Recognizing Content Predators in the Web

About 99 percent of the population join online contests for the cash. Sad to say, no site is 100 percent scam-free.Wherever you go, there will always be content predators waiting to get away with your work.

As their name suggests, content predators will prey upon your idea, if not your output. This sounds like a bad case of plagiarism and copyright infringement combined.

Anyone could be the guilty party. As you may well guess, predators cloak themselves in a variety of ways. Can you recognize their behavioral patterns online? Keep safe, and don't ever let your guard down. Below are some of the most notorious personality types trolling the World Wide Web:

Where to Win Big in Online Contests

Are you looking for your pot of gold?
(photo credit: Mandie Lancaster)

If you found yesterday's list of contest sites for creative people a bit incomplete, I don't blame you.

You probably want to know more about the sites, right?  For instance, can you trust them? Do they really pay? How much moolah will contest winners receive?

This post will show you where to win big in online contests. That is -- when you have the right skills to whip up something creative and efficient for the paying client.

Small Online Contests

• recommended for beginners and individuals who hold a full-time job
• average starting pay-out: $5 to $30
• competition: some busy experts, many newbies and inexperienced competitors
• sites of interest:
  
• Digital Point
• NamePros
• The V7 Network
• Tycoon Talk

Mid-Level Online Contests

• recommended for experienced graphics artists
• average starting pay-out: $100 and up
• competition: few gutsy newbies, plenty of experienced competitors
• sites of interest:
  
• Astada
• DesignCrowd
• Hatchwise
• Logomyway
• MycroBurst (starts with $180, with some projects reaching up to $1,000)

Top 10 Contest Sites for Creative People

Web images attract audiences like honey to a bee.
(photo credit: Petr Kratochvil)

Nine in every 10 people say that a powerful  image attracts them to a website and increases their viewing time on a page. 

If you are good at Illustrator or Photoshop, online businesses need you. You can quickly cash in on your creative skills by joining  online contests. 

Win a contest and you grab the prize money. Lose a contest and you still have something beautiful to add to your creative portfolio. 

Where exactly can you find and meet these businesses? Chances are they are lingering behind a fancy pseudonym in the following contest sites for creative people: