I was just surfing around today and I came across a site that posts freelance writing jobs. Wow, the things I saw! Here is an excerpt from a job posting that is typical of the jobs posted on the site:
Need 100 articles in next 10 days or less. Rate $1/500 words. I will provide tasks daily and i need them submitted daily.
$1.00 for a 500 word article? Seriously? Who would do that? It made me REALLY glad I found CC!
$1.00 / 500 words
Moderators: Celeste Stewart, Ed, Constant
Re: $1.00 / 500 words
Some of those freelance boards are scary places! I've seen many similar postings, from $0.50 per 800-word article to website owners who act like a writer should be eternally grateful to be getting $5 for a long article.
Unfortunately, the bottom line is that many people are happy to receive this much payment. For people in some countries, $1 per day is enough to live on, and writing several articles each day could mean a $5 daily wage, and their status becoming rich relative to those around them!
I then began to wonder why they weren't setting their sights higher. Sure, some of them don't know there are places where they can make money, and some of them write such poor English that their work probably couldn't get anything more than $1 for 500 words, but there are also competent writers who could earn so much more on a site like this one with enough hard work and sometimes a little work on their English skills.
Interestingly, I think this is a problem of globalization and culture clash. For us, it seems ridiculous not to want to earn more. After all, why settle for $5 a day when you could be getting $20, $40 or even more and becoming very, very rich? I think this stems in part from our culture. We're told to advance as far as we can, improve ourselves, make as much money as we can, and so on. People from other cultures are used to accepting their lot in life and not striving to make any more once they've found a comfort zone that provides for themselves and their families.
Plus, personal comfort zones come into the mix. I know people who are in awful work situations, but they still refuse to leave because they just aren't comfortable with their ability to get another job and do well there, adapt to a whole new situation, make new work friends and contacts, etc. I'm the opposite -- I don't like staying put too long, unless I can make changes to a situation. It's the entrepreneurial spirit.
It's frustrating, because I find myself wanting and trying to show some of these writers that they can do better, but at the end of the day, we have to just be glad we've found this site and keep striving to improve our situation. Some people will eventually "come to the light" on their own, and others will happily subsist on a few dollars a day.
Unfortunately, the bottom line is that many people are happy to receive this much payment. For people in some countries, $1 per day is enough to live on, and writing several articles each day could mean a $5 daily wage, and their status becoming rich relative to those around them!
I then began to wonder why they weren't setting their sights higher. Sure, some of them don't know there are places where they can make money, and some of them write such poor English that their work probably couldn't get anything more than $1 for 500 words, but there are also competent writers who could earn so much more on a site like this one with enough hard work and sometimes a little work on their English skills.
Interestingly, I think this is a problem of globalization and culture clash. For us, it seems ridiculous not to want to earn more. After all, why settle for $5 a day when you could be getting $20, $40 or even more and becoming very, very rich? I think this stems in part from our culture. We're told to advance as far as we can, improve ourselves, make as much money as we can, and so on. People from other cultures are used to accepting their lot in life and not striving to make any more once they've found a comfort zone that provides for themselves and their families.
Plus, personal comfort zones come into the mix. I know people who are in awful work situations, but they still refuse to leave because they just aren't comfortable with their ability to get another job and do well there, adapt to a whole new situation, make new work friends and contacts, etc. I'm the opposite -- I don't like staying put too long, unless I can make changes to a situation. It's the entrepreneurial spirit.
It's frustrating, because I find myself wanting and trying to show some of these writers that they can do better, but at the end of the day, we have to just be glad we've found this site and keep striving to improve our situation. Some people will eventually "come to the light" on their own, and others will happily subsist on a few dollars a day.
Re: $1.00 / 500 words
I agree that a lot of the job postings on these sites target people in countries where $1.00 a good wage. But there were some jobs that asked that the writer be from the U.S. or Canada and the pay was very low. One job paid $30 for ten 500 word articles.
Another thing that struck me was that a lot of the jobs were for "rewrites." Basically they are asking you to make slight changes to another person's hard work. I don't know much about copyright laws, but it just seems wrong.
Another thing that struck me was that a lot of the jobs were for "rewrites." Basically they are asking you to make slight changes to another person's hard work. I don't know much about copyright laws, but it just seems wrong.
Re: $1.00 / 500 words
Yes, the ones that target people in the USA and Canada bother me, too. I think they're trying (and succeeding) to get beginners who don't know where to begin looking for freelance jobs and stumble on those boards. Then the beginners say, "Hey, cool, I can get paid for writing!" without realizing that they're being essentially ripped off. Plus, there are the writers from the USA and Canada who don't care about improving their chances and just stay happy with what they have.
The rewrites also bother me, that's for sure. Writing articles "to pass Copyscape" is just not good ethics, regardless of copyright issues. Sometimes, it's technically legal -- they might buy an article here for full rights for $6 (not targeting a particular buyer who lurks on the new content pages and sends offers to people with best offer checked or anything...), get ten different rewrites of it for a dollar each, and they suddenly have an article for their site for under $20, plus ten articles to submit to ten different directories and drive traffic to their site. If only I had no sense of pride in my writing and quality of my sites, I might do the same.
And I'll stop grinding my own gears now.
The rewrites also bother me, that's for sure. Writing articles "to pass Copyscape" is just not good ethics, regardless of copyright issues. Sometimes, it's technically legal -- they might buy an article here for full rights for $6 (not targeting a particular buyer who lurks on the new content pages and sends offers to people with best offer checked or anything...), get ten different rewrites of it for a dollar each, and they suddenly have an article for their site for under $20, plus ten articles to submit to ten different directories and drive traffic to their site. If only I had no sense of pride in my writing and quality of my sites, I might do the same.
And I'll stop grinding my own gears now.
Re: $1.00 / 500 words
I have to admit that I was one of those writers who wrote some articles for $1 each. I have been a free lance writer for 30 years, had work published in print publications, but had never written for the web before. I looked around but never could find anything that paid much, so decided to try my hand at writing for a broker who paid $1/article. I wrote about 30 articles and made $30. Then, from out of the blue, I stumbled across CC, and I was saved! Just think what I could have done here with those 30 articles. Of course I had written them as painstakingly as I write articles for CC, so it was a real heartbreak to give them up for $1 each, but I did not know of any other option at the time.
For some people, a sure $1 per article is preferable to a wager that an article will sell.
I've already made more than twice as much here than I did with that broker, worked at a much less hectic and stressful pace, and just today had my 30th article approved. I am recommending CC to every writer I know.
Thank you, CC, for delivering me from evil
Debbi
For some people, a sure $1 per article is preferable to a wager that an article will sell.
I've already made more than twice as much here than I did with that broker, worked at a much less hectic and stressful pace, and just today had my 30th article approved. I am recommending CC to every writer I know.
Thank you, CC, for delivering me from evil
Debbi
Re: $1.00 / 500 words
I was just browsing digitalpoint forums, looking for an option to maybe get a little extra work that would pay quickly, because soon my internet connection is going to be cut... yay!
So, I check out all the suggested sites and of course, only people with US address allowed etc.... What really annoyed me to no end was the fact that there are people on there who outsource articles to people abroad, pay $1 for them and then post them on these sites for a nice profit!!! 400% I might add....
I tried joining DemandStudios, of course, again, no such luck. I have to have a US address and have a tax identification number. I might as well just give up, roll over and die...
Sorry for the depressing post ....
So, I check out all the suggested sites and of course, only people with US address allowed etc.... What really annoyed me to no end was the fact that there are people on there who outsource articles to people abroad, pay $1 for them and then post them on these sites for a nice profit!!! 400% I might add....
I tried joining DemandStudios, of course, again, no such luck. I have to have a US address and have a tax identification number. I might as well just give up, roll over and die...
Sorry for the depressing post ....
Re: $1.00 / 500 words
I took on a 1.50$/article from a broker thinking that was great pay ( yes indeed!) Though my husband thought otherwise. But after the second article the broker told me you are too good to be doing this, my client is raving about you..." After which she directed me to CC and Associate Content! Associate content does upfront payment only to US citizens ...Well
I cant tell you the joy of discovering CC and that I might earn $40 in one shot!
I still do 4-5$ jobs for an Indian vendor as it pays quicker ... By the way I live in India (one of the infamous mass market for writers)
Anne, where are you from?
I cant tell you the joy of discovering CC and that I might earn $40 in one shot!
I still do 4-5$ jobs for an Indian vendor as it pays quicker ... By the way I live in India (one of the infamous mass market for writers)
Anne, where are you from?
Re: $1.00 / 500 words
I live in Romania, in Eastern Europe. Unfortunately, many think that it must be a cheap country and that I should work for low rates, when the exact opposite is true. This country is often a lot more expensive than the US 
Luckily I have also found a few private clients who pay reasonable rates because they like my work and prefer knowing that they will always get original, quality content.
Sahara, have you had any luck with other sites?
I called up the US embassy today to see how I can get an ITIN and they directed me to a local tax company who said they can handle it. So, fingers crossed that I may have my ITIN within 3 months at the latest.
Luckily I have also found a few private clients who pay reasonable rates because they like my work and prefer knowing that they will always get original, quality content.
Sahara, have you had any luck with other sites?
I called up the US embassy today to see how I can get an ITIN and they directed me to a local tax company who said they can handle it. So, fingers crossed that I may have my ITIN within 3 months at the latest.