Wordsmith, my comments were not meant to rattle your cage and I merely highlighted key points that's all. I notice you've pushed my figure of $4,750+ out the window as being "way off beam" but that figure is based purely on information posted by you and taken off of your website. Simple mathematics, but feel free to double-check.Actually since you've announced 660 on order...that's about $6,270 minimum. You comment on the size of your operation as if to justify charging writers for "advertising" and "admin" costs. Your site costs you a little over £5 pounds per month to host with little or no real-world infrastructure required. Well....most jobs as it happens, don't require employees to pay employers.I say most -- I have never seen a legitimate employment opportunity that you had to pay for. I have seen plenty of scams though. I mean, just think through the logic.... a job is to earn money, not spend it! You are not running an agency and your service is not for the benefit of writers, so don't make out that you are doing people a favour by charging them for work which you have already accepted and taken payment for. To call a working charge "nominal" is incredible. Using it as a filter for "serious writers" is insulting. Serious professionals do not pay to be employed. I honestly cannot think of a way to explain to you that people don't buy jobs! ...It amuses me that I'm even trying! IF your operation isn't a scam and just has a very questionable business model, I apologise for the use of that word. Not that you can blame people for being on their guard, since the internet is packed with dodgy dealings. Glad we got all that sorted
Ideas_man, just to address the scam thing. It is very possible he is not charging 10$ up front but merely taking it out of earnings. In that case it would be incredibly hard for him to be running a scam. And like I said before, most writers who offer discounts on bulk orders (most writers here) will tell you that they will easily lose 10$ (like I said before also it is probably much more) in a month. I think you guys too easily criticized his methods. What if he was paying double the word rate you normally charge? Would 10$ a month still be a big deal? It is fine to raise concerns, but more and more all I see is members jumping to their own conclusions in these situations. Ask more questions and give the author of the thread time to respond. I understand that no one wants to get scammed and lose any money, but going back and forth for ten posts about how much of a joke the 10$/month charge is doesn't help anyone...not the readers of the thread or the thread starter. Heck, it doesn't even help you.
You say I've formed my own conclusions, well of course I have and its based on what is given to me in the posts and the website. Everybody comes to their own conclusions. To say it doesn't help other readers, you are in no place to say. It may not have helped you, but some people may appreciate an alternative point of view when making up their own mind. To say it doesn't help me, you are completely right. I have no interest in a scheme like this, but if something looks a bit dodgy I'll say so in the hope that others may not get burned. To only comment if it benefitted me when it could benefit others, would be selfish. It is a shame you think in those terms. Cochise, your argument is based on what-ifs. What-if he wasn't charging the fee up front? What-if he was paying double word rate? If these features applied, I am sure he would have said so since this would make the offer far more appealing. I'll continue to base my opinions on things that are known rather than speculation or wishful thinking. I mean, charging 75~ writers $10 per month ($750p/m) for advertising and admin charges when they have already taken $6K+ in fees....doesn't that seem odd?This isn't an agency, this is a business that is outsourcing its work to freelance writers. I think we'll have to agree to disagree on this one.To me its beyond belief as a business model, but you find merit in it which is puzzling to me.But c'est la vie.I think I'll call it a day here Sincere good luck to all those that participate though
But in a case like this what we need is facts, not opinions. Your opinion was that it was wrong for him to charge 10$. But the fact is that there are many cases, which I presented in my last post, in which accepting the ten dollar charge and working for him would result in higher income for writers. So how can you say with such confidence that this is a bad oppurtunity for writers? That is your personal opinion, not a fact. Now if you could tell me exactly what he pays writers and how much work on average he gives to his writers, then I would believe your conclusion that this offer should be avoided. Until then all you are doing is damaging someone's reputation without any proof. How can misleading other readers help them? I am not saying I know all the facts and that people should listen to me on whether or not to apply. I'm just saying you don't know them either. As a freelance writer myself, I would have liked to hear more of what Wordsmith had to say on the whole ordeal. I don't see how anyone looking from the outside in could give a clear picture to the job offer made. I don't think in those terms, where did I say that? There is another conclusion you jumped to. I clearly said it is fine to raise concerns about a job offer. If something looks like a scam go ahead and warn other members. All I said is raising questions and getting good answers from the thread starter is more helpful then jumping to conclusions and having other members confuse your opinion with fact. I could just as easily say YOUR argument is based off what-ifs. What-if he pays only one cent a word to his writers? What-if he takes the ten dollars and runs without giving any work to his employees. The point is that neither of us know. It is funny that your last sentence claims that you base your opinions off of facts when the line before says that you are sure he would have mentioned these features before. Yeah....that sure isn't speculation.... What is odd about charging a measly 10 dollars? Do you see how many writers at this forum look for jobs? They offer discounts, I've seen some offer to do work for less than a cent a word, and they constantly make new threads every day. Not only are they losing jobs by trying to undercut their competitors on prices, but they also lose time in trying to get work. How many writers on this board that need work wouldn't want to pay ten dollars to let someone else do all the work in finding jobs for them? If I needed work, I would pay anyone TWICE that amount to do the same for me. It would be wrong if he was only paying his writers 1 cent a word or less. But we don't know what his rates are. It would be wrong if he didn't give them as much work as promised. But we don't know how much work his employees get either. The fact is that neither of us know enough to make any sort of conclusion about this job offer. And as a business student at a top-5 BBA program in America I am telling you that it is my opinion that this model has the potential to benefit both the employer and the employee equally. All I want are solid, hard facts. You get me the numbers I requested and prove me wrong and I will whole-heartedly admit as such. If not I would recommend anyone still interested in this offer, though it looks like he doesn't need anyone else, contacts Wordsmith and learns the facts and the exact details of the jobs for themselves.
It really wasn't a huge deal, and I don't think it was ever meant to escalate into what it did. But because you asked, John -- one of the large companies I work for offers work on a continous basis and pays me bi-weekly, per request. Anyway, discussions happen on forums. That doesn't mean everyone has to agree. For the record, I don't think anyone was attacking you, but merely stating an opinion.
i think it's really rude to hijack and discuss this in this thread. why not create a new one to discuss this?