Comments on: The BS Litmus Test for Freelance “Expert” Vetting

By: Sharon Hurley Hall

Sharon Hurley Hall — Tue, 25 Jul 2017 13:49:18 +0000

This really annoys me. There’ve been a couple of newbie experts who’ve been on my radar recently, selling info they’ve gleaned from 18 months of freelancing. They’re good at marketing, but I’m pretty sure they can’t deliver the long term value they’re promising. Sigh.

By: lwidmer

lwidmer — Mon, 17 Jul 2017 13:43:25 +0000

In reply to Devon Ellington.

That’s a great test, Devon. I wish I’d used that about 12 years ago. Took an AWFUL course on fiction writing — it was supposed to be good as someone told me. However, it was a waste of $24 (first red flag should have been the price). I’ve never seen a more verbose course instructor. She had required readings per day — four items or so. Each one was anywhere from 7 to 17 pages long. Plus homework. Plus posting in three or four forum threads.

I dropped it not because I’m a quitter — I dropped it because it was ridiculous. I wasn’t learning a thing except how badly that woman needed an editor. And I was wasting billable time.

You are so right about what we need to include in our decision to “hire” these instructors. Maybe if we started with the notion that we’re hiring them, we’d make better choices.

By: Devon Ellington

Devon Ellington — Thu, 13 Jul 2017 15:13:14 +0000

I like to read the person’s writing. Do I like it? Do I relate to it? If I don’t like the style, I probably won’t like the venues where it appears, and vice versa. Does the writer have substantial credits? What is the website like? Is there more interaction than just trying to sell me something on the social media pages? All of that weighs in.

By: Paula Hendrickson

Paula Hendrickson — Thu, 13 Jul 2017 15:01:25 +0000

In reply to Paula Hendrickson. Years. (Mentioning a typo only guarantees you'll make one.)

By: Paula Hendrickson

Paula Hendrickson — Thu, 13 Jul 2017 15:00:17 +0000

Oh, those types are experts all right. Just not about writing.

There was one back in the day whose own website was so riddled with basic grammar and punctuation errors—more than could possibly be typos—that she pretty much was laughed out of a LinkedIn group geared to professional writers. Well, maybe she wasn’t such an expert promoter back then, since she obviously didn’t take the time to study the audience she was trying to sell on her services!

Somehow she’s been able to attract quite a following of newbies over the year. While I wouldn’t take a single piece of writing advice she has to offer, if she ever started teaching the secrets of her marketing success, I might pay attention. (No cash. Just attention.)