I often get emails about this blog asking me why I choose to focus on Elance. I assume the people asking have read at least parts of the blog, and have seen how I've talked at length about Elance's many features and why it's the best choice for freelancers. And yet, I still get the 'but why' questions.
It finally dawned on me what people were really asking. They don't want to know why I chose Elance (because, honestly I've written for hours on the subject). What they really want to know is why I chose Elance OVER all of the other freelancing sites out there.
What people really want to know is: Why not the other freelancing sites?
I've tried the vast majority of well-known freelancing sites out there, and could do a site by site comparison, but I'd rather tell you a true life story about the early days of my online freelancing career.
I had been freelancing locally for years, and decided it was time to expand my business to the online arena. I did some research, and signed up for one of the bigger freelancing sites out there. I knew I'd have to lower my rates at first in order to build an online reputation, but I was not expecting to have to go from a professional level rate to basement bottom prices. But those were the jobs I found. Pages and pages of junk-jobs offering rates that bring the term slave labor to a whole new low.
I finally found something half-worth bidding on, and guess what? The buyer wanted to negotiate my rates down even lower. I should have walked away then, but I didn't. Being new to the online market, I was somewhat naive and assumed that a) the level of professionalism must be lower, and b) I just had to suck it up and pay my dues. Yes, I was an idiot and am so glad I have since learned from my mistakes.
We made payment arrangements and I asked for 25% upfront, with the rest on completion. So I get the 25% no problem, do a fantastic job which they praise me for, then... the buyer disappears. I never saw another cent. I received no help whatsoever from the freelancing site, and after going through the time and trouble to get this particular work removed from two sites for copyright infringement, I just wrote the whole thing off. And that work is still floating around the net to this day.
This was my oDesk experience. And unfortunately, it wasn't a freak abnormality. Every time I google oDesk, I find pages and pages of complaints about similar problems experienced by their freelancers. Buyers looking to pay peanuts, and/or skipping out without paying for delivered work, and no support, protection or help from oDesk. It's the Wild West of freelancing, and I for one, am never going back.
Yes, the experience was terrible, but it made me smart. It made me raise my professional standards and expect more from both the buyers, and the online freelancing sites I choose to deal with.
A freelance job site needs to be more than a clearinghouse for job posts with no regard whatsoever for the freelancer. It needs to be as fully committed to your success as you are, and offer the tools and safety features you need in order to build a thriving career.
Elance does that. And that is why I highly recommend it to every freelancer out there.
But what about the others? Are they all bad? Not at all. I have had some success on sites other than Elance. iFreelance, for example, has provided me with nothing but good experiences. They do fall short however, because they don't attract the high number of jobs Elance does, and don't have the high number of tools and protections in place for the freelancer. But the quality of jobs there is much higher than oDesk.
For those of you wanting the straight facts, take a look at my side by side comparison article of Elance versus oDesk. When compared on job quality, cost, tools for the freelancer, customer support and dispute resolution, Elance wins hands down. Not to mention the Elance payment guarantees on BOTH hourly and fixed price jobs.
Discovering Elance was a breath of sanity in the midst of a crazy online job world. It was a safe haven where professional buyers looking for quality work could find highly skilled freelancers, and together they could conduct business safely and professionally. The way it should be done.
No more Wild West job bidding sites for me.
pic by freeparking
Yes, the experience was terrible, but it made me smart. It made me raise my professional standards and expect more from both the buyers, and the online freelancing sites I choose to deal with.
A freelance job site needs to be more than a clearinghouse for job posts with no regard whatsoever for the freelancer. It needs to be as fully committed to your success as you are, and offer the tools and safety features you need in order to build a thriving career.
Elance does that. And that is why I highly recommend it to every freelancer out there.
But what about the others? Are they all bad? Not at all. I have had some success on sites other than Elance. iFreelance, for example, has provided me with nothing but good experiences. They do fall short however, because they don't attract the high number of jobs Elance does, and don't have the high number of tools and protections in place for the freelancer. But the quality of jobs there is much higher than oDesk.
For those of you wanting the straight facts, take a look at my side by side comparison article of Elance versus oDesk. When compared on job quality, cost, tools for the freelancer, customer support and dispute resolution, Elance wins hands down. Not to mention the Elance payment guarantees on BOTH hourly and fixed price jobs.
Discovering Elance was a breath of sanity in the midst of a crazy online job world. It was a safe haven where professional buyers looking for quality work could find highly skilled freelancers, and together they could conduct business safely and professionally. The way it should be done.
No more Wild West job bidding sites for me.
pic by freeparking
