Ad Astra's looking good for content writers

OK, so maybe I'm jumping the gun here, but I think I've found a content-writing job site that may actually be worth working with: Ad Astra Traffic.

Like other content-writing sites, Ad Astra Traffic -- which is now in its soft launch; its official launch begins in October -- lists job offers from Web site and business owners who need quality written content. The people behind Ad Astra, though, have so far done a good job of ensuring that their site isn't clogged with insulting offers.

For one thing, the Ad Astra people don't take just anyone who applies to be a writer with them. You have to apply to Ad Astra just as if you were applying to write a magazine or newspaper. This is a big difference from sites like Suite 101 and Examiner.com, which take just about anyone who can string together more than two sentences.

Secondly, Ad Astra allows its writers to list up front how much they want to get paid per word. This keeps the folks behind the site from recommending jobs that don't pay enough to writers who want more lucrative work.

Of course, this being content writing, the payouts are still pretty low. But I've seen far worse at other sites.

My first assignment with Ad Astra is due on Tuesday. I'll provide an update on the payment and editing process -- Ad Astra pays through PayPal -- but so far, I'm impressed with this and hope to build a long-term relationship with Ad Astra Traffic.