How are Guides selected?

Anyone can apply to be a Guide. Qualified applicants with proven expertise in a topic are accepted into Prep, which is a 17 day-long self-guided online training program. During Prep, prospective Guides become familiar with About's tools and demonstrate their knowledge by building sample GuideSites. Editors evaluate these sample GuideSites and choose the most qualified applicant. For more information, please see our detailed explanation of the Prep process.

How much experience do I need to be a Guide?

The amount of experience required to be a Guide varies greatly from topic to topic. Applicants for topics covering hobbies will have a great deal of experience in the hobby and should regularly attend trade shows relating to their hobby, if possible. Published writers (in books, magazines and reputable online media outlets) who have written about the topic will be given precedence when selecting Guides. Applicants for topics where professional experience is possible (like health, money, autos, etc.) will have worked in the field covered by the topic. Published writers who have written about the topic will also be given precedence.

Does the content on the current topic page stay when a new Guide goes live? Will I need to build a site in Prep based off of the structure and information on the existing site?

You will start from scratch in Prep. When a new Guide goes live, the old content and structure is completely removed. On rare occasions, we will keep some of the more popular content from the previous Guide and work with you to integrate it into the new GuideSite you build.

How does Guide payment work? How much will I be paid? How frequently?

Guides are paid on a monthly basis. Pay varies from month to month, but is dependent on page views. Each Guide has a page view rate which is paid per 1000 page views. For more information, please see this detailed explanation of Guide compensation.

Is being a Guide a full-time job?

Being a Guide can be a full-time job, both in terms of time spent working and money earned. However, the majority of Guides balance their work for About with other freelancing opportunities, or have full-time jobs elsewhere.

How much time do Guides typically spend working on the site?

The amount of time Guides spend working on the GuideSite varies greatly. We have found that a minimum of 20 hours a week is necessary to create a successful GuideSite. In general, the more time Guides invest, the more successful the GuideSite will be.

Do I have an editor?

All Guides have an editor who evaluates their work at least once every six months. Editors are also available to help make suggestions or critique work. However, About does have a publish-first model, so editors will not read Guides' work before it goes live on About.com. Email listservs and forums are also available as a resource for Guides to communicate with each other and with their editors.

How long is Prep?

Prep is 17 days long and always begins on a Friday. For more information, please see this detailed explanation of the Prep process.

Do I get paid for the work done in Prep?

There is no payment for work done in Prep. Graduates of Prep receive a bonus payment of $250 after they go live on the service. Any and all work created by the applicant during Prep is property of the applicant and if he or she does not become a Guide, he or she may use it as desired afterwards. About.com deletes all work from failed applicants from its servers on a regular basis; no work created by an applicant will ever be used without his or her express permission.

What level of technical experience is necessary? Do I need any equipment?

About.com supplies you with all the tools necessary to build a GuideSite, as well as documentation on how to use those tools. No equipment - beyond a computer and internet access - is necessary, although having access to a digital camera is a strongly recommended.

Although About.com strives to make the process of creating a GuideSite as simple as possible, we advise any applicant to have a basic knowledge of HTML and to be comfortable working with computers.

How do I check on the status of my application to be a Guide?

We've created a form that emails the status of your application or applications to your email address. You can access the form here.

The topic I wanted to apply for is not appearing, but I checked the site and there's no Guide listed. What's going on?

This means we've hired a person for the position, but they aren't ready to go live. Chances are, if you check back on the site in a few weeks, you'll see the new Guide in place.

I applied to be a Guide and have not yet heard back from About.com, but recently went back to the application site and saw that the topic I applied for is no longer listed. What's going on?

This means we hired a person for the position some time after you applied. We have not officially notified you about the hiring because we hold on to all applications for a topic until a Guide goes live; once the person we've hired has gone live we'll send you a note letting you know.

I have a great idea for a topic; how I do go about suggesting it to About.com's editorial team?

You can use the Customer Care form to send in your idea; make sure to select the “Be a Guide” option from the drop down menu on the message form and to include a thorough description of the topic in your note. Please note that it takes us several months to research the viability of all topic ideas, so if we decide to go with your idea it may be a while before it's available for application.