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I Was Browsing iWriter Then I Saw This Job

Discussion in 'Copywriting' started by coreygeer, May 17, 2015.

  1. #1
    Sometimes I lurk the dreaded content mills to see if there's any relevant quick jobs I can get done. Jobs with small requirements that pay out decently.

    However, I came across a 1,000 word article that was offering a payment of $8.50. Doesn't seem too out of the ordinary on a content mill. The thing that caught my eye was the requester had an 11% approval rating. He had rejected 8 people and accepted one person's article in the past. Then I opened up the "special instructions" tab and here's what it says:

    So, in order to earn that $8.50, all one has to do is the following:
    - Write an academic quality article while referencing the Harvard system
    - Write 3,000 to 3,2000 words
    - Have 18 references
    - Include some diagrams and scientific references
    - + more

    What's the project?
    Just when I think I've seen it all.
     
    coreygeer, May 17, 2015 IP
  2. bilalx

    bilalx Active Member

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    #2
    strange, these type of people are everywhere, after reading the stats its look the buyer is ****, its better to ignore that kind of jobs and save your time. Some sites has special priorities to buyers and sellers are working with limitations and they can not do anything to get paid.
     
    bilalx, May 17, 2015 IP
  3. TextServices

    TextServices Active Member

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    #3
    Reads as if it is a college student outsourcing an assignment.
     
    TextServices, May 17, 2015 IP
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  4. coreygeer

    coreygeer Notable Member

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    #4
    I try to avoid sites like that period because the clients are unrealistically picky. They all claim to want "quality" but how exactly do they measure quality?

    I don't know about the origin of the client but their real name definitely isn't English.

    It always kills me to browse sites like that and see people looking for "professional copy" or to have their college assignments done.
     
    coreygeer, May 17, 2015 IP
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  5. DocuMaker

    DocuMaker Active Member

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    #5
    This kind of @#$! is everywhere across all writing resources. As the others have suggested, it's best to move on. That's the only way they'll learn.
     
    DocuMaker, May 17, 2015 IP
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  6. WLEadmin

    WLEadmin Active Member

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    #6
    My favourite is still the one I saw on oDesk years ago: "I have a blog that i need articles writing for also blogging. You must be able to write to a high degree, please view blog on the website [removed] the writing must make sence for it to be posted. It you beleive you can deliver this please reply with your WPM and rate per hour. I will pay up to 0.89 cent per hour. If interested please tell me how many hours a week you can do.”

    Even if they actually mean (up to) 89 cents per hour, can you imagine working for that?
     
    WLEadmin, May 18, 2015 IP
  7. coreygeer

    coreygeer Notable Member

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    #7
    Okay, I just HAD to share this gig. If anyone wants a premium writing opportunity, feel free to go to iWriter and scoop this one up fast!

    Keywords: FUNERAL SERVICES
    Special Instructions: FUNERAL SERVICES
    Writer's Earnings: $2.03 (400 Word Count)
    Approved: 3
    Rejected: 153 (Approval Rate: 2%)

    WHAT?! 2%?!

    Are this person's standards so incredibly high that they can't find decent content? Why on Earth are people sending this person more content? You have a 2% chance of having your $2 earnings even accepted. On the bright side, it'll only take 3 hours to get accepted if you're one of the 2%.

    [​IMG]
     
    coreygeer, May 18, 2015 IP
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  8. Rado_ch

    Rado_ch Well-Known Member

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    #8
    I see those kind of "businessmen" all over oDesk practically every time I check. Had one just this morning that made me shoot coffee from my nostrils:

    10 articles needed
    500-600 words each
    Native Speakers Wanted
    2 days deadline
    Budget : $6

    I highly suspect this respectable businessman/woman posted this ad under the influence... :D
     
    Rado_ch, May 18, 2015 IP
  9. energeticinnovator

    energeticinnovator Greenhorn

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    #9

    I'd like to thank you for the best belly-laugh I've had in quite some time. Who lied to this man and told him he could get all of that on a budget of $8.50 per article? Not to mention actually deserving all of that hard work while paying so little? Good grief...
     
    energeticinnovator, May 22, 2015 IP
  10. petertdavis

    petertdavis Notable Member

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    #10
    It makes it hard for those of us who hire writers too. Last time I posted a writing job, for example, the only responses I got were from people from Pakistan, Bangladesh and India, and the cover letters they include with their resume can be summed up simply "I can write good for u" - and I was looking to hire a full time writer, no $3 per article bullshit, but have a hard time finding decent writers. I think its because jobs like that have driven off all the decent writers from the marketplaces and all that's left are the desperate people from the Third World who can barely speak English.
     
    petertdavis, May 22, 2015 IP
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  11. coreygeer

    coreygeer Notable Member

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    #11
    It's essentially a perfect storm.

    1) You have writers too scared to charge over $10 per article because it scares most of the penny chasers away. Writers undervalue themselves a lot on these places or otherwise, they know they won't get work.
    2) A lot of writers that can form English sentences end up marketing themselves to local clients, writing for themselves or just giving up altogether.
    3) Then quality clients come here looking to pay a decent price and the first thing they see is broken English writers and people looking for "cheap quality contents". Who can blame them for taking one look here and then going, "nope..."

    The problem is, I think the Admin likes the board the way it is. Not that he's wrong to, it is a free marketplace after all. People are welcome to come and post offers as they see fit, even if it is like the offers I've quoted in the OP.

    It just makes both quality writers and quality clients hard to find because they tend to hide under a rock when viewing this place. There's no easy way to heighten the quality of this place without hurting some feelings.

    One thing I do like about another marketing forum is they charge people who post offers $20 to post them. That would obviously cut down A LOT on the offers posted here but I would say that's a good thing.

    Content mills and job boards in general are just hell to make a living from (for both clients and writers). Thankfully, most modern day email filters out the garbage spam most companies without CAPTCHA on their site get from non-native English countries.

    My friend owns a web development studio and his spam folder is just a constant drip feed of spam from broken English "SEO" companies and "writers".
     
    coreygeer, May 22, 2015 IP
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  12. Karen May Jones

    Karen May Jones Prominent Member

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    #12
    They're probably outsourcing it. Maybe they took on a job to write a college paper, and now they want somebody else to do it while they keep most of the money. That price is way too low. Ten times too low. :D
     
    Karen May Jones, May 22, 2015 IP
  13. energeticinnovator

    energeticinnovator Greenhorn

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    #13
    I think the problem is sites asking writers to bid for jobs rather than insisting that employers charge a fair rate upfront. That's a stupid premise that was started out of greed on the part of the "middle man" without any consideration for writers or clients. Inevitably people would try to win jobs by undercharging and it became a race to the bottom. The inevitable "winners" would be persons who live in poor countries where earning pennies per hour is completely normal.

    These persons typically are not outstanding English speakers or if they are, they unfortunately see nothing wrong with putting a $60-per-article effort into a $2-3 article.

    I think it probably really does drive away seasoned freelance writers, but again that's on the sites themselves. Until there is some sort of regulation in the form of a sensible minimum across the board, this is going to continue to be an issue for writers and clients alike.
     
    energeticinnovator, May 24, 2015 IP
  14. ADNattan

    ADNattan Active Member

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    #14
    Looks that way to me. I actually had a proper client (not from a mill) ask me to write an essay for an Open University course. That was a strange one. I had to explain that I'm a business copywriter, not a private tutor.
     
    ADNattan, May 25, 2015 IP
  15. Equatorial

    Equatorial Active Member

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    #15
    Buddy, I've something even more hilarious. I saw this on Elance last week.

    [​IMG]

    Now, 350-400 words per page is considered about average. Let's take it right down the middle at 375 words.
    375 words x 175 pages = 65,625 words.
    He's paying $35 for the whole thing, which basically works out to $1 for every 1,875 words, or $0.053/100 words.
    But wait, that's not all.
    There must be pictures, and it must be a bestseller.
    Sometimes you just have to shake your head...
     
    Equatorial, May 27, 2015 IP
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  16. Katherine Huether

    Katherine Huether Greenhorn

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    #16
    I've been both a client and a writer on those sites (I've used more than one for both writing and to be a client) and from a client's perspective, I can tell you that sometimes the pickiness isn't unrealistic. Since I'm a writer, I put very specific instructions because I know what writers need in order to turn in a good article! I try to be mindful of the fact that the pay is very low. However, low pay doesn't mean that everyone can be a writer, instantly. It is a rare occasion when I reject an article, though. I only do so if the instructions weren't followed (you'll be amazed at how many people don't actually read the instructions!) Once I started being a client, I stopped writing for the sites. Usually, if the sentences a strung together reasonably and the structure is okay, I accept it. I usually have to rewrite everything a little bit, anyway, since most of the things require my own personal writing style and it isn't fair to make someone do that for low pay.
     
    Katherine Huether, Jun 23, 2015 IP
  17. Patricia Ann Lee

    Patricia Ann Lee Active Member

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    #17
    Isn't it 3000-32000 (if it is not a typo) too much for just a $8.50?? Yikes! And hell no!
    You can't buy a book that costs $8 unless it is for free, given or on sale haha
     
    Patricia Ann Lee, Jun 23, 2015 IP
  18. Katherine Huether

    Katherine Huether Greenhorn

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    #18
    I know that site is very low paying. I can't believe there are people who won't do their homework!
     
    Katherine Huether, Jun 23, 2015 IP
  19. moneyroad

    moneyroad Member

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    #19
    iwriter pays good, just as a writer you must "earn respect" first. That is why they are seperated as premium/elite and etc. And If you are not siutable or can not create content, maybe there are realy too many ninsense on instruction are- just ignore, find other...
     
    moneyroad, Jun 24, 2015 IP
  20. coreygeer

    coreygeer Notable Member

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    #20
    The problem with those sites are, you have to "earn" your rating through the lowest end of the spectrum first.

    Earning respect from those penny chasers is not easy. People who pay $1 or less per 100 words from my experience are the most unappreciative and most difficult people to work for. Their work often comes with a ridiculously hard laundry list of qualifications to make sure the content is "high quality" as well.

    I've had articles rejected for ridiculous reasons. I had one article rejected a mere few seconds after I submitted. I literally hit the submit button and 3 seconds later, I got a notification saying that my content was rejected for "poor English".

    I've had clients that I've gone above and beyond to please their laundry list on there before and I've been given 3 or 4 stars out of 5 without any feedback. There's one client on there who gives every single writer 4 stars regardless of the content given to them.

    The premium writers are FAR easier to please. They usually give tips, they give 5 stars if you produce readable English and are generally easy to work for.

    Content mills suck, period. If you go to a place like TextBroker instead, you have to bow down to editors and hope they like your content. I've seen articles rated 2/3 of 5 over something as stupid as a comma that didn't really change the structure of the sentence regardless.

    It's too common that I lurk iWriter, open up some job descriptions and then I see this long paragraph or novel of requirements and special instructions. Good God, if you took the time to write 500 words just for the requirements, write the article yourself instead of trying to find some unicorn writer to spend their time on a $3.50 gig.

    My experience with $1 clients is garbage. They're the same people who I imagine storming into WalMart and demanding customer service over every little inconvenience or reason. Some people are just cheap and difficult and nothing can change them.

    My experience with $15, $30 and higher per article clients is nothing but superb with maybe one exception. I absolutely love the $20 per article clients. They're the people who send me a list of what they need and trust me to do the job right without writing a novel of special instructions and being super nit-picky. If I suck, they'll pay me for my time spent and hire someone else. They don't care.
     
    coreygeer, Jun 25, 2015 IP