I received an interesting email this morning and have permission to share part of it with you today. It’s from an employer who placed an ad at Craigslist yesterday for writers for his new online magazine. This is the third time he placed the ad and the third time it was flagged, he’s frustrated and came here looking for answers.
The ad clearly asks for a quote and says we plan to pay a mutually-agreeable rate. Even so we received several emails calling us names because the Craigslist "no pay" default was enabled. Every time I place an ad for this project, it’s flagged. There is nothing unsavory about the ad. We’re very honest in what we’re looking for, Writers who are willing to work hard and have the experience to back them up. Perhaps we’re a little picky in our requests but we learned to find the best writers by spelling out in detail what we’re looking for. We don’t want something for nothing, we don’t want 20 articles in a day for fifty cents each and we don’t ask for the impossible. Who is flagging my ad all the time and why?
Let’s talk about this because flagging at Craigslist is becoming a major issue. I can understand flagging an ad if it’s a scam. Even if it’s someone offering a volunteer opportunity or low-paying gig, does that mean we have the right to flag him? I don’t understand why people just don’t move on if it’s something they don’t approve of.
We’ve talked before of writers who just flag ads at Craigslist to eliminate the competition and I find this to be a sad practice. Confident writers eliminate the competition by sending in an a stand-out application, not by taking the job down.
It appears we’re our own worst enemies. When we flag ads or write to complain about pay or lack of pay, we’re not giving a very good representation of writers in general. In two years in Human Resources I never received hate mail from anyone who didn’t like my job ads. People who didn’t want to work there, just didn’t apply. Why do this with online employers?
So here’s my question to you, have you ever flagged an ad at Craigslist? If so, why? This isn’t the first time someone asked why an ad was flagged. Let’s tell them why.
April 16th, 2008 at 5:41 pm
I have flagged an ad. The person responded saying that I was perfect for the job and that in order to start working, I needed to give him my SS number and a valid credit card number so that he could charge a “set-up fee” that wasn’t described at any point in the ad.
April 16th, 2008 at 5:41 pm
I’ve noticed more and more flagging over the last month or so. I’ll bookmark an ad and go back an hour later to find it’s been flagged. The only time I’ve ever flagged an ad was actually yesterday and it was listed as a writing job but really wanted you to do housecleaning, ironing, etc. That in my opinion was clearly miscategorized.
If I don’t like the rate on a writing job, I don’t apply. Simple as that. The excess flagging is becoming very tiring.
April 16th, 2008 at 5:53 pm
I’ve flagged because there is this 1 excessive spam ad on there that I keep running into, to the point that I can’t be the only one that it’s driving nuts.
April 16th, 2008 at 5:58 pm
I flagged a writing ad once because it sounded blatantly fraudulent. If I remember correctly, the writer was wanting someone to write his or her graduate school thesis. Not edit. Write.
The only other writing ads that I have flagged are those ones that claim to be local — NC-based and looking for writers in the Raleigh area, for example — but they are posting across the board at multiple locations (looking for other “locals”). The “job” in question is always some vague request for “poetry” or something similar and pay is low or non-existent. These ads just scream “scam” to me.
I’ve wondered about excess flagging. Lately, if I look at FWJ a day or two late, at least two of the Craigslist jobs are already flagged.
Thanks for bringing up the topic!
April 16th, 2008 at 5:59 pm
Hi Ann - That’s clearly a scam, I’d flag that too.
Hi Fiona - The flagging is very frustrating! I agree, if you don’t like the way something looks, move on.
Hi WAHMBrenda - Spam is annoying, that’s probably flag-worthy too.
April 16th, 2008 at 6:00 pm
Hi Julie K -I’ve seen those types of ads too, they are frustrating. I just don’t think the flag happy job hunters are doing anyone any favors.
April 16th, 2008 at 6:02 pm
LOL! WAHMBrenda, you’re not alone. We must have been writing our posts at the same time. I totally agree with you on the spam ads. After awhile, I just get tired of reading about the same “amazing opportunity.”
April 16th, 2008 at 6:02 pm
Job flagging to eliminate competition is on the rise as the number of “good” jobs is becoming more scarce. I was told by a moderator of another board that he gets complaints from employers all of the time about people cutting off the competition by flagging their jobs on Craig’s List. In fact, he said that some employers have stopped using Craig’s List because they can’t get a good representation of the writers who are qualified to do the job. Essentially what’s happening is that we, as writers, are sabotaging ourselves.
I admit I have flagged jobs that I thought were spam or miscategorized. The odd thing is that these jobs never seem to be removed, which makes me wonder if the listings are being put on by Craig’s List employees, and that’s why they remain even though they are clearly inappropriate. Does anyone know if there is any system of checks and balances on Craig’s List that prevents this?
April 16th, 2008 at 6:04 pm
Deb: So, you don’t think those “I’m pretending to be local” ads are fraudulent and deserve to be flagged? I don’t have a problem with a national ad being posted across the board. I have a problem with the job poster implying that it’s a local opportunity when it’s not.
April 16th, 2008 at 6:05 pm
The only ad I ever flag is that one seeking “secret shoppers” If you google the company name, there are countless complaints about the company, who charges you a fee and then never supplies a job. Plus, its hardly a writing job.
Whenever I see an ad removed due to flagging, I always assume it was a scam. Its sad to think that writers are doing that to employers and fellow writers if it wasn’t.
April 16th, 2008 at 6:11 pm
I do flag - I flag items that say they are for writers but obviously are not. I flag them as miscategorized. I’m not talking about a legitimate ad for say someone who wants an administrative assistant with good writing skills, I’m talking about the ones you see day after day for telephone solicitors promising $500/week and the like.
I also flag those that specifically state they do not pay in the body of the ad. There is a place on Craigslist for that. Find it and use it.
I have never flagged any paying job no matter how low the pay was and I have certainly never flagged to get rid of competition.
April 16th, 2008 at 6:34 pm
@Julie - Multiple ads looking for “local writers” aren’t necessarily fake. In fact, I’ve responded to a few of those ads, and landed two paying gigs. One with Ehow.com, and the other with a mortgage website.
April 16th, 2008 at 6:39 pm
I have never flagged an ad on Craigslist. Even when I come across an opportunity that sounds a little fishy, I just move on. Honestly, I don’t get the whole “flagging” thing. Even if the pay is incredibly low or the opportunity sounds “too good to be true,” I think each person has to decide for themselves whether they want to apply for a particular gig.
April 16th, 2008 at 6:42 pm
Valencia & Deb: Well, I guess I stand corrected. I think I’ve only marked an ad like that spam once. (If I remember correctly, I actually flagged it “overpost”.) Sorry! I’ll think twice about flagging those in the future.
I was under the impression that, on Craigslist, it was fine to request local writers, but that the poster had to properly identify where *they* were located as well. Is that not the case?
April 16th, 2008 at 6:42 pm
I have not yet flagged an ad, and it is certainly something I would not do lightly. On Monday’s board, there was an ad for a baby website that was flagged yesterday sometime. I found this ad over the weekend, and went over to the website to check out the kind of writing they wanted. I did not apply for this job, so there may be something I don’t know, but I was suspicious about why it was flagged. It gave their website and it was a legit one. They asked for writer’s to submit what they charge for online writing, a resume, and some writing samples.
April 16th, 2008 at 6:45 pm
I have to admit I’ve flagged a lot of ads. First, the Craigslist terms state that the jobs must offer compensation. So, volunteer opportunities are mis-categorized. As far as I understand, revenue sharing and bartering is also prohibited. They get a flag, as do the ones stating that “if this thing makes money, you can be sure you’ll get a slice of the pie.” Jobs that I’ve applied to that earn an email reply like “I too used to be a poor slob working away but now I earn $5,000 dollars a day. You can too by purchasing my ebook” get flagged too.
Finally, and this probably won’t make me very popular, I’ll admit I’ve flagged jobs that I found plain insulting. People advertising for 500 word “well-researched” articles for $1.50 get flagged. I know it’s not really against the terms of use, but sometimes I’m just in a bad mood and need to vent my frustrations.
As for the employer, he should write in “to be discussed” or something like that in the box that asks for details about pay. A lot of people see “no pay” and flag right away.
April 16th, 2008 at 6:51 pm
Like Ann G., I will flag ads that are obvious scams, asking for Social Security Numbers or other personal information up front or those that are looking for an “assistant” to forward money to a foreign business. (A scam so famous, I don’t know why they still try it.) I don’t flag the ones that are ‘local’ for the reasons given by Valencia above. Also, doesn’t Craig’s list say somewhere that they will not remove a listing if only one person flags it? So do some people flag the same ad several times to make sure it’s removed?
April 16th, 2008 at 6:52 pm
@Julie K - No not necessarily. When I was an editor at LTK - I posted ads in several different cities. I never pretended to be from that locality, but I do understand giving people all over the country a fair shot at a gig.
I think Craiglist has a flagging system to keep away the scammers and the spammers. I also think plenty of job seekers abuse the flagging system.
@BooBoo - HI and welcome. I understand the scammy stuff, but if a job pays it has a right to be there - even if we don’t necessarily like the pay. Also, if you check on “pay” and write in “too be discussed” or anything for that matter, it defaults to no pay. You have to write in a specific amount. So you could be flagging a paying opportunity.
I do wish those who aren’t paying would state it in big letters. I also wish they had a better section for writing - no pay. I imagine Craig is a busy person.
April 16th, 2008 at 6:53 pm
As I read these posts, I find it really amazing that there is such confusion about the rules for posting on Craig’s List. I have always heard that the “Gigs” section is for low or non-paying jobs, while the “writing” section was for paying positions. However, Jukie K. brings up an interesting point. Are employers this confused too?
April 16th, 2008 at 6:54 pm
I occasionally flag things for mis categorization, and if I find a term-paper mill ad, then I automatically flag that, but generally I don’t flag things very often.
It just bothers me that some writers tend to jump the gun on what constitutes a poor ad. As I’ve commented in the past, even ads with low pay are sometimes (probably more often than not) posted by people or businesses who simply do not know any better. And I either apply and quote a rate along with a link to the writers.ca rate-guide, or I ignore it. Simple as that.
For the guy that’s trying to post the magazine ad, he should put “tbd” or “negotiable” in the pay category, if he can. I’ve seen people do that before without issue. (Although his ad shouldn’t have been flagged in the first place)
April 16th, 2008 at 6:56 pm
Of all of the ads I’ve read on CL, I’ve only ever flagged one. It was by a “generou$” man and posted in the writing gigs section. Just a bit miscategorized I think.
April 16th, 2008 at 6:56 pm
Hi Mary E - For many of the major cities - one has to pay to post an ad in the “writing jobs” section, while the writing gigs section is free. So those without a big budget will post in the writing gigs section.
What they should really do is post their jobs here. We don’t have a flagging system.
April 16th, 2008 at 6:57 pm
I’ve flagged ads twice or three times: I sent application messages, and the responses I received directed me to URLs for scammy sites. I only flag if I research the name and find consensus that the “company” is not legitimate.
April 16th, 2008 at 6:59 pm
Hi Megan,
I agree. Let writers make their own decisions. We should continue to have discussion about rates and scams in order to educate - but it’s not up to me to decide what one writer should earn.
That’s why I strongly disagree with sending nasty or scolding emails to employer who don’t pay what one writer feels worthy.
It all just makes us as a group look bad.
April 16th, 2008 at 7:07 pm
I only flag things like what Ann described — super sketchy and super dangerous.
April 16th, 2008 at 7:07 pm
Deb,
I’m pretty sure you are mistaken about having to indicate a specific amount. I see a lot of jobs that simply say to be determined or something along those lines.
I agree totally that a job has a right to be there if it pays. I’m just being honest that sometimes I do flag ads I know I’m not really supposed to. I don’t ever email people to scold them about their offensive ads, so I guess it’s just my passive agressive way of dealing.
April 16th, 2008 at 7:07 pm
I have only flagged one ad on Craigslist. I cannot remember the details now but the ad just screamed scam all over it.
I have encountered plenty of lousy ads or ads with lousy pay. I just ignore these and move on.
Like others here though I have followed a link through from FWJ and found the ad already flagged. I was confused because I really didn’t see this site referring people to spam links. Thanks for the clarification on that issue!
April 16th, 2008 at 7:10 pm
Actually, no, I also flag things that are miscategorized — as “miscategorized”
April 16th, 2008 at 7:11 pm
@Shawn - Why did you flag an ad from someone who said he was generous? Just curious…
@BooBoo - I’ve taken ads for writers, checked of “Pay” and put “TBD” in the details line and it defaulted to “no pay.”
@Robert Witham - We never knowingly post links to scams. Thanks for your confidence!
April 16th, 2008 at 7:12 pm
Deb: I realize that posting in some cities requires payment; however, I didn’t think it was that big an issues except for an extremely small company or a startup. After all, many employers use recruiters to find writers and they clearly charge a lot more.
While just ignoring the employers that don’t offer adequate compensation is the best course of action, I don’t think a lot of writers are willing to do that because they feel that these employers are a bad influence. It’s like those pay-to-bid boards that started out offering assignments that offered fair payment, but now they offer primarily low paying jobs. It’s a matter of what the market will bear. As bidders undercut to get the assignmetns, the prices offered fell. I think that’s what a lot of writers are afraid will happen with Craig’s List.
April 16th, 2008 at 7:17 pm
@kristen king - Of course. Those who spam or scam should know their actions won’t be tolerated.
@Maria - I think if we just ignore the really cheap jobs they’ll go away. We can continue to talk about them here and discuss rates in a reasonable manner, but if no one responds to the $2 jobs the employer will have no choice but to raise rates or do the job himself. When we flag or scold, it just makes them angry. Anger doesn’t always make people want to go away. That’s how I feel anyway.
April 16th, 2008 at 7:22 pm
I flag posts when I know they are scams. I sent a note to one company that said send an email for instructions. It sounded fishy, but I tried it anyway. They didn’t have a job, they wanted people to subscribe to their list to get jobs…and the list had no jobs and was an outrageous price.
April 16th, 2008 at 7:27 pm
Wow, I hadn’t realized this was happening…or that people were simply flagging posts just to eliminate (or widdle down) their competition. I’ve been using Craigslist for quite awhile now. And on occasion (many occasions), been awfully surprised by how little some people expect to pay for good words. It’s annoying, yes. But I just don’t bother with those posts. I figure they’ll get what they pay for.
Thanks for everything you do!!
April 16th, 2008 at 7:52 pm
I flag when I know the job is a scam… and I also flag if the job shouldn’t be in the writing jobs or gigs categories.
All an employer has to do to get rid of the no pay default is fill in something there… that might help.
Of course, he could also send the job posting to either you or me, Deb, and not even bother with CL
April 16th, 2008 at 7:54 pm
I only flagged once and that was because it was an ad that led to a mortgage rebuilding website under the premise of hiring for writers position. It said it paid like $2000 a week or something. Obviously just trying to get readers!
I myself got flagged just last week after I posted an ad for WTB Jimmy Buffet tickets, lol. I got flagged TWICE! Obviously someone didn’t want me looking for tickets
April 16th, 2008 at 8:00 pm
I’ve never flagged a Craigslist ad. I’m not the Craigslist police. If you don’t like an ad, just _move on_. Maybe someone else would find value in the ad.
April 16th, 2008 at 8:31 pm
I have, on rare occasions, flagged an ad for being spam. Other than that, I don’t bother. I certainly wouldn’t flag an ad to keep someone else from applying. That just isn’t right.
April 16th, 2008 at 8:37 pm
@Maria E - one of my highest paying writing jobs came from the gigs section. It was at first a job taking products and writing up ad copy for Amazon Marketplace for a noted hypnotherapist. He placed it there because the job was temporary. Since then, he turned it into a full time gig writing his bi-weekly newsletter.
I’m not sure job posters or seekers really know the difference. I look in both places.
April 16th, 2008 at 8:37 pm
I’ve never flagged an ad. If he is putting the same ad across numerous craigslists, I think they have someone flag them. He should check. I’ve seen people try to hire writers to write craigslist ads and they seem to imply they want them written a certain way so they don’t get flagged.
If this is the one that was also posted at WAHM, I was snarky there about it, but only because it starts to come off as condescending, “I know I’m picky…but” routine. But I’m not going to bother to flag the post, I move on.
There are lists of things they tell us not to say when we write a query or interview; where’s the reciprocity. I hear it all the time here about writers being tired of the “anyone who knows what they are doing” comments, etc.
So if it wasn’t flagged for spam, maybe he put someone off who likes to flag jobs, or maybe like has been discussed, people do it to weed out the competition, or because it said no pay. In which case, craigslist should just remove that indicator since I’ve heard other posters complain it is shut off sometimes, whatever that means. If it says no compensation, I ignore that because I figure it is something they overlooked filling out the post.
April 16th, 2008 at 8:42 pm
I have seen many blatent lies on some ads but if they do not pertain to me, I leave them alone.
I am fearful that CL tracks IP and I do not want to be one of “those people”
April 16th, 2008 at 9:28 pm
It seems that there are generally legitimate reasons for flagging a posting, many of which are talked about here. But I highly doubt that anyone who flags to eliminate competition would post about it here.
I certainly feel for the person who emailed Deb, and wouldn’t be surprised if he found other venues to advertise in besides Craig’s List. Legitimacy usually comes through in an ad, especially if one is used to reading lots of job postings. It sounds like those who flag and have his posts removed are doing so to eliminate competition, which is really embarrassing.
April 16th, 2008 at 9:31 pm
@Ann G. - You proved what the general consensus has been saying, that the option should be left to the individual writer to decide whether or not the aassignment is right.
April 16th, 2008 at 10:17 pm
I admit that I haven’t read all of the comments here but let me throw in my $.02 for what it’s worth.
I don’t think I’ve ever flagged an ad - if I am not interested, I move on. Easy enough for any of us to do. I take offense to those writers who flag something because they believe it is super low paying… It’s not our job to be judge and jury as to what people should earn. I don’t like those ads as much as the next person but it’s not my job to say who should and shouldn’t work for X amount of dollars. It’s embarrassing to think that we flag just because of our moods. It seems a little unprofessional to me to do that.
I have stopped here at various times in the day only to find that numerous ads that Jodee just posted are already gone.
I think that we would all be singing a different tune if our ads looking for writing work and gigs were flagged… We certainly wouldn’t want it being done to us… so where is it acceptable for us to do it to potential employers? To do it just to rule out the competition is just as selfish as deciding we don’t like the amount of compensation offered.
I worry that those who do place craigslist ads (even the legitimate ones) may take their business to sites that pay to bid or sites that require membership just for us to view the ad. Then where will we be? I cannot afford to pay $10-$30 for those sites. Can you?
April 16th, 2008 at 10:31 pm
I flag. As someone who runs a job blog and therefore looks a a lot of ads, I feel like I can spot a fishy opportunity a mile away. I also have no problem flagging the ads of people who want you to write 20 articles a week for $50 or people who post the same ad on 50 different sites.
I’m an aggressive flagger and I am unapologetic about it. When people post junk ads, it devalues the service. If I have to wade through a bunch of clearly exploitative ads to find one good one, it makes me question even the good ones. Legitimate advertisers should appreciate this. You don’t want to put a billboard up in a slum, you want to put it up in a decent business district populated by qualified people who will respond to your ad. The cost of good opportunities and good applicants is eternal vigilance.
Rant over.
April 16th, 2008 at 10:45 pm
Love John’s rant. Very good point. I think it would hurt people like Deb and others if the ads were crap.
However, I’ve found the jobs posted here always seemed okay. I was surprised when I came the other day and nearly half of the Craigslists ads were flagged. I can’t imagine they were all bad ads.
I’ve always wondered if it was easier for an employer to “flag” the ad instead of “remove” it, since I see it so often.
Nikki has a good point too, I mean if the shoe was on the other foot and people removed our resumes for us thinking we were worth WHAT amount! LOL.
April 16th, 2008 at 11:05 pm
I’ve flagged a few, but only when I’ve gotten bouncebacks when trying to reply to the ads, and one time when I recognized who the poster was. The one I recognized was one that I knew personally, knew was posting a fraudulent ad from personal experience, and wouldn’t have wished on my worst enemy.
I’ve noticed flagging on many ads for adult content writing - legal requests for erotica, not asking for anything bizarre. I’m not sure of the list policy on that, but it’s hard for me to wrap my mind around the concept of anyone having a problem with writing that is essentially the “juicy parts” of a romance novel. Not talking about requests for obviously “hard-core” stuff here.
April 16th, 2008 at 11:06 pm
I haven’t flagged yet, but there are many people out there who want something for almost nothing. One ad made it seem easy to do a cheap but fast assignment, but then as you delve into it you find that they’re really simply looking for 25 cents-per-word work at a one-cent rate.
April 16th, 2008 at 11:09 pm
I have a question regarding flagging: I went to apply for a writing job that was posted here via craigslist a while back that looked great, and it has since been flagged and removed. Here is the link:
http://www.editorsforstudents.com/samples.html
Anyone else check this out or know why it was flagged?
April 16th, 2008 at 11:11 pm
But Richard, (tongue in cheek) for someone who knows what they’re doing, you are so fast that you can do 25 cents per word in the mere time of 1 cent. I think they call that fuzzy math….
I’ve never flagged any of those ads, but my gosh…they never cease to belittle me.
April 17th, 2008 at 12:34 am
@ Laura: I remember we were asked to remove an ad that appeared on CL that involved editing and students. It may have been for this company. I removed the ad per the employer’s request.
April 17th, 2008 at 12:43 am
@Laura: Thanks for posting that one. I’ll be blocking that URL from my daughter’s profile. They post actual papers for download - something I don’t need my teenage daughter doing!
April 17th, 2008 at 2:26 am
I flag the spam ads, usually recognizable by the jpg. It is horrible to try to wade through them.
Also by the way there are two new scams out there. Which I did not flag..I actually emailed them and discovered they are scams.
One tells you AOL is starting a new PayPal type program…they will deposit 25 bucks in your account to register..OF COURSE THEY WANT YOUR SS #
The other is to do a survey to qualify for a paid survey. I think not. They just want you to do the first survey and you will never hear from them again.
April 17th, 2008 at 6:20 am
I’ve been spending a lot of time on Craigslist recently, and I’ve seen that a lot of “something for nothing” people are creeping up there. I’ve been tempted to reply or flag, but I never have. It just isn’t worth my time. However, if I see one of the ones I’ve applied to from a forum somewhere , I will do so. That is because these places always ask for you to sign up to their site to be “considered” for the job!
April 17th, 2008 at 9:04 am
I reserve flagging for extreme circumstances: for example, I flagged an ad from a guy who wanted “a storie were i r eatin chzburgerz and rollin wit a hawt chick in mah convertible”. Yeah, that’s not legit.
Other than that, to each his own, I suppose. I won’t flag things based on my personal beliefs. People looking for writers to do 500 articles for $10 won’t change their rates - they’ll just look elsewhere.
April 17th, 2008 at 11:02 am
I’ve never flagged a post.
I do, however, email them to myself as soon as I see them, just in case. And sometimes, I don’t even get there quick enough to see the ad.
I don’t understand why people flag the good ones. It’s frustrating. And yes, the employers should just have you post it here, Deb. They’ll get overwhelmed with responses anyway!
April 17th, 2008 at 4:51 pm
I have better things to do with my time than to flag ads.
April 17th, 2008 at 5:15 pm
@Tina - If you’re talking about the survey ad I responded to - i-Say.com - I queried for that job - the guy told me that I would be paid to type up surveys. There’s a good reason I use a few different emails, one is a SPAM only so I used that email to apply with him. Sent him the letter that I was interested and waited.
Since then, I’ve been getting 20 emails a day from this i-say. No jobs, all want me to fill out surveys, which I won’t do. I tried to unsubscribe and it asks for a pin number, which I also don’t have. So I ended up forwarding everything to the gov’t with a SPAM complaint.
So should anyone see a job post for i-Say, it is a huge scam.
April 17th, 2008 at 7:02 pm
I don’t flag, just move on and let others make their own decision.
April 17th, 2008 at 7:40 pm
Hey Deb,
Just an idea — can you have these people send their ads directly to Jodee? Better yet — set up a permanent blog post and allow them to post their jobs in the comment section. That way those writers interested will be able to “Subscribe to Comments” and see the latest ads coming in.
I’m sure there are more efficient ways to do this, but this might be the fastest and easiest for you…
~Graham
April 17th, 2008 at 7:43 pm
@Graham - I once took out an ad on Craigslist to let employers know they could place ads on my blog for free - and I was flagged. Heh.
April 17th, 2008 at 7:44 pm
@Deb - LOL! The irony…
~Graham
April 17th, 2008 at 7:58 pm
I have never flagged, although I have been tempted. I have noticed that the quality all of the jobs on craigslist has started to decline. I don’t know if this is because of flagging, the economy or what- but I have all but given up on finding anything on craigslist besides scams, lies and people who want something for nothing. I’m beginning to think I may move on from craigslist as a source of employment. I can’t help but wonder if employers who are offering genuine, fair opportunities are getting tired as well.
April 17th, 2008 at 11:01 pm
I flag any ads in search of someone to write an academic paper or admissions paper, but that’s really it.
April 17th, 2008 at 11:51 pm
I, too am an aggressive flagger. I try to make a living by writing, and I flag time-wasting and unethical ads that disrespect that. I want to discourage repeat posts from scammers and sleazebags. My local Craigslist is full of them.
Many ads aren’t legitimately seeking writers. They want typists or transcriptionsits or commission salespeople.
Many of those that actually pay offer sub-minimum wage, which is illegal, and therefore even worse than paying “exposure.” I encourage everyone to flag those ads.
Contests are another problem. They aren’t jobs or gigs.
I’ve been writing professionally for more than 25 years. Many businesspeople recognize the value of professional skills, but many think anyone can do it. People who work for less than minimum wage make it harder for me and my peers to make a living.
If you’re a beginner, and you need exposure, please volunteer for a non-profit agency. You’ll get published clips and perhaps help to make the world a better place. Please do not help someone make a profit when you aren’t getting a fair share. You hurt the profession and your long-term chances for success.
I encourage your readers to help the profession by flagging ads that are inappropriate. We can help each other by doing so.
April 18th, 2008 at 3:03 am
“I highly doubt that anyone who flags to eliminate competition would post about it here.”
Actually, months ago, someone admitted exactly that here. It was before Deb switched sites and I don’t know if you can still see that post here - but I never forgot it, because I posted it at my own blog and was amazed about it. Someone said they were doing it to beat the competition and were happy to do so. It was a really lame situation, but that one person can’t be the only one doing it. It’s dumb, there are so many jobs available.
April 18th, 2008 at 3:28 am
@ Jennifer: Wow, it takes a lot of nerve to admit to deliberately flagging jobs so you have less competition! I think that stinks. If I apply for a job and get it, I would like to think it was based on my qualifications, not the fact that I did something so underhanded.