I recently wrote a 32-page article on the last 79 years the Oscars have been giving away the major awards. It goes from 1927 to 2006. After spending an entire night waiting up for the Academy Award nominees to be announced, I was a little apprehensive about delving any deeper into the subject. I was not happy with the nominees. Then the thought suddenly occurred to me, the Oscars had a montage of all the movies that had won Best Picture since they began back in 1998. They might not do it again this year. The past decade hasn't been the greatest in film history, but it shouldn't be completely forgotten.

So, I researched everything. I looked into the Academy Awards and the history. I started copying the research and adapting it all into my own gigantic article. It was a pain-staking process but after a few days, I got it done.

The response I've gotten for this one article has been staggering. I've received several great commendations. Several other AC producers have highly recommended this article to readers on other sites. The reception has been flattering to say the least.

Thank you all.

I was very disappointed with this year in film history, moreso than every other year since Titanic came out. Nothing really met up to my expectations. The movies the critics were hailing fell flat or were barely coherent. So when I agreed to stay up until 6:30 in the morning (Mountain time) on Jan. 22, 2008, just to see the announcement of all Oscar contenders for 2007, I was a little weary. Most of the movies nominated for the Golden Globe awards were lame. If the Academy picked anywhere near as badly as the Globes, the Oscars wouldn't even be worth watching. Not like the 1997Oscar race, where everyone was tuned in just to see Titanic win in almost every category. Then there was the great, hilarious spoofs by Billy Crystal in the intro. It was classic stuff, you had to see it.

For the promise of a dollar in upfront payments and perhaps, a lot of money for hits, I decided to wait to the televised announcements. This wait became truly a struggle. I normally go to bed around 3 am. I had to drink caffeine, eat some sugar, push my limits.

I started the article with some background of 2007 in award ceremonies. The writers strike has been keeping everyone from throwing the usual parties. Then I watched the clock until 6:30, and watched them announce some of my least favorite films going up for major categories. Atonement was all right, but was it Best Picture quality? It's hard to say. Michael Clayton? That movie bored me to tears. No Country for Old Men?? What is the big deal with that movie?? One man follows a cowboy with a silenced shotgun or rifle or nail gun, and Tommy Lee Jones is right on their trail. Wow. Compelling stuff.

Anyway, this isn't a movie bashing blog, it's a blog about my work on AC. This one particular article literally kept me up for hours. What some people will do for a buck huh?

AC has two ways to pay writers. You can either be paid upfront or you can be paid for every time a person checks out an article. At first, the site only offered upfront payments for an article. AC will either offer writers assignments or writers can come up with something to write about on their own.

Sometimes, the assignments can be a little tricky. Take the news assignments for instance. You have to follow certain guidelines in order to adhere to rules or laws. You can't just go plagarizing someone else's news article. You can't just go make up stuff that somebody said or did. This isn't the tabloids. The news section of Associated Content is as factual as it can get.

The only problem I have with the news section of AC is that I have an imagination and a voice to express myself. If I can't stretch my imagination or tell my readers how I feel about a certain subject, I might as well give up writing completely.

You can write stories or poems on AC. But you will not be paid for either, unfortunately. It's got to do with being helpful or just being creative. I really don't know why. I'm not much of a poet, but I certainly love to write stories. I just don't have the time to write a long story to post on AC.

The assignments given by Associated Content are usually a reflection of all things popular on the net or something new that's just waiting to be written about. There's assignments on politics or the newest Harry Potter or whatever. It ranges from time to time. If you feel like you can't write about any of the assignments, no one is twisting your arm.

I just don't like how the assignments can be so limited at times. Why do we have to pick and choose from topics on one given thing at a time? There's also a weird feeling of uncertainty that washes over you. If you submit something that you want to write about for upfront payment, will they actually accept it and pay you or will they tell you to go blow? This does not help a writer. If you can't expand your mind because you're thinking too much about the reaction to your piece, you can't write.

All I can say is to any writer who might be interested in joining Ac is don't let anything preoccupy you. Don't think too much on anything but the article you want to write. And, of course, you have to enjoy yourself or none of it is worth it.

It was a difficult time for me and my family financially. I had very little, if anything in my bank account. I could barely afford $2 worth of gas, let alone anything to feed someone in my family. I started looking over the net, trying to find something or someone to help me. I wanted a job online. The only thing I could contribute was my writing skills. I typed, "Earn money online" in the Google search box. Up came hundreds of links to hundreds of different sites. The one that caught my eye was called, "Associated Content" where I would become a content producer.

I clicked on the link. The screen flashed as the site was opening. The screen went totally blank for less than a minute as this site was uploading. Suddenly, the Associated Content front page popped up on my screen. I looked in the FAQ section, read all about this site, and learned that I could earn some money by simply submitting an article with 600 or so words. I still didn't know certain things. I would pick up on these things as time went by, but let me tell you, it was sure a difficult learning experience at first.

As I mastered all of the special features on AssociatedContent.com, I started to notice a few things. The one thing I noticed was how addictive it was to obtain an audience. The site calculates how many times someone has looked at your stuff. You can see it by clicking on the "My Content" section. I wanted more people to read my articles. I set out to find out how some people had already gained up to 1 million page views or should I say, 'hits' by the time I signed up. I looked over their stuff. None of it seems to be much different than my own work. But I kept trying. I looked in the "Forum" areas of this site, and read what advice other writers had given. Now after more than a year, I'd like to say that I'm an accomplished Associated Content Producer. I'm still reaching for that 1-million-hits goal. It seems like it's impossible, but I keep my chin up. My day will come. I will be listed among the most popular producers on that site, someday.

The one thing that still bothers me about my measly 100,000 page views is the fact that there are several writers for AssociatedContent.com with a million views who haven't written as many articles as I have. Truth be told, they're no better at writing than I am. Maybe they just have the right flashy titles for the right flashy subjects (cheat codes for certain video games). I will not lower myself to gain page views by posting cheat codes or any such nonsense. I want my work on AC, and my point of view taken seriously. I've worked too hard to degrade myself.

I look for the popular subjects. Then again, I can't write about something I don't know about. If the more popular subjects are on politics, I tend to avoid them completely. If the popular subject matter is about arts and crafts, I feel little too intimidated. One of the biggest pieces of advice I found on AssociatedContent.com was to write about things you can write about. And, I've already chosen those few subjects I like to write about; holidays, movies and the writing of other content producers. In doing so, I'd like to think that I've helped contribute to AC in one way or another.

100 Greatest Films ever made

The Greatest Movies I've ever seen.

1. Gone With The Wind
2. Citizen Kane
3. Casablanca
4. Titanic
5. The Godfather part 2
6.