Freelancing Tip from Suze Orman

I was recently reading Suze Orman's Top 10 Money Tips for Women (because Suze's one of my financial idols) and I ran across this beauteous piece of advice.

5. Don't Put Yourself on Sale

Don't treat yourself like you're on sale. If you're reluctant to put a real value on what you do, then it diminishes who you are. As Suze explains, women tend to devalue what they do.

This creates a vicious cycle: "When you devalue what you do, it becomes inevitable that you -- and those around you -- devalue who you are." Women will settle for less. They may offer discounted prices on their services or accept a smaller raise, even when the company is doing well. They have to ask for what they know is "right."


Do any of you recognize your freelancing selves here?

The Ultimate Get-a-Clue Freelance Request for the Week of October 26, 2009

Jessica Mousseau, one of my most prolific Middle Finger Award winner finders, alerted me to this job posting.

Project Description: Work from Home! Writers Needed - From Movie Geeks to Single Moms

Specific Project Request: Hey there,
We are a web start-up, focused on user-generated content, with elements of social networking and a whole lot of cutting-edge technology. We launched as a public beta in August and some of our current writers have had their content seen by more than 20,000 people already.
It's a community site, so we are currently looking for Digital Interns to create content on our public beta to get some of our key features working. Good writers, bloggers, or people familiar with witty - or just plain informative - internet writing are a must. If you’re willing to get your hands dirty learning the ins and outs of launching a successful website, then we encourage you to apply. If you want to get great visibility for your blog, site or just for yourself as a writer, then this is the bandwagon to jump on.
The Job:
- Creating enjoyable, new, and exciting content on our new platform and interacting with existing users exhaustively.
- Creating content that matters to you, being creative, and adding to existing content on the site.
- Promoting yours (and others') content across the web
- Providing Feedback on the ins and outs of the site itself.
- You would work from home, school, or wherever you'd like. This is a DIGITAL INTERNSHIP, so you would not be coming into an office (though if you live in the Los Angeles area we'd be happy to have you come by whenever), but you would be accountable for a certain amount of trackable work.
Requirements:
- You must be able to write a coherent sentence.
- Come up with extremely original and uncommon content ideas, as well as be able to add your own, learned, two cents on common and existing content.
- Defeat an army of the undead using only your dry humor and the chainsaw attached to your wrist.
- A working knowledge of pop culture - or if not pop culture, other passionate areas of interest (science, art, history, technology - our site is a treasure trove of interests).
- You must be available for at least 8-10 hours a week, spread out around your schedule. This is stuff you might be doing in your spare time anyway.
- You must be an active user of online social networks of all kinds (facebook, twitter, digg, blogs, etc).
- You must be extremely web and computer savvy, as some viral marketing may be requested of the right candidates.
- Must want to pursue writing/learn how to promote yourself and your writing on the internet

Rewards:
- The opportunity to get in on the ground floor of a groundbreaking new website started by an internet vet who sold a previous web business.
- We’re a growing company, so good interns could end up moving into paid positions down the line.
- We’ll also give you all the college credit your school will accept.
- Any recommendations you need to boost your resume.
- Your content, assuming it's good, will be featured prominently on our site and should get plenty of hits; so if you have any blogs, sites, or anything you want pushed, giving us great content can only benefit you.

Please respond to the craigslist email above with a cover letter and resume. Please include what social networks you are a regular part of and a list of your top five favorite [anything] to be considered.
If you are curious about this opportunity, or even just the site itself, we welcome casual users with open arms. Simply go to www.ranker.com. We are growing every day.
If you are interested in the internship, then please do not respond to the registration email -- respond to the craigslist link in purple as seen at the top of this posting. That is the email you reply to. The other email is not checked by anyone who can help you. It is checked by androids.
PLEASE DO NOT REPLY TO THE EMAIL THAT STARTS WITH "REGISTRATION". USE THE CRAIGSLIST LINK PROVIDED ABOVE. THANK YOU.




Okay, seriously, could this job poster offend a few more groups of people with his/her job title? I really hate "internship" opportunities that are actually just creative ruses to obtain free work. I mean come on! How many movie geeks and stay-at-home moms do you know who need college credits? A much deserved Screw You! to this one.

National Day on Writing

I've just discoverd that the United States Congress has declared today, October 20, 2009, National Day on Writing. Passed on October 8, 2009, the following resolution served as the impetus behind this holiday.

RESOLUTION
Expressing support for the designation of October 20, 2009, as the National Day on Writing.

Whereas people in the 21 st century are writing more than ever before for personal, professional, and civic purposes;

Whereas the social nature of writing invites people of every age, profession, and walk of life to create meaning through composing;

Whereas more and more people in every occupation deem writing as essential and influential in their work;

Whereas writers continue to learn how to write for different purposes, audiences, and occasions throughout their lifetimes;

Whereas developing digital technologies expand the possibilities for composing in multiple media at a faster pace than ever before;

Whereas young people are leading the way in developing new forms of composing by using different forms of digital media;

Whereas effective communication contributes to building a global economy and a global community;

Whereas the National Council of Teachers of English, in conjunction with its many national and local partners, honors and celebrates the importance of writing through the National Day on Writing;

Whereas the National Day on Writing celebrates the foundational place of writing in the personal, professional, and civic lives of Americans;

Whereas the National Day on Writing provides an opportunity for individuals across the United States to share and exhibit their written works through the National Gallery of Writing;

Whereas the National Day on Writing highlights the importance of writing instruction and practice at every educational level and in every subject area;

Whereas the National Day on Writing emphasizes the lifelong process of learning to write and compose for different audiences, purposes, and occasions;

Whereas the National Day on Writing honors the use of the full range of media for composing, from traditional tools like print, audio, and video, to Web 2.0 tools like blogs, wikis, and podcasts; and

Whereas the National Day on Writing encourages all Americans to write, as well as to enjoy and learn from the writing of others: Now, therefore, be it


Resolved, That the Senate--

(1) supports the designation of October 20, 2009, as the National Day on Writing;

(2) strongly affirms the purposes of the National Day on Writing and encourages participation in the National Gallery of Writing, which serves as an exemplary living archive of the centrality of writing in the lives of Americans; and

(3) encourages educational institutions, businesses, community and civic associations, and other organizations to promote awareness of the National Day on Writing and celebrate the writing of their members through individual submissions to the National Gallery of Writing.


You can learn more about this special event here: Take Part in the National Day on Writing. What are you doing to celebrate?

The Ultimate Get-a-Clue Freelance Request for the Week of October 19, 2009

Here's one of those projects where, if you don't do the math, you might not realize just how big of a Middle Finger Award winner it actually is.

Project Description: Editor/ Proof Reader Required for 50 Articles

Specific Project Request: I need 50 articles to be Edited Weekly . They would each be approximately 500 words in length. I expect to be able to revise the articles 1-2 times.

My Budget is $ 50 Per 250 Articles ...

Editors can be from any Country...

Looking for long Term Editors ....



For the mathematically challenged among you, let me break this offer down for you. It equates to $0.002 per word, or 1/5 of a CENT per word.

Not in this lifetime. Screw you!

I thought this project was about as low as editorial rates could go. Then I saw this opportunity. Since the company is openly using its name, I am too.

"Siren-BookStrand is looking for freelance editors on an as-needed basis.

Responsibilities: Critique and line-by-line editing for grammatical, punctuation, and spelling errors.

Payment is $1 for every 1,000 words (final computer word count). Manuscripts are between 15,000 to 200,000 words."

At 1/10 of a cent per word, that's half what the other assignment was offering. A two-for-one Screw You! for sure.

Freelance Funny of the Day

Ah, even Weird Al feels the need to correct grammatically incorrect signage. Gotta love this....

GRAMMAR, people!!!

The Ultimate Get-a-Clue Freelance Request for the Week of October 12, 2009

Thanks go out to Laura Cross for unearthing this week's Middle Finger Award winner, which is sure to draw a lot of creative comments. (I can't wait!) Laura runs the About a Screenplay blog, which is full of fabulous free advice.

Project Description: Based on a true story. My autobiography for the past 3 years.

Specific Project Request: Out of anger for the way my ex treated me for 3 years I placed a curse on her and she called back in 3 years apologizing and talking about karma getting her good for 3 years. Next girlfriend did me wrong and I went back to the spell site and casted spells to get her back and get revenge. I moved to Las Vegas and met a woman who I found out later was in a major generation curse for generations of prostitution and witchcraft. It started with an imaginary friend that I found was a spirit who flirted with me to the point of me falling in love, then the woman moved in with me and a demon entered me and brought me into the life of pimping. I pulled free from the life after the demonic possession of the girl got more severe. The demon found several beautiful women and set-up orgies with me and that too I had to pull away form as her possession got more severe. I donated alot of money to charity, fasted, embalmed myself with prayer and because a staunch christian. The demon spoke rationally and acted somewhat normally so I was the only one who knew it was possessed. I found that most of her family was possessed with these same type of hard to detect demons and they worked together to bring the girl into entrapment and the demon completed it's transition forcing the woman to the back of her mind forever.

It's a painful story of love, and a widespread form of possession where the demon completely replaces the person and carries out a mission using the person's body.

I have plenty of documented and recorded proof as this IS a real story that makes contemporary stories of exorcism hide in shame.

The Ultimate Get-a-Clue Freelance Request for the Week of October 5, 2009

This week's Middle Finger Award winner is a long one, but it's well worth the read.

Project Description: Freelancer Needed-Long Term Potential

Specific Project Request: Two established marketers/successful publisher seek providers for our new joint venture of marketing products/services, mainly online.

This is a startup venture so we are looking for providers who are willing to work cheap (as in $1-10hr)...or per project post. FOR NOW...PAY INCREASE opportunities could be exceptional after all systems are in place and team is created and team members are established and proved reliable.

Your Location is not important as long as you are within the US (must speak excellent english). You can work from home. You will be a part of a team environment collaborating on Internet Marketing projects/campaigns. We will need you to have a high speed internet connection, and provide a phone number that you can be reached at quickly if needed.

Hours are VERY FLEXABLE. OPPORTUNITIES FOR ADVANCEMENT are the main appeal here as we plan to treat our team members very well and reward contributions made with exceptional future benifits and possible joint venture projects.

Any one or combination's of these skills/services providers are needed/being sought:

Article Writers/Bloggers
Virtual Assistance/Research
Design and Multimedia
Admin Support
Finance and Management
Legal
Sales and Marketing
Web & Programming
Writing & Translation
Photographers
SEO specialists
Social Media enthusiasts


Any that would contribute to the success of the companies marketing ventures.

Please respond with as much detail as you wish to share about yourself, your talents, abilities, training, education, life experience, goals and dreams!

It is important to us for you to know that once this venture is successful OUR goals involve helping others achieve there goals and we are always looking for ways to advance the growth of those in our inner circle. Team Players are highly prized.

We will be creating web campaigns, marketing various affiliate products in targeted niche markets. We will be collaborating through online workrooms and teleconference meetings.

If you are looking to be a part of a team, but want to work from home then please respond and let us know what talents you could bring to the table. We are looking for long-term thinkers that have any number of talents. Let us know what you can do!

Please specify your minimum hourly rate.
We will be creating this first team based on abilities, talents and enthusiasm with careful consideration to the bottom line, but look to increase pay rates quickly according to your effort and value. All providers considered, including: professionally trained & educated, as well as students, and newbie's seeking work experience opportunities. Just be open and honest about your abilities/goals.

Thanks For Your Time.



The obvious issue here is that these job posters are looking for U.S. residents who are willing to work for $1 to $10 per hour. Hello, but that's ILLEGAL, dimwit. And if this dimwitted duo is so successful, why is it that they can't afford to pay legal wages?

Now let's move on to the exceptional pay increases you can expect. Well duh, when you're starting at $1/hour, just about any pay increase would be an exceptional one now, wouldn't it?

I've just scratched the surface of all that's wrong with this "opportunity," so feel free to have at it!

Banned Book Week

I'm a little late to the party here, but this week was Banned Books Week.

Among the most challenged books of 2008-2009, I've read the following:

1. Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil: A Savannah Story
2. The Kite Runner
3. To Kill a Mockingbird
4. Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West
5. The Golden Compass
6. The Catcher in the Rye
7. The Lovely Bones
8. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn
9. The Color Purple

I also had the good fortune of hearing one of the most famous banned authors, Salman Rushdie, speak earlier this year. I have to say that the way he handled (and still handles) the fatwa controversy over The Satanic Verses makes him one of my literary heroes.

If you have a little free time this weekend, why not say "Screw you!" to the censors and check out or buy a book that's been banned?