Comments on: This Job, Not That Job

By: allena

allena — Mon, 01 Aug 2011 14:35:59 +0000

I love it when you do "this job, not that job." I think many of my new freelancers at about.com need to read it.

By: Anne Wayman

Anne Wayman — Fri, 29 Jul 2011 15:47:13 +0000

Paula! Be safe.

I've been involved in magazine start ups and they have to have money to work… even then it's a tough road… exciting… but

By: Paula

Paula — Fri, 29 Jul 2011 15:08:36 +0000

I need to get the USB charger for my cell phone (if it's not too old for one, LOL). It's not a smart phone by any means. But the new weather radio has a cell phone charger - if you have the USB charger. Not like I can e-mail from it, but if the land line goes out I can still call. Luckily the landline still worked so I only used the cell phone when it was actively lightning.

I don't have a laptop (in the Mac world they're way out of my price range), and my desktop computer is 100% hard wired - no AirPort Card so no wireless modem, and I don't have a battery backup. No iPad/Pod either. Even with everything plugged into surge strips and the phone line I shut down and unplug everything when it storms since the best surge protectors can't do much to protect against a direct lightning strike.

By: Lori

Lori — Fri, 29 Jul 2011 12:21:45 +0000

Paula, hang in there. Your rain is coveted here, but not your torrential downpours, flooding or tornados. Egad! Do you have a generator or power backup for your computer? Do you keep a laptop charged? Either might get you through for a minute or two of blog commenting. :) Or maybe keep the smart phone charging in the car....

I was at that conference and picked up a USB car charger adapter that works with my laptop. They were giving these things away and I swear if I ever need remediation services for my business property, I'm calling the people who gave me that. LOL

Lori, isn't that odd? Why would anyone admit they're struggling for funding (and clueless about their business)? Bread-and-butter genre? Curious, but I'm doubting it.

By: WordVixen

WordVixen — Fri, 29 Jul 2011 00:43:15 +0000

The best bit is that they've "been in business less than a Month and the interest in us is there, in a big way, but the funds for expansion haven't kept up with the need."

Um, um, but, they also have a bread and butter genre and have noticed a trend. These people have no focus or business acumen, and the "as funds become available they will be shared with all" is worse than the "we'll pay you when we start making money" line because they've already admitted that they're in the hole.

Just. Not. Bright.

And who decides to start a magazine less than one month into their new business? I really hope that they didn't quit their jobs to start this thing...

By: Paula

Paula — Thu, 28 Jul 2011 21:30:47 +0000

This is more about your comments on the wise use of time....

I lost 90% of my workday due to a massive power outage that started around 9:30 last night. Tornado watch, two tornadoes spotted a few miles west of here, and severe thunderstorms "training" over us all night...flooding, near-constant cloud-to-ground lightning - and me without a radar to view. (The weather radio I bought two weeks ago was a godsend - one good crank and it ran all night and most of today). Scary night, no sleep, no power. Being a Luddite, that means no smart phone for e-mail.

Sixteen and a half hours later I'm finally hearing damage reports: less than 100 miles west of here saw up to 14.5 inches of rain overnight. (On top of saturated soil from 6 or 8: that fell last weekend.)

My only work accomplished today was setting up an interview and e-mailing an editor. Cross your fingers tonight's storms don't cause more flooding or knock out the power. Losing power 2 mights in one week is bad enough.

If my power is on tomorrow, I'll be busy working!

By: Lori

Lori — Thu, 28 Jul 2011 17:50:36 +0000

Devon, I hear you and share your upset over those kinds of clients. Luckily, they are the rare instance, and I suspect people like that lack true business skills. Or they're just used to using everyone around them. In either case, I wouldn't be interested in continuing with them, either.

EP, I do agree that "variable rates" can mean anything. In those cases, I research the publication or website. What are others saying about it? It's not enough to have a strong presence anymore (think Huffington Post and their non-payment agreements). Clients have to have a track record. If it's an easy query to write, I'll dash it off and take my chances, but I'm not investing quality time in a question mark.

By: EP

EP — Thu, 28 Jul 2011 17:37:31 +0000

Thanks for those two. And man of man, that "pays variable rates" number is starting to get to me too, I've got to say. Yeah, variable rates = from bad to worse. I'm getting to the point where I break out in a rash whenever I read those words.

By: Devon Ellington

Devon Ellington — Thu, 28 Jul 2011 14:35:27 +0000

I'm in the process from extricating myself from a job where the client lied in our initial discussions. Not acceptable on any level. When we're discussing terms and I say, "I can do X, Y, Z for this rate, but not P, D, Q, AND IT'S AGREED, don't suddenly think you can slip in D or Q and I won't notice.

There isn't enough money to make me continue this. It's about total lack of respect and honesty.