I think one of the most basic items to have when you contact a prospective client is to have a compelling cover letter (covering writing experience and other relevant experience for the job)… with links to some of your best writing – followed by a resume.

All of these items should be in the body of an email … with no attachments (unless they ask for them).

I mean, if you have the time and energy to go back and forth about low paying rates, you’re probably not writing those elusive high paying gigs, right? I would think that, for those who have been doing this for a while and have the ability to charge well for their services, their time would be better spent attending a networking event or a conference where they could promote their services. But instead, this convo goes on ad nauseum, which makes me think that those who feel they can charge a great rate don’t have actually have enough work to keep them busy. Which is why they come here to pooh pooh those who are excited about a particular gig.

And while I understand people’s reasoning for suggesting that comments get turned off, I think that would be a shame. One of the newest posts on this site for a gig has a nice convo going on where the potential client is being very encouraging and helpful. That would be a shame to miss out on just because of the Bitter Bettys who simply must have their say no matter how polite (yet firm!) Deb and Jodee are. No offense. Ya know?

In an aside: how does one upload a icon/profile photo…

Thanks, Nic

Thanks

In all seriousness, if Deb tells you something, then it is a fact. Why would anyone want the people with higher-paying jobs to post them elsewhere? We want them to come here and I would think that those of you who visit here regularly would want the same thing.

Seriously though… if Deb says that people are put off from posting ads because of this behavior, don’t you think that she knows that better than we do? You can argue all you want about whether it makes sense for job-posters to feel that way, but I would bet that she knows what she’s talking about.

I can see both sides of this argument–but as Scribette said, the big guys won’t have to worry about being pegged. But, as Jodee and Deb said, this is a free service, and in my opinion–it is invaluable. This blog is the very first thing I check int he mornings before I start my day.

As a matter of fact, I may sign up for the service, as I have a dire need for extra income and every little bit helps.

God bless you guys, as there isn’t another one as comprehensive and noteworthy.

But I do like what one poster said–maybe we can shut down the comments section of the blog and relegate comments, negative and otherwise, to a small forum where we can hash out ideas and vent???

I wasn’t talking about you, I was refering to what BuffaloJen said. (Of course, by the time I finished typing, it had slid up a few more comments :s)

Sorry if I wasn’t more clear.

I’ll make sure to use the ampersand next time.

I like the site, I find it of incredible value.

Why folks wouldn’t want to post legitimate paying jobs, no matter how small or large, is beyond me.

Every business puts out ads looking for people. This is the salary, they are free to apply or not.

I don’t see why any business should take it personally if someone can’t afford or isn’t willing to trade their time and talent for the price being offered. Other people might (and already have by reading through the above comments).

How else are they going to find people? They’ll get a better class of applicants through this site than they would through Craigslist IMHO.

I don’t ban people from conversation and it’s very rare I delete comments. In fact, I only closed commenting once in three years. I ask people to be respectful. That is all. I love my community and I’m proud of it’s growth. The truth is, it could be a lot bigger.

I don’t expect everyone to have the same opinion or agree on the wages. I don’t mind a lively discussion. Just be respectful. Be respectful to the members of this community and to the people who guest post or ask us to put up their jobs. When you come to a post such as this one where it features a single job, it means a client comes to us directly with his/her job. When everyone gangs up on the client, no matter how polite the tone, it’s still being disrespectful. I don’t know how else to make people understand. I’m not censoring anyone, but I don’t want to lose these clients either.

This could be a bigger community but so many people have complained to me about the negativity from people who want us to post higher paying jobs. We could also have more jobs here but the truth is the negativity has scared people away. Please. Just be nice.

And @Scribette – Perhaps it doesn’t bother you that clients don’t want to post jobs here but it bothers me. It means I lose traffic and income. It means I can’t afford to pay people or bring about the changes everyone requests. So while it doesn’t affect you or others in this
community as a writer, and you can always find your jobs elsewhere, it affects me as the owner of this blog and it minimizes three years of work put into this blog.

I have visited other sites that banned people for similar things. I was never an advocate of it — but when I thought of the opportunities that this blog has provided to countless writers and how much I want it to be able to continue doing that, it made me reconsider the idea.

I am sorry that some people have such a problem with the pay for a position like this. For new writers and for those going through a dry spell, these jobs can mean a big difference financially.

Like a lot of regulars here, I’m getting sick and tired or people rehashing this same old argument every week. With respect to both job postings and comments, Deb and Jodee’s blog therefore Deb and Jodee can do what they like. If they want to allow all comments, they can. If they want to ban people from leaving comments they can. Heck if they want to post pics of naked skydivers they can!

Move on, people!
And Deb and Jodee – as always, thank you!

In the About Freelance Writing Job section, it says: “Freelance Writing Jobs began in May 2005 as a way to help other writers, especially Work at Home Moms, find decent paying jobs. More than three years later its succeeded beyond our wildest dreams. We’ve expanded from being a little writing leads blog run by a “mommy blogger” to the number one online community for freelance writers.”

The key word is “community” and no one in any community is going to have the same opinion all the time about everything. If folks are suddenly banned from expressing their opinion, then what’s the point of a “community?”

By the veterans saying, “I get X amount of dollars while said company is offering Y amount of dollars” that is still relevant information for this community. They should, of course, do it respectfully or not at all, but I don’t see anyone saying anything disrespectful by saying “I think their rates are too low.” That’s their opinion. How is that disrespectful?

Further, by reading through the comments, many people have already expressed their opinion by signing up!

This is exactly how a community is supposed to work.

If Deb and Jodee think it appropriate, maybe they could start a forum where these kinds of discussions can happen behind the closed doors of the community they have created.

One of the sites I visit and comment on frequently does that. They list whatever it is and then link to discuss the item on the forums. This way the community is safe to freely express their ideas and opinions without people talking about banning anyone for expressing those ideas and opinions.

That said, I am just voicing my opinion. If a guest was talking about this issue in my home, I would say the exact same thing.