To be shocked by this job ad?

[whitershadeofpale]

I am on a website for freelance writers where people post jobs that they require a freelancer for and you send a proposal if you like the sound of the job and have the right skillset. Also, people can see your profile and send you an invitation, saying that they’d like you to send a proposal for a particular project.

Today, I had an invitation from a woman who wants to pay a professional writer to write a post to accompany a picture from her son’s first birthday on social media! She has some examples of other posts that convey ‘the same kind of emotional message’ that she wants.

AIBU to be shocked that this is a thing? I’m not going to do it btw.

if she's paying the going rate, then it's fine. Is it one of those sites where you have no idea what they are paying till you contact them?

I mean, it sounds mad to me, but if she wants to spend her money on that, why not.

You’re easily shocked.

Sure, it’s not something I’d do but the woman is using a site that allows her to find others who can write in ways she feels she can’t, and she’ll pay for the service.

I don’t know why you wouldn’t do it.

I'd definitely do it for the right price! easy money, more fool her

It’s not much money (and even less with fees). I wouldn’t do it as I’d be a complete hypocrite and that’s not really my forte. I have to actually feel an emotional connection to someone to write that sort of thing (they’ll be plenty of other people who I’m sure will do an excellent job).

Maybe she's being lazy, or she could struggle with reading and writing (possibly never learned, might have severe dyslexia) - or perhaps she knows she's of distinctively average ability and wants what she sees as the best for her special post about her son, which she'll presumably be wanting to keep a copy of for her son's 'memory box' when he's older.

It's obviously a very significant occasion to her and she might not see it as any different from people using professional cake makers and photographers for their weddings, when they or their friends could quite likely 'have a go' at it and do an OK-ish job.

I think I'd be a bit surprised if she just told you his name and left you to it completely, but if she wants to express to you some of her feelings for him and about the occasion and for you to nicely 'tidy it up' and present it eloquently, I wouldn't find that strange.

There are plenty of celebrities who aren't, shall we say, known for being 'bookish', who've released best-selling autobiographies. If they've never met the ghost writers and their agents have just told them to look on Wikipedia and flesh it out with some waffle, then that's really not on; but if they've sat with a professional writer for a number of hours and opened their hearts to them with their feelings and memories while they make detailed notes to work with, I don't see any problem at all.