at self-improvement that is mental, economical and physical (ever notice how the crowd at the gym increases exponentially in January?) . Content Producers on AC have written a great deal of articles with practical and creative suggestions about New Year's Resolutions. If you haven't settled on yours yet--as if you don't know what you need to work on--why don't you consider reading these articles for some ideas?

Dirk McFergus explores the psychology behind the resolution phenomenon. Why is it that this time of year makes us want to change for the better?

First is 6 New Year's Resolutions for Freelance Writers by Jane Rutherford. If you're looking to increase your earnings from your online writing, this article offers some challenges that are sure to be beneficial such as "Build a Website/Blog" and "Stop Procrastinating." I'd add "Write more for Associated Content."

Gamers, listen up. Eric Gustafson suggests 10, 2009 New Year's Resolutions for Hardcore Gamers. He's funny but serious when he tells you to get off the couch and walk, think carefully before buying that new game and to stop quoting Family Guy.

Linda Settles is determined to "Give Rather than Consume" this coming year and her five-point plan reads like a roadmap to success. Her resolutions are behaviors that everyone would be better off doing more of, like "be a more generous person."

Emma Gin has easy ways to go green, Heather Mark lists suggestions for getting out of debt or, if you're feeling contrary like Stoneskin, try some indulgent Non-Resolutions.

Now that you've made all of these resolutions (or have broken them already), learn how to stick to them.