My services offered have been, of course, writing support. Over the last five years, I have had dozens upon dozens of small business owners who have wanted help identifying and writing grant proposals.
Recently, I had a project invitation, meaning that someone had reviewed my credentials and sought me out, rather than just posting a job like Craigslist for consultants. The fellow asked me if I were willing to write articles for his website on gay men's sexuality and health issues.
What has devolved has been ongoing mirth (on my part) and cluelessness (on his part.)
In short, he wanted me to write 25 articles - 750 words in length each - for ten dollars per article. $.0133 per word.
Just because it's gotten SO silly, it's time to now share this with the larger world.
I am definately intrested in talking to you about this project. I have been looking for somebody to do the whole project but the more I thought about it, I knew it would be hard for sombody to be accurate to write who knew nothing about the lifestyle. It was funny, I was about to repost the project when I opened up my account to my suprise you and a couple other writter who lived the life style has responed to my ad. My buget was allowing 1000.00 for the whole project, as I am a simple website and not a large conglomerate, so now I will have have to split that 3 ways for the project. Are you neg about your price? Please get back to me soon as I have to get an answer and get sombody writting soon. Thanks
Posted by Employer ID:
Posted on February 21, 2007 11:28:21 EST/EDT
If you noticed I did split the project into 3 to make it a little easier for people to bid on it. Besides if your articles are good, I would be intrested in getting a couple articles on issues relating to male/male sexual attraction, especially in bisexual behaviors, homosexual curiosity in straight men, the depth of homosexual behavior in the apparently "straight" world, gay men and transactional/sexual validation, gay men and pseudo relationships with a "look," or with a sexually compatible individual. Please get back to me soon. Iwas thinking that for the first 25 articles "for him to him" about 10.00 per article (500 -750) words and the same for each articel after. If your articles are very good and really do what they are intented for the nwe can look at raising that down the road. Once I find the right writter then I will want to keep them.
Posted by Employer ID:
Posted on February 25, 2007 11:37:04 EST/EDT
I am looking for all 25 of these articles to be done, these are the topics for each article. Once these 25 have been done, then I would be looking for a couple articles a week for a year.
25 For Him (to do to Him)
1. Fantastic Fellatio
2. Getting the (Hand) Job Done
3. Anal Play Done Right
4. Anal Play Safety
5. The Top Five Toys for your Gay Relationship
6. Gay Love (Isn't Just About Sex)
7. The Top Five Gay Role-Plays
8. Gay Fetishes
9. Threesome Fun
10. Love & Sensuality for Gay Males
11. The Importance of Safe Sex (A Gay Perspective)
12. Stimulate the Prostate
13. Sexual Liberator Furniture for Gay Men
14. Bisexual Dilemmas
15. Your First Time
16. The Physicality of Love
17. Top, Bottom, or Switch - Does it Matter?
18. The Best Positions for Gay Sex
19. Homosexual Curiosity for the Straight Man
20. Homoeroticism and It's Effect (On Society)
21. The Normalcy of Gay Relationships
22. Homosexual Stereotypes: Real or Fake
23. Adding Spice to a Committed Gay Relationship
24. That Night (Tips for the Night of your Committment Ceremony/Civil Union/Gay Marriage)
25. Mending Relationship Troubles
We talked via instant messenger next, and he pointed me to the website for which he wanted these articles. His website sells naughty lingerie, and he's looking for "content" that can be indexed with the search engines to increase his viability.
It had originally been presented in such a way that I assumed he wanted this for a non-profit publication. My error.
I told him over instant messenger that I was not interested. As in "no, I'm not interested. Thank you for contacting me."
Over the next few weeks, I get these messages from him:
are you not intrested since you haven't got back to me? if let jsut tell me your not intrested. if you are intrested i need to speak to you asap to get this project going.
Posted by Employer ID:
Posted on April 22, 2007 11:28:55 EST/EDT
Posted by Employer ID:
Posted on April 22, 2007 11:28:08 EST/EDT
can you contact me today on msn im my account is xxxxxxxxx a sing hotmail.com
Posted by Employer ID:
Posted on March 23, 2007 13:34:21 EST/EDT
Are you wanting to do this project? I need to hear back asap.
Posted by Employer ID:
Posted on March 01, 2007 10:17:52 EST/EDT
After enduring these missives, I write him back:
We spoke directly on this subject; that it's for a for-profit site, and the very minimal amount of pay, I was not at all interested, thanks.
Posted by Douglas Hord (Pro ID: 492422)
Posted on June 02, 2007 18:33:06 EST/EDT
That seemingly wasn't clear enough (and it was a repetition of what I had said weeks earlier by IM.)
i am intrested in talking further about this, are you intrested and do you have msn im ?
Posted by Employer ID:
Posted on June 06, 2007 07:47:41 EST/EDT
Now it's starting to remind me of some town slut, who can't remember who she's slept with and speaks to everyone as if it's their first encounter.
My reply:
I'm not interested. This is the fourth time I've indicated this to you. You and I have already communicated via MSN.
Posted by Douglas Hord (Pro ID: 492422)
Posted on June 06, 2007 12:04:07 EST/EDT
To which he replies:
lets chat again, i am intrested and it seems each time i send a email i get one back telling me to leave you alone, i am so confussed, i really would like to chat with you and have you write me an article each month for my news letter.
Posted by Employer ID:
Posted on July 15, 2007 12:35:47 EST/EDT
At this point, I call my friend who is a professional editoress in the Woodlands, and share this exchange with her. She nearly aspirates her coffee laughing so much. I visit with her about how best to reply, and post this response:
I'm not interested in the meager price you've offered to benefit your for-profit business. We had a clear discussion about this.
I'd gladly write these articles for you with a quick turn around for $75/article - one half in advance and the other half on acceptance.
Posted by Douglas Hord (Pro ID: 492422)
Posted on July 15, 2007 15:16:51 EST/EDT
Now, at $75/article and 750 words per piece, that's only $.10 per word, which is a market rate.
Undaunted, our fearless Capitalist responds with:
my news letter is geared to be informative, i do realize that i have a for profit website, but realy i don't make a profit, all money in the site goes back into the site and reader, we are trying to be a informative site on every thing sexual and i am trying to included gay and bi sexual as information that people want to know more about, the articel per month is for a news letter where you could control the column it would be like your own column, but i do need more articles to help fill the library of intresting article, in which i do not charge my library is open for any one to read yet i pay for the articles. so if you intrested let me know but at 75.00 an article i would go broke very fast! if your willing to be more reasonable i may be willing.
Posted by Employer ID:
Posted on July 16, 2007 16:03:59 EST/EDT
Maybe he prices the naughty brassieres in the same fashion he offers to pay for articles. What do you think is the reason he can't make any money?
So, after letting his latest plea for charitable assistance languish for nearly a month, today I have another invitation from a different "employer" who has invited me to respond to his need for ... wait for it ... grant money so he can travel around the world and write articles about gay and lesbian life in other countries. This carries me back to the website (which I avoid like the plague so as to not have to look at the people who want to open a gift shop and hair salon in Buttface, New Mexico and think that the Government will GIVE them the money to do it.) There, I see this unanswered cry for help and I feel it's time to provide a further response, to-wit:
Actually, after having told this amusing story regarding our ongoing interchange to a number of writers with whom I am friends around the country, it's significant to note that the price I quoted is the reasonable figure, and the price you quoted me months ago brought peals of laughter.
Posted by Douglas Hord (Pro ID: 492422)
Posted on August 14, 2007 14:34:54 EST/EDT
Will he get the hint? Does he speak English?
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