Every so often I go through local classified job postings to see if there are any easy jobs I could do for some extra cash, but sometimes you can tell just by the description the project is going to be more hassle than it’s worth. Look:

Like Twitter, Digg, and Facebook? Want to create something similar but unique and profitable? I’m an experienced web designer embarking on a new social media/publishing project that will likely need a custom build. I’m good with CSS, HTML, and Graphic Design, but I need a creative, enthusiastic database programmer to work with ASP.NET, JQuery, or equivalent tools to build out this site (If you’re into Ruby on Rails, we can talk, but you’ll need to be convincing). This is a side-project for me and the site is being built completely from scratch, so payment up front is negotiable but not likely. Ad revenue and profit sharing will definitely be a part of our relationship as we work on this exciting project. It will look great in a portfolio! To learn more about the project, please contact me at

Notice the requirements for the position? “a creative, enthusiastic database programmer to work with ASP.NET, JQuery, or equivalent tools to build out this site (If you’re into Ruby on Rails, we can talk, but you’ll need to be convincing).” First, none of those languages have anything to do with databases. Second, ASP.NET and RoR are server-side languages and JQuery is a Javascript library that’s client-side. I don’t think he has any idea what he needs.

Ad revenue and profit sharing? Sounds like 4 weeks of work for $4. Not interested!