Keeping Tabs #17: Dubai defamation, new freelance resources, a focus playlist, and broken SEO
A weekly dose of news, views and things I’ve learned
Hi folks! I’ve had a week over here of big deadlines amid solo parenting and a surprise hospital admission for my son (he’s OK now). Unsurprisingly, I’ve read less than I usually do this week, but there was still plenty that caught my eye.
Here goes…
💸 First up, the wonderful
tagged me in a post this week on LinkedIn that’s incredibly useful for freelancers, so sharing it here. has put together an epic resource with recent rates for 300+ global publications. It’s a database where freelancers have included rates they were recently paid, plus how long it took for it to appear in their bank account. It also includes a few from our region!🌐 I also came across a revamped version of Placed by
, a resource for freelancers and editors around the world to chat directly about their pitches and call-outs. It’s pretty new – there was an older version I’d seen but the creator has completely redone it – so there aren’t many users, but it has potential. I signed up and am just figuring out how to use the free version. Let me know if you’re on it too!🤖 A report came out this week about more than 4,000 fake news websites powered by generative AI being set up to game Google Discover and search. They’re largely in French, but at least 100 in English, and this could be “the tip of the iceberg”, said investigative journalist Jean-Marc Manach. From Press Gazette:
“The creators of the fake news sites, which spew AI-written articles plaigiarised from other sites or which are simply made up, are largely search engine optimisation experts.”
So, there you have it, SEO is broken. Publishers need to get over this whole AI overview thing (mentioned in Keeping Tabs #16) and find new ways to get discovered, pronto, lest we completely drown in fake news.
📝 Speaking of AI (which I often am) – there’s a new essay prize contest by
and it’s asking you to answer the following question in 2,000 to 10,000 words: “How might current and emerging technologies best be mobilised to secure perpetual peace?” The winner will receive US$10,000 and submissions are due by September 1. An intriguing question and one I’ll have to ponder on.🫸 I’ve been testing large language models this past couple of weeks as well, to see which one is the best, instead of simply relying on ChatGPT. I discounted using Grok, since it’s Elon and all, but I’d love to know what you use and why you chose it (whether for a reason or by default!). Please comment below. A comparison post is coming soon!
🧠 Are you neurodivergent? Motley Bloom (a collective focused on “neurodivergent-first living”) is requesting pitches for its magazine from ND writers for first-person essays on how you handle organisation, as well as a more reported piece on the topic.
👋 Speaking of ADHD (because that’s a neurodivergence, in case you didn’t know), I’ve been listening to this work focus playlist from Spotify on loop this week and it’s really helping me push through boring jobs! Highly recommend if you, like me, tend to procrastinate when there’s something you don’t want to do.
👀 Oh and then there’s this post, which was shared by fellow Desert Prose member and Substacker
. I won’t spoil it for you – just flick through the carousel and be stunned by the audacity. (Note: the first part of the caption should read: “A couple who recently visited #Dubai had the internet shocked for the way their trip ended.”)🗞️ Meanwhile, are you a magazine hoarder? I certainly am – I’ve been collecting them since I can remember (literally got boxes of Bunty and Beano comics at my parents’ place). Well, I got targeted by this story about things worth money in your home, and it includes old magazines. Some special editions can go for as much as $300 or more on eBay. Other things worth money? VHS tapes. Cookie jars. Original Tupperware. A whole bunch of stuff you might have lying around. A new side hustle?
Thank you so much for sharing Placed!!!
Appreciate the plug for the essay contest!