Comments on: Writing scam of yore

By: Outtacontext

Outtacontext — Fri, 09 Dec 2011 18:09:00 +0000

The similarity in looks is pretty amazing. No Photoshoping, Cory?

By: artaxerxes

artaxerxes — Fri, 09 Dec 2011 10:34:00 +0000

Facts FREE.

Is the copy-writer too old to campaign for the Rethug nomination? It seems he has many of the strengths required to be a beholden, sold-out, right-wing puppet in the White House.

By: pjcamp

pjcamp — Fri, 09 Dec 2011 03:37:00 +0000

“Do I need to grow a mustache?”

No, but you might need a bigger banana.

By: Greekster

Greekster — Thu, 08 Dec 2011 21:21:00 +0000

They have this today. It’s called The Examiner and CNN’s iReport. I can’t believe so few see the irony in this.

By: jimh

jimh — Thu, 08 Dec 2011 21:17:00 +0000

Modern day Yelp reviews, and/or astroturf comments!
No tedious study!

By: Navin_Johnson

Navin_Johnson — Thu, 08 Dec 2011 16:12:00 +0000

“Fadil’s Salon” it looks like now, unless it was one of the apartments upstairs….

By: Deidzoeb

Deidzoeb — Thu, 08 Dec 2011 15:33:00 +0000

Let me guess. The short paragraphs that you write are along the lines of “Hundreds of untrained authors make money writing short paragraphs. Join them. No training needed….” You post that short paragraph in a newspaper and rake in money sent by suckers. You tell them to write the same ad in the newspaper….

By: Michael Walsh

Michael Walsh — Thu, 08 Dec 2011 15:18:00 +0000

I live near 6216 Clark Street in Chicago, and it is a three story building over a dry cleaners today. And to think that it was for a time the very center of the literary world! It would do even better today, since a Dunkin Donuts has been built next door.

By: rabidpotatochip

rabidpotatochip — Thu, 08 Dec 2011 14:49:00 +0000

Great post! Really, I loved it! Great informations!

By: OtherMichael

OtherMichael — Thu, 08 Dec 2011 14:17:00 +0000

Classified ad-writers?

Craigslist-poster-manqué?

By: dainel

dainel — Thu, 08 Dec 2011 13:59:00 +0000

This promised dream has actually been realized (many times over). Millions of untrained authors write short paragraphs (blogs), and they earn real money. No training needed. (Skip the editors part). Many small checks. Does not quite add up to worthwhile. Addwords, Amazon referals, etc, does not add up to much. But I would say that for (a lot more than) hundreds, they actually do earn a lot of money.

By: Lobster

Lobster — Thu, 08 Dec 2011 13:45:00 +0000

Derp.

By: Lobster

Lobster — Thu, 08 Dec 2011 13:45:00 +0000

Then he’d have to pay the guy twice as much.

By: Paul Renault

Paul Renault — Thu, 08 Dec 2011 12:46:00 +0000

No one’s noticed that the ad copy is ONE paragraph?

Couldn’t he have split it in two?

By: RJ

RJ — Thu, 08 Dec 2011 11:38:00 +0000

I still read Boing Boing everyday and expect journalistic originality.

“Journalistic originality.”
hic

By: tw1515tw

tw1515tw — Thu, 08 Dec 2011 09:37:00 +0000

Should be “How to make money writing DRM-free paragraphs”

By: googoogjoob

googoogjoob — Thu, 08 Dec 2011 08:33:00 +0000

five years ago, i was a four-stone apology

today, i am two separate short paragraphs

By: lucero

lucero — Thu, 08 Dec 2011 05:50:00 +0000

a Young John Wayne Gacy, before the name change and the advent of contact lenses

By: jeligula

jeligula — Thu, 08 Dec 2011 04:48:00 +0000

The mustache would not only increase your price per paragraph, Cory, but you would also get more per speaking engagement. Robert Jordan got nary a nickel for his writing until the advent of the ‘stache. After that, publishers couldn’t get enough of him. And I have evidence of the fact that had L. Ron Hubbard grew one, he would have retained his sanity. It’s up to you.

By: journey46

journey46 — Thu, 08 Dec 2011 04:46:00 +0000

Education 101=
Education of any sort is rarely free in a money based world.
So why knock or spoof the Benson Barrett’s of the world ?
(unless the “sell” causes a worldwide financial meltdown)
Immature human beings need to have their immature brains fooled daily.
Should the Benson Barrett’s of the world suffer indignity or embarrassment in delivering their message of tough love ?
Who is or was the real Benson Barrett ?
Can the contributor do a search of this man and write a story about his life and this particular advert ?
That would be journalism, not pop journalism.
The contributor’s effort might even make a good movie like that Hanks/DiCapprio thingy.
Personally, if my parents had only let me order the Xray glasses or Playboy magazine when I was 10 I think my life may have been very different.
But probably not.
I still read Boing Boing everyday and expect journalistic originality.
So probably not.

Where are Bukowski and HST when ya need them ?

By: nosehat

nosehat — Thu, 08 Dec 2011 04:38:00 +0000

Ah the Demand Media of yore!

By: invictus

invictus — Thu, 08 Dec 2011 03:54:00 +0000

Just look at Cory discovering the Vintage Ads LJ community. Just look at it!

By: xenphilos

xenphilos — Thu, 08 Dec 2011 03:49:00 +0000

Ahem, I give you nega-Doctorow.

By: ill lich

ill lich — Thu, 08 Dec 2011 03:13:00 +0000

Sure, you can make good money writing short paragraphs, but will it make you happy? The look on his face says “no.”

By: voiceinthedistance

voiceinthedistance — Thu, 08 Dec 2011 02:52:00 +0000

It’s all right there in black and baby blue:

Facts.

Just, plain facts.

By: Teller

Teller — Thu, 08 Dec 2011 02:41:00 +0000

Ship movements. If you’re good, obits.

By: tristan eldritch

tristan eldritch — Thu, 08 Dec 2011 02:26:00 +0000

I like to think when I anthropomorphize spammers that they look just like that schmucky guy: “Great post! Really, I loved it! Great informations!” Thanks, Benson.

By: EH

EH — Thu, 08 Dec 2011 02:12:00 +0000

“What’d you call me?”

By: Chuck

Chuck — Thu, 08 Dec 2011 02:10:00 +0000

You can find that guy down at the local bar, complaining to no end about how Don “tiny little ads” Lapre stole his idea.

By: freshacconci

freshacconci — Thu, 08 Dec 2011 02:01:00 +0000

You have to admit, Benson Barrett is an excellent name.