Still Wondering About Elance?

I joined Elance in April 2009 and am currently a Premier Provider in the Writing and Translation category. Elance helped me get started on my freelance writing career and I continue to be impressed by the services they offer to providers.

It was intimidating to start a new career, but I have always wanted to write. At the time, I had no idea how to become a freelance writer. After some web searching, I identified a few likely sites: Examiner, oDesk, Guru, Wisegeek, LimeExchange, and Elance.

Because I was a beginner and wanted to cover all of the bases, I applied to and was accepted into all of the sites. Some required more extensive information than others and had restricted access to their job listings until I was signed up. A friend had worked from Elance and recommended them, so I started there and was very impressed.

Before you think I drank the Kool-Aid, let me say that I did work for Wisegeek for a few months. I enjoyed the experience and learned a lot about SEO writing, but in the long term, the requirements were too restrictive and the pay too low so I left them to focus solely on Elance. I still have free memberships on the other sites and receive periodic emails from them with job listings. Those emails are how I know I made the right choice.

Here are few examples of projects currently listed on other freelance sites: 5000 links to be checked and rewritten with a budget of $50-100; 15 pages of original content (1500 words/page) for $5 per page; 6 Excel spreadsheets with research required for eleven items and extensive categorization with a budget of $20.

I would like to say that these are not representative of the caliber of the jobs on those sites, but they in fact are. Elance has its share of jobs with low budgets or incomplete information from buyers, but for the most part overall, the listings are fairly priced and clearly explained.

In addition to access to great jobs, Elance offers several tools that protect providers. The Hourly Work Guarantee, with hours verified by Work View™, assures that providers will get paid for hours worked. The Fixed Price Work Guarantee utilizes escrow to ensure that clients have the funds to pay for the job while ensuring payment for the provider. I have used both systems with great success. I was concerned that Work Viewä would seem intrusive, but it wasn’t at all. It was actually quite a good tool for gaining the trust of a new client. He was able to see that I was working on his project during the approved hours and I was able to gain a repeat client. For fixed price jobs, I always appreciate the comfort provided by that little money icon showing that escrow has been funded.

I am also protected by the Terms of Service. On Craigslist, as an example, a writer may be asked to write an article “on spec”. Basically this is free, unpaid work. Elance’s TOS states that providers cannot provide this type of work and jobs requesting it are removed from the site.

As for navigating the Elance site, it is really quite intuitive and easy-to-use. Each job has its own workroom from which providers can access all of the necessary tools to manage each job. I like to be able to communicate with clients and access all of the information associated with their jobs in one place.

Over the course of the last year or so, I have encountered a few issues and had some questions. The Elance community message boards provided me with suggestions, advice, and a way to blow off steam with others who understand the freelance world. I have also contacted Elance representatives for issues and the experience was very good. I have used email, support tickets, and telephone assistance to ask questions or to request assistance. Each request was answered quickly and helped me to work more efficiently or to resolve a problem.

Is Elance perfect? No; but it’s far superior to the other freelance marketplaces. It has an established presence online as well as a simple, intuitive, efficient interface. I can honestly say that I love working with Elance and I plan to continue to do so for many years.

Interested in trying it out? Use the link below to get started!

TWINTS (Twitter Hints)

I have been tweeting for 447 days. I have over 19,000 tweets. Some are infinitely more interesting than others. I have over 600 followers (I have no idea how that happened), and follow over 500 people and businesses. I have accumulated some interesting thoughts and hints along the way that may or may not be of interest to others...

ReTweeting (RT) Etiquette
Some people use Twitter for self promotion. They send out a tweet with information that they would like their followers to share. Here's my hint: If you really want folks to RT, make your tweet short enough that it can be done easily. When we RT, it adds "RT @username" to the tweet, making it longer than the original. If I have to spend time figuring out the best way to shorten a tweet, most times I won't bother... I'm sure I'm not alone in this.

Don't RT everything you read. Serial retweeters are annoying. I have unfollowed several people who RT every single news item or charity plea that they see. It clogs up your followers' timelines and they don't read them or they unfollow. I will read one or two tweets about a need for help. After that, it's in the noise.

All Work and No Play is No Fun for Readers
If all you tweet is self promotion, your followers will most certainly become bored with you. Show some personality. Prove that you are not a bot. Show us why we should be interested in you. If it's all about the
sell and I know nothing about the person behind it, I won't care.

This also pertains to looking for followers. When I get a notice that someone is following me, I go check them out. If every tweet is about some link to a business opportunity or a sea of RTs, I don't bother following back.

That's it for this morning... Post any questions and I will answer!

Frozen Spasming Trapezius

That's the diagnosis of the moment. I couldn't make that up if I tried. It is, quite literally, a pain in the neck.

Creepy Internet Friends: Part Two - Claw71

After I posted my CIF story, I began thinking back to meeting each one. It's funny how we are all so incredibly different, yet have connected in a fundamental and very meaningful way. These wonderful people, whom I have never met in person, are among my most trusted friends. And, in most cases, meeting them was pure joy. All except claw71.

I first met many of my CIFs on Passive Aggressive Notes. I'm not sure how I ended up there in the first place, but I was intrigued by the comments section. Often the comments were funnier than the notes and there was an obvious camaraderie among several posters. There was also the tendency to gang up on posters who were nasty, acted superior, or were just plain unfunny. I tentatively posted a few things and was happy to see that Mishee had accepted me into the cool crowd - she was quite the central figure in those days on PAN.

The one person I was intimidated by was claw71. His comments were well-written but extremely perverse and controversial. His dark humor was downright scary sometimes! I'm talking, "I might just be a child molester or I might be kidding but you'll never know" kind of scary. I decided to steer clear of him just in case. Not that I'm a child, but I prefer to avoid provoking crazy people. And I wasn't too sure about claw's sanity.

When I finally wandered into the Troublemaker Headquarters, now re-named the Jim Jones-ish 'Community', I was accepted with open arms. This is where the PAN regulars hang out. It's like a virtual living room where we can relax, share funny stories, complain about our lives, and seek comfort from friends. The honesty there is wonderful and sweet. There's still snark and silliness, but with an undercurrent of caring. Political topics can get heated, but there are no grudges kept.  Discussions are thought provoking and interesting, yet often the mood is light and joking. Banter and innuendo abound.

It was in TMHQ that I found out that claw is not what he appears to be on the Main Threads. I saw him respond with thoughtful intelligence and even (dare I say it?) kindness. He could still sling some scary stuff, but  I was no longer afraid. In fact, I love to engage in banter with him and have called him to the message boards when he has been absent and we are in need of his special brand of humor.

I should warn you: Do NOT run over to PAN and hope to become claw71's BFF. Don't expect to be welcomed without earning some respect on the Main Threads. We do have standards, after all. But the effort is worth it. At least it was for me. My CIFs at PAN saw me through some dark days. They have given me advice and pep talks and support. I love each and every one of them. Even claw71.