Freelance Home Writers - Don't Bother! $2.95? Not!
So, you've seen the ad for Freelance Home Writers (housed at http://www.freelancehomewriters.com), and you're thinking "Hmmm, only $2.95 ... that's not much of an investment." HOLD UP!
Now, I know the Google ad for Freelance Home Writers appears quite often on legitimate freelance writing job websites, including this one. However, please keep in mind that Google ads are programmed to appear based on keywords such as "freelance writing." The people who maintain the sites don't necessarily choose which ads Google sends over, and do not generally review or reccommend each site. That being said, you should know this is my informed, veteran opinion about Freelance Home Writers. Your experience may vary.
- The first reason I would not join Freelance Home Writers is because you can get job listings for free through any number of freelance writing job sites.
- The second reason I would not join Freelance Home Writers is because of the stories told about them automatically debiting your bank account without your permission for the continuing membership rate of $50 per month (an outrageous amount, even for a LEGITIMATE site).
- The third reason I would not join Freelance Home Writers is because reviews of the site say that they are basically just a job re-listing service with absolutely no direct connection to freelance writing jobs.
- The fourth reason I would not join Freelance Home Writers is because it could be really difficult for you to get your $50 back, should you be unfairly charged.
- The fifth reason I would not join Freelance Home Writers is because their multiple domain name registrations under anonymous names makes me wonder what they are trying to hide.
- The sixth reason I would not join Freelance Home Writers is because some past members say that they spam you once they get your email.
Freelance Home Writers is not a site that I would join nor recommend to my readers.
Good points! I have their free service and it’s not enough to make me consider paid membership.
It’s not just Freelance Home Writers that freelance writers shouldn’t bother with. There’s also GetAFreelancer.com (it’s a direct competitor of Elance)… Nothing illegal about the site, but the rates for writing jobs are dirt cheap. And the employers there wonder where have the good writers gone.
danessa
freelance writer
THUNK!
Oh, I’m sorry. That was the sound of my body falling to the floor in a dead faint after learning that this Freelance Home Writers outfit charges FIFTY DOLLARS A MONTH for people to use its service. Not even legitimate organizations that provide job leads charge anything close to that much! Heck, MediaBistro will give you access to leads for free if you just register. Good grief.
And, ow. My head hurts.
I’m new to this forum, just wondering if anyone has had any experience with iFreelance.com ? Good? Bad? So-so?
Dear Allena, Thank you for clearing the air about the freelance writing sites. I have sent the above site a reply. Asking why I needed to pay them a fee. In order to find work. To date I never received any response, from them. That little vice,inside me must be working over time. Having said,that. What would you recommend a newbie to do? As far as finding a legitimate, company that might need some help and/or willing to take a chance with a newbie? Also,would you please tell me the best way to seperate the weed from the chaf when it comes to any courses for writers of all.Be it ad-copy,technicial,catalog, travel writing. Thank you for help. Mark
Allena,
Between your strong opinions and strong bio I would hope your readers would heed what you say.
Dear Allena
Great post. Scams where scamsters charge people for things they can get for free with a simple trip to the public library precede the WWW. They used to use classified ads (and probably still do) and have evolved with the rest of media users to the WWW. As in all commercial dealings, Caveat Emptor rules!!(Let the buyer beware)
Will Brown
Thanks Fred, that’s a nice compliment.
Mark, there are plenty, plenty, plenty of freelance writing jobs (yes, still, in this economy), and you can find them through these freelance writing job lists.
Thanks. Their ads show up in far too many places but did trigger my curiosity. You’ve confirmed what I suspected. I have a couple clients who send me work, then send me checks. Seems simple enough. I’ve often wondered how much effort and expense the shady folks expend to rip off others. They could probably double their income with the same amount of effort in an honest endeavor.
The $2.95 cost was the giveaway. Once I saw that, I looked for the fine print.(recurring monthly charges to your card If you don’t cancel before the trial period ends) These are the predatory scammers betting that you don’t read the fine print or forget to cancel in time.
Seems like some good points in this article.
Unfortunately, the writer has the voice of a middle school student. I would take this site much more seriously if the writing was at least somewhat professional…particalarly from the freelance writing guide!
As I pointed out to the editorial staff in a recent email, it’s extraordinairily difficult to view any information provided from this guide as authoritative due to the childish, poor quality writing.
Well John, I’m sorry you were unable to pick up the TIC mood of this particular post. As for my articles, many of them are passed through the objective Lexile measurement, and I trust Lexile more than any subjective opinions. My editors (trained and paid by the New York Times) consistently send positive feedback, and in fact, this blog is one of the busiest in terms of interaction on the About network. Perhaps you misunderstand the use of a blog, which is meant to be approachable, friendly, informal and conversational. Since I also work for publishers and several national and regional magazines, I’ve been trained to match my tone to each clients needs. This is also addressed in my MPW classes.
Re: John’s comment (not THIS John)
Hey, John: who appointed you deputy editor? And you might want to check the spelling of PARTICULARLY. Your arrow of criticism falls far short of the target when you can’t even spell. I think Allena is doing a great job and always look forward to her weekly posts.
Signed,
Another John
John misspelled “extraordinarily,” too. Perhaps he could use a good copy editor or spellcheck.
John’s comments are ridiculous. Allena is a great writer and providing a valuable service.
She also knows how to spell.
You all are very nice, but I am prone to typos myself, especially in informal areas like comments and blogs.
This post was intended to sound different, so I’m torn because, although I like the interaction it created, the message got buried.
I’ve deleted a comment from my “#1 Fan”, as I don’t think some of that was public info, but I certainly appreciate the page views from you!
Yeah i found more reviews saying its a scam also.
Thank you Alena for the feedback, it was greatly appreciated. It is hard to determine what is legit. I need to make some additional income by any means necessary, without hurting or scamming anyone. The links on your site, are those freelance writing jobs sites that you recommend? New to all this but interested in making a few bucks.
Natasha
yes, Natasha, I do recommend these job list sites:
http://freelancewrite.about.com/od/freelancejobresources/tp/Freelance-Jobs.htm
They are the best places to start looking for LEGIT jobs. Sometimes a stray scam will worm their way in these (often Craigslist postings) but be wary. When you apply for a job, looks for ones that ring true. They will have a little more info, background info, a REAL email address, etc. They won’t ask for money. They may ask for short writing tests, but not long ones.
Thanks to blogs and the like such as yours, I’ve taken a lot of care reading between lines and that has probably saved me a lot of trouble. Thank you much.
I think the John guy supporting this Homefreelance.com, which was how I found Allena’s site! I’m a person who was saying, “what the hec, $2.95, let me find a match.” So, before lighting the match, I clicked Google to seek a review and landed here! Hi Allena! Thanks for saving me the burning of $2.95! I figured it was a scam thats why I Googled. However, the john I’m referring to was probably a freelance john kind of guy hired by the very site we’re disparaging. I think he was probably issuing a derivative writing scam, hired by the company it self! He probably got his first freelance writing job posting contrary, or supportive articles for scam sites; and his comments are meant to appear as if it’s a “real” person! And that’s a scam going around also, right John Guy?
Personally, I want simple. Middle school is even to sophisticated. Einstein said: “If something can’t be explained in such a way that a third grader can’t understand it, then it’s not worth explaining; or, it’s invalid.”!
So, you john, for home freelance.scam. Go get a job!
We sucked you out, now we know what, and even who you are!
And john, this is my first ever, in my life, and in your face, writing on the Internet looking for a job as a writer. So, you have anything “real” to say, it’s free.