Collaboration Is Key To Revival Of Extra Dirt!

Over the course of the past two years a section of TrailCentral.com called Extra Dirt! has undergone several identity changes. At first it was a news and review section, then it was kind of a catch all for any trail write-ups that didn't fit in the Trail of the Month, then it had several great reviews and interviews written by Kyle Henley. However, it never produced enough content on a regular basis to make it interesting for visitors to TrailCentral. As a result it has hit rock bottom in terms of the number of views it receives on a daily basis.

I hope to change that and I believe that collaboration is key to the revival of Extra Dirt! I would like to collaborate with several other authors who have a passion to write about mountain biking or have a strong personality that mountain bikers would find interesting to read.

I've already spent time revamping Extra Dirt! this past week and I've made it easy for anyone who wishes to contribute!

I know what some of you are thinking, "What's in it for me? Sure, you get content, but what do I get?" Over the past several months TrailCentral has again become my passion and more importantly a hobby. I'm able to handle the costs of hosting and I love to develop it, so I'm not interested in the business side, which requires that I make money from the site. In fact, I'm proposing that I don't make any profits from your content. Instead, I hope you make profits from your content posted to Extra Dirt! on TrailCentral.com and this is how I propose to do that.

Those who submit content will need to have a blog and a Google AdSense account. When visitors click on your article in Extra Dirt! they will view your glorious written words as well as dynamically generated ads by Google. When those ads are click, you (not I) will get credit since it is your AdSense ads being served. In addition, links to the original article and the blog from which it came will be included.

This seems like a win-win situation for the author, doesn't it?

So let me recap in super simple bullet type formatting.

All you need:

1. Blog with an RSS Feed (Blogger, WordPress, TypePad, etc...)
2. An AdSense Account
3. Written Words: reviews, write-ups, news, personal training log, industry thoughts, whatever!

What you get:

1. Your Google AdSense ads displayed whenever your article is read.
2. All money generated from your articles goes into your pocket.
3. Links from Extra Drit! to your blog, thus increasing your blog traffic (read: You are potentially making money to attract visitors. The more you write the better chance you'll make money.)
4. A filtered look at your blog. You can write about your pet dog on your blog and not worry about it showing up in Extra Dirt! However, write about cycling and it will appear in Extra Dirt!

What I get:

1. A revitalization of Extra Dirt!
2. A repository of some of the best sport specific content in one location.
3. A collaborative effort that will introduce me to new people and friends that love the sport.

If you are interested (And I hope some of you are) in becoming a contributing author, please let me know by contacting me at [trailcentral at gmail dot com].