Internet Scams Lurk Everywhere! - Allpoetry.com
by 
Georgia Stewart
June 04, 2008
Georgia Stewart
June 04, 2008
When I first got the internet I was extremely naïve. I was utterly unsuspecting that behind the screen lay in wait half of the population of the world with one aim only, to con me. I’m an intelligent, thick person!
One day I had ten minutes to spare and encountered a poetry competition. I hadn’t written poetry for years but threw an assortment of words at the page for something to do.
Some weeks later a beautiful, professional looking envelope with a blue quill and my poem printed on the front arrived saying that they were publishing my poem in a beautiful hard backed book. I was over the moon (I told you, intelligently thick!). The letter contained lashings of praise about my talent as a poet, said that I was a unique writer with incredible insight and vision and that I have the best legs they’ve ever seen. I added that part but they may as well have said it!
Well I ordered the book though I couldn’t afford it, yes I hear you laughing, groaning or sympathising. I proudly showed it to my friends and family and thankfully they’re still not aware that I was duped. Duped because I, as a writer, shouldn’t have to pay to see my own words in print! Perhaps I should have appreciated their invite to America as a VIP poet at a poetry reading and the fact that they promised me everything but the crown jewels except that I couldn’t afford to get there and now shudder to think what I wouldn’t have found there had I gone.
Yet all is not lost for I have my book and it’s a very attractive book of good quality. When reading the other poems I discovered a link in a poets profile to Allpoetry which I became a member of in late 2004 and have spent many happy hours there.
It would’ve been better if I’d discovered Allpoetry first but I’m thankful to Poetry.com for teaching me about the scams that lurk around every virtual corner and for giving me an extreme amount of confidence in my writing abilities. Since I entered their competition I haven’t ceased from writing!
Tags: Internet , Poetry , Competition , Publishing , Con
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