I saw a link to Carol's post on LinkedIn. I normally don't click blog posts there (too many people only post links to their blogs and sites, and don't actively contribute to LI groups), but I clicked because Carol is active in LI discussions. And well, the title really got my attention! Given the title, I half expected a funny or sarcastic reason for suggesting he work for DS, so I was surprised that she wasn't joking.

I deal with a lot of screenwriters and filmmakers, from beginners to Emmy and Oscar winners. In the past year or so I've learned that many are using YouTube to get their work out. Some post their films there as calling cards. One guy even admitted one of the reasons he did it was to attract investors or product placement funding for future works. (That guy was a former sitcom writer who quit the business when reality shows took over. Now he's creating his own model for re-starting his career.)

Sure, You Tube doesn't pay, but it's a better marketing platform than a mill. And the filmmaker stays in control…I'd imagine all DS films are "work for hire" agreements.

Hmmm, maybe Carol's husband should hire her to do his marketing….

Love and support are always yours, Devon. 🙂 I agree with you on reaching into the alumni community, but I hear Carol saying her husband isn't a marketer. Sad, because his job is going to require that. Now if DS taught these people how to market, I might not have as much issue with them. But that's not their responsibility. It's ours.

Wendy, agree. I can't speak for Carol, but I suspect she recommended it because she's seeing the financial side we can't see. She sees the emotional side of his current situation, too. And let's face it – if you're married and one is working and the other not (not for lack of trying, either), it's going to cause stress.

Cathy, I think in this case I have to agree with that stance. It IS their decision. Carol of all people understands the pitfalls of this and can help him jump in and out of that place.

Yes, I don't think judging them in their personal situation is our job. I think it's enough for me that Carol is well versed in the DS BS. I'm just saying it's a trap, as I'm sure she knows already. Personally, I avoid such traps.

I tend to take a stance of "it's your decision" and who am I to judge? Would I recommend DS? I can't imagine it.

I signed up for DS when I first started freelancing because I thought I needed the work for my portfolio. I never submitted anything for a couple of reasons.

First, I realized I had a lot more samples for my portfolio than I thought I did. Two, I found the pay to be far less than the effort it would take. Third, I found the topics absolutely absurd.

I knew absolutely nothing about DS or content mills. Freelancing is a very different world from Corporate and blogs like yours, Lori, Jenn Mattern's and Anne Wayman's have been extremely helpful in my education.

I admit I am very surprised to hear that Carol, who has been such a vocal critic, recommended DS to her husband-especially after the piece about them losing money. But, then, like I said, who am I to judge?

I appreciate hearing all points of views. It's what helped me decide that DS & content mills were not an effective use of my time.

If he just wants to post some videos for fun as a hobby, then I would say it is a viable option. If he wants a career then he might want to think long and hard about that decision. I have no experience in the web video industry, but I can't imagine it's going to be much different than the writing industry when it comes to a reputation. I would never recommend any company, such as DS, to someone who's trying to build an online presence for a career. The reputation DS has is only going to drag his rep down.

As you know, when I was desperate, I signed up with DS a couple of years ago. I never wrote for them because I found everything about the set up appalling, and that very day, I landed a much better paying, legitimate assignment. i've discussed the experience in detail before, so I won't go into it again.

On a separate note, thanks for all your love and support throughout Elsa's long illness.

That said, as much as I dislike Demand, I've always said it might be fine and dandy for hobby writers (when you remove the frequent managerial mis-speak issue at least). Professionals can always do better if they care enough about their business to learn about their market and show the value they can offer that market. And it doesn't take a long time to do that (I was booked solid with a waiting list in just 3 months, one of our AFW writers was doing fairly well in just about a month, and when I coached Stacey Abler we had her content mill income completely replaced in just two WEEKS, to give you some examples). But hobby writers don't necessarily want more than a little spending money, or they'll choose the lazy way out because they really don't want to run a business — and for people in that group that's completely fine. So to them I say "have at it."