EveryJoe » Webbery

The Curmudgeon Recommends: "7 Heinous Freelancing Practices You Should Stop Immediately"

Deborah Ng — Tue, 11 Mar 2008 11:19:57 +0000

The Craigslist Curmudgeon isn’t in the practice of recommending reads. I do like to be fair and balanced however, and not in a Bill O’Reilly sort of way. I mean really fair and balanced. I generally complain about employer assery and client lamery but there are times freelancers can do with a dose of the truth as well. Kristen King’s post at her InkThinker blog outlining “7 Heinous Freelance Practices You Should Stop Immediately” is something every freelancer would do well to read, and not just because I’m mentioned there. Read the piece in detail but pay particular attention to points 4 and 5.

Sending emails to employers is ass on so many levels. The Curmudgeon disapproves of the penny per word crew as much as the next guy, but he also knows times may get better and that same low payer may be in a position to pay $1 per word the next time. Will he remember your name?

Another bit of heinery coming to The Curmudgeon’s attention is the practice of flagging Craigslist ads to eliminate the competition. To me nothing says “lack of confidence” more than a writer looking to do away with the competition through unsavory practices rather than through skill. If you’re a good writer you don’t have to stoop to flaggery. If you’re a bad writer you won’t get hired anyway.

The Craigslist Curmudgeon exists to expose the assery that is Craigslist, the people who live to exploit and take advantage. Sometimes writers can do with a courtesy reminder as well.

Hmm….This recommending blog posts things is fun. Expect more of it.

Post from: EveryJoe

The Curmudgeon Recommends: "7 Heinous Freelancing Practices You Should Stop Immediately"

The Craislist Curmudgeon’s Top 10 Posts of 2007

Deborah Ng — Sat, 05 Jan 2008 18:29:15 +0000

The Craigslist Curmudgeon has ~~a couple~~ many fans and ~~both of you~~ you’re all very loyal. As a reward, I thought I’d offer a best of piece. Here are the Craigslist Curmudgeon’s Top 10 Posts of 2007.

Lamery With the Olsen Twins – Who knew the Olsen Twins would be too cheap to pay their writers? Even more surprising, who knew this post would receive more traffic than any other?
I Don’t Need My Apartment Cleaned That Bad – Why you’re all interested in a man who does housekeeping in the nude is beyond me. The Curmudgeon has a don’t ask don’t tell policy.
Will Work for Lash Extensions – Need some eyelashes or a Brazilian bikini wax? Trade it for your writing. Here’s a woman so confident about her business she feels it’s worthy of a Wikipedia write up.
Yes We’re Hiring But Not You – An angry woman wonders why no one will hire her. Anyone? Bueller? Anyone?
Dirty Laundry – Gary plays a joke on frequenters of Craigslist.
Will Write for Donuts – Well…you won’t starve.
Is This an Ad or an Instant Message? idk. wht do u thnk?
That’s A Lot of Verys – They’re cheap but they have access to grants.
Paging Tom – This is the guy whose ass you need to kick.
Would You Work for This Guy? – He doesn’t want to sound like an ass…but he is one.

Post from: EveryJoe

The Craislist Curmudgeon’s Top 10 Posts of 2007

Scab Hunters

Deborah Ng — Wed, 02 Jan 2008 12:00:59 +0000

As I was perusing Craigslist this evening, I came across this interesting bit:

Were you burned by NY Press on Craigs List?

Reply to: burnedcauseImascab@craigslist.org
Date: 2007-12-31, 7:17PM EST

Class action law suit pending against Craigs list and NY Press for false advertising for writers during the writer’s strike. Were you falsely solicited for work against the rules of Craigslist and then possibly slandered in the pages of the NY Press “Meet the Scabs” November 14 edition? Contact for more information.

Was it true? Did the New York Press put false ads in Craigslist in hopes of finding scab labor to belittle? This deserved further investigation so I gave it a Google and look at what I found. Meet the Scabs.

I must have been hiding under a rock because everyone is talking about it. Even Gawker.

It just goes to show, if you’re advertising on Craigslist, there will always be takers. Even if the gig isn’t entirely ethical. As for the suit, it’ll be interesting to see how it’s played out. There are no names mentioned so I’m not sure the public slander thing will hold water, but the Press did advertise under false pretenses.

Post from: EveryJoe

Scab Hunters

Bloggers Union Strike

Deborah Ng — Sat, 24 Nov 2007 11:17:49 +0000

This isn’t from Craigslist, but I saw this at Freelance Writing Jobs and thought it was so funny, I had to bring it here.

Post from: EveryJoe

Bloggers Union Strike

Craigslist Commercial

Deborah Ng — Mon, 22 Oct 2007 17:06:17 +0000

I’m not sure if this is a real commercial for Craigslist or not, but it’s rather amusing.

Post from: EveryJoe

Craigslist Commercial

Job Interview from Craigslist

Deborah Ng — Sat, 20 Oct 2007 17:03:38 +0000

Ever wonder what would happen if you accepted a job interview from someone on Craigslist? It might go something like this:

Post from: EveryJoe

Job Interview from Craigslist

Fair Wages

Deborah Ng — Fri, 27 Jul 2007 10:48:15 +0000

There’s an interesting discussion raging at Deb Ng’s Freelance Writing Jobs blog as to what’s a fair wage. I see lots of writers throwing out numbers such as $25, $50, $75 and up.

Post from: EveryJoe

Fair Wages