Free Work

When I just started out and needed experience, I wasn’t focused on Money.   Unlike most people, I don’t need a lot of money or things to prove I exist.

So I did a lot of free work.

As time passed and I didn’t need the experience I began looking at the coin, and considering; ‘do I want to do this for free or not?’

Less and less things attracted my sense of doing things for free.

This brings me to the point that all of us here consider; free work.  Specifically, writing for free.

Unlike writing a letter to the editor of our local paper which could lead to a job as a columnist or get us recognition that will help us in life, writing free on line is a waste of keystroke.

Sure, when a site has paid you and it ceases to pay and you have a backlog of items to be published, you might toss one or two, seeing if the site comes back up.  Wanting to show the owner; “Hey!  Look At My Commitment!”

But when it doesn’t return to its paying status and months pass, why bother?

Take Blogjob. 

Many writers here know the site, liked it, published on it, and were paid.

They knew the payment schedule, how many items could be published per day, and were comfortable.

Then the site ceased to pay.

A number of us did post one or two ‘free’ items, and then just stopped.

I know this, because I was about to post something there which continued a topic I had begun, and I just couldn’t be bothered.

I know that sounds cold, but the idea of typing an article on a site which would not remit a cent to me for it was pointless.

There are other sites out there, some pay badly, some take forever to publish an item, but, they pay.  Eventually.

So, why bother to post items that will not attract a cent when one can post on a site that pays… maybe badly… maybe take forever to publish… but pay.