Can Anyone Tell Me What’s Wrong With This Picture
March 5, 2008 by Deborah Ng
Filed under Entertainment
Here’s the ad:
Freelance writer
Reply to: comeagain@craigslist.org
Date: 2008-03-04, 10:53PM EST
Young Working Women is an organization that provides women with the insight and resources they need to be proactive in navigating the early stages of their careers. YWW is looking for volunteer freelance writers interested in writing about career topics for 20 and 30 somethings (200-500 words).
How to apply:
1. Send us your resume
2. Include a link to writing samples, or paste in your email
Young Working Women is content driven. This is currently a non-paying offer; however, we will provide a link to your site/blog/book.
- it’s NOT ok to contact this poster with services or other commercial interests
- Compensation: no pay
So let me get this straight. This is to provide help for women in navigating the early stages of their careers, yet they’re not interested in paying their writers? A big fat WTF from The Curmudgeon. How is this proactive? “Take a positive step, Sisters, just not with us. We’re the exception. Solidarity.”
Ass.
Questions: How about if I’m a young female writer trying to navigate the early stages of my career? Will this organization help me to be “proactive” by offering me no pay for my work? Is this the kind of career advice this organization is handing out? “Work for free”?
Maybe we could write some articles advising them not to become writers.
Freelance does not equal free services!
Great example to set for those starting out, “Your work is worth nothing. You don’t deserve to be paid for knowing something.” I can understand volunteering for a non-profit, but not to help someone else make money. And how much is unqualified advice from some spurious Web site worth?
By the way, they charge a $50 membership fee. So they’re happy to charge young working women for YOUR knowledge and career advice… but not to pay you for providing it.
$50 membership, free workers? S C A M …. I don’t mind commercial organizations trying to make money, but when they parade as community-focused support groups, it really sh1ts me.
If they are going to get revenue they need to pay their suppliers. Its basic economics.
I have to agree that this is a huge scam. Unfortunately, many people who are just starting out will fall for it and lose $50.