I personally put up an unpaid collab request because I was under the (perhaps false...?) impression that I might find someone to partner with on a project.
Wordsmithing is its own art form, and I know that, like with anything else, it can be immensely challenging. To adequately communicate the nuances of feeling about a particular subject and its many facets is not something everyone can do with ease.
On one hand, as a writer, I get upset with people for putting down unpaid approaches because it's like, hello...I'm not getting paid for this either, yo. Writing actually takes work. (Dun dun dunnnnn.)
But hiring vs collaborating, to me, are different. Yes, they are both work, but one is less of a "job" per se, and more a fun, hopefully worthwhile, creative endeavor undertaken by both parties with the understanding that neither is necessarily in it for the money. Yeah, sure, money talks, and money is nice. (Making money off of a project would be fabulous. Sooo not rejecting money.) And, regardless of whether publication or being featured actually happens, it needs to be discussed so that no one enters into a project being taken advantage of.
I suppose that line--being taken advantage of--is the crux of the matter. Someone who has ideas but lacks a plot, solid cast with decent chemistry, understanding of mechanics of writing like framing and POV...that person is not necessarily merely a visionary because they may be writing, and if you write, you're a writer...but they don't have a story, and it is indicative of their lacking skillset to posit that they do.
Why I am more gracious than may be welcome: everyone starts somewhere. So many people are discouraged from pursuing their creativity and producing creative works because they believe they are posers, wannabes, and dreamers. But the reality is, if you draw, you're an artist. If you write, you're a writer. If you bake, you're a baker. No one said you had to be a good baker, yeah? And we recognize, with oft-painful clarity, the chasm between where we are and where we think we should be to merit the title "Writer" (or Artist, as the case may be). The difference I see between the two--wannabes vs genuine articles--is tenacity and passion. Practice makes better! To bridge that gap, practice is necessary; there are no shortcuts, even for geniuses (though admittedly...they do seem to have it a lot easier, don't they 
)! So the people who refuse to grow, who talk about writing/art but aren't willing to go for it and produce, are (perhaps unintentionally) being deceptive towards themselves and/or others.
If my unpaid collab request DID upset anyone, apologies...but I just could not read this thread in silence. Not all those who post are kids--I'm 29, and have two kids under three. Not all those who post are willing to showcase their work online for whatever reason. For a poet, it's obvious: I can't enter poetry in contests if I have it online. I may not be able to present it to a journal, because it is considered published if it is online. Sometimes it's because they suck with tech (hey, hi, hello). Maybe they don't love the internet as much as you, ok?! Not all those who post are unwilling or even unable to provide samples of their work. Maybe, like many people, they may just kinda suck at pitching.
Ehh...I digress. No one's perfect, and I don't think the point of this thread was to be super nit-picky and snobbish, but to give a better perspective on valuing people. And I think, between the lines, the righteous indignation shines through, rising up to defend people because they, and their work, are valuable. 
