Heads up: that writing prompt forum I joined last week is actually a data farm

I stumbled onto this creative writing prompts subreddit a few days ago, seemed like a chill place to share ideas. But I started noticing something off - every single prompt had this weirdly specific pattern, like asking for stories about 'a place you visited three times before moving' or 'an object you kept for exactly 7 years.' I dug into the user histories and half the accounts posting prompts are brand new with zero activity besides this one sub. Then I saw one of the mods sharing a Google Doc link that asked for your email to 'contribute to a community anthology.' Tbh, it felt like a trap to harvest personal info for some marketing firm. I called out one of the posters and they deleted their account within an hour. Has anyone else noticed sketchy behavior in smaller writing communities like this?

3 comments

3 Comments

henrycooper1mo ago

I have to push back a little here, because I've seen this suspicion crop up before and it often turns out to be a misunderstanding. You mention the mod's Google Doc link, but people share community anthologies all the time in good faith. I've helped run a small writing group for years and we use Google Docs exactly that way to collect pieces for a free zine. Asking for an email to be included in a printed book is standard procedure, not a trap. It sounds more like you ran into a few new members who got spooked and left, rather than any solid evidence of a data farm.

oliviagrant1mo ago

oh man, this is creepy but totally familiar. i joined a free poetry workshop once and same thing happened, the "feedback" was just a way to get people to sign up for some weird marketing list. i just started ignoring any shared links unless they're from someone i've actually talked to in the community for a while.

wright.lisa1mo ago

henrycooper, I gotta push back on you saying people "share community anthologies all the time in good faith." Not saying your group does anything shady, but asking for an email before you even see the anthology is not standard practice. Most legit zines I've seen let you download a sample first or at least explain what you're signing up for. That Google Doc link the mod shared had zero info about what the anthology even is, just a blank form asking for personal details. That's a red flag even if it's not a data farm.