wow... that's something I haven't heard since the JV locker room (except the "snap" part, which would have gotten you beat up). thanks for the flashback.

didn't your mother ever teach you to say something nice, or nothing at all?

I'm not the one who asked the question; I just said it was a good one. so, why all the attention? did something I say ruffle your feathers?

retarded, my dear Watson. see what I mean about paranoia?


good question!

place a small order and read it. if you like it, order more.

don't listen to the puppets and shills of essayscam-- you'll end up as cynical and paranoid as they are.

haha, are you talking about your support of EW.net? make sure to tell your clients!


enjoy your pit, you ignorant skunk. your threats are worth less than two cents.

shill- n - someone who is planted somewhere to make something look better than it is.

"Pheelyks and WB are shills for SNR and *********; this pit gives them an opportunity to call their overseas competitors scams, and requires no obligation of them to provide any proof."

the only real way to find out is to order a paper from mindtree, and see what you get. there are plenty of reasons web-copy might be misspelled, and although a shell game with locations is a red flag, it does not guarantee that this company is a scam. I'd suggest ordering a 1 or 2 page paper, seeing if it's OK, and then moving forward, or not.

don't believe everything you read.

so you make 80K, which isn't actually all that much to crow about, depending on where you live. got an IRA? got insurance? subtract those. got a family with insurance? subtract. go to the dentist? pay for those road trips? deduct. there's your comparison to the national average. it's a piss-poor situation, a con-job, and a scam... and you're proud of being trapped in it, because you can "write from the bathtub." wow.


life doesn't imitate art. it's the other way around. you can only be taken advantage of, if you let people take advantage of you.

no, I don't claim to be intelligent. I do claim that "some people" on these boards are entrenched, hostile, and protecting their own interests... and look who answers! this makes me feel clever, although I'm not, really. WritersBeware, you could probably make a rock feel smart.

this is a good idea! I posted a similar thread a while ago and got the same reaction from the forum regulars. unfortunately, although this is a good idea, it is the wrong place to talk about anything productive. this forum is dominated by entrenched forces who are extremely hostile towards any change in the status quo. the closed-minded owners who post on these boards want their writers ignorant, content, and subservient, so that they can continue to take the lion's share. meanwhile, they claim that they are "legit" all they please-- no one is checking up. these dim-wits aren't intelligent enough to do the work, but they're cunning enough to steal the profits. don't listen to their propaganda or provoke them here-- there's nothing in it for you but a lot of threats and nonsense. the few writers who post regularly here are cattle. if writers are going to organize here, I suggest that it should be by PM only.

you have just opened the sluice gates to a huge, bilious tidal wave of bickering. Regarding PART ||:

1.) = 7
2.) = 6
3.) = 2
4.) = 1
5.) = 1
6.) = 1
7.) = 1
8.) = 6

I told you to stop it.

"I'm not sure I want to be on any lists."

is quite different from

"I'm not sure about EW's interpretation of some obscure legislation I'm not familiar with."

wash out your eyes!

this is deluded. you have no idea who I am.

EW-- what's with you and lists? I've already stated that I could care less about this issue. I wasn't even saying "not sure" about your legal argument.

people here don't seem to do anything but fight over nothing.

I'm not denying this. however, your attitude ensures that most of them don't stay. this board could be a real community, and you could be its guru. instead, it's something awful. virtually every thread winds up in a childish flame war.

I never said this. I said, "don't put me on any lists." I could care less about your petty bickering over legal semantics... I don't see a lot of support from those other people you arbitrarily divided into your own camp, either.

everything finds its level. the level here is very low.

I've found that being mean to WB is like trying to put out a fire with gasoline.

WB, this board would have a lot more members if you treated people more like you probably do in real life. I'm sure that you're a nice person, and everyone needs a place to let off steam. could I suggest that there are more productive places to release your angst? why don't you try Yahoo Answers, or the comments section on YouTube? you've done a lot of work here; why spoil it by being rude and abrasive?

EW-- I'm not sure I want to be on any lists here. I belong to a couple of other message boards that are much more positive, where new members are welcomed, and where questions are treated with respect. I'm not used to all of the hostility and paranoia that seem to infest this place, which, imho, is a real pit.

treating her like this is not going to make WB more charming.

<-- not defrauding anyone

anyway, keep practicing. it helps to be happy-- for your sake as well as everyone else's.

WritersBeware, you really seem to have done a lot of research for this site-- next, try charming.

sorry-- I was using "I don't know" as a sort of casual expression of doubt about your association-- I guess it ruffled your feathers, which wasn't my intention.

P-- I don't know; I'm just looking at this thread. it seems to me that everyone is talking about company location, not paper quality. I don't see any arguments in any of these chat sessions about poor quality papers, the poor English skills of the company's writers, etc. it is a warning sign that they won't disclose a location-- and I'm pretty sure that's illegal, too, at least in the US; companies aren't entitled to privacy in this manner. but this isn't a quality issue, or a post about quality. you're making that association, and Harvard's question remains a good one.

charming and witty...

people on these boards do love their apples and oranges...

excellent question, Harvard.

I'm bored! this forum is a pit. there is nothing rational or constructive going on here. it's ruled by 2 or 3 hostile paranoids. I've belonged to a few of these things, and believe me, there is something wrong here. since jump, it's been like a race to see who can be the most insulting and condescending; I didn't come here to argue. I'm used to forums where people welcome new members, consider new ideas, and act like adults. this place is poison. I'm done repeating myself ad nauseum. I must be some kind of masochist, to have lasted this long.

OK-- so maybe an hourly rate and sick days won't work-- exactly as they would in other settings-- that's still no reason to give up on the general idea of improving conditions for writers.

no matter what the company is, or where it's from, I think things can be better for its writers. there should be a minimum standard. if you run a company that treats its writers well, maybe you're already above the minimum standard. so, does that mean there shouldn't be one, or that I shouldn't be trying to stimulate discussion about what that standard should be?

I don't get it. no one has added anything substantial. why ignore an issue that could make your employees happier and more productive?

they should be held more accountable for how little of the cut they're giving their employees.

ha! people immediately started telling me I was "out of my mind" and to "seek help." I was surprised and put off by the hostile reaction then, and still am.


this isn't true, either. in fact, I've changed my mind about several of my initial assumptions, due to the constructive feedback I've been able to find (like a needle in a haystack). I've also been very up front about the difficulty of what I'm suggesting, and the substantial obstacles it entails.

even if most of the writers in this industry are part time, and could care less, I still think there should be minimum standards, and that employers should be held more accountable.

I agree; I would like to hear from more writers. it appears that there aren't really too many here who are regulars. I wasn't expecting this; I assume that it's the hostile atmosphere.


let's all try to communicate like grownups. it's fine to disagree without calling names, isn't it? I realize it's a lot to ask.

those are your "other words," not mine. since you are a company owner, I can see how you are threatened by some of my ideas. this does not give you permission to put words in my mouth.

but, since you did, tit for tat: I'll take some from yours-- "slaves with a few carrots--" this sums up the current situation of most writers in the industry quite well. you would have writers believe that the "biggest reward" for being independent is simply getting work-- I am saying that this is not enough.

again, this is alarmist, and again, you seem to be obsessed with the welfare system. I'm not trying to put anyone out of work-- quite the opposite.


this isn't true. a writer working on a PhD thesis, and a writer reviewing a TV show for a high school student, deserve different rates. plus, with so many writers working from home, how would they clock in and out?


you must be in Europe. 20 sick days?


this is the status quo. it shouldn't be this way.

as others have said before, and I now realize, an hourly rate wouldn't work in this industry. it would be too complicated to figure out a standard page rate, because of the relative complexity of different orders. therefore, CPP increases should be based on a formula that reduces the % taken by the company from the customer, reduces the amt spent by the company on advertising, and proportionately redistributes this to:

increase the CPP
create a pool for a limited number of paid sick days ($100/day or so)
expand or create incentives/rewards programs

these are little things. I'm not talking about giving anyone the moon and stars. the way the owners on this board have reacted, you'd think I was telling them to sacrifice their children.

one writer, you, has told me that, and I believe that you're the exception rather than the rule. I believe that in most cases, owners take a bigger cut of the order than the writer gets.

WRT has summed up nothing, except that she is narrow-minded, spiteful, rude, and on some sort of outdated witch-hunt for communists. I have never mentioned Marxism or any other ideology; I am here to talk about improving conditions for writers.

I know; what good is the earth without Ra and the great Aten? these three owners here apparently feel that they are the very sun that shines on their lowly writers. how dare anyone assume that conditions could be better? bow down, idiots!

speaking of bothersome insects, these owners are reacting like hornets defending a kicked nest.

I'm sure the pharaohs also had expenses, took risks, and worked hard, um, planning.

writers are the modern pyramid builders. whistle while you work!

ignoring facts that get in my way makes me more of an idealist than an idiot, but I suppose you could argue six of one, 1/2 dozen of another.

you've made your compromise; you have your dreams. I'm not here to insult you about any of that.

I ignore insults, supply ideas, and ask for facts that can help. as to the reality, that's been decried or defended by many-- looking for a better way starts with questioning it.

I never said they weren't.

right-- I'm coming out of left field, but I don't think that automatically makes me thoughtless. sometimes a fresh perspective is what's needed.