Craigslist has a reputation for being a haven for scammy types. The truth is, it’s no less scammy than other job boards. In fact, with its flagging system many of the scams are dealt with in a swift and efficient manner. There’s a problem, though. Because of the same flagging system, a lot of the good opportunities disappear too. In fact, many of the jobs flagged on Craigslist aren’t even scams at all. Some are terrific opportunities but are flagged for a variety of different reasons.
Many of the freelance writers who use this blog network to find work each day express disappointment when they see a gig that’s right up their alley only to click and learn it’s been flagged. Most automatically assume it’s a scam. The truth is, the Craigslist flagging system is flawed. While the intentions are honorable, any old Joe off the street can flag for any variety of reasons and after three clicks the job is out. No one really comes back to check to make sure legitimate opportunities aren’t receiving flags.
Before writing off an employer or a gig as spam or a scam, consider some of these reasons why freelance writing jobs are flagged on Craigslist.
1. They’re Scams
There really are scams and spammers on Craigslist. For example, anyone who tricks you into clicking a residual link for a writing site is a spammer. Anyone who tricks you into thinking you’re applying for a job, when you’re really being directed to a paying site, is a scammer. Writers SHOULD absolutely flag unsavory leads.
2. Someone Else Has Made a Decision for You
Many writers flag jobs they don’t approve of. For example, I know of one writer who flags jobs paying under $50 because she doesn’t feel writers should be paid less than that per article. I know of another writer who flags anything from residual sites because he doesn’t approve of them. These writers are flagging based on their own beliefs and experiences, even if those experiences aren’t the same for everyone.
3. Competition Flagging
Sometimes a writer doesn’t feel confident enough to compete with others for a job and will flag a gig several times over so it will be removed and other freelancers can’t apply. It’s not that it’s a bad gig, it’s that the other writer doesn’t want anyone else to be considered for the job. Confident freelancers shouldn’t be afraid of other writers applying for the same opportunity. If you’re the best fit, you’ll land the gig regardless of the competition.
4. They’re in the Wrong Spot
Sometimes ads are flagged becasue they’re in the wrong place. For example, if an accouting or Virtual Assistant gig is in the writing section many people will flag. Many times non-paying opportunities are flagged because they’re considered volunteer opportunities and should be classified as such.
5. Disgruntled Writers
Sometimes ads are flagged because disgrutled writers want to make it more difficult for their ex-clients and employers to hire other writers. They feel they’re hurting this client by not making the opportunities available to other writers.
Have you ever flagged a freelance writign job listed at Cragislist? If so, why? What are your thoughts on some of these practices?
I’ve flagged two ads on Craigslist. One was clearly a Work At Home scam (one that I’d seen before). The other was for an academic content mill. I tend to stay away from the flag button, as I have better ways to occupy my time.
Yes, I’ve flagged countless ads that want writers to work for free, which is against CL’s terms of use.
Yes, I have. Ads that are clearly scams, have affiliate links, lead to bogus sites wanting you to pay to look for work, or send follow-up emails with the same junk in it get ‘the button’.
Craigslist is now asking people to report the affiliate link postings. Not sure if everyone has seen the new page that appears before you click through to the writing jobs listings yet.
oooh, that makes sense. I was wondering about this the other day. And no, I haven’t flagged anything. But I suppose if I come across something that’s obviously a scam, I would probably flag it.
I flag stuff all the time when people post unpaid jobs in the “Jobs” rather than the “Gigs” section. If a company that I e-mail replies that their “paid” position is actually unpaid, I forward the e-mail along with the link to the posting at abuse@craigslist.org. I may actually take it further than other people and deliberately apply to a suspicious looking job just to get that e-mail. I consider it a service to my fellow writers.
I don’t agree with flagging low pay positions simply because they are low paying. I may not apply to them, but if the ad meets the payment criteria of Craigslist it technically should not be flagged. That doesn’t mean I agree with the practice of paying $10.00 per article, but you have to play within the CL rules.
I flag all ads that violate CL’s terms of use. CL is scammier than most job boards because the ads are free in most markets.
In my city, most of the ads listed under Gigs are not gigs, the definition of which is “work for pay.” People who wish to share their schemes and dreams (e.g. get paid when my movie/novel/play becomes a financial success) should not post on a job seekers board. Anything involving commissions is not a writing gig, although I usually don’t flag such ads. I do flag the ads that are repeatedly posted, because they constitute SPAM (a violation of TOU).
Hello:
I actually do flag CraigsList ads fairly often, but almost always I flag for one of two reasons: I flag a non-paying writing job in the writing job section, or I flag a job that seems not to be in any way a writing job. When I flag for these reasons, I always choose “miscategorized” as the reason which should indicate to CraigsList that the job is simply in the wrong place.
I had to revisit this topic with the posting I just found:
Freelance Magazine Writers Wanted [my city listed, probably in yours, too]
We are looking for talented writers [link] who can write 400-600 word non-fiction articles on (almost) any subject(s) they want. As one of our writers you can enjoy the freedom to write what you want, when you want and earn a competitive income off your articles over the lifetime of your career – even if you decide to stop writing for us.
Accepted applicants will be assigned a professional editor who is dedicated to helping you maximize your web writing skills and garner the most exposure for your articles. With over 20 million monthly readers, our writers enjoy a huge – and growing – audience.
Writing for us provides you with the opportunity to:
•Put your work in front of millions of monthly readers
•Build your writing portfolio and enhance your profile & reputation online
•Receive feedback and guidance from an established network of professional editors and writers
•Earn competitive income plus productivity bonuses
Please visit our website to learn more and APPLY NOW [link].
I flagged it as SPAM, because it has all the hallmarks of a phishing ploy. Anyone who is anonymous and tries to lure you to a Web site is unlikely to be a legitimate business. At best, it’s a content mill trying to disguise its over-advertising. Any business that won’t provide its identity and creates a potential security risk is unethical. Such ads need to be flagged. Flaggers protect would-be victims and discourage the behavior of phishers, SPAMmers, and scammers.
Sounds like there are times when flagging these ads are necessary. But I hate to hear some writers flag ads because they don’t meet their pay criteria or they want to knock out competition or hurt their past employers.
That is total bull. I own a company too, with branches all over the US, and my competitors are flagging my ads everywhere the ad has no charge. I guess that if you pay they have a harder time of removing your ad, because they would have to prove that you are doing something in violation of their rules, or give the money back. Anyway, I just thought of a good idea for getting craigslist’s attention to what competition or some times just kids are doing. Take your cellphone and drive around hooking up with various wifi signals, and flag as many ads as you can. If they see that too many ads are getting flagged, they will be forced to come up with a better method.
One other thing that I should mention is that Ebay and Craigslist are still suing each other, and the only advantage that craigslist has is public opinion. If they keep allowing these kinds of activities they are going to remove any advantage that they still have. Also keep in mind that Ebay is a company with no morals at all. They constantly are removing ads and closing people’s accounts, with no reason at all. If they even think that you are doing something wrong they shut down the ad. So fighting a company like that is not going to be easy. Ebay has already had thousands of suits against it, but Ebay always wins. They also bought part of carigslist, learned how they do it, and then started their own service. Ebay is too big and if craingslist stands any chance of winning they need to fix this. And personally I feel that Ebay will win, regardless of who is right or wrong. Money is power, and if you have money and are ruthless you will always win, unless it gets too much media attention
In an ideal world, Craigslist would have inbuilt checks, but it’s good to know that writers are supporting the rest of the community by flagging up where appropriate.
Derek Thompson´s last [type] ..England 1 USA 1
Just a thought, but why doesn’t CL just have a rating scale instead of totally removing the ads, sort of like Ebay does. That way the user is warned, but they can still see the ads if they want to? The rating scale can be based on the number of individual from different readers flags or CL could also add their input. They could even set up a system where readers could comment, sort of like what is done on the iPhone Aps. I admire Apple, because they don’t seem to even delete negative comments about their own aps. No system is perfect, but what CL is doing is allowing is almost criminal.
I have a big question to every person who flags none paying writers jobs… You NEVER wrote for free? If you answered yes all I can say to that is you are a liar! Period end of discussion, done! You either wrote for the school paper (which not everyone is permitted too.) You wrote things for local papers or you and your friends put out chap books or something. You built a body of work and then FIANLLY got paid! OR you went the corporate route which not everyone wants to do. I know corporate writers who have said to themselves, ‘I am done writing this CR..!’
I believe one of the biggest reasons some established writers flag free writing gigs is because the KNOW there is no other way to break into the business then to get a body of work out there and develop a name for yourself and they do not want the competition. Or they are arrogant….
So for every kids or middle age person who one day decided, hey I AM a good writer but nobody is willing to hire me because I cannot show them a body of work… I say GROW UP! And stop thinking you are some kind of GOD who can decide for others what they should and should not do.
I CAN FEEL THE HATE!!!!
Ciao and love
Dennis
Flagging unpaid jobs is a shame. I took an unpaid PA position on a movie, then outworked the other PAs and was earning $100 a day, then $200 a day when I became Key Set PA. If someone had flagged that job I wouldn’t have gotten my first real break in the film industry. Flag with care.