Tuesday, October 18, 2011

Looking for work...

No, I haven't lost my job.

I've been writing for Demand Media since last spring, but the number of available titles has dwindled down to nothing. This week, they announced that their top writers would get first dibs on new titles, and those titles wouldn't be available to those of us in the great unwashed for two days. Given that the number of titles has been mostly zero, I expect my writing over there is done.

Oddly, their management people decided on a grammar score of 4.0 (out of 5) as the cut off point. Mine has been at 3.8 since I started. Yes, that's right - I started at 3.8 and it hasn't changed since 2009, which is doubly odd since I actually began writing for them in April this year. Something smells fishy.

Also - and those of you who know me will find this somewhat out of character - I ruffled a few feathers when I called one of their editors an asshole. In his defense, I can say that he had both a natural inclination and a lot of effort going for him. Some people are born assholes while others struggle mightily to attain that status. This one did both. He is to be commended.

While I wasn't kicked out, I did get a sternly worded e-mail warning me to treat their editors with professional decorum, something I will observe scrupulously in the future...unless some twee pontificating little basta.....I get annoyed when someone who doesn't understand the technical aspects of electronic troubleshooting and repair tries to tell me how it should be done. It's kind of like having someone who can't drive attempt to design a superhighway, or someone who doesn't ride a bike trying to design a bike lane. Oh, wait, that latter bit is what we have already. Never mind.

So I'm looking for another writing venue, preferably one that deals in tech issues that are familiar, like soldering, trouble shooting, and computer repair. I'd even write about bicycle repair, but remember, my knowledge is woefully out of date! Besides, when it came to the idiosyncrasies of mid-1970s French bikes, the late Sheldon Brown had it covered.

If any of you can give me a nudge in the right direction, feel free to nudge.

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