Comments on: The Freelance Writing Jobs I Avoid

By: Hawk8414

Hawk8414 — Sun, 19 Jun 2011 13:44:33 +0000

What it comes down to is this: the web has become the new black market. End of story and those of you who help promote this crap are responsible for making it that way.

By: Roy Daniel DSilva

Roy Daniel DSilva — Thu, 22 Jul 2010 11:27:14 +0000

I agree with some of the jobs, but not all. I mean, I write for article directories and I should tell you that my clients do business in the keywords that I write on. So there is some research going on… and it’s not off the top of my head. Some of the articles that I have written on article marketing sites are like ‘Why the Motorola V3i Sucks.” I don’t think that’s a keyword.

By: Susan

Susan — Fri, 14 May 2010 16:58:05 +0000

I wish I had read your article months ago. I’m not young and am only looking for work at home since my daughter was poisoned by a dentist using triazolam off-label as a sedative (it’s approved as a sleeping pill).

Anyway, I had to give up my day job to care for her, and, being an old fogie, I had no idea of the extent of internet exploitation of writers.

I was really ticked off after my first “job application” where I was expected to answer environmental questions for an hour to prove my worth. I happened to have taken grad courses in environmental health at a major university, but apparently that wasn’t good enough.

These people were soliciting writers/nterns on Craig’s list, and then after I busted my butt for .25 an answer, AND set up a profile, just in order to have the opportunity to apply, I was told there were no openings.

So, I see you are warning against this type.

Then I had to write an essay, within 24 hours, BEFORE the next operation would even tell me what the pay range was. I was a little skeptical after my first experience and wrote first that I needed assurance my essay would not be used unless paid for.

After knocking myself out for 24 hours, I was offered the job and then told I’d have to earn $200 before being paid anything.

So I went with another “student paper” writing service, and had to threaten them to get the reimbursement for my first completed assignment.

I had thought at first I’d be editing student papers, however, even though the 1st assignment was labeled an “edit,” I had to write the whole paper — for about 1.50 per hour.

None of this is worth the aggravation, and not only is it not worth it, it brings down the pay rate for all freelance writing work.

I was contributing to my own demise, I realized, when a local newspaper (entertainment flier) I’d freelanced for since 1991, dropped my pay, telling me they could find freelancers to do my job for far less money than the reduced amount.

This is the new sharecropping, and it needs a civil rights movement – very soon.

By: Shuchi Kalra

Shuchi Kalra — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 04:51:48 +0000

I agree with you on most fronts Michael. Though I am a writer from India, I agree that many of my counterparts agree to work for a pittance (for writing that hardly makes any sense). Indian writers have only themselves to blame when companies start treating them as “cheap labor”. On the the other hand, like Archana said, a cent a word is above average money by INR measures and newbie writers sometimes short sell themselves in an attempt to build their portfolio.

In the end, it is only we who can decide how much we are worth!

And yes, while a large fraction of web content writing is “counterfieting”, I have had the opportunity to work on some “good keyword planting” projects that aim to create valuable content

By: Philip

Philip — Sun, 11 Jan 2009 06:28:52 +0000

Ok, thanks for taking the time to explain all that!