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Kate (Kathleen)
Username: Kathleen

Registered: 09-2009
Posted From: 86.131.60.216
Posted on Tuesday, January 24, 2012 - 08:00 am:   

http://fiverr.com/quinnwithin/give-your-ebook-or-product-a-glowing-review-on-ama zon

I like that he touts his "strong grasp of the English language".

And here's his profile if you're dying to take him up on his offer (or buy his books!):


quinnwithin

I am a professional novelist and blogger and a native English speaker. My living is made entirely on the Internet. I have been writing since I learned how and I don't plan on stopping until I am dead or severely brain damaged, whichever comes first.
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Stephen Theaker (Stephen_theaker)
Username: Stephen_theaker

Registered: 12-2009
Posted From: 77.98.13.43
Posted on Tuesday, January 24, 2012 - 09:20 am:   

Ugh.
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Stevie Walsh (Stephenw)
Username: Stephenw

Registered: 03-2009
Posted From: 194.32.31.1
Posted on Tuesday, January 24, 2012 - 12:09 pm:   

That has to be some kind of postmodern joke. Tell me it is... please!
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Carolinec (Carolinec)
Username: Carolinec

Registered: 06-2009
Posted From: 92.232.199.129
Posted on Tuesday, January 24, 2012 - 01:15 pm:   

Sadly, I fear it's not a joke. I look at a freelancer's site every now and again, and there are always people on there seeking writers to write 5* reviews of their books and other products to help them sell better. There's a whole industry around that kind of thing.

Similarly, relating to the reason I joined that site in the hope of finding an ethical outlet for my academic writing skills, there are lots of students on their seeking people to write their coursework assignments, and even dissertations and theses, for them.

Oh yes. A writer (even a not very good one) can certainly make a few quid engaging in unethical writing activities nowadays.

(I would point out that I don't engage in any of these unethical writing activities myself - but it's been very useful, from the point of view of my academic work, to find out just what students get up to when it comes to plagiarism)
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Stephen Theaker (Stephen_theaker)
Username: Stephen_theaker

Registered: 12-2009
Posted From: 77.98.13.43
Posted on Tuesday, January 24, 2012 - 01:51 pm:   

Nick Mamatas used to make a fair bit of cash doing stuff like that: http://www.thesmartset.com/article/article10100801.aspx

Looking around fiverr, it's funny to see that you can pay people to write your name on their bum and stuff like that.
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Stevie Walsh (Stephenw)
Username: Stephenw

Registered: 03-2009
Posted From: 194.32.31.1
Posted on Tuesday, January 24, 2012 - 04:18 pm:   

It always puzzles me the stigma supposedly reasonable people attach to women who prostitute their bodies for sex when, it can be argued, they are performing a social service (that really should be legalised, imo) that gives sexually deprived men an outlet for their frustrations, that otherwise might result in rape or worse, while people who prostitute their intellects for filthy lucre and allow someone else to pass the results off as their own work are seen as somehow entrepeneurial!
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Craig (Craig)
Username: Craig

Registered: 03-2008
Posted From: 99.126.164.88
Posted on Tuesday, January 24, 2012 - 04:47 pm:   

The body is a wholesale business. This is a good deal of the reason why it is so culturally/socially "regulated" throughout history: too much power in the hands of the - well - hands, can be dangerous to those who want to wield all the power.

Take our current society: generalizing, it's the norm to take one of two extremes - reserving sexual activity for social contracts (marriage, or other committed monogamous relationships), or "freely" passing out sexual favors until one agrees to the 1-on-1 contract (dating, one night stands, etc.).

But the third possibility is anathema: commoditizing sex. It's okay to pick someone up in a bar and go home and pass out sex for "free" and never see the person again - it's either a notch on the bedpost or fun-but-crazy or a stupid thing to do or a sad statement about that individual, and etc.; but it's all part of that wonderful bouncy ride we call being human (they'll say).

But once money changes hands... wickedness itself rears its head. Oh no. The powers that be, can't have that getting around.

Thoroughly insane rant of the day, complete.
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Carolinec (Carolinec)
Username: Carolinec

Registered: 06-2009
Posted From: 92.232.199.129
Posted on Tuesday, January 24, 2012 - 06:48 pm:   

So, with that argument Craig - using the selling academic work to students example, rather than the selling my body example (which I don't even want to think about, and I'm sure you don't either) - does that mean that if I wrote an essay on behalf of a student, for them to use as their own, but didn't charge them a penny for it, it would be considered ethical? Or am I misunderstanding what you're saying? Or am I talking utter nonsense as usual?

By the way, I agree with Stephen, there are some absolutely hilarious things you can buy for $5 on that site!
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Protodroid (Protodroid)
Username: Protodroid

Registered: 03-2008
Posted From: 109.79.128.221
Posted on Tuesday, January 24, 2012 - 10:33 pm:   

Five stars for a fiver is okay if you use a bit of imagination. Use the fiver to give five writers you hate one star reviews.

Stevie! [claps hands twice to the side of head] The list!
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Stevie Walsh (Stephenw)
Username: Stephenw

Registered: 03-2009
Posted From: 194.32.31.1
Posted on Wednesday, January 25, 2012 - 05:00 pm:   

1. Jeffrey Archer
2. Dan Brown
3. Barbara Carthorse
4. No!!!! I can't do this...
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Craig (Craig)
Username: Craig

Registered: 03-2008
Posted From: 99.126.164.88
Posted on Wednesday, January 25, 2012 - 05:59 pm:   

I would see nothing wrong, Caroline, in charging someone to read something of review... good or bad, though, not pre-determined.

Though, according to James Althucer, good reviews are worthless, overall: they sound like the choir preaching. He recommends getting bad reviews on your book, that somehow make the book look good - yes, he advocates some tweaking. But he says, if a review said, say, "This book is too gory, way too disgusting!" others might just tune in then, for that very reason.

Remember from a couple years back or so, those silly reviews pointing out the grammatical mistakes of that one author who was supposedly so awful?... Weber will remember. I think the whole thing was a joke anyway, from book to reviews, in that case.
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Carolinec (Carolinec)
Username: Carolinec

Registered: 06-2009
Posted From: 92.232.199.129
Posted on Wednesday, January 25, 2012 - 06:43 pm:   

>>I would see nothing wrong, Caroline, in charging someone to read something of review... good or bad, though, not pre-determined.<<

Oh, I agree there, Craig. It's just the fact that these people specify it must be a five-star review which annoys me - the pre-determined part you talk of.

Believe me, I've even seen people offering to write reviews for money when they haven't even used the product or read the book! That's a pure con in my opinion - trying to get people to buy based on fake reviews.

Personally, I don't trust reviews on sites like Amazon any more - they may be fake reviews which the product seller has paid for merely to boost sales.
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Weber (Weber_gregston)
Username: Weber_gregston

Registered: 03-2008
Posted From: 86.171.117.242
Posted on Wednesday, January 25, 2012 - 06:51 pm:   

I did notice once that a reviewer on Amazon had written over 3000 reviews in a matter of a few months and all of them appeared to be 5* reviews... A psychic warning told me not to trust her.
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Carolinec (Carolinec)
Username: Carolinec

Registered: 06-2009
Posted From: 92.232.199.129
Posted on Wednesday, January 25, 2012 - 09:36 pm:   

That was very nice of the psychic to warn you, Weber.

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