Post by LIFE AND DEATH on May 14, 2005 17:58:46 GMT -5
Scams.
As long as human beings have needs, there will be a scam to exploit te needs. They are everywhere, and they are not going away anytime soon. It also helps, if the people you are trying to scam are quite gullible…Like poets.
It could be our free spirit, could be our “Make the world a better place” utopian views, or it could be the fact that we are just starving – starving for exposure, starving for recognition, starving for money, and just straight up starving. Whatever it is, there is no shortage of scams in the poetic world.
Non-Scams
How do you spot a scam? A non-scam? If you get out of the deal what you were expecting to get, then it’s not a scam. If you don’t, then it is. For instance, if Urbanlivez.com says send your CD’s to get radio airplay on the urbanlivez radio station – and you do, but the radio station is down 99% of the time (Ahem, Ahem!) then it’s a scam. Maybe an unintentional scam, but a scam. However, if the radio station is up and running and you are getting the rotation you were promised, then it’s not a scam. Understand? These kind of unintentional non-scams are, what I consider to be, unavoidable and out of your control. When the second party flops on their part of the bargain it’s not your fault. And of course, you can always file suit against their ass to get your CD back (Ahem, Ahem!!) Your best defense against this kind of scam is to talk to other poets that have done it and get some feedback first.
Real-Scams
The hunger for exposure is what drives many poets to suspend judgment and buy into do the “Publish Your Poetry Contest” schemes. It’s also how I got you to read this column.
There are thousands of these scams of the web; I think I have at least 15 different ones in my hotmail inbox right now. The claim is either for unreal amounts of money – all you have to do is sign over the rights to your poetry to enter the contest. Or they offer to put your work in extremely popular, well known, classically bound Poetry Collection novels “IF” you win. Yea right.
The first thing you have to do is submit your e-mail (First part of the scam, as they sale your e-mail address to the America’s Most Gullible list.) then you submit your work to the contest. Then you receive your “YOU’VE WON!” e-mail (Because everybody wins.). And all you have to do is give $25.00 to get your work into an extremely popular, well known, classically bound Poetry Collection novel. And for another $100.00 they will actually send you a copy of the extremely popular, well known, classically bound Poetry Collection novel. They also offer personalized spine’s for another $50.00, and will print more of your poetry for another $25.00, and will even put your biography in the publication for another $50.00. I’ve never seen one of these books – probably because most poets are skeptical enough not go to through with it, but also because they just flat out don’t send the books, after you send in the money. Besides, your e-mail address is a lot more valuable to them anyway.
All because poets want so badly to be able to call themselves “Published Poets”.
If it looks to good to be true, it probably is
The Starving Poet
As long as human beings have needs, there will be a scam to exploit te needs. They are everywhere, and they are not going away anytime soon. It also helps, if the people you are trying to scam are quite gullible…Like poets.
It could be our free spirit, could be our “Make the world a better place” utopian views, or it could be the fact that we are just starving – starving for exposure, starving for recognition, starving for money, and just straight up starving. Whatever it is, there is no shortage of scams in the poetic world.
Non-Scams
How do you spot a scam? A non-scam? If you get out of the deal what you were expecting to get, then it’s not a scam. If you don’t, then it is. For instance, if Urbanlivez.com says send your CD’s to get radio airplay on the urbanlivez radio station – and you do, but the radio station is down 99% of the time (Ahem, Ahem!) then it’s a scam. Maybe an unintentional scam, but a scam. However, if the radio station is up and running and you are getting the rotation you were promised, then it’s not a scam. Understand? These kind of unintentional non-scams are, what I consider to be, unavoidable and out of your control. When the second party flops on their part of the bargain it’s not your fault. And of course, you can always file suit against their ass to get your CD back (Ahem, Ahem!!) Your best defense against this kind of scam is to talk to other poets that have done it and get some feedback first.
Real-Scams
The hunger for exposure is what drives many poets to suspend judgment and buy into do the “Publish Your Poetry Contest” schemes. It’s also how I got you to read this column.
There are thousands of these scams of the web; I think I have at least 15 different ones in my hotmail inbox right now. The claim is either for unreal amounts of money – all you have to do is sign over the rights to your poetry to enter the contest. Or they offer to put your work in extremely popular, well known, classically bound Poetry Collection novels “IF” you win. Yea right.
The first thing you have to do is submit your e-mail (First part of the scam, as they sale your e-mail address to the America’s Most Gullible list.) then you submit your work to the contest. Then you receive your “YOU’VE WON!” e-mail (Because everybody wins.). And all you have to do is give $25.00 to get your work into an extremely popular, well known, classically bound Poetry Collection novel. And for another $100.00 they will actually send you a copy of the extremely popular, well known, classically bound Poetry Collection novel. They also offer personalized spine’s for another $50.00, and will print more of your poetry for another $25.00, and will even put your biography in the publication for another $50.00. I’ve never seen one of these books – probably because most poets are skeptical enough not go to through with it, but also because they just flat out don’t send the books, after you send in the money. Besides, your e-mail address is a lot more valuable to them anyway.
All because poets want so badly to be able to call themselves “Published Poets”.
If it looks to good to be true, it probably is
The Starving Poet