Comments on: Elance Tips: Top 5 Projects You Should Run Away From

By: Valerie Mellema

Valerie Mellema — Wed, 03 Feb 2010 02:24:08 +0000

I know this blog is about a year old, but I just found it and number 1 cracked me up. I’m a writer on Elance and I literally just told a client that if I fell for the “I have hundreds of projects for you” routine, I’d be broke by now. They all say it and none of them really have that much work for you.

By: Emi Carmichael

Emi Carmichael — Wed, 26 Aug 2009 10:42:28 +0000

Re #3:

Never were there words so sweet as “You’re the expert, so I’ll follow your lead”

Enter the Hallelujah chorus!!

The finished product will always be the best if designers and developers are allowed to creatively contribute to a project – I’m happy to work within design limitations, but I no one wants to be a glorified Photoshop tracer…

Great post

By: Lesa

Lesa — Fri, 24 Jul 2009 11:42:46 +0000

Yep, I had a Bonus quote 1 kind of situation yesterday:
“Throw an animation into the header that would be like two brick walls clashing into each other and the great fire flame bursting right out of it! That wouldn’t be a problem for you, am I right?”

???…

By: Karl

Karl — Tue, 28 Apr 2009 03:55:51 +0000

Love the article Adrian! I’ve had similar experiences. On the other hand, I think you have to avoid the temptation to provide shoddy work when you feel you are being taken advantage of. As I said in my post http://www.elance-professional.info/developing-a-great-proposal-for-elance/ nobody wants to put out quality like that even for the low-paying jobs but, many freelancers on elance feel that it would serve the buyers right to receive quality that is poor if they are not respecting the providers by paying them what the product is truly worth.

If it isn’t worth doing, don’t do it. But give your everything when you do.

By: gary

gary — Fri, 06 Mar 2009 17:32:12 +0000

Hi, been on Elance over a year and have made about 20K. I liked your original article and I want to add a couple of watch-out-fors!

If they say in the Project Description something like:

“This should be an easy job for someone who knows what they are doing…”

Run!

If they say something like:

“…I’m on a limited budget…”

Run!

If their manners seem at all quirky in the initial communications (after you place a Bid and they are interested). Quirky means anything but clear and polite.

Run!

If they don’t have any purchasing history (> 5 projects giving all good or no feedback)

Run! to another Elance provider ID that means nothing to you. I use a couple extra ones now and if someone trashes me, I move on to another one.

The moral of the story:
You CAN run and you CAN hide
and this you must do
if you want to PROVIDE!

By: Adrian

Adrian — Thu, 19 Feb 2009 08:27:07 +0000

Hi Mitch and thanks for sharing all this! It’s great to have some feedback from “the other side” as well. It’s been a while since I wrote this and looking back maybe it’s a bit harsh, but it wasn’t my intention to be disrespectful.

What I mean is that people (both Providers and Buyers) should start showing some respect in their postings. I don’t buy any of the 5 points mentioned above as much as I wouldn’t buy canned responses and one line bids from fellow Providers, if I were in a Buyer’s shoes.

I wrote my share of private messages asking a Buyer for more info, when the info wasn’t there in the first place. But that’s when I realized there was a will to do a great project, but not much experience in the field or with Elance. I always try to help people make the most of Elance.

But there are also projects when I quickly say pass. I probably wrote this article at a time when I was feeling Elance was becoming just another bidding site (cause too many people were using the “let’s see what happens” approach), when in fact it’s probably the best one. Not perfect by any means, but getting there.

So again… thanks! You inspired me to write two more posts and I hope more companies using Elance will pick this up and write their take on the subject.

By: Mitch Proulx

Mitch Proulx — Thu, 19 Feb 2009 05:00:04 +0000

These are all just opinions deriving from experieinces I presume? I’ve had great success and continue to have great success by outsourcing around the world. I also have a team of 18 in-house reviewing the work before its released.

Folks, it’s all how you want to interpret the situatiuon and position yourself to come out on top (whatever coming out on top means for you). Be proactive, be careful if you fdeel it’s necessary, and MOST IMPORTANTLY have an outcome!! If you don’t know what you want how can ytou really get it? And if you go in to elance with an outcome of posting a project or bidding on one and just “seeing what happens” then you will get just that.

Adrian (and I assumne you posted this) I like you post. It’s really not my style of reading and I feel that business owners should respect other business owners regardless of where they are from (India or Romania or other) however you got the point across based on your opnion, experience, and of course your audience who enjoys reading your posts.

So I’m a newbie on Elance and I am having a great time, paying people accordingly, and managing projects on time. It sounds to me like you need to write an article about Business for Newbies because I find there are a lot of people on Elance who are newbies at business in general (eg. your subject in #5); I spend $150 on breakfast sometimes!!!

Happy buisiness to everyone!

By: Adrian

Adrian — Sat, 14 Feb 2009 11:59:47 +0000

Trev, people who worked / work with me know I’m not arrogant. On the contrary, I always do my best to help. An trust me, I don’t need the work that much that I’m willing to work for $10 / h.

And next time please use a real email if you got something to say!

By: Trev

Trev — Sat, 14 Feb 2009 10:59:36 +0000

You sound like a nightmare mate. Its hard enough employing “professionals” without them throwing arrogant advice like this about. Understand something, you need work, they have money.

By: Subhojit

Subhojit — Sat, 31 Jan 2009 07:24:38 +0000

Low prices are quoted by people working from home and not companies. Adrian pointed fingers towards Romania and India. There are many more. Its the person who is bidding on whom everything depends. Recently I lost a project for USD 250 to USD100 to a US provider. Now tell me?
Again, the project buyers are not always awarding projects to the lowest bidders. They understand.
The types of projects pointed out by Adrian is 98% in Elance. If we target the rest 2%, then our business are on the docks.

Think….

Regards / Subhojit
India