How To Navigate the Member Dashboard

The member dashboard allows you to easily manage your HowToDoThings experience. By logging in and clicking on the "my dashboard" link in the upper right corner, you'll have access to all of the articles you've written, your stats (including number of article views), your public bio and profile, and links to article guidelines and other writing tips. You'll also be able to easily add more areas of expertise and browse through article topic ideas.

Writer's Corner

• Write an article. Click on the "write an article" link, which appears in both the Writer's Corner section of the Member Dashboard and in the left-hand navigation. Both links will take you directly to the article submission page where you can add your article content and submit your article to the editors for review. Please familiarize yourself with the article submission requirements before submitting your article.
• View available topics. Sometimes it can be tough to come up with article ideas on your own. This link takes you to a page of article topics that the HowToDoThings editors and other contributors would like to see written. Click here and browse through the categories you're approved to write in. You can either accept and write an article topic that is suggested, or use this page to inspire you to come up with new topic ideas.
• Add/Manage Areas of Expertise. You can always add Areas of Expertise to your HowToDoThings account. Just click on the add/manage areas of expertise link, select the new categories that you'd like to be approved in and explain why you're an expert in each category you choose. Just like the initial application process, we'll review your expertise application and you can start writing articles upon approval.
• Writing Articles: The Basics. This short article explains the basics of what you need to know before writing a HowToDoThings article. For a more detailed explanation of what's required please review How To Write an Article.

The remainder of the member dashboard offers information about your HowToDoThings account and the articles you've submitted, as well as quick links to important pages like your public profile, your article list and your Google AdSense info.

1. My Earnings and My Google AdSense Info. In order to get paid for the articles you write, you'll need to sign up for a Google AdSense account. After creating an account, you'll need to associate it with your HowToDoThings account so that we can start sharing revenue with you. Just add the email address (the one that you used to create your Google AdSense account) to the My Google AdSense info page and you'll start earning revenue immediately.

   In order to view your actual earnings, you'll need to login to your Google AdSense account. However the My Earnings section includes your Google AdSense ID as well as the email address you signed up for AdSense with. This information allows you to easily login to your AdSense account. My Google AdSense info tells you the same information, but also allows you to associate a different AdSense account to your HowToDoThings account if you wish. Most contributors won't need to use this feature after they initially associate the two accounts.

2. My Articles. The My Article section shows you the most recent articles that you've worked on, their status and the category that they're in. You can check to see if your articles are still under review, have had revisions requested on them or are published. By clicking on the "My Articles" link in the left-hand navigation you can view all of the articles you've submitted to HowToDoThings. Here they're sorted by drafts, published articles and articles that need revisions.

   When you click through to view all of your published articles, you can sort by date published, category, status, title, or number of article views. The views indicate how many times readers have viewed your article. The article rank indicates how many times readers have viewed your article in relation to other articles on the site. The higher the views, the better. The lower the rank, the better. If an article is ranked #1, it has been viewed more than any other article on the site.

3. My Ratings and Comments. As a HowToDoThings member or contributor you can rate and comment on other people's articles. You can use the My Ratings and Comments area in your member dashboard to keep track of which articles you've rated and what you've said about articles written by other contributors on the site.
4. My Areas of Expertise. If you wish to write articles in categories that you did not originally select when filling out your application, you can apply to additional categories through your "contributor dashboard". Select "My Areas of Expertise" and then choose the additional subcategories that you wish to write in. Please thoroughly explain each request. Remember, you are applying to be an "expert" in each category that you choose, so you should include your qualifications and relevant experience when detailing why you have above-average knowledge in each area.

   If you wish to remove an Area of Expertise from your dashboard, click on "My Areas of Expertise". You will find a list of your current, approved areas of expertise and a "Remove" link next to each. To delete an area (or areas), simply click the "remove" link next to the appropriate subcategory, then confirm that you do want that area removed. Once removed, you will no longer be able to write articles on topics in that subcategory.

5. How To Promote Your Articles. If you want to maximize the number of people who read your article, you can help promote your article amongst your family, friends and colleagues. Read this article to learn more about ways you can help your articles succeed.
6. My Stats. This gives you a brief overview of your HowToDoThings history. You can quickly see how long you've been a member, how many articles you've had published on the site and how many total times your articles have been viewed by readers. You'll see your author ranking, which is based on how many articles you've written. If your author ranking is 13, for example, it means that 12 contributors have published more articles than you have. The lower the better when it comes to author ranking. You'll also be able to see how many articles you've rated or commented on.
7. My Profile. Here you can quickly edit your personal profile and public bio, view your public bio as others see it and update your communication preferences. Your public bio is your page where you can tell readers about who you are and why you're an expert on the topics you write about. To learn more about editing your public profile, please read "How To Add and Edit Your Public Profile". Your communication preferences allow you to opt in or out of receiving certain HowToDoThings communications, such as the monthly newsletter.