Light Switches for Dummies

various light switches

We see some rather strange "questions" as we patrol the internet, and – more to the point – we see some even stranger freelance attempts to answer those questions. Most of the time the strangeness is a result of the freelancer's lack of familiarity with the topic. Sometimes it's more prosaic: the freelancer (sort of) understands the subject, but just doesn't get the question. We think that's what happened when Elizabeth McGrath pumped out the About.com post, "Tips for Identifying Light Switches in Your Home," now niched at TheSpruce.com.

The Powerless House: a Dummies Production

Tripped breakers: I don't see no red marker, Elizabeth

We're always happy to come across a new source that combines freelance greed with internet stupidity. A site called "The Spruce" came to our attention not long ago, but some poking around revealed that it's merely one of a number of niche sites for the old About.com. That doesn't mean, however, that we can't point out the stupidity and cupidity of its writers... writers such as returning DotD Elizabeth McGrath, here to sort of semi-educate us about "How to Fix Powerless Appliances and Fixtures."¹

The Geology of Floor Tile for Dummies

Travertine floor tiles

Occasionally our research staffers run across otherwise perfectly good. information... well, sometimes it's just acceptable information – that's marred by a glaring factual error. There's not enough there to build a complete DotD article, but the bogus factoids start to stick in one's metaphorical craw. Today, we thought maybe we'd flush out some of the dross that's built up, starting with a couple of utterly stupid statements about rocks made by people trying to look knowledgeable about their fields. Both are from TheSpruce.com, a niche website for home improvements that was formerly part of About.com.

Circuit Breakers for Dummy Homeowners

circuit breaker box

When it comes to freelance writers pumping out so-called information in their never-ending search for pennies of residual income, some subjects are more likely to raise the collective ire of our staff than others. When one demonstrates ignorance of cosmetology or reality TV, that's (marginally) more acceptable than when one displays profound ignorance of something that might be dangerous – like moray eels or failing brakes... or like "Addressing Tripped Circuit Breakers,"¹ which is why Elizabeth McGrath and her article at TheSpruce.com caught our eye...

Wall-Mounted Sinks for Dummies

A wall-mounted sink

Around Antisocial Network HQ it's pretty much a tenet of faith that no one should write how-to articles unless they've actually done whatever it is they're writing about. Why? because even a self-described "professional journalist" is going to have problems translating someone else's experience into words. OK, perhaps if the journalist interviews someone and then lets the interviewee edit the copy, but these people who just perform a copy-reword-paste job on someone else's instructions? Give us a break: someone like Elizabeth McGrath, tackling "How to Install a Wall-Mounted Sink" at TheSpruce.com doesn't even know if the directions she's rewording are right in the first place!