Good morning FWJ Friends! Hope everyone had a good weekend and that if you celebrated Christmas that Santa was good to you. 
Should a client be able to blog about a freelancer if he or she flakes out on a gig? I saw an ad this morning where the person looking to hire a writer said just that. I have suspected for some time that people who hire freelancers talk about them in the same way that writers talk about clients, but I’ve never seen it spelled out so blatantly in an ad.
Would this type of statement discourage you from applying for a gig? Or is the client merely stating the obvious, which is that if you get a bad online reputation people will find out and you may have a harder time finding work?
Your Daily Lists:
New Around the Network:
- Tales from the Triffin
- Happy Holidays from the Freelance Writing Jobs Network
- 5 Things to Do Before You Query
- 3 Ways to Reduce Your Freelance Writing Taxes and Help Yourself
- And to All, a Good Night
Recommended Reading:
- What Would You Charge to Handle this Project? at Carson Brackney
- 5 Smart Things You Can Still Do in 2009 at CopyBlogger
- 21 Fun Distractions for Freelancers at Freelance Folder
- Staying Productive During the Holiday Break at Freelance Switch
- Hot Stories to Pitch in 2010 at SureFire Writing
- What’s That Thingummy at Daily Writing Tips
Leads…
Blogging Jobs
- Freelance Fashion Blogger
- Freelance Writer for Company Blog
- Legal/Medical Industry Blogger Wanted – Dallas/Fort Worth area
Proofreading/Editing Jobs
- Manuscript Proofreader/Editor ($14 per hour)
- Proofreader – Contract – Petaluma, CA ($20-$30 per hour)
- Freelance Writer/Editor - Contract – Houston ($20-$28 per hour)
- Book Editor Needed for Real Estate Book
Copywriter Jobs
- Copywriter – Boston – Temp to Perm ($25-$31 per hour)
Journalist Jobs
- Broadcast Media Expert – New York
Content Writer Jobs
- Freelance Writer for Kansas City Business Website
- Web Content Writer @ Children’s Legal Services – Novi, MI
Biography Writing Jobs
- Writer for Realtor Bio – Newport Beach ($50-$75 per profile)
Resume Writing Jobs
- Looking for Resume Writer ($500-$1,000)
- Resume Help Needed – San Francisco ($60)
Miscellaneous Jobs
- Digital Media Coordinator/Writer @ Spike.com – New York
- Mandarin to English Translator – Williamsburg
- Education Practice Question Writer ($50 per question)
- Women’s Fashion Writer
- Editor/Writer International Web Page – Full Time, but client also offering part-time and contract work
- Contributing Writers for Book in Progress
- Freelance Writers Wanted
- Screenwriter – Williamsburg
- Writer Needed for Feature Film – Los Angeles ($2,000 per week)
- Persuasive Writer Wanted – Austin
- Researcher/Writer Wanted
International Writing Jobs
- Content/Blog/E-book Writer – Mississauga
Good Luck!
Thanks for the leads, and happy holidays.
Does anyone know the deal with the “Education Practice Question Writer” gig? Fifty dollars is a very, very high rate for a single test question, especially for a test prep company. I’m reluctant to send my resume in response to a blind ad that sounds too good to be true.
Thanks for the link to the Freelance Folder post. I hope that everyone had fun with it.
I’m off to check all of the other posts in your list now.
Happy Monday everyone!
From my years working as the admin. asst. for the president of a bulk mailing firm, I know that when I called to verify employment, all an employer is legally able to state here in Vermont is if the person was, in fact, employed for that company. They couldn’t go into details about work ethics, etc. which made it hard to weed out the irresponsible from the responsible.
Given that, while I don’t post names of clients who didn’t pay me on time or pay at all, there have been times I’d love to. In fact, I have one client who gives deadlines of a few days for all writers to meet. Meanwhile, their editor sits on the articles for weeks, even months, before approving them for payment. Some may not care about the wait, but to others it would impact whether or not they take the job.
Likewise, I would expect if I did miss deadlines or repeatedly botch jobs, I’d expect a client to be able to share their experience with other companies simply as a cautionary measure.
Thanks for the link, Deb!
I know that clients sit around griping about writers as much, if not more, than writers do about clients.
Personally, I don’t think publicly naming names is a good idea–except in the most egregious situations–but there’s no doubt that clients, like writers, do talk amongst themselves.
I would avoid applying for such a gig for the same reason that a potential client would not want to work with me if I complained about other clients – it’s just not professional.
Thanks for the leads!
When someone is so fired up to complain online about a writer, I suspect that person’s intentions. It’s rude. There are always two sides to the story as well. I would not write for that person because it’s obvious they are not professional.
I think that the problem that I have with either side (employer or employee)complaining online about another person’s work ethic, business sense or professionalism, is that the internet is so vast and the person being spoken of probably has no idea that he/she is being trashed and has no opportunity to provide the other side of the story. If a name is being used, the person in question could have their reputation tarnished without even knowing it or having the chance to express his/her feelings on the situation.
That said, I did have one extremely bad experience with a content site that would not pay on time ever and not at all for some. I went online to see if anyone else had a similar experience and found many forum posts devoted to just that. I appreciated the information and also left a comment to others about how I was able to get the money owed to me.
Thanks for compiling this list. It is very helpful and appreciated. thank you for all you do. God Bless
I would hesitate to write for someone who was blatant with comments about the writer with whom they had problems. Unless there’s some serious extenuating circumstances (scamming, plagarism, etc.), I believe a good dose of discretion is called for. Writing/client relationships can go awry for all kinds of reasons.
Is there any way for all of us to see all the ads? I am referring to ads located on other web sites that require passwords in order to read them. I am very stingy about where I drop my e-mail and create passwords. It seems that if we want to read ALL the jobs open here, we have to provide a password and e-mail. I’m am not keen about that!
Bob In Chicagoland
Yesterday, I had a good example of when I’m tempted to post negative remarks about a person.
Back in September, I got an email from a potential client who wanted to do a phone conference. I gave them possible times and never heard another word, so I assumed they’d hired someone else.
It’s been three months and they emailed me last night stating they can do a conference this morning. So I agreed to fit it in. It’s nearing two hours past when they were calling and I haven’t heard a thing. So now I’ve put off other work to prepare for this conference that isn’t likely to happen. I’ve not found anything about this company good or bad, but I don’t think I’d be likely to give them a third chance.