This a a redacted conversation from another online networking site over a call for contributors which has also gone out on Tripatini. I felt it might be useful for freelancers to see before deciding whether to act on the call.

We have a new Luxury Lifestyle mag launching in January and are looking for a travel writer who focuses on the luxury end of the market. If you are interested drop me an email to ned@kiakahamedia.com

6 days ago

• Hi Ned, my agency represents a travel company that offers luxury hotel barge cruising throughout Europe. The topic may be of interest to you for a future article. Meanwhile, we work with a number freelance writers to whom I would like to mention this opportunity. Can you send me some more info?

Mario

• Totally my kind of writing! I'm sending you an email now.Inka

5 days ago

Hi

Mine too!

I am UK-based and would be happy to look at potential involvement, if feasible and relevant.

Be in touch shortly

Karl

5 days ago

• Ned, hope you got my first e-mail, which said I am ready and willing to write about all sorts of luxury properties I've already visited, not to mention new ones I haven't. I have many, many luxury properties under my belt; just say the word. What is your payment?

4 days ago

Julie

Good day, Ned!

I would like to receive/be directed toward some additional information on this new endeavour. Are you able to be a little more specific in your requirements? What style of writing are you considering for this book? What is it to be called? What will it's frequency be? Define your demographic -- primary and secondary. What is the planned print run or will it be a virtual magazine? What are your 'on the newsstand' dates? Do you have a distribution deal? What are you expecting, volume-wise for each article? What rights are you contracting? Which environments?

This past weekend I was a guest of Honda Canada at the Honda Indy Toronto and also had an opportunity to test drive the soon-to-be-introduced to Canada Honda CR-Z Sport Coupe Hybrid in a brief rally and an autocross course. Yesterday, I had a brilliant day at Mosport at the Bridgestone Racing Academy, learning to drive open-wheel race cars. Consequently, this very brief exposure increased my respect and my appreciation for the physical and mental strength and endurance any driver that clambers in to a cockpit in full safety gear -- especially on a baking hot day in July must endure. A couple of weeks ago I experienced my first, and hopefully, not my last flight in a jet helicopter over Niagara Falls.

While I do not have a bucket list, per se, I ldo look for career challenges and rewarding assignments.

I live in Canada and I'm formerly from the UK -- and will always be a Scot. Like you, I love rugby and am looking forward to 2011.

Sorry to ask all this, but the information is important. I'd like to know more; when can we talk?

you.

David

4 days ago

Maureen

Hi Ned - I emailed you regarding this post but have not heard from you - thought I'd try here. I have a trip coming up in August and would like to talk! Thanks!

3 days ago

David

Has anyone heard anything from Ned to this point?

3 days ago

Inka Not a word! I start to wonder.

3 days ago

Hi Ned,

I sent you a private email and hope to hear from you. I specialize in luxury properties--including hundreds of spas, barge and small boat cruises and rail experiences (Orient Express)-- in the states and around the world. Alphabetically, I know: the Caribbean, Dubai, England, France, Spain, Israel, Italy, Thailand and more...

Irvina

2 days ago

• Hi Ned, I've emailed you regarding this post and thought that I too, would try here.

I have a great trip lined up in September that I'm thinking might be a very good fit...

Colleen

2 days ago

Ned Dawson

• Mr Taylor - First off I am not going to post all the commercially sensitive information about our new launch here on an internet board - that is why I asked people to drop me an email so it can be discussed in private.

Secondly - I am travelling a lot and posted my post on here before I went off on a trip. I am not in here all the time so posting questions on here and then saying did anyone hear from Ned yet when you didnt follow instructions, isnt a great first impression.

For those who did send me an email I am now back home and will start going through them all. I have about 50 to go through so dont need anymore thanks.

Enjoy your day everyone.

2 days ago

Rebecca

Ouch.

1 day ago

Julie

• I must be clueless, but what, pray tell, does the "Ouch" mean in one reader's comment re the new luxury magazine???????

21 hours ago

Julie

It was Rebecca. Rebecca, what does your "ouch" mean?

21 hours ago

Lena

I would interpret Rebecca's response as "Ouch! Ned Dawson just publicly chastized Mr. Taylor and told everyone else to lay off because he didn't need any more responses."

And I would add my own variation, which goes a little something like:

Ouch. We get that you're a boss-man, Mr. Dawson, but must you be so high-and-mighty, so cold, and so grammatically incorrect? It pains me to see. It really does.

9 hours ago

Ned Dawson

Well Miss Katz - So let me get this right. My original post asks anyone interested TO SEND ME AN EMAIL. That was because I was traveling and didn't have access to Linked In. Mr Taylor DIDNT follow the instructions and instead posts a list of all the questions he wants answered here on the group.

Then about two days later I get called out with him asking if anyone has heard from me and others saying no and they are starting to wonder. Even though I was on and off planes from one side of the world to the other, but if he had follows instructions then I would have had his email on my ipad.

So when I respond to Mr Taylors post here explaining why I wanted emails sent I get chastised by you. You say I told everyone to lay off because I didn't need any more responses. I politely said thanks but I had about 50 there and I needed to go through them. And then you have the nerve to call me so high and mighty.

Well since you seem to be the mouthpiece for this group who have turned around and attacked me when all I was doing was providing some possible employment for a number of you, you can take your smart ass comment above and shove it where the sun doesn't shine.

And to all the other members of the group who sent me emails, I will be deleting ALL of them because I refuse to hire anyone who is a part of this same group that this vulgar individual is from, and Lena if you don't like my grammar, tough bloody luck.

Have a nice day everyone and we will source our writers from somewhere else.

9 hours ago

Lena

I am not the mouthpiece for this group. I don't even know who's on this group. I was answering for myself, and I personally don't care whether you ever hire me or not.

One thing that I do know, though, is that regardless of your purported ability to hire people, it is an extremely bad sign that you would call them to task publicly for one individual's deviance from a protocol which you did not clearly explain in your first communique. It's another bad sign that you would decide after 50 responses that you'd seen enough. Fifty responses in this economic climate is nothing. Finally, your arbitrary decision to publicly discipline a whole pack of writers because of something I'd said, and try to make me look like a villain--well, you seem like a little wanna-be mini-Caesar on a power trip to me. And I pity the people who would try to work for you.

Further to that, the notion of your "company" seems to begin and end in your mind. I've looked up Oceania Group, Kia Kaha and OceaniaMediaGroup.com, and no Website is live. Your Heli-Ops site looks to have been done by entry-level blog tool. So. I have to wonder as to the legitimacy of your booming media operation. I know of at least three media companies in Australia/New Zealand that have real sites and custom print operations AND civilized people running them. I, myself, when thinking to write for an Oceanic pub house, go directly to them.

As for my being vulgar... You seem to have that angle sewn up all by yourself. Three people question your pedigree on a message board, and you start dropping obscenities? Really? Do you not think writers have enough to deal with, without that sort of treatment from a supposed employer?

To everyone else: I am sorry if I have ruined your never-exactly-fledged supposed opportunity with Ned's luxury publication. However, I think after a bit of Googling, you may find that he's a helicopter enthusiast with big dreams and not much else. I might even suggest that after a few days learning Wordpress, you could be as much of a luxury media tycoon as he is. And I would wish you all the best in it. None of us deserves to get cursed at for questioning someone on a LinkedIn thread.

8 hours ago

Ned Dawson

Very full of yourself arent you. Oh and I will pass on to our web designer, who actually win awards for their work, your negative comments about their sites. Feel free to attack them directly - http://www.fueldesign.co.nz

HeliOps - http://www.heliopsmag.com/

P1 Magazine - http://www.p1mag.net/

And no we dont have a main home page for Kia Kaha Media or Oceania Media Group, we instead have them for the magazines, but that seems to be something that really bothers you, not that I really give a damn. Dont really see that's its any of your business that we don't. I don't have to answer to you about our business, you seem to have your head so far up your own backside its a wonder you can see anything. And I will gladly pass along your comments about how our business is just something in my mind to the many contributors we have around the world. Obviously the 66 issues of HeliOps, the 14 of HeliTac, the 3 of P1 and the others dont really exist do they, according to you.

You go back to living in your high and mighty little castle there and we will continue developing our new publications. Oh and the only one that received any obscenities was YOU, the others didnt. And you deserved it after your post.

Not going to bother wasting my time with you any further, you arent worth the effort. We will concentrate on working on our next issue of HeliOps, oh thats right, it doesnt exist does it LOL

Goodbye and good riddance.

7 hours ago

David

I have deliberately kept quiet these past few days. Not that I cannot take a scolding, public or otherwise but I was interested to see what this storm of feces would yield.

First, my sincere apologies to everyone in this group for causing this unfortunate situation; it was certainly not my intent to create this mess.

For the record, shortly after I made my original post, I realized that I had erred and sent an email to Mr. Dawson. After he responded in this group, I then sent him a further private email apologizing for my exuberance and wished him success in his future endeavours.

The rest, we all now know.