Glad you liked it, Susan! It’s always good to examine things closely, I think.

Of course, I am the Anti-Niche — also known, thanks to the article I wrote for WOW- WOMEN ON WRITING — as a "Renaissance Writer". I can do many things, and it serves me well.

The reason I'm hesitant is because (full disclosure), Dave is a client. I was brought in to consult on and help improve the survey Lori mentioned. But I hope those who know me also know I don't get behind anything — even a paying client — if I don't believe in what they're trying to do. (Same gal who walked away from a long-time $30k+ per year client simply because their new SEO policies crossed my ethical line — I don't take this kind of thing lightly.)

I'm not going to tell you that CopyPress is awesome and you should sign up. I don't personally use them, so I'm not in a position to do that. But what I will say is that Dave is "good people." As others have noted, it's refreshing when companies try to change for the better. As a PR pro, I have quite a lot of respect for that, as well as companies who take criticism and turn it around to improve things (as in the case with their survey).

One important thing Dave pointed out in our previous discussions was that this survey isn't just about collecting data on freelancers. It's about educating marketers. It's important for marketers to see what real freelance pros expect and charge (compared to feedback they get only from big marketplaces featuring a large number of low quality writers, which can skew data.)

We're not always the easiest group to reach, because we don't tend to congregate in large groups in marketplaces and content mills. So please, take some time to take the survey mentioned in the post. Make sure we're better represented this time around. Let marketers who hire freelance writers know that, no, $.05 per word is not a "standard" freelance writing rate for example. Even if you don't work through these marketplaces, you don't know where your own prospects are getting their data before considering your rates. Help make sure that data is more accurate.

I, for one, appreciate that CopyPress saw the shortcomings of their past surveys and is trying to improve things this time. The biggest issue is reach. So spread the word.

And for what it's worth, Dave admitted that part of the reason they changed their business model was because they couldn't turn a profit. The change wasn't entirely altruistic, but I'm still glad it happened.

Very refreshing, especially considering most content sites seem intent on keeping their freelancers beholden to them.

I suppose it's tough to give a thumbs-up endorsement to a former content mill. It's like asking us to believe that reform has happened — in this case, it appears to have, but writers have pretty long memories, I guess.

Reading Dave's story was enlightening, and his line about the HuffPos of the world: "Demand Media was bad, but at least they were paying." Was so true it's chilling.