I tend to take a lot of flak for some of the things I write, but I’ve found that most people don’t read the articles and immediately jump to comment after only reading the headline. This has resulted in a myriad of accusations and more that I’m hoping to kill with this FAQ.
Should I comment without reading the article?
No. Please read the article before you jump out and tell me I’m wrong about something. In almost every case, I’ve already addressed your concern in my article, so all you need to do is read it.
Can I still comment if I have something to add?
Sure! I love to engage with my readers, so please let me know your thoughts. If you find anything that’s incorrect, please let me know so I can issue a correction. Sadly, this occasionally happens in this industry, and I don’t want anything incorrect to remain out there.
How do you rank things?
Most of the negative comments I get are because people don’t agree with my rankings. That’s never going to change, as everyone has their own opinions. When I rank something, I don’t do it based on my personal opinion. Instead, I aggregate data from at least three sources to determine the order in which I rank something. That way, it’s as objective as possible and has nothing to do with my personal opinion on anything. I developed my ranking system based on work I did in the Army, and it’s worked well for my writing. Regardless, people love to call me an idiot or claim that I use AI because they don’t like the order in which I’ve ranked something.
Do you use AI in your writing?
Absolutely not. That’s grounds for termination from every site I’ve ever written for. Everything I write comes from me, and I will never use AI in my writing.
Why don’t you have the article text on your posts?
I don’t own the vast majority of articles I’ve written. As a freelancer, the site that publishes them owns the text, so while I can link to each article, I cannot include the article copy. Doing so could potentially take eyeballs and clicks away from the sites that employ freelance writers, and I don’t want to do that. Also, because I don’t own the text, I’m not legally allowed to include it. I’ve had a few nasty comments complaining that the text isn’t included, but there’s always a link to the article, so please follow that, and you’ll be able to read what I’ve written.
You have some dead links … do you want me to tell you?
Yes, please let me know if a link is dead. I’ve written for sites that are now defunct, and most of these links are likely dead. If you bring them to my attention, I may be able to find a copy in the Wayback Machine or another Internet archive. Telling me helps get this taken care of, and since I’ve written thousands of articles, I don’t have the time to go through and verify my links.
Do you offer guest posts?
Not at all. This website is my personal portfolio, and I’ve written every article I’ve posted here. It wouldn’t make sense to feature another writer’s work on my portfolio, so I won’t do this under any circumstances.
Will you publish something I’ve written under your name?
Absolutely not. This is plagiarism, pure and simple, and I will not entertain this request. I will immediately block anyone who asks this of me, and yes, it happens several times a week.
Do you work for Listverse?
No, I am not an employee of Listverse, though I am displayed prominently as one of the site’s featured writers. This could change in time, as I don’t write for the site as often as I used to. Because I’m not an employee, I cannot help you with the editing or pitching process. I cannot see whether your article is under consideration, nor do I have any insight into this process. I don’t work there, never have, and am a freelancer like everyone else on the site.
Can you offer any advice about writing online?
Yes, I can and do often offer advice when asked, but I don’t always have the time. I wrote a book on this very subject because, during COVID, I was asked for help by around 4-5 people every day, and it became impossible to get any work done or help folks out. I will always offer advice when I can, but if I’m not able to do so, it’s probably because I’m swamped with other tasks.
Can you help me get a writing job somewhere?
Unfortunately, no. I used to recruit for Static Media and helped hire dozens of writers, but I no longer work in that department. My best advice for finding writing jobs is to apply for as many as you can on sites like Mediabistro, LinkedIn, and Indeed.
Can you help me with my resume?
I don’t have the time or necessary skills to help people with their resumes, which are vital in finding writing work. Most sites require them, so I definitely suggest you have one. While I can’t help you directly, I reviewed thousands of resumes and cover letters during my stint as a recruiter and have some insights. Instead of helping people directly, I’m pasting my resume below, which was updated in December 2024. I’ve redacted some personal information, but everything else is available. Here’s one tip I can definitely recommend: include links to your work. Here’s my resume:
