I've come across it in varying degrees over the years but none so poignantly as last week.
For the record, I happen to think that the Freelance Writing Jobs website does a great service to the freelance community. However, that doesn't change the fact that I think the representative/owner of the website is a bit two-faced in her dealings with the public, as well as being unable to take criticism regarding her views, which many people consider naive at best, despite her length of time in the field. With that being said, we come to the irony of the situation.
For those of you who have stumbled here from that direction you know that over the past few months myself, and several others, have drawn sharp criticism from the owner, as well as some of her staunchest allies, for writing for Demand Studios. The first few months of the year in particular featured some rather heated debates as to whether or not Demand Studios was considered a "legitimate" place to work. We (the writers working for Demand Studios) were called names ranging from "hacks" to "incompetents" to "whores". These were literal words used. I don't need to reference the specific posts, because those of you following along know exactly which individuals I'm referencing.
The debate raged on. For months the owner of FWJ and her closest affiliates continued to call Demand Studios a "content mill", and a "haven for low paying gigs". Many writers from her side of the camp came on and verbally abused those of us writing for Demand Studios, claiming that we were "bastardizing" the industry by writing articles for 15 dollars a pop when we should be charging 50 or more per How To or About article.
Then, earlier this month, Demand Studios pops up as a sponsor of FWJ. Suddenly the owner, and her affiliates, are touting Demand Studios as one of the greatest content sites on the web, where writers can go make thousand of dollars.
I'm sure I'm not the only one seeing the irony here.
I've known for months that Demand Studios pays thousand of dollars. There are regularly anywhere from 300k to 800k worth of jobs available to choose from. For awhile there I actually considered making them my primary source of income because I can literally knock out 4-5 How To or About articles in an hour, if I happen to know the subject matter. And considering most of the articles I write through DS end up on DIY.Com or EHow.com or various other sites using my 15+ years of experience as a ceramic tile and natural stone installer/contractor, I've been happy with making a quick 60 bucks an hour here and there to pay for a nice weekend out.
I have verbally touted the benefits of Demand Studios over at FWJ for months, and continually been attacked for supporting a "content mill".
I just find it incredibly ironic how, for months, the owner of FWJ and other writers on that site were calling Demand Studios one of the "worst" sites out there, but now that they are giving her a paycheck they're the best thing since sliced bread.
It's good to see that even the so-called high and mighty are willing to do anything for a buck, even change their tune when it comes to being sponsored by a website that for months was considered "low paying" and a "haven for hacks and no-talent writers".
Irony. The little things in life that make you go "lawl!"
About Me
- T. W. Anderson
- Cancun, Mexico
- I'm a location independent expat who treats the entire world as my home. I teach people how to live like the locals in destinations around the world via Marginal Boundaries.
18 comments:
Have you said as much on the Freelance Writing Jobs forum? And what was their response? Just do it for the lulz. :p
Better yet, ask Demand Studios what THEY think of it. Link the posts, if FWJ hasn't deleted/buried them already.
It should be enough to make other people think - they've proven they can be whores, obviously - I guess it just took the right price.
I had a long comment written out but changed my mind as I'd rather not tit for tat. All I will say is there is nothing here that is true at all. Anyone who wishes to discuss this with me further, is certainly welcome to contact me.
Well, this is the same woman who only several months ago accused another blogger of stealing content when, in fact, the blogger in question was simply publishing Ng's RSS feed.
And don't even get me started on the absolutely two-faced approach she's taken to sites like Triond. She goes to the mommy blogging boards encouraging people to avoid pay-per-views sites like Triond then turns right around and posts their ads on her own site.
I'm really sorry that this is happening to you. I promise you that those of us who don't worship at the WAHM altar know exactly what's going on. We've also seen this before so we know what's next. (Hint . . . righteous indignation will be involved.)
I don't know what else to say except "I feel for you."
I have always found the owner of FWJ to be condescending towards writers, telling what we should or shouldn't do. I'm glad someone is finally calling her out instead of just kissing her butt all the time.
As an example of how pretentious she is: She refers to herself as the "CEO" of Freelance Writing Jobs. Gimme a break!!! It's a frigging blog, not a company!
And guess what YOU'RE doing? You're using the best trick in the book to get traffic to your shitty blog! Attack a well known blogger (personally), and then wait for her to respond. You're not stupid - you know exactly why you wrote this blog. You're bored, you want traffic, and your blog won't generate it on its own.
FWJ is a horrible blog (I don't read it - it's boring as all hell and totally unhelpful), but attacking them to get traffic is low, low, low, low. This doesn't make YOU or FWJ look good - it makes you look petty and it makes FWJ look petty.
Good job.
Firstly, my blog isn't monetized. It doesn't matter how many people view it or not...I don't make a penny off the views or otherwise. It's simply a blog where I post my personal feelings on work and other things.
Secondly, I wanted to make sure I posted the negative replies here, rather than only the positive. FWJ is notorious for moderating and deleting *any* and *all* posts which don't paint the owner in the spotlight. This, coupled with the derogatory comments of the past (which are searchable unless they've since been deleted since I brought this to the light of day), and the subsequent paycheck from Demand Studios, led to the two-faced, ironic comment.
It was not a personal attack in any way, shape, or form. If you don't believe me, just take the time to search through the comments over at the site. The issue is that there are 6-8 months worth of comments to search through and I'm certainly not going to take the time to do so...although Hicks brings up a good point that it might be worth taking the time to in order to point it out to Demand Studios.
Nothing I posted here is a lie. Contrary to what the owner of FWJ would have you believe, they absolutely have made an about-face in recent weeks now that Demand Studios is cutting them a paycheck.
Ironic. Extremely.
The "righteous indignation" seems to have fallen. Apparently she made a rather nasty post personally calling me out as a liar and otherwise, and then proceeded to edit her post afterward after she realized her lack of professionalism.
Be sure to check the latest blog post I have up. I link to one of the many posts I was referencing in this particular blog post, showcasing the "lumping Demand Studios into low-paying sites for no-talent hacks" issue that I was talking about in the first place.
I guess it's true that everyone out there has a price. Thanks for your support, folks. It's good to see that there are others out there who see the reality of the situation.
This isn't the first time I've seen Deb go to battle with someone who dares to question her authority. My best guess: it won't be the last time, either.
Thanks for the link. Was good to see the full post.
For the record I haven't lied about anything. The public records are available, and you can clearly see where Deb and her staunchest allies have posted negative comments regarding DS, as well as lumping them into the same grouping with other low-paying sites that should be "avoided" because of their credibility and payment issues. As you can see, I linked one of those in a blog post further up the page.
In the end, she can rebut all she want. The truth is out there, and the irony still stands.
:popcorn:
"the public records are available, and you can clearly see where Deb and her staunchest allies have posted negative comments regarding DS, as well as lumping them into the same grouping with other low-paying sites that should be "avoided" because of their credibility and payment issues. As you can see, I linked one of those in a blog post further up the page."
Actually no. I can't see where Deb has posted negative comments against DS. I looked and didn't find a thing. I see a post by Jennifer Chait, a partner who doesn't work for Deb. I see comments by people in the FWJ community but nothing by Deb. You can't say Deb did all this stuff and link to a totally different person's stuff.
"I link to one of the many posts I was referencing in this particular blog post, showcasing the "lumping Demand Studios into low-paying sites for no-talent hacks" issue that I was talking about in the first place. "
Where is this many you speak of? I see one post by someone who isn't Deb. The only thing you've proven here is that you have no proof.
I had the exact same thoughts when Demand Studios was announced as a sponsor, and I actually waited to see if someone would post a comment pointing out the hypocrisy.
Deb provides a service for freelancers with the job leads, but she seems to really think highly of herself, and that's off-putting. She also plays the "poor me" card an awful lot.
As far as I can tell, she flits from job to job, working for many of the same places that the rest of us do, but has somehow managed to convince everyone she's the authority on such things.
Kudos to you for pointing this out.
I was out of the freelancing biz for awhile attending school. I recently started writing again and checked out Deb Ng's site. You are absolutely right - she is a complete hypocrite. First, she got into a "low paying content sites are bad and undermine writers" hissy fit with another freelance blogger - all stemming from some posts on the WAHM site where she voraciously objected to low paying content sites. Then she turns around and accepts sponsorship from those same content mills that she feels undermine HER said profession. The bottom line is she's just another blogger who regurgitates Craig's List ads and who is now seemingly in love with DS since they're sponsoring her blog. She was a lot more fun to read back in the old days before she considered herself to be a successful freelance blogger/writer. Now she's just become a shill for the content sites she so vehemently denounced. She's lost all credibility with myself and other freelancers I know.
Deb is one of those people who has been fired (or quit right before being fired) every job that she has had, but someone how there's a group of minions who follow her.
Have you guys ever wondered why she couldn't cut it at a high quality site like About.com (as the guide to blogging)? ... because she couldn't keep up with quality content! Her editor told me personally that her content was "pathetic".
On her own blog at FWJ, she just posts lists of job leads (which are good sometimes), re-hashes freelancing articles that are on every site out there, and begs people to vote for her in stupid writing contests.
She's not a guru of anything, except scouring the classifieds for jobs for others. She's mostly just a condesceding witch. She treats other WAHM like they are gutter trash then flips out if anyone criticizes her.
I have been reading Debs blog since last year and I am a fan. I never seen her or anyone else call people who use Demand Studios a "wh0re" or any other name you accuse of them. Plus by not telling us where to see that only makes what you said look fake.
However yes, Deb hasn't always been a hugh fan of DS. But most freelancers who are well advance in their career doesn't. She has posted ads for them looking for workers for months now. So she cannot believe they are too bad.
As for the comment about rev sharing sites, she has never posted an ad for Triond or any other like minded site. So that is not true.
By the way, if anyone has an issue with her blog-why do you read it?
@ Michelle:
Absolutely. Deb is just another content writer. No one doubts the fact that she provides a service for the community. I've even *complimented* her on that while at the same time criticizing the sponsorship, but she can't seem to wrap her head around the fact.
My favorite is her accusing me of conspiring to have her lose her sponsorship. I've never attacked her in the least. I simply made a comment about irony, and she has blown it way, way out of proportion.
To the "pics or it didn't happen" crowd. There's an old saying in the business world "Use of a product constitutes acceptance of said product". My dad shortened it to "use constitutes acceptance". Read my original blog post. I don't only, and specifically, mention Deb. I say Deb and her staunchest allies, her Featured writers. By being Featured writers (like Jennifer) and having their posts up on the FWJ website as Featured Content, Deb has signed off on those articles and approves everything within them. The link I provided was to just ONE of many different articles which lump Demand Studios in with other low-paying sites, and call them an un-credible site for no-talent hacks. You can clam I'm laying down false trails or whatever you want, but the proof is in the pudding, so to speak. All it takes is for you being willing to take the time to browse through and you will find dozens of such examples.
If Wal-Mart were to suddenly start selling a T-shirt that advocated racism against black people, who would be to blame? Wal-Mart, or the makers of the T-shirt? Any intelligent individual knows exactly which company would get sued in this case. Wal-Mart, the host. By selling the T-shirt, they advocate the message, and therefore they accept it through use of the product, and would be liable for the message.
As you can see, the buck cannot be simply "passed on". My statement still stands. By decrying low-paying sites over the months, and lumping Demand Studios into that same grouping, Deb and her featured writers + many of the commenters on her site, have over the months continually slammed DS as being a haven for low-paying gigs. Thus the irony of her accepting a paycheck from them.
I never once said I think she should lose the sponsorship. If she wants to keep getting a paycheck, that's her prerogative. But I do find it incredibly ironic and quite hillarious, to be fair, that once a paycheck was issues they went from being lumped in with "all the others" and are now "one of the best content sites on the web".
Irony! Gotta love it.
Sarah, I am the author of the comment about the Triond ad and I have seen the Triond ad in the sidebar of her site MORE THAN ONCE.
For the record I read several freelancing blogs daily because it's my JOB to stay up on what's going on. I don't use it for job leads and I couldn't give a rat's behind about your god with clay feet.
This is not (and has never been) about tearing Ng or anyone else down so rather than hint that anyone who posts at T.W.'s site is a liar, why don't YOU ask Ng if she's ever had a Triond ad on her site? We'll wait.
Moving on, folks. Thanks for comments from both sides of the fence. It's nice to see both sides of a topic, rather than just one.
Locking comments on this thread from here on out. Reason? My blog moved on several days ago, but for some reason or another people still want to continue commenting on this. FWJ continues posting blog post after blog post regarding me, and my supposed "personal" attacks, and despite Deb's claims to the contrary, she seems far from willing to just "move on", as is evident by the nearly half-dozen "main" blog posts she's opened up regarding me and "my topic".
To the intelligent readers: you came, you saw, you went away enlightened. In the meantime, Deb and her community at FWJ are simply one of *many* topics I comment on via my blog, as you can clearly see. While she may think I focus the majority of my time on her...well, I'm flattered, but that's just not the case. As you can see from the months of history on my blog, I post about a wide variety of world-wide topics, not just one self-obsessed writer who can't take criticism and blows everything up into a personal attack.
Thanks for reading, and I appreciate the support from the intelligent members of the crowd.
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