to put an ad asking aspiring writers/reporters/reviewers if they want to work for free for me?

[TheMagnificentBathykolpian]

Before I actually do it I'd like to know if folks think this would be taking the piss or a good deal.

I am building a tourism website. atm it makes nothing. I'm just building it.

It's a HUGE job!

I was wondering about inviting people to contribute reviews, or reports or articles on attractions etc.

I wouldn't pay them, cos there's no money (yet!) but they would gain experience, they would have their by-line, building up their cv and experience, and if it became commercially viable, then I could start paying people for articles.

Is is exploiting? Or piss taking? Or unreasonable? Or just a waste of time because nobody would ever be interested?

What do you think?

Banging your head on a brick wall comes to mind LeQueen.

I had to argue with this guy about the term "scaffolding Brighton" because I said it made no difference if I added an "in" but he was insistent that scaffolding Brighton was his keyphrase and he wanted it exact. As he was paying for it I just had to write it through gritted teeth and omit those particular examples from my portfolio.

I keep thinking that one day someone will give me a proper job but so far I'm still writing about scaffolding and wedding gifts. Although I did turn down work writing product descriptions for sex toys. I felt I didn't have enough experience

Trust me, once you're up and running the offers to write for free or expenses will come flooding in.

If you get your content written by journalism students/beginners, though, it will almost certainly not be good content.

I speak as someone who teaches journalism students from time to time. And writes only for money.

Rhubarb0 - sounds like your scaffolding guy has bought into the SEO keyword hype

Oh and if anyone wants to check what they should be paid as a writer - check out the NUJ website. It includes magazines that have been reported by other writers as low-paying.

wordfactory, the guy who ran the site I wrote for didn't have much luck in getting writers to contribute. He ran an Australian migration/tourist site and I did his content, news and features as well as maintain the forum. We'd advertisers trying to peddle their advertising spam as travel articles but not much else. Even when he advertised he got a couple of creative writers fresh from Uni wanting to write but their romantic style was far from what he wanted. To get good SEO content you need experience and it's the experience that you pay for. The best writer in the world may have no experience in writing for an online magazine which is basically what you are selling and writing for online sites is so much more different from writing for real publications.

But this site has real potential so once it gets going she shouldn't have any problem in paying someone to do a good job of her content. And I would advise you have a few writers contributing as one writer has their own style and on a travel site, the same style can get a bit monotonous.

I have thought about doing something like this as I am currently unable to work. at the moment I am writing a novel (aren't we all?) and blogging.

There are a lot of bored aspiring writers out there who would probably write fir free.

But not regularly and reliably, I fear

Could you PM me your website?

Also, what specifically are you asking people to contribute? A 50-word write up, or an 800-word review? You could probably get the 50-word ones submitted, adequately, for free. The 800 word one, not so much.

As a print journalist, I expect to be paid a minimum of 220 per thousand. That is a low, if increasingly common, rate to get paid. (I think the Guardian, for instance, pays around that.)

LeQueen "this flower girl dress is sumptuous in both style and fabric with exquisite detailing on the bodice and a cascading chiffon skirt which flows gently down to reveal a delicately sequinned hemline"

my pc has to be cleaned of vomit regularly.

£2.20? £22.00? £220?

motherinferior - you know I've always loved you right? Get me a job and you can be my best friend forever!

That's the rate for a lot of print journalism, yes, £220 per thousand words. It's a fairly low rate.

That's journalism not copywriting, though. It involves rather a lot of research...

"The wedding dress is pure understated luxury with a classic 1950s Hollywood style that exudes glamour and sophistication and turns the bride into a radiant vision of beauty that is as breathtaking as it is inspirational."

My bet is placed.

Heh heh heh, you win! I can't beat the buttered scones or girl in white pinafore. Just how do you sleep at night eh?

Gotta go now, must clean off all this vom