Dotcoms finding the going tough is bad news for some, but for others it spells opportunity. In India and abroad, many Internet companies are downsizing. Invariably, the axe falls first on the content people. In these difficult times, when advertising revenues are not easy to come by, the dotcoms see wisdom in outsourcing content rather than employing a large workforce to generate it. Consequently, a large number of people with talent, acumen and time on their hands can moonlight- for good profit.

In the age of the Internet, time and distance are no hurdles to enterprise and communication. Both traditional and web based media organisations in countries with large Indian populations need India- specific content.Cultural angles, and information that falls in the grey zone between news and features, are important for many media vehicles in the United States today. Many Internet sites cater solely to this need. Content on lifestyle, travel, food, entertainment and news can be provided regularly from India. "There's good money to be made here," says Prashanth Prakash, President & CEO, Netkraft, a company that is into e-business solutions and deals with content. "People can tap the Web-based media," he says. Technology related content is much in demand. India is emerging as a major IT Power, and tech content is widely sourced from here. Tech content is not just about software, but the whole gamut of issues emerging in the communication and IT industry.

Apart from portals or media houses abroad, many local dotcoms too need content for their various sections " I surf the Net to find a good place to hang out with my friends," says Prashanth Prakash. To cater to these users, portals need good content, and exclusivity of the material is what often lends them the cutting edge. Employing staff to write it all may not be feasible, and freelancers are a better bet.

Says B G Mahesh, co-founder and CTO, Indiainfo.com, " There is a demand for almost anything. News, movie, interviews with film stars, astrology, vaastu, we source content on a host of topics. There is a lot of demand for Budget-related content right now." Mahesh feels that while freelancers cannot compete with established news agencies for hard news, they can easily tie-up for content on entertainment, education, and areas which are updated continuously.

So, what makes for a good Net writer? Ideally content for the Net should be brief and yet loaded with information. The language should be simple and easily comprehensible. "Put yourself in the shoes of a surfer and see if your writing is interesting" - is Mahesh's advice.

Writers should find interesting angles. "If someone sends me a recipe for a samosa, it won't click," says Mahesh. " A recipe that blends our culture with Western styles would be interesting." Portals want content that is better than what their competitors have.