Comments on: CrowdSPRING cattle call: “Work for FREE, suckers!”

By: 3 ways to attract higher paying clients and avoid the $10 content mills

3 ways to attract higher paying clients and avoid the $10 content mills — Mon, 06 Sep 2010 10:02:21 +0000

[...] in February, I warned you about CrowdSPRING, another in a long line of “content mill” sites that professional writers should [...]

By: Dean Rieck

Dean Rieck — Sat, 17 Jul 2010 01:36:16 +0000

Kay,
Well, I’ve already trashed them, so I’m not sure what else I’d say. It’s all about getting free work out of freelancers.

By: Kay H.

Kay H. — Sat, 17 Jul 2010 01:18:41 +0000

Maybe you should revisit this. crowdSPRING has the new policy and now customers can claim a full refund, no questions asked, even after to collect all submissions and choose a winner. Refund means no designer gets paid at all, except a $100 consolation to one designer per refunded project.

By: Freelance Writing Jobs for February 18, 2010 : Freelance Writing Jobs for Web and Print| Part of the Freelance Writing Jobs Blog Network

Fri, 02 Jul 2010 00:43:22 +0000

[...] CROWDSpring Cattle Call: Work for Free Suckers! at ProCopy Tips [...]

By: Dean Rieck

Dean Rieck — Fri, 19 Feb 2010 13:29:59 +0000

Eric:
Good for you. You haven’t even landed your first clients and already you’re acting like a pro. Really, I think it’s occasionally acceptable to do pro bono work to get a few projects and samples under your belt, but not with a “contest” outfit like CrowdSPRING. They simply go too far. And they set a bad precedent.

By: Eric S. Mueller

Eric S. Mueller — Fri, 19 Feb 2010 12:45:36 +0000

I think I’ve heard of them before. I won’t be participating. I’m getting started as a freelance writer (I have yet to land my first client) and I wouldn’t work for them.

I was looking at sub-$500 writing jobs on Elance the other day. I realized that I couldn’t do most of them without dragging down the entire profession with me. One even said they’re looking for a cheap writer.
.-= Eric S. Mueller’s last blog … The Return of Micro-MAN-ager =-.

By: Gary Smith

Gary Smith — Tue, 16 Feb 2010 11:51:50 +0000

This is not the first website or business model I’ve seen that asks designers to grab for the brass ring in service to some “client”. And it’s sad. It perpetuates the stereotype of us as needy creatures scrambling for approval, and any nickel that hits the floor. It’s one reason I don’t miss working in big agencies. They were addicted to spec work. I never do it. And IMHO you should decline any prospect who expects it.

By: Niels Teunis

Niels Teunis — Mon, 15 Feb 2010 17:02:42 +0000

Thank you so much for this. I am starting my writing business, read your blog for powerful learning, and I am horrified to see these kinds of websites operate. There are a few others out there, as you well know. The sheer glut of cheap writing explains the horrible writing that you see all around the web. You have to wonder what a business is thinking when they farm out their homepage text to a 15 dollar writer from who knows where. Thanks for this warning, I won’t have to waste my time finding this out for myself.
.-= Niels Teunis’s last blog … A New Sense of Life’s Possibilities =-.

By: Dean Rieck

Dean Rieck — Mon, 15 Feb 2010 14:56:57 +0000

James:
Same here. I’m not sure why they thought more prominent writers would be interested. Perhaps they counted on positive press from blogs. Or could they be clever enough to know we’d trash them, while inadvertently publicizing them for the more desperate writers?

By: James Chartrand - Men with Pens

James Chartrand - Men with Pens — Mon, 15 Feb 2010 14:44:49 +0000

Heh. I sent them back a lovely email telling them what I thought… and quite politely, too.
.-= James Chartrand – Men with Pens’s last blog … Are Your Clients Really Getting Your Best? =-.