Anyone hear of or write for Nimble Media?

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mellimello

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Hi all!
I'm wondering if anyone has any experience writing for SEO content site Nimble Media? They are looking for writers to blog for their clients and run the social media. I've gotten a few emails into the interview process and now they want a trial article: work for free. I am strongly opposed to this so I'm wondering if anyone has info. THANK YOU! !
 

strictlytopsecret

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I've not heard of Nimble Media, but I just heard two red flags: SEO content (generally equates to abysmal reimbursement you could barely call "pay") and unpaid "trial" articles. Neither bode well.

Not sure if this is the same organization, but you might want to look at this. Could be an Elancer subbing out gigs and taking a cut.

If it were me, he wouldn't be getting any free articles. Maybe you could send him a few clips from pieces you've already written and see how he responds.

Good luck with your decision!

EDIT: Yah. It's the same guy that's on Elance that posted on WriteJobs. Link here. I don't know about his pay rates, but you could look through his Elance profile and maybe gather some more info that way. He has earned about 40k on Elance and has a 5 star rating from his clients there. One of the comments indicates his client handed over more than 250 blogs to be written in a short time, and he did the job for $3300. That's about $13 each. Even if he only takes 20% off the top, that would net the writer only a little over ten bucks.
 
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andiwrite

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The name sounds very familiar. I'm pretty sure I was in the process of applying for them a while ago but was turned off when I saw they were requiring some free work. I work for free for no one.
 

mellimello

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Exactly. I have numerous samples on my site. It irks me to no end when potential clients ask for free content. And the clincher is they've got the job posting up all over hell and creation so you KNOW they are getting loads of freebies from writers. It's absolute BS. Thanks for your input guys, I appreciate it. I think it's important to post these potential clients' names because when writers do searches to find out if these people are scamming, they'll encounter this info and stop the cycle of providing free content. Value your work people!!
 
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mellimello

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Thanks for that Elance info. Another BS site that promotes working for slave wages. Ridiculous. As soon as he said "trial article" my ears pricked up. I have a post on my site in which I let writers know about scams I've uncovered, hence the looking for info on Nimble Media. They were asking for 3 blog posts a week, not sure of the length, plus ongoing management of a site's total social media presence: fb, twitter, linkedin... all for $500 a month: peanuts. That sounds like a full time job to me!! Jesus....
 

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Avoid Nimble Media!!

Hi everyone, I realize this an older thread, but I had to comment on it. I worked for Nimble Media a few years ago after answering an ad on Elance. I was offered a content writing position that seemed lucrative, but when the owner realized I had editing experience, he bumped me up to managing editor. After that, this man revealed his true colors. I was expected to be available 24/7, had completely unrealistic deadlines, wasn't ever allowed to sign out of Skype, and during the time I was editor, he fired over 35 people, including writers, other editors, and assistants for minor infractions. Then, I was expected to both write and edit over 18 hours a day because "that was my job." When the head editor dropped the ball on his work, he told the owner he'd given the work to me. I was out buying my daughter a birthday cake when he called, screamed at me loud enough for everyone around me to hear about how "unreliable" I was, (this was after over 6 months of busting my hump for the man,) and then fired me without ever letting me tell him about the lie the head editor had told. Avoid Nimble Media, David Tile, and Jacob Rigdon at all costs!
 

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I know this is an old thread, but I have to bump it to add my experience and urge all Freelance writers everywhere to NEVER WRITE FOR NIMBLE MEDIA (I'm sorry to shout, but I really, really feel passionately about this). I was hired to write several articles on Elance. I got paid quite well and everything was fine. Then I was hired to write several more articles. The money wasn't placed in Escrow but Nimble Media demanded the articles ASAP, so I hurried them off and sent them to him (I know I was foolish, and I'd never do it now; but I've only recently started out, and he was a repeat client, so I trusted him and I wanted to make him happy).

Now, here I am weeks later. I've not been paid. The money I was owed was to be the significant part of my income for this month, so I'm badly out of pocket. Because the money wasn't placed in Escrow, my only option is to take him to arbitration, which costs more than I can afford. And now, checking back through his long history, I've found out he has form of not paying, and of leaving negative feedback when people actually do take him through arbitration and insist on payment.

I'm going to have to accept that this money is gone. It's too late for me to avoid the quagmire of Nimble Media. But I can do my moral duty to all other freelancers.

Please, don't work for Nimble Media. He'll offer good rates. He may even pay you once. But then you'll end up like me: out-of-pocket and p'ed off.

Sorry about the rant. I just had to get it off my chest. I haven't told anyone else how he cheated me. I've been too ashamed.
 

herdon

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I'm not really familiar with Elance. The whole escrow-arbitration situation sounds very anti-writer if it costs money. I wouldn't work with Elance if they charged for getting money from clients who were unwilling to pay.
 

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Hi Herdon,

Believe me, I wouldn't work through Elance if the other offers were exactly pouring in at the moment, but they're not. And I didn't initially realise it would cost me money to take him to arbitration. But there's three levels of dispute-resolution on Elance. The first two are free, but you can only do them if the money was placed in Escrow first. For a cheating SOB like him (and a naïve idiot like me) the only option is arbitration, for which the Freelancer pays 1/3, the Client pays 1/3 and Elance pays 1/3 ($291 each). And you're right. It's very anti-writer (or anti-freelancer) if you have to pay to get money that's owed to you from a client who is unwilling to pay.
 
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herdon

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What happens at the end of arbitration? Does the loser pay all of the fees from the other two? If so and if you have a good record of the work, you might think about it. If what is owed is less than the arbitration costs, he could just give it to you to keep from paying the fee.
 
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