Archive

July 2011

Browsing
Writing and SEO

Freelance Writing: Morgan Media Services Ltd., Legit or Scam?

I came across a job posting searching for freelance writers at Craigslist weeks ago and thought of sending in my application. The supposed writing position was intended for experienced writers and rewriters and the promised payment was $0.0175 to $0.025 per word for unique articles and $0.025 to $0.0175 per word for rewritten articles. My application was met with a positive response – I received a response email from a certain Valerie Kermann and was given further details about the position and job description. I was then told to send an email to her supposed colleague who went by the name Victoria Douglas.

The email from Victoria contained a .pdf attachment which included instructions about my first assignment. I was asked to write 30 articles, which was to be returned back after 14 days of receipt. Wary of the large volume of initial assignment, I tried Googling Morgan Media Services, Ltd. and the names of people behind it but did not find much information that can assure me of the company’s legitimacy. I did find a website bearing the name of Morgan Media Services, Ltd. but it said the site was under maintenance.

Despite having second thoughts about the legitimacy of the company, I went on writing the articles, which were mostly reviews about an online gambling site. When I had finished 15 of the 30 assigned articles, I came across a posting at Craigslist warning other writers about the scam activities of Morgan Media Services.



I emailed the poster and asked for more details about the information she has gathered about the company. She said she found out that the website (which was supposedly under maintenance) was created only weeks before and the Whois information of the site contained information that was way too different from the information supplied to her by the people who contacted her about the writing assignment. She also said she found a facebook page bearing the name of Morgan Media Services, Ltd. but it was in Arabic, contrary to the claims of Valerie and Victoria that their office is located in London. Lastly, she said there is no such place as Westbrookshield in London, the address where Valerie and Victoria said their office was located.

My warning alert heightened upon receiving this information from the Craigslist poster. I sent a message to Victoria asking more details about payment for the project. Her response was less than professional, although she did answer my question. She didn’t sound professional to me at all, not like the way a real manager would respond to people she has contact with.

That email sealed my belief that the company may indeed be fictitious and not legit. I stopped writing the articles and waited until the supposed deadline. The deadline has passed but I have not received any correspondence from them asking me about the articles they have assigned to me. A legit company wouldn’t just disappear without a word, right? If they don’t hear from their writers on or after the agreed date of submission, they usually send emails asking about progress of the projects.

I am not certain whether Morgan Media Services, Ltd. is indeed a scam. I am just sharing my experience with this company to my fellow freelance writers so they might also be aware of the possible consequences that may befall them if they write for this company. If there is someone out there who has a positive experience with Morgan Media Services, Ltd. and who can vouch its legitimacy, please let us know.

Keep Reading
By
Pets

Illnesses and Diseases That Can Affect Dogs

Dogs are prone to contracting certain diseases and disorders at any stage of their life. Like the health conditions experienced by humans, these dog illnesses and diseases can affect canines at varying degrees – some can be mild while others may put the life of the animal at extreme risk. In both instances, it is important that dogs are given proper attention and medication once any irregularity in their health is noticed.

There are quite a number of health conditions that can affect dogs. Some of them are listed below.

Canine Arthritis

Canine arthritis is a degenerative joint disease that can affect dogs regardless of age and breed. It is characterized by severe pain in the dog’s joints, leading to the extreme discomfort of the animal. Canine arthritis can come in various forms and may be caused by a number of different factors. Treatment can vary depending on the type of arthritis that is present. Forms of dog arthritis include hip dysplasia, osteoarthritis, elbow dysplasia, hypertrophic dog arthritis, knee dysplasia, osteochondrosis, and degeneration of the shoulders.

Canine Urinary Tract Infection

This is one of the most common diseases that can affect dogs of all breeds and age. The main culprit behind this condition is bacteria that have penetrated the dog’s urinary system. Canine UTI is a highly treatable disease but it may also be fatal, particularly when not treated at the soonest possible time. UTI in dogs can lead to a number of complications that may be extremely harmful to these furry pets.

Canine Liver Disease

This is one of the most serious diseases that may affect dogs. Dogs having this condition may die anytime if left untreated. Unfortunately, the condition is not often diagnosed at its earlier stages because dogs with this health problem may not show signs or symptoms, or if they do, the symptoms may be so subtle to be noticed by the pet owners.

Dog Seizures

Seizures in dogs often result from sudden abnormal neurological functions in the brain. This disorder can come in several types, each of which may be caused by a number of reasons and characterized by different symptoms. Some factors that may lead to seizure disorders in dogs include brain tumor, canine distemper virus, epilepsy, toxins, hypoxemia, hypoglycemia, liver disease, urinary disease, hyperkalemia, gastrointestinal disease, and Lyme disease to name a few. The different types of seizures in dogs are fused into two main categories, namely, focal and generalized seizures. Focal seizures affect only a certain part of the dog’s body while generalized seizures can affect the animal’s entire body.

Dog Mange

Dog mange is a type of skin disease in canines. The main reason behind this condition is the presence of termites in the dog’s skin. The termites burrow deep into the skin, causing dogs to experience extreme itching and discomfort. Pain may be felt by the dog and noticeable patches of dry, scaly skin may develop. The dry skin may worsen and develop into tiny wounds that secrete pus. Dog mange is a highly contagious dog disease. It may affect other mammals, such as humans. For more information about this disease, read Dog Mange: What is It and How It Affect Dogs?

Keep Reading
By
Writing and SEO

Freelance Writing: Scammed by a Client! Warning Signs That a Client May Scam You

For the first time in my freelance writing career, I have been scammed by an individual posting as a prospect client for my writing services. This fictitious character dropped me a message asking for my rates to which I diligently replied, not thinking for a second that he might be a hoax.

The client first asked if I could write articles about diamonds. When I answered yes, he then proceeded to ask about the rates of my services. When I told him my rates, he asked if I could lower it a little as he would be ordering in bulk of 10 articles and he was low on budget. I told him I don’t often give discounts but I could lower my rates to $8 a piece for him. He then replied if I could produce the articles within 24 hours. His reply sent a warning shot through my veins and I immediately replied that 10 articles within 24 hours and with that kind of rate I was giving him were impossible. I told him that if he really wanted to have the articles within 24 hours, I might be able to make some arrangements but he would also be required to pay additional fees for the expedite processing or production of the articles he ordered.

The fake client continued to make negotiations for his supposed articles and in the end, agreed to order only 1 article to be submitted within a 24-hour time frame.

I wrote the article and managed to submit it on the agreed time and billed the client for it. The fake client replied to my email telling me that he was processing payment and the money may be reflected in my Paypal account soon.

Days passed and no money entered into my Paypal account. I contacted the fake client and reminded him of his dues to which he readily replied that he would arrange the payment on the next day. The next day came and still no payment was made. So, I contacted him again, trying not to lose my patience and rant through email. He again replied and told me that he would process the payment by Friday (I emailed him on a Wednesday).

I waited until Friday only to learn that still no payment had been made. Saturday and Sunday passed without a word from the fake client. Come Monday, I sent him another email telling him that if he will not send payment for the article, I would publish it on one of my websites and he would not be allowed to use it for his own purposes. Again, he replied that he would process payment as soon as possible.

Another week came to pass and no payment was made. It was a bad experience for me. All writers know how hard it is to write a piece of article and not to be compensated for the effort afterwards. It wasn’t just an article written out of hurry. It was well-researched and well-written like an informational, high quality article should be.

This experience made me learn the following lessons:

  1. An email that goes into your spam folder is likely to be spam. I actually found the email of the fake client on my spam folder but thought that it must have been a mistake so I moved it into my inbox and proceeded in making a reply to his queries. I know. That was silly of me. I should have known better.
  2. A lowballing client may be a scammer. I have clients that have no problem with the rates I am giving and I love them! They pay well and right on time. Clients who low-ball providers, however, seem to take some time before they are able to pay what they owe their writers or providers and they seem to pay only after several proddings and email reminders.
  3. When a client asks for a number of articles within a 24-hour time frame or within such a short period of time, take it as a warning sign. Don’t trust.

These are only some of the warning signs that a client may scam you. There may be more. If you have also been scammed by a client before, you may leave a comment and share to us your experience with scammers posing as legitimate clients. 

Keep Reading
By
Pets

Causes of Fever in Dogs

Dogs have always been regarded as man’s best friend and like humans, they can suffer from certain diseases that can affect their overall health conditions. One of the most common health problems that may affect dogs is fever, although oftentimes, owners may not likely notice this condition in their pets.

Dog fever can be caused by a number of factors. Some of these include:

  • Infection. Dogs are susceptible to infections that can affect any part of their body. The infections may be bacterial, fungal, or viral. Depending on the type of organism that has caused the infection, different kinds of symptoms may be experienced by the dog. Types of infection that may lead to high fever in dogs include lung infection, kidney infection, and brain infection.
  • Diseases of the immune system.  Sometimes, a dog may suffer from certain immune diseases, leading to high fever.  
  • Vaccination. This can cause a certain reaction in the pet’s immune system. Fever occurs as a result of the body’s reaction to the drugs or vaccine injected into the animal’s body.
  • Inflammation. Sometimes, the fever may be caused by inflammation occurring in certain parts of the dog’s body.
  • Cancer or neoplasia. This is one of the worst causes of fever in dogs. Cancer can come in many forms and may affect particular parts of the dog’s body, including the bone marrow, blood, kidneys, liver, lung, and virtually any organ of the animal’s body.
  • Idiopathic causes. Also known as “fever of unknown origin” or FUO. When a dog is said to have fever due to idiopathic causes, this means that the reason behind the condition cannot be determined. The dog may be suffering from certain underlying causes that remain unknown to the owner or to the examining veterinarian even after several tests have been administered.



Canine temperature is naturally high, that is why it can be difficult for a pet owner to determine whether the pet is suffering from fever or not. A dog’s normal temperature is in the range of 101 – 102.5 degrees Fahrenheit as compared to the human normal temperature of 97.6 – 99.6 degrees Fahrenheit. To determine whether a dog has fever, the owner or the vet may look for symptoms or may use a digital thermometer to check abnormalities in the animal’s temperature. The digital thermometer is often inserted into the animal’s rectum for an accurate or near-accurate reading of its body temperature.

Keep Reading
By
Pin It
Verified by MonsterInsights