So, how to capitalize off of this as a freelance writer? One idea: Use it to write a totally innocuous post in which you celebrate spending lavishly, ostensibly for your birthday, but actually as trollbait for the few people on the Internet who would read it.

For BlackBook, one Linnea Covington writes:

This year the month of May kicked off with branches of the Occupy movement storming the streets of Manhattan marching and videotaping police brutality.

All this happened outside the window of Onegin as I sat in a plush chair dining on red caviar wrapped in blintzes and sipped from tiny glasses of spicy horseradish infused vodka. For May Day in my world is also my birthday and for one day, I felt a part of the one percent as I spent the afternoon in completely opulent luxury.

Ms. Covington doesn't even go all the way, choosing to visit places like SCRATCHbread, Parm, Pegu Club, and The Vault at Pfaff’s. What, Cipriani wouldn't suffice?

For the record, the Writer Lives Like One Percent For a Day gag was already done by Kevin Roose over at Dealbook almost a month ago, and he at least went through the trouble of scoring a bodyguard, a private plane ride, and a snazzy new suit.

The most egregious slight against anti-capitalism movements may be, however, that she was likely paid for her services of writing something that isn't a review, or comprehensive coverage, or really anything but a scrapbook page penned with the sole purpose of instigation that ends as this did.

Police lined the streets and Broadway was blocked off from traffic. So, I did what any self-respecting one percent birthday girl would do: I marched down the dark stairway into the swank cocktail lounge and ordered champagne.

Not falling on either side, we can't be sure, but we would advise a simple fact check: Would a self-respecting "one percent" anything write anything like this, let alone publish it?

fkamer@observer.com | @weareyourfek

Collins' story described her "ill-fated stint as a freelance copy editor" at Demand Media, a company that churns out approximately 4,000 articles per day based on topics provided by algorithms based on search engine queries. The result is such scintillating fare as this gem: "How to Draw a Chubby Pony." Demand Media freelancers are paid starting at $3.50 an article.

Critics argue that the "content farms" create dumbed-down poorly researched article and videos. Some even say the business model is a serious threat to the already-endangered journalism industry.

Collins' article contains plenty of ammo for critics of content farms. She describes horrifying automated application processes, questionably accurate content, and ridiculous paperwork.

"I was to be an intermediary between the web at large and the raw, reliably weird substance that results from the unlikely union of algorithmically created topic assignments and writers of, shall we say, widely variable competence," Collins wrote of her role as copy editor.

Regardless of the critics, the "content farms" are finding no shortage of investors and struggling journalists willing to work for low wages.

In May, Yahoo purchased Associated Content for a little over $100 million. Associated Content generates approximately 50,000 pieces of content per month. Demand Media claims to get approximately 96.4 million monthly unique users for its six properties. The company is prepping for an IPO before the end of the month.

Quinn Daly, spokesperson for Demand Media declined to comment on this story, citing a "quiet period" before the impending IPO.

"According to SEC regulations we can't comment," Daly told The Observer.

Collins stopped working for Demand after earning an average of $7 an hour rather than $20, which she said "was the lowest freelance editing wage I could begin to justify working for." Collins might not be willing to work for $7 an hour, but in this difficult climate, many media refugees are clearly willing to take that rate.

Then again, Collins was willing to write for The Awl for free. Collins told The Observer that she wasn't paid for her post. 

"The way I see it, there's obviously a form of compensation involved which is non monetary, i.e., the platform for telling my story. It's fair to say that I have different standards for what I'm willing to contribute to the type of projects I believe in vs. the type I don't, and also for my craft (writing) vs. my trade (editing)," Collins said. 

The willingness of writers like Collins to participate in passion projects means that the content farms might not be the only web publishing model with a chance for success. In fact, though Collins wasn't paid for her post, sources tell The Observer that The Awl has started paying some of its contributors.