New EssayScam Rating and Freelance Writers search - opinions?

It seems to be a big deal and change to writers who advertise here or on EssayChat? What's your (freelance writers / students) opinion on that?

This statement (considering the new addition to 'Freelance Writers') is pretty much, using the legal terms, null and void :)

At first, I was pretty angry with the new system, but on further investigation and after communication with the forum admin I can now see that it is worthwhile. It is true that we get to advertise here and on essaychat for free, so why shouldn't we give something back? The only thing I worry about is spending time on here contributing to forum chats when time could be spent sourcing new clients or completing work. I guess the fact that we can now also include our websites in ads can only be seen as a good thing.

The new addition seems to do absolutely nothing but trick people into thinking that all freelance writers here are "unknown" on this system or that they are purposely choosing to "hide" their information. Since this forum is operated by an essay company (as disclosed on the Disclaimer/TOS page), that's a deceptive business practice if it's deliberate. I have emailed them to alert them to this and to suggest 4 ways that they could easily cure this:

1. Make explicitly clear to users that the system only searches BY email addresses and not S/Ns (and not "for" email addresses);
2. Simply allow users to search by our forum S/Ns;
3. Allow us to post our email addresses on the forum; or
4. Place the feature only on Essay Chat where we are allowed to post our emails and not on Essay Scam where users will only search for us by our Essay Scam S/N's.

Currently, the only search term that can be used is a writer's email address; meanwhile, this forum expressly prohibits writers from divulging their email addresses on the forum. So, the only way that anybody on this forum knows us is by our S/N. If you search any S/N on that system, the message you get is "This writer does not exist in EssayScam database of freelance writers, or has chosen to hide his/her profile at this time." That is a totally untrue statement because any writer who provided his working email when registering definitely "exists" in the forum database, which is how Admin communicates with us; and if we responded to the recent email announcing this new system by creating a profile, we're certainly not "choosing" to "hide" anything.


It's much worse than a "logical stretch"; in quasi-legal terms, it's a total non-sequitur because it has nothing to do with the issue (or the statement to which it was a response) at all. It was in response to my comment about essay-company employees who choose to hide that fact while participating in threads and constantly implying (or saying outright) that essay companies are necessarily better or safer than freelance writers. The new search function has nothing to do with those members and is useless to research members who are writers because it fails to mention that the only search terms that can be used are the email addresses that we're prohibited from posting here and that the S/N of writers can't be searched.


If you hope to make a fulltime living doing this, you're going to have to be able to produce at least three times that volume in high quality and on a daily basis.

My post above was moved from a totally different thread; and I was referring to the new Freelance Writer search function, not ratings. If we're discussing the new rating system here, my only problem with it is that it seems to be based exclusively on how many times members post. That's just not a reliable indication of anything meaningful.

Let us reply to your message below. It appears you are totally confused with how the new addition works.


You (or anyone who considers themselves a 'Freelance Writer') can create a free Writer Profile and can control if to show or hide it at any time. Why (and to whom) would it be considered tricky?


On EssayScam.org/freelance-writers/ it searches by both Username and Email.


Users can search by forum Username. Not only on EssayScam.org/freelance-writers/ but also on the forum search page: ?phrase=&searchType=3&where=1&forum=&posterName=&action=search&searchGo=1. It is NOT required for a forum member who classifies themselves as a 'Freelance Writer' to set up a Writer Profile; they can even change who they want to be (Freelance Writer / Student / Observer / Unspecified etc.) at any time.


Email addresses are allowed to be posted on the Writer's Profile page.

On EssayScam.org/freelance-writers/ users can search by both Email and Username.


It's never been the case here. On EssayChat, writers who advertise their services can enter their email only because that's (as it was explained to us by EssayChat) the only logical option to avoid deception.


Incorrect.


This applies to Regular Profiles only. Featured writers can (depending on their settings) be searched and viewed by the following profile pages:

- essayscam.org/freelance-writers/{writer_email}
- essayscam.org/freelance-writers/{writer_forum_username}/
- essayscam.org/freelance-writers/profile-{random_number}/ (if a writer prefers to hide their username from the public)

In addition, a Featured writer has a dedicated page at essayscam.org/freelance-writers/{writer_forum_username}/ (which, obviously, can be searched and accessed by this username).

All of the above is also described on the /writer-profile/ page.


Incorrect, again.

UPDATE: We reached out to EssayChat and they didn't have a problem adjusting the search box so that now it's possible to enter either Email or Username into their search box.

I generally approve of this new system. But you really need to make sure that people don't spam the forum just to get the required count (something you explicitly forbid either way). You're already seeing it, people are responding to threads that were dead for years (although in itself this is not entirely a bad thing - IF the post is meaningful). If you can manage that, I give you a huge thumbs up.

Although, the system is so complicated at first you want to hit a brick wall......with your head.......repeatedly. But that's how it is, so I'm fine with it.

Please, fix that damn featured thing, I've lost 20 hours trying to PAY YOU (LOL) :) It should be working; we don't know why it's not working for you..

I don't think I'm confused at all.

As of 10:10 PM EST, when I put my S/N "FreelanceWriter" into the search field (here, on Essay Scam), this is the result: " FreelanceWriter - This writer does not exist in the EssayScam database of freelance writers, or has chosen to hide his/her profile at this time."

When I put my email in the search field instead of my email address, this is the result:

"Freelancewriter is one of the most experienced writers on the forum. His website is featured in the Recommended Services tab and his website review includes numerous testimonials from forum members who have used his services, as well as from several of his most experienced competitors. essayscam.org/forum/rs/nycfreelancewriter-info-users-reviews-5579/"

However, that "profile" is totally useless to any writer and to any student because you don't inform users (here, on Essay Scam) that they need to know our email first in order to search for us. Instead, any writer whose S/N (here, on Essay Scam) is searched returns the same message that implies we're unknown "or" that we've "chosen" to hide our profiles, and that exclamation mark in the triangle makes that look like it's a reason to doubt the legitimacy or trustworthiness of every freelance writer whose name is searched (here, on Essay Scam).

I'm not asking about or commenting on Essay Chat. My point is that here, on Essay Scam, the only way that any students know us writers is by our screen names. They don't know our emails because you expressly prohibit us from publicizing them (here, on Essay Scam). Students will obviously put the Essay Scam S/N of any writer they want to check out into the search field, and the result they get strongly implies that the writer for whom they searched "does not exist" and strongly implies that it's because we might have something to "hide," complete with an exclamation mark in a warning triangle, making it look like that's some sort of reason not to trust that writer, or any freelance writer, because the search for every freelance writer by S/N (here, on Essay Scam) returns the exact same result. That's a deceptive business practice because this forum is operated by an essay company that competes directly with all of us freelance writers.

If you genuinely intend to provide a useful search function (here, on Essay Scam) to help students learn more about any of the writers (here, on Essay Scam), you'd simply make our Screen Names searchable (here, on Essay Scam) instead of just our email addresses. Students (here, on Essay Scam) don't know our email addresses and writers (here, on Essay Scam) are prohibited from posting them publicly. We're not even allowed to put them in the profiles that can be clicked through our screen names. Yes, we're allowed to put them into the new profiles that pop up if someone knows to search for our emails instead of our S/N, but if someone already knows our email address, that's not helpful to anybody; and it's harmful to all legit freelance writers and to all students who don't realize that they'll get the same warning message about every writer for whom they try to search by S/N (here, on Essay Scam).

Moreover, there's nothing to indicate or inform users that it's only email addresses that can be searched and not screen names,(here, on Essay Scam). They see the search field with language telling them that they can use it to "research" any writer they want, but if they try to do that by entering any writer's S/N (here, on Essay Scam), they get that warning message saying the writer is unknown "or" purposely "hiding" something.

If this isn't a deliberate dishonest tactic of steering all customers away from all freelance writers (here, on Essay Scam), why would you refuse to simply make us all searchable by our S/N, or at the very least, make it clear in your instructions that ONLY email addresses can be searched? The first solution involves some coding; but the second solution requires nothing more than adding "Please note that only email addresses can be searched through this system, not screen names." If Essay Chat can make us searchable by S/N, why won't you?

Why would you refuse to do that if you're trying to help students (here, on Essay Scam) get to the profiles of the writers they're trying to learn more about (here, on Essay Scam) through your new search function?

To show how it works, we made one of the Regular writers Featured for the next hour or so: essayscam.org/freelance-writers/.

Just leave it like that and I'll send you a check every 6 months? :D

I'm not doubting your ability to make anybody searchable. I'm saying it's fundamentally dishonest to provide something that looks like a helpful search function and invites users to search by "Writer's Email or Username" in the search box without disclosing that only writers who pay you can be searched by their screen names. The fact that you put "Writer's Email or Username" in the box like that makes it even worse, because a search for any writer's username who hasn't paid to be searchable by username generates this ominous-sounding quasi-warning. "[Name of Writer] - This writer does not exist in the EssayScam database of freelance writers, or has chosen to hide his/her profile at this time." Meanwhile, all it means is that the writer in question hasn't paid you to become searchable by username.

This is supposed to be a forum dedicated to exposing illegitimate business practices in this industry, right? The legitimate way of generating advertising income with the search function would have been to make everybody searchable by user name but provide more functionality to profiles of writers who pay for it. You've done the part about giving paying writers more functional profiles; but nothing discloses that the only writers whose usernames can actually be searched by username are those who have paid you and that the only way that any other writer can be searched is to enter that writer's email address.

You could also leave it the way it is but clearly disclose in the instructions about using the function that only writers who pay for becoming searchable by username can be found that way. Currently, the search function makes every writer who is searched seem shady unless he has paid you to become searchable by username. If that's unintentional, you can fix it easily; if it's intentional, it's a very deceptive business practice that harms every user who thinks that the search means something and every writer who hasn't paid to become searchable by username.

Personally, I think this is just a strategy of theirs moving towards paid membership. Which is kind of logical, since we all come here for a specific purpose. I could be wrong, but all the changes made in the last 3 years point to that (although I have to admit, that's a very very loooong end-game if it turns out to be true).

Nevertheless, implementing the ability to search writers by their handle (both here and on EC) would be good; both for us and for the clients, since they mainly know us by our handles.

My only complaint is that the search function makes every writer who doesn't pay to be searchable by S/N seem shady because of that ominous-sounding warning it generates unless writers pay for it not to show up. Students using that search function aren't searching for writers who paid to become searchable; they're under the impression that they can search for any writer here by username because the search box text says "Writer's Email or Username."

As I said above, the legitimate way to generate revenue would be to give more functionality to profiles of paid writers and to call them "featured" writers), not to make it look like any writer who doesn't pay is unknown or "hiding" his profile for some reason, especially with that obnoxious exclamation mark in the warning triangle. If this is an unintentional oversight, they'll fix it now that it's been pointed out to them how shady it is the way it's currently configured. In its current form, it's essentially a way of extorting money from writers because if they don't pay up, every person who searches their S/N gets that warning message about them instead of seeing the "regular" profile that (now) can only be seen if someone knows to search by the writer's email that this forum prohibits writers from divulging publicly.

Dedicated pages at essayscam.org/freelance-writers/{writer_username}/ are reserved for Featured writers who can control all aspects of their privacy (like hiding their forum Username / posting history, or Email). Regular writers cannot control that, so - for privacy reasons - we designed it this way.

Monetizing the bottom of the barrel, great. It's finally come to this. I'm sure the "Featured" feature for writers reflects some sort of actual editorial vetting of the writer's skill, rather than just an exchange of $. Oh, wait. Never mind; this site has no integrity, and takes $ from anyone who's willing to pay. How low will it go?

I consider it as a very good option that could benefit students (who are looking to hire a writer):

- A freelance writer who wants to advertise, must show his/her writing skills to the public (by posting messages in this forum). No more copy-pasting of pre-written advertising content.

- This in itself is going to eliminate 80% of inadequate 'freelance writers' from foreign countries whose English language level is too low for the academic standards.

The only question is who can actually advertise - can companies advertise too or only hard-core freelance writers could? Since it's allowed to advertise a Website I guess companies could advertise too as long as they don't try to kill the idea by advertising as a company (they could write a copy from a freelance writers' point of view).

Finally, is the selected 'Country' field verified? For example, can a writer from Kenya claim to be from the US? On the other hand, the Country location is not 100% bullet-proof and could be faked, so it could be tricky to play the IP address / Country game.

I love how "AcademicEve92" has a link to CP. Wow.

When it has come to rating, engagement, and quality of participation in the forum, would the forum admin be interested in introducing members' ratings such as -/+1 or a thumbs up or down?

Abuse city . . . . There's no point in implementing any feature that can be a easily gamed/abused. I'm quite certain that's why it has not already been implemented.

I've seen many good forums destroyed by 'Likes' or 'Votes' (when a group of trolls, including moderators, upvote each other to distort the reality).

Makes a lot of sense to me, without a doubt. Since you guys have more experience on the administration side in this industry, you've come up with very strong reasoning. Abuse is particularly far more likely in our industry, lol. Good job! +1 :-)

Unfortunately, Major is absolutely right. As I recall, Silicon Valley's Jared Dunn recently used a so-called "click farm" to do this for Pied Piper's compression platform user rates. I was surprised to learn that these even exist. According to Maffin (2014), click farms pay workers in third world countries low wages to click on advertisements, "like" social media pages or otherwise drive up user activity rates. This may be hunky-dory for the spurious review sites identified by Writers2Beware and others in this forum (and the students who are gullible enough to fall for them), but it sure puts a damper on this idea for legitimate writers and essay companies.

Maffin, T. (2014, February). The 6 biggest mistakes people make with marketing on Facebook: Like any other marketing tool, Facebook requires input and engagement to be successful. Communication World, 31(2), 26-28.

I don't really have any opinion on the rating system. Now that the search function has been changed to allow people to search for writers by their forum user names, I no longer have any problem with that, either. Initially, I criticized it harshly because it provided no notice at all to users that the only way to search for any writer here was to enter that writer's email address and not his or her forum user name. In the vast majority of cases, users of the search function only know writers by their user names and don't know any writer's email address, largely because writers are prohibited from posting them publicly. If users tried searching any writer's forum user name, the system always responded that any writer searched was unknown or had chosen to hide his or her profile info, together with this ominous warning symbol. Until they changed the system, it seemed to me that the only way for any writer to avoid the inference that he or she was "unknown" and/or "hiding" his or her info was to pay for a listing by user name. Now that writers are searchable by their forum user names, the search function is probably beneficial to both writers and prospective customers.

I think we need a couple more profile types:

1. Unleaded

2. Grand ***-Bah

For me, the solution to this problem is simple. If you don't like the rules of the forum, you are free to leave. Nobody is being forced to use the system and nobody should be higher in authority than the owners of this forum when it comes to implementing regulations. Yes, even if you are paying to be highlighted at this forum. This forum is first and foremost, a business for the people that own it. They will always come up with creative ways to monetize the content and data of other users. That is what big data is all about and that is how this forum will continue to evolve going forward. More and more data, higher and higher fees, will be required of the freelance writers who choose to promote themselves at this forum. Nothing is ever free and, in this case, fees will be required if you want to be at the top of the profile page.

This is a site that used to feature ads from any scam company that would pay. They had to change that policy. I foresee a similar situation brewing with incompetent shitposters like the one above becoming "featured writers."

Being new to this forum, I did not know that there was a problem with the rating system of this forum. I thought as long as we regularly posted and kept the numbers up, there was no other requirement when it comes to keeping your account active and searchable? Do these rating and search rules still apply today? Or has it been resolved? Is this the reason why the writers are no longer as active as they were before?