Freelance Writing Job Opportunities
I think I admit on the site somewhere that Elance.com is where I have been finding freelance writing job opportunities for the better part of my (short) career. I say “admit” because as I look around at other sites for writers, a lot of them seem to have a problem with the Elance site. In fact it was through one author’s(Sharon Hurley Hall) complaining about Elance that I found my way over to the site.
I will be the first to admit that this is one bidding site that does have its flaws, but I have to temper that with the fact that it has definitely helped me springboard into full time writing for a living.
There seems to be some confusion among writers and those who offer writers advice on the changes that Elance first put through their system (check out webwritinginfo.com). I’d like to offer my take on this subject; as usual I see a few different angles to what Elance is doing.
The Good
Well there’s one thing I certainly can’t complain about, and that is the fact that Elance has changed their pay structure so that individual writers, like myself, are on a more even footing with the big companies.
My monthly fees are half what they used to be because I can’t keep up with companies who use ten writers to produce content, and I don’t need the full allotment of bids.
The Mixed
One grey area for me is the new Premium Provider program. It used to be that you paid a fee and got a Premium membership that let you bid on certain freelance writing job opportunities.
Now Elance has changed the process so that providers have to have over 90% positive bids over a period of six months, have had to have at least two original clients in the past six months, and have to keep their membership fees updated.
The last requirement I have no problem with, nor do I have any problem with the idea behind the first requirement.
Still, I think Elance needs to do a lot of work in clarifying their feedback system and making it a little bit more fair for providers if they truly want to reflect the merit of companies (currently what any client says goes, no matter how demonstrably outrageous the claims and feedback scores).
The Bad
When it comes to finding more than two original clients each month, though, as an individual writer I take exception. Just as with the feedback, this seems to be tailored to give the writing mills an advantage over the individuals on the site. Easy enough to get new clients every week when you are willing to bid $5 for a 500 worder!
The Confusing
For reasons that are not very clear, Elance has decided to call bids “connects”. It sounds nice but still, what really is the point?
Also, the new sponsored bid program is a bit of a joke. Under his program, you can use two of your “connects” to get top placement in the bid section. Only two sponsors per posting though; I don’t really see how this idea works for anyone but Elance, who of course want providers to purchase additional connects as often as possible.
Conclusion
So the changes that Elance has made are not all bad, in fact the price change in particular is great for individual writers.
Still, Elance really has to take a look at their feedback process if they really want to be fair both to buyers and providers, and this still has not been addressed. In fact, it is a problem that may be exacerbated under the new rules.
Even though, I still use Elance to find freelance writing job opportunities.
Related Topics
- Freelance Writing Opportunities
Ifreelance.com is another option where clients are posting freelance writing opportunities for bidding. This site which uses the same approach as bigger competitors such as Elance.com and Guru.com but... - Writing Opportunities
It seems that a lot of advice encourages writers to pass up writing opportunities. Writers, and particularly those that like to give advice on building a freelance writing career, love... - Writing Jobs Online
When I started looking for writing jobs online, I could not find any solid information about what to expect and how to go about it. I have since had... - Online Writing Jobs
The primary way in which I find online writing jobs has been until recently through bidding sites. These sites are a good way to start out, but they do have... - Earn Money from Freelance Writing
Time to face an important truth: in order to continue doing what you love, you need to earn money from freelance writing. When I first started out in this...
Tags: bidding sites, elance, Freelance Writer
