Does anyone write for clients found on oDesk or Elance?

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   lovesleftoversposted 12 years ago

   Does anyone write for clients found on oDesk or Elance?
   
   I'm registered on both sites, but have yet to bid on any jobs. I'd love to hear from anyone with experience on these sites. Thanks!

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   Terri Paajanenposted 12 years ago

   I use Elance and have had lots of good work come from it. It's actually my main source of income

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3. 79

   J.S.Matthewposted 12 years ago

   I have bid on a few jobs but never got an interview or offer. I am registered on both sites but haven't gone back in a while. I even took a lot of tests on oDesk and did well. Not sure how it works, or rather, what the secret is. I'd be interested to know though. Great question. Looking forward to positive answers.
   
   JSMatthew~

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   .josh.posted 12 years ago

   I also write for a couple clients on Elance, and am pretty happy with it. I suggest first taking some lower-paying assignments, doing an excellent job, and developing a reputation on the site. Once you've done that, it's quite easy. (You can also, of course, provide samples of work, which can help you get your foot in with certain clients.)
   
   I actually began with my favorite client writing five articles a week for $3.50 an article, proved myself for a few weeks, and then began doing higher-paid, more frequent work.
   
   Here's an article on how one guy obtained his first few jobs on Elance - not as a writer, but there are a few things in there that could help: http://www.manlymoney.com/first-paying- … ng-elance/

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5. 83

   wychicposted 12 years ago

   I do, and actually my two biggest clients (pretty nearly my only clients at the moment, because I've been working on developing my own projects as well) are from Elance. Each of those clients have had me do several thousand dollars' worth of work for them, averaging $20-$35 an hour. It takes time and work to get your foot in the door -- I started with putting in 80 hours per week for very little money -- but once you have a few good feedbacks it does take off.
   
   Ooh...an idea for another series of hubs. I'm working on a training course for freelancing, but looks like a hub series would be worthwhile too. I tend to forget where I started, so it's easy to lose sight of what information is valuable.

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   Rock_njposted 12 years ago

   I was startled by the answers to this question where people said they worked 80 hour weeks or worked for $2.50 per article to establish themselves on Elance.  Both seem rather extreme, but I guess you have to do what you have to do to establish your reputation.  My question is now that once you have establish a reputation and are taking on better paying clients, how much are you making and how much time are you putting into it?  I am interested in these opps too, but at $2.50 per article my time can be spent in better ways.  Thanks.

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   Damian D.posted 12 years ago

   This is a great question. I haven't tried elance, but I am registered with odesk with a full profile. It's very difficult to get started with them, so I have not yet gotten any gigs from them. The embarrassing part is that I have been registered with them for over a year and get turned down for any gig without an explanation, even if I meet the requirements.
     Would love to read more on this subject

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   Laura Ginnposted 12 years ago

   I use Elance and it is a great way to earn money - I like a couple of others on here work as a freelance writer full time.  The best way to get started is to do one or two jobs at a low rate - if your level of English is good you will easily find someone to take you on.  Once you have some good feedback other employers will also be happy to work with you and be willing to pay higher rates.
   
   I generally ask for $10 an article (500 words) on there, and there are a lot of people who are willing to pay this.  One employer (Sienna Miller's hairstylist apparently) paid me $50 for a 500 word article - that's my best so far.
   
   When applying for a job, most people will ask for samples.  It is not a bad idea to link to your HubPages profile as well as sending over a couple of articles that show your best work.  If your articles are related to the subject the employer wants - even better.
   
   Aside from this you need to show each employer that you have read their instructions.  Don't send the same generic email to ten people and expect it to work.  If an employer asks specific questions, take the time to answer them. 
   
   You can also sign up for a paid subscription on the site - this will give you more credits and enable you to apply for more jobs.
   
   I also run my own personal writing site - http://www.inkelves.com which I send to my employers.  This also shows a level of professionalism I think.  As soon as you get your foot in the door on those sites though you are on your way.  That is the hardest part yet it can be done.
   
   Hope this helps some people!

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   Stephen Crowleyposted 12 years ago

   I am yet to try odesk, I can tell you that elance is very good. You need to take tests but they are quick and you get an instant credibility boost as a result. There are plenty of potentially long term clients to be found on elance, this is how i still have 2 active clients after 2 years from peopleperhour. Beware of those exploiting new writers. Some employers are just out to get jobs done for ridiculously low rates. This is often an issue on bidding sites where the lowest bidder wins not the highest quality bidder. Best approach, use several like
   
   elance
   odesk
   guru.com
   peopleperhour.co.uk
   freelancer.com

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10. 0

    technibzposted 12 years ago

    Hi lovesleftovers. I used oDesk and Elance before but I though oDesk was really more secure. Lots of measures taken by their staff plus really good payment method (weekly). Of course, I'm not gonna lie. There are others who will "hire" you but never really pay (this goes for contractual jobs) but the cool thing is that you can prevent this just by scanning the employer's profile. I've learned a lot from that and I could share more info with you. Just contact me. (If it helps, I was just 18 when I started in oDesk and have already earned $2k, a few months ago). Thanks

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