Annalyn, 24, appeared fine to her office colleagues. She performed her work, joined company activities, and followed the 9-to-5 routine without a hitch. Her friends thought she had coped up well with death of her husband two months ago. But they were wrong. Annalyn was slowly crumbling from the inside.
One day, her colleagues heard her yelling obscenities from her cubicle. They watched in horror as she, without any provocation, ripped out the PC monitor and smashed it on the floor. With a convoluted expression on her face, she violently clawed anyone who tried to approach her. She laughed, then cried, then ran amok around the office.
Her husband’s death was too much for her.
She snapped and eventually lost her mind.


In another part of town, 30-year old Lisa struggled with the sudden death of her baby girl in a tragic car accident. She became inconsolable. She locked herself in her room and preferred solitude. One morning, her husband woke up only to see Lisa’s lifeless body hanging from the ceiling.
She had committed suicide.

The death of a loved one and the accompanying bereavement remain one of the most life-changing experiences for most of us. We languish in grief and pain, lost and unable to find the needed comfort. Unless handled well, the resulting emotional turmoil can cause adverse effects.
Here are ways you can cope with the death of a loved one:




1.) LET OTHERS HELP YOU

Dealing with grief from the death of a loved one is a process that takes time and hard work. Let others who understand your grief help you. Turn to them for solace and comfort.
“It was hard for me to accept the death of my parents,” says Mary Rose, 31, an English language tutor. “I sought the assistance of my friends who gave me their unflinching support throughout those difficult times. Their help saw me through my period of bereavement. Now, I’m ok.”

2.) ACCEPT GRIEF AND PAIN WITHIN ONE YEAR
During the first year of bereavement, you will experience loss and misery with anniversaries, occasions, birthdays, etc. Accept grief. Be patient with it.
“At first I felt awkward and withdrawn every time my husband’s birthday comes along, or during our anniversaries, “says 45-year old Leah, who lost her husband to throat cancer. “ But I realized that, for the sake of our children, I should take a hold of life and move forward. It was hard but I managed to put everything in proper perspective. Now, our family had gotten over this grief.”
If you cannot overcome bereavement within one year, something is wrong with you. It would be best if you see a psychologist.

3.) KEEP BUSY
“I embark on a crusade of helping and empowering mothers who have lost their kids, “says a well-known Pinay actress and celebrity who lost her own son.
“This activity keeps me busy and helps me deal with my own grief.”
Dealing with death is much like riding on a bicycle. The moment you stop, you fall down. The trick is to keep pedaling. Keeping yourself busy despite the odds eases up your grief.

4.) FIND NEW FRIENDS AND MEMORIES
The death of a loved one leaves us painful memories. Learn to live with lingering memories, but try to find new ones.
“My husband’s death was a terrible setback to my life,” says 25-year old Joanne. “It seemed the end of the world and I have not the will to go on living. Then I met Mike who had been supportive of me. After three years, I married him and we are now happy and have two kids. “


(SIDEBAR)
Ways You Can Help Others In Their Time of Bereavement
a.) Give a listening ear.
Grieving family members experience anger and confusion. Be there and lend a listening ear.
b.) Be kind and sensitive to their needs.
c.) Visit them regularly
d.) Treat them out to dinner despite their reluctance to do so.
e.) Run errands for them. The lawn needs to be mowed, the aquarium water needs to be replaced, and their kids need to be fetched at school. Do these simple acts for them.
f.) Call them by phone and ask how they are doing. If you have a cell phone, send them encouraging or funny messages. You can also send emails, or postcards.
g.) If the bereaved is single, bring her back to social circle after a year of bereavement. Attend parties or do ballroom dancing together.

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Air bags are designed to save and protect car occupants. They lull car owners to a sense of security. But do these air bags really save and protect? Sadly, no. Most of the times, air bags are one of the causes of car accidents and deaths.

Consider this story:


When couple Lisa and Tommy bought a car, they settled for a particular model that included “precise, electronically controlled and impact-sensitive air bags” designed to protect passengers. They bring along their two kids whenever they travel and the presence of air bags gave them security and peace of mind.

“Now we can be assured that our kids are safe while in the car,” Lisa remarked contentedly.

How wrong she was!

On a trip one day with the kids, Tommy was driving placidly on the busy highway when, without any warning, front passenger air bags deployed. It momentarily blocked Tommy’s view of the road. Seized with panic, Tommy slammed on the brakes. He did not realized that his car was swerving diagonally and as a result, an oncoming truck from behind smashed his car and dragged it along the road. The accident caused him severe head injuries and, unfortunately, death to his 4-year old Kathy.

Accidental air bag deployment remains a cause of vehicular road accidents. In fact, General Motors Corporation recalled 268,146 Buick Regals and Oldsmobile Cutlass Supreme in year 2000 due to unplanned air bag deployment. Engineers discovered that corrosion overtime affected the internal wiring. Unintentional air bag deployment can occur during startup, while the car is idling, or during the normal driving on the road. Affected in this recall were car models produced in 1994 through 1996.

The same unplanned air bag deployment plagued Ford Motor Company cars. In 2000, this automaker recalled 3,002 Ford Explorers and Mercury Mountaineers. Investigators discovered that several 4-door sport utility vehicles were equipped with side air bags that contained a new level side crash sensor. Air bags can deploy when the ignition key is in the “run” position. Explorers and Mountaineers produced in 2000 had this flaw.

Other models with the same faulty air bags:
DaimlerChrysler Corporation recalled 860,00 Chrysler Town and Country minivans, Dodge Caravans, Dodge Grand Caravans, Plymouth Voyagers, and Plymouth Grand Voyagers in 1999 due to reported intermittent short circuit in the air bag initiator wire when starting the car. The recall affected 1993 to 1995 models.
In 1999, Chrysler Corporation recalled 30,400 Dodge Ram Vans due to accidental deployment of air bags when a heavy object strike the metal casing of the air bag electronic control module.
Chrysler Corporation recalled 125,000 Jeep Grand Cherokees, Jeep Wranglers, Dodge Dakota Trucks, Dodge Neons, Plymouth Neons, and Dodge Vipers in 1997. Air bags accidentally deployed when turning off the car.
Toyota Motor Company, Ltd recalled 61,202 Toyota Corollas in 1997 due to unintended deployment of the vehicles’ air bags.



These are just a few of car models with defective air bags.

Since 1990, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration reported 175 deaths because an unplanned air bag deployment. So far, 104 of these deaths have been children, while the remaining 71 have been adults.

Today, there have been vast air bag design improvements in newer car models. But road accidents happen, with or without these these safety air bags. The lurking culprits could be defective brakes, non-functional headlights and taillights, inferior tires, etc. It pays to be always prepared for these contingencies. Among your most important preparations are safe driving habits, a thorough check-up on the road worthiness of your vehicle , and an earnest prayer in your heart.

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Imagine this. You see a friend orders an extra large hamburger, a king-size cup of French fries, and a jumbo hotdog.
"And just a small can of soda pop, please, "she stresses. " I'm on a diet."

You'd think your friend is nuts, right? Well, hold your judgment for a sec till you consider this one:



If you've watched world news on TV recently, then you've probably known by now about melamine-tainted food scandal. The world watched in horror and disbelief with the staggering number of babies poisoned with melamine-tainted milk from China.

And the death toll is rising till this day.

So what exactly is this controversial melamine? According to experts, melamine is a toxic industrial chemical rich in nitrogen. The word "toxic" says it all.

With melamine scare everywhere, neighboring countries frantically scrambled for a thorough testing of all China -produced milk and milk-related products. Even western nations expressed alarm. They enforced a recall and a swift ban of all these questionable milk and milk products.

In a health-obsessed world, this protective measure comes as no surprise.


Yet an insidious and many times far toxic than melamine-tainted product has been around with us for decades. Was there ever a recall on it? No. It comes with fancy wrapping, fills the supermarket shelves and long-touted by its manufacturers as healthy. We adults patronize it. In fact, we stock our refrigerators with it for our teens and kids.


And here’s the scary part.
It causes cancer. And we have it straight from the FDA. They conducted tests on it and found high levels of cancer-causing benzene.
As published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, it leads to brittle bones.
It harms the kidneys and leads to cirrhosis of the liver.
It leads to birth defects.
It is responsible for other health damaging effects.


Basing on these research and studies, one would think that a severe health advisory and massive recall would immediately be in order.

But, hold your breath now. There never was, is, or ever will be any health alert or recall against this consumer product.

And we are talking about cola drinks.


Here are the facts:
a.) A study by Tufts University researchers revealed that cola drinks promotes rapid degeneration of bones. In plain words, cola drinks causes osteoporosis.

The study, published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, examined 2,500 men and women and found that regardless of age and calcium intake, the women who regularly drank cola experienced loss of bone mineral density.

b.) The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) demanded reformulation after tests found some cola drinks contaminated with benzene above the World Health Organization’s (WHO) 10 parts per billion limit for benzene in drinking water.

Benzene has long been established as a carcinogen. Meaning, it causes cancer.

c.) Cola drinks could lead to allergies. Dr. George M. Halpem, Division of Allergy at the University of California Davis School of Medicine says that diet soft drinks may cause allergies.

The potential problem may be due to toxicity because of the increase in consumption of diet drinks. Acute or chronic hives may be symptoms caused by this low-calorie, artificial sweetener.

d.) Loss of teeth. Dr. Clive McCay, working at the Naval Research Institute, placed extracted human teeth in cola drinks.

Within two days, the teeth became soft, and the enamel surface lost much of its calcium. Rats, well-fed but given nothing to drink except cola beverages, after six months had their molar teeth dissolved down to the gum line.



e.) Women who drank one can of cola a day increase their high blood pressure risk by 9% in the first Nurses Health Study and by 13% in the second Nurses Health Study.

f.) Here’s another one. In making the public announcement in last September of caffeine's possible dangers to unborn children, FDA commissioner Dr. Jere E. Goyan urged prudence by pregnant women in the use of caffeine ( cola drinks have caffeine) products.

"So while further evidence is being gathered on the possible relationship between caffeine and birth defects, a prudent and protective mother-to-be will want to put caffeine on her list of unnecessary substances which she should avoid," Goyan advised.

Melamine-tainted milk and milk products affect infants. On the other hand, cola drinks affect not only infants but fetuses, kids, teens, adults, senior citizens—the whole spectrum of consumers.

But is there ever a recall against these cola drinks? No.

I think it’s high time that we tone down our over-reactions and hypocritical stance against these melamine-tainted products and focus on the far-reaching, damaging effects of colas and pop sodas.


Until we do, we strikingly resemble a friend who gulps down extra-large hamburger, a king-size cup of French fries, one jumbo hotdog, and a small, small glass of drink with it.
Because, as she stresses, she’s on a diet.

Is she, really?

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Got a mortgage? You’re not alone. Most American homeowners do. That explains why everybody is talking about the word “mortgage” nowadays. You hear people talking about it in the bus, at the restaurant, among neighbors, in schools, in the office, in the theaters, and yes, even in jogging lanes.

“My colleagues always talk about it during dinner break down at the station, “says Tim, a firefighter. “There’s home mortgage, mortgage loans, real estate mortgage, and a host of other mortgage-related discussion.”

But what, exactly, is a mortgage?

Here’s an illustration:

You want to buy a house. Unless you are Bill Gates with millions of ready cash, you don’t have enough money for the full purchase payment. (Now, don’t worry about it. Most Americans are in the same financial situation as you are).


To buy your dream house, you want to make a small down payment and pay the rest of balance over time on affordable monthly installments.

“Is this possible?” you ask. Of course, it is.

To do this, you contact a lending bank. The bank would “loan” you the full purchase amount of the house. This is a mortgage. You then use this amount to pay off the seller who walks off with a thick wad of bills and with the sweetest smile on his face. Now you and your family can move to your dream house and show off your friends what a good place you’ve got. Just remember to pay the bank the agreed monthly installment payment till you finish your home mortgage loan in full.

Types of Mortgage
There are various types of home mortgage to suit the specific needs of the homeowners. The most common are:
a.) Fixed Rate Mortgage
As the term suggest, monthly payment is fixed throughout the duration of the loan. Despite economic crisis, your lending bank could not increase your mortgage interest or your home mortgage loan.



b.) Interest Only Mortgage
A loan where the borrowers pay only the interest of the mortgage for a set period of time—from 5 or 7 years since the mortgage loan. After this period, the borrowers will start paying the interest AND a portion of the principal home mortgage loan amount.

c.) Balloon Mortgage
Similar to Fixed Rate Mortgage but on a short term basis. This has fixed interest rates and fixed monthly payments. Its advantage is that balloon mortgage offers lower interest rates than the prevailing market rate. You pay interest rate payments for a set time--- maybe 12 months or 18 months. After the contract term, borrowers pay the principal mortgage amount in one single payment.



d.) Reverse Mortgage
The term says it all. This is the reverse of a common “mortgage loan.”
In a regular mortgage, you “borrow” a lump sum of money from the bank and then pay it in installment, with interest, over time.

On the other hand, reverse mortgage is receiving monthly payment from your bank as long as you live. You use this amount as your monthly “income” to use in whatever you see fit. This is good for homeowners who have already full ownership of their house and have paid their regular home mortgage in full. House-rich but cash-poor senior Americans are eligible for this type of mortgage.

The total amount you can get from reverse home mortgage should not exceed the total equity of your house. You or your inheritors can pay off reverse mortgage when you die, when you sell your homes, or when you no longer want to live in your house.

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If someone sells pick-up trucks nowadays, there would be no takers. And rightly so. In these skyrocketing gas prices, more and more consumers settle for fuel efficient SUVs and sedans rather than the gas-churning (and wieldy, if I may add) trucks and pickups. It makes practical dollar sense.

However, these luxury cars only reign supreme in city streets and well-paved highways. Try driving any sedan or luxury vehicle along muddy swamps and torturous rough roads with humping payload and you’d immediately sense the car’s conked-out cry of exhaustion.

Now comes Chrysler’s 2009 Dodge Ram 1500. It’s one hell of a full-size pickup, with macho look oozing all over.

Sliding inside the Dodge Ram proved a surprise. For a moment I thought I was in the wrong car. And who wouldn’t? The remodeled panel dashboard felt easy on the eyes, with shiny gauges and soft touch materials all around. If there is one word that describes its interiors, I think it would be “storage”. It contains revolutionary, well- disguised storage spaces—behind the doors, under the rear seats, dual glove boxes, and bins in foldable bed walls. Nope, you are not hearing things. Watch our mouth when we say “bed” as in sleeping bed.


Putting this brute beast to a test drive was no laughing matter. Its 5.7-liter Hemi V-8 delivers an incredible 390 horsepower output from the previous 345, and a 407 pound torque that can easily pull out boats and trailers like mere child’s toys. And here lies the crux of matter: a pickup truck is built to carry payload. In this sense, Dodge Ram 1500 performs extremely well.

With superb road handling to its roster of pluses, Chrysler’s improved and renovated Dodge Ram is a runaway winner among its class despite its extra fuel bucks. But heck, who’s complaining?

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If you are like most people, then you also want to dispense with your bills on time. Telephone bills, electricity, water bills, credit cards, home mortgage loans, etc. For apart from the extra surcharge you incur for delayed payments, you face potentially time-consuming mitigation costs.


To avoid these inconveniences, you pay these bills in time. As long as you have the means, that is. But there always comes a time when you miss your payments— like home mortgage monthly dues– no matter how much you wanted to. Maybe you incurred injury and got hospitalized. Or perhaps, your business venture failed, you lost your job, or for a host of other reasons.
If you are in this predicament, real estate experts offers the following advice:

1.) NOTIFY YOUR LENDING BANK IMMEDIATELY
The keyword is “immediately”. Not next week or next month.
Three years ago, a well-known laptop computer company imposed downsizing and terminated several employees, among them were Mark and Roger. Mark, who was more proactive than his buddy, immediately contacted his lender and explained his predicament.
As a result, his lending bank made significant loan modifications to the home mortgage contract. Mark was able to keep his home.
On the other hand, Roger missed several mortgage payments and ignored his lender’s repeated demand letters. Such poor decisions cost him a great deal. Roger eventually lost his home to foreclosure.


2.) SEEK THE ASSISTANCE OF A HOUSING FINANCE COUNSELOR
“Contacting a bank and telling them you can’t pay your mortgage loan seemed intimidating task to most people, “advise the experts. “ These homeowners feel embarrassed discussing these matters with their lenders. If you are among the shy-type of homeowners, I suggest you contact a housing counselor whom you can trust and feel at ease. “
Housing finance counselors offer free advice. They review your financial status. At a modest fee, they can make the necessary arrangements or representations with your lending bank so you can keep your home through loan modification or other repayment schemes best suited to your particular need.

3.) TAKE CHARGE OF YOUR FINANCES
Financial difficulties always entail budget tightening and other painful decisions. Take a hard look at your finances and carry out drastic cost-cutting measures. Stay with the basic needs. Scrimp and save. Consolidate your credit card debts. Dispense whatever luxury items you may have— like that dusty home trailer in the garage or that family boat that had been lying dormant for so long at the harbor.
And yes, you may have to forego that summer vacation at the Caribbean.

4.) AGGRESSIVELY FIND GAINFUL EMPLOYMENT OR VENTURE
The Matthews family illustrates this point. The husband, Mr. Matthews who was a specialist in computer software and hardware, was suddenly stricken with a stroke that left half of his body paralyzed for life. The company then terminated him.
Since he had a wife and two school-age kids to support, he didn’t let his illness stand in the way of earning money. To begin with, he hired carpenters and converted their garage into a shop. Afterwards, he engaged in buy-and-sell business on used computers. His sympathetic wife sent ads and scoured the area for any computer for sale then negotiated for discounts. After making relevant upgrades on those old PCs, Mr. Matthews then sold these computers at a modest profit.


In addition, he offered IT-related consulting services to big time companies on a retainer basis. When a difficult hardware or software problem occurs in company computers that in-house technician could not troubleshoot, the affected company will call Mr. Matthews by phone. He will then discuss the necessary solutions to in-house technicians. Companies pay Mr. Matthews for such services, plus a small monthly retainer’s fee.
His efforts finally paid off. He was soon earning more money than when he was employed full time in his previous work. Mr. Matthews managed to pay all his delinquent home mortgage loan bills. And the good part was, he just stayed in the house and enjoy bonding with his kids. Now, he had a small thriving consultancy firm with three personnel.
“Remember, your house is at stake when you miss paying monthly mortgage dues, “real estate experts explain. “ By being proactive and doing these steps listed above not only save you from much headaches but can also save your home from being foreclosed.”

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Heavy in debt? You are not alone. A number of Americans are in the same dire predicament you are experiencing right now. When you can no longer pay your financial obligations, you resort to the last legal option available to financially troubled American businesses.
You file for bankruptcy.

In the past, this process was fairly easy. But with the passing of Bankruptcy Abuse Prevention and Consumer Protection Act in 2005, anyone who intends to file for bankruptcy is first required to seek the services of a credit counselor for counseling sessions. As mandated by law, credit counselors assist financially distressed individuals by drawing out a sound personalized repayment scheme to manage finances.
To reap maximum benefits, here are ten important points to consider when hiring a credit counselor:

1.) DO SOME BACKGROUND CHECKS ON THE REPUTATION OF CREDIT COUNSELING AGENCIES
Credit counselors are employed by counseling agencies. It is therefore important to check the reputation of prospective counseling agencies before hiring their credit counselors. One way to do this is to check the Better Business Bureau. If the company has been operating for some time without any glitch, then go for it. It’s a good choice. On the other hand, if the counseling agency has any pending complaints, then that should alert you to look for a credit counselor somewhere else. Ask your friends and acquaintances for feedbacks on a reputable credit counseling agencies, if possible.

2.) COMPARE COSTS
Let’s face it. Credit counseling services cost you money. Whether you like it or not, a credit counselor charges his services to your credit card. Some unscrupulous credit counselors demand exorbitant fees for their advice. Others maintain competitive pricing. When you are heavily in debt, you don’t want to incur additional burdens by hiring expensive counseling services. Why go for higher-priced service when you can have one at a much lower cost? It is just reasonably fair that you want to get your money’s worth by comparing credit counselors’ fees and determine who charges the least for the same type of counseling service.


3.) INQUIRE COUNSELING AGENCIES IF YOU WILL BE WORKING WITH THE SAME PERSON ALL THROUGHOUT THE PRESCRIBED REPAYMENT PERIOD
You hire a credit counselor not only to comply with the law but also for support during the difficult debt repayment period. You want someone to understand your financial situation, and build rapport with. However, there are credit counseling agencies which give you different individuals each time you call the company. One person answers the phone for you on Monday. Another one receives the call on Tuesday, and still another credit counselor talks to you on Wednesday. Stay away from counseling agencies which gives you the nearest person on the phone at the time of your call. It’s generally unnerving. As much as possible, insist on only one credit counselor and stick with him.

4.) ASK REGARDING THE EXTENT OF THEIR SERVICES
While credit counselors generally offer advice to get you out of financial rut, there are a few who take the extra mile and offer you related financial management services like online education services, for free. Take time to ask around and settle for these types of individuals.

5.) MODE OF MEETING
In general, credit counselors offer services through a one-on-one meeting on their offices. Others offer services through phones. If talking by phone to a remote individual hundred of miles away doesn’t bug you a bit, then go ahead. It really doesn’t matter in the long run. However, there are consumers who prefer to discuss their financial burdens face-to-face with a credit counselor. If you like this mode of meeting, make sure you convey this preference beforehand.

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Fisker Automotive is a small car company and can be considered a David among Goliaths in the automotive industry. Yet car honchos eagerly await the roll down of its Karma model on the production line.


With its attention-grabbing design, this much-talked about sedan will pose a serious competition among its class. Geared up for superior performance, dynamic and efficiency, Karma is poised to take the automotive industry by storm. Fisker earlier announced its lithium battery-powered Karma sedan to be available in the market by the end of 2009.

Some car enthusiast seriously doubt if Fisker can keep its promise. Rumors spread around that this small automotive company is already keeping its hands full of three more hybrid plug-in designs. These designs are said to be a convertible, a coupe, and a sedan. Quantum Technologies, the name behind successful military vehicles, will create the drive train for Fisker’s electric powered cars. That, in itself, keeps Karma’s speculations buzzing.

Sources pegged Karma’s price at $60,000.

Fisker intends to build 15, 000 units a year. Valmet of Finland will do the assembly. But unless it considers production in US, Fisker may not be able to keep its self-imposed deadline.

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For those who are new to online writing industry, here is the current world market price of online market fees. (As of October 15, 2008. Subject to increases without prior notice.)

A writer from Massachussets furnished this copy.


Standard Market Writing Rates for Professional Writers

For those of you who are unsure of what to offer a writer for pay … here is a current standard market writing rate schedule. Of course, all rates can be negotiable to a certain degree, but this should provide you with a strong point of reference. Good luck!

Advertising Material
Copy/Scripts/News Releases
$350 to $500 per page
$750 to $1,000 per project for brochures
$75 to $150 per hour

Articles
$0.40 to $2 per word
$100 to $3,000 per article
$40 to $100 per hour

Corporate/Business Writing
Reports/ Marketing Plans/ Technical Writing
$1 to $2 per word
$300 to $12,000 per project
$50 to $125 per hour

Editing
Varies according to publication/project
$30 to $60 per hour
$500 to $20,000 per project

Ghost Writing
Articles or Books (no credit to writer)
Generally 2-3 times the usual article rate

Books (credit to writer)
$10,000 to $50,000 flat fee
Entire advance + 50% of royalties

Press
News Releases/Studies/Reports
$1 to $3 per word
$500 to $100,000 per project
$50 to $125 per hour

Newsletters
Writing only; layout extra
$0.30 to $1.50 per word
$400 to $6,000 per issue
$50 to $80 per hour

Newspaper Writing
Large Daily Newspapers
$0.30 to $1.00 per word
$250 to $2,500 per article
$330 to $1,250 per column

Smaller Community Newspapers
$0.10 to $0.50 per word
$75 to $1,000 per article
$75 to $500 per column

Online/Web Site Writing
Varies widely; “business” sites pay higher
$1 to $3 per word
$60 to $100 per hour

Periodical Writing
General Interest/Consumer Magazines
$1.00 to $2 per word
$500 to $10,000 per article
$400 to $1,500 per column

Trade/Special Interest Magazines
$0.30 to $2 per word
$500 to $4,000 per article
$300 to $1,000 per column

Scripts
Radio (highly variable)
$40 to $80 per minute of script

Television (highly variable)
$60 to $130 per minute of script

Speech Writing
$500 to $8,000 per speech
$60 to $130 per hour

Teaching/Instruction
$25 to $80 per hour
$200 to $800 per day

Translation/Adaptation
Literary
$0.10 to $0.20 per word

Other
$0.25 to $0.60 per word
$40 to $80 per hour

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If you are new to the world of freelance writing, you’d immediately jump at good-sounding opportunities or advertisements to work at home. You conjure up images of typing in your keyboard and then receiving payment for your hard day’s work. Why, you’d even think of buying that car or that latest wifi-ready laptop you saw in brochures!

So you answer these legitimate-looking ads in job boards. As per instructions in the ad, you innocently submit resume and sample articles. Then you cross your fingers, toss to and fro out of anticipated excitement, and tell your Mom you’d buy her a gift for her birthday when you get that virtual writing job offers.

But alas, a week passes by with no response from the expected employer. And two, then months. You dispatch another email inquiring about your application but you get no reply.

And then one day, you stumbled on your sample article already posted in a website.

The realization hit you with a bang.

You’ve been scammed.


According to seasoned writers, online writing scams are rampant in the Internet. They proliferate in legitimate job boards like Monster.com, Media Bistro, Journalismjobs, elance, and other sites. These online writing scams abound excessively in public job boards like craigslist. Even those newspapers promising home-based online writing opportunities can be completely fraudulent.


Types of Online Writing Scam

1.) Send A Free Writing Sample Scam

The ad requires you to submit a free sample of your writing. Sometimes, the ad includes topics for you to write about. If you fall for this one, you just made a scammer richer with your article. You see, scammers will sell your article to website owners and pocket the whole payment.

2.) TIGHT SCHEDULE ( URGENT) SCAM

The morning ad says that the articles should be in by 1 pm. Payment will be sent to you after receipt of the article. You feel the urgency, and with barely two hours to complete the article, you rush in to your computer and compose your best. Then you send it, expecting payment to come in the mailbox afterwards.

But no money arrives in the mailbox despite your repeated emails, and you finally realize you became another victim to an online writing scam.

3.) BATCH JOB

Ad posters will state outright that they pay only $25 for a batch of 10 initial articles. Then they dangle a carrot stick. You will be paid more on succeeding projects once they get a grip of your writing style.

Sounds fine, right? Nope. Any seasoned freelance writer can smell such scam a mile away.

How To Spot Online Scams

Online writing scammers in craigslist, for example, post in multiple cities, and in multiple directories for maximum results. But they do leave some telltale trail behind.

These are:

1.) Their posts have more than 5 grammatical errors. One of two is fine. But when the post contains a good sprinkling of grammatical errors that even a primary pupil will not commit, that should give you warning signals.

2.) The posts are short. Usually, the post contains around six words or more. Example: “Need freelance writers immediately. Send resume.”

Am I saying that all short posts are scams? No. There are some good ones out there. Just hone up your instinct to determine which is which.

3.) Look closely at the payment. If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is. “Wanted content writers for pet site. $40 to $70 per 500-word article.”

4.) Scrutinize the qualification of the job. If the poster does not state the qualification, you can bet your bottom dollar it’s a scam.

You see, legitimate posters are very picky about the qualifications of the writers. Online scammers, on the other hand, are only interested for another victim—and that’s you. Yes, you.

5.) If ad contains the name of the company, then you better do some background checking. Google it and find everything you can about the company.

There’s a hitch to this, though. A friend narrated to me that she replied to an ad with the name of a big consumer product company. Following her instincts, she dispatched an email to that company regarding the job offering.

Fortunately, the company replied that there is no such job opening nor do they have an employee matching the poster’s name found in the ad. Smart move there, sis!

LEGITIMATE PLACES TO FIND PAYING FREELANCE WRITING WORK

A fellow freelance writer named Steve compiled a list of legitimate places to find paying freelance writing work.

Among his list are :

* www.associatedcontent.com
* www.constant-content.com
* eHow.com
* Squidoo.com
* Epinions.com

These are just some of the legitimate places. Check out Steve’s complete list. Also, try to visit Deb Ng’s ” 23 Places To Find Freelance Writing Jobs…”

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