Would you recommend Elance to other writers? Why or why not?

1. 0

   Ken R. Abellposted 14 years ago

   Would you recommend Elance to other writers? Why or why not?

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2. 61

   Chrysoprasusposted 14 years ago

   they are not popular, seldom posts projects their... so no
   
   better use freelancer.com

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3. 66

   ShazzMojoposted 14 years ago

   My preface: I'm still relatively new to Elance, and the online freelance communities, so I reserve the right to change/update my answer in another 60 days...
   
   Thus far, I've found Elance to be a great experience. The majority of the Employers that I've worked for have been not only great folks just looking for a cost-effective specialist for their business, but have also been open and passionate about what they do. I love learning almost as much as I love working and Elance has provided an abundance on both fronts.
   
   There are some quirks to the system, but nothing that any freelancer with reasonable business acumen and common sense can't work with. Avoid bad Employers. Bid on jobs that you're good at. Have a long-term vision.
   
   The online application itself, and its associated customer support, has been terrific. They provide an exceptionally easy-to-use platform, and the couple of times I've contacted support, they're responsive and effective.
   
   A side-note: I've tried Guru.com and oDesk.com based on the recommendation of others and been disappointed. I will continue to check them out, but Elance.com is my home nest right now.

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4. 62

   Powerful Pierreposted 14 years ago

   Hey Ken  I'm sort of torn between what your other guests said as I work on jobs with both quite a bit and both have been upfront, paid on time, right on and have had no probs with either firm.  But I avoid IFreelance, thats a whole other problem.

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5. 80

   Wayne Brownposted 14 years ago

   I would not reccommend it unless I knew the writer had a very strong focus and desire to pursue a particular direction.  From what I can see of the site, it is attuned to writers who are focused on providing commercial writing services for others.  There is nothing wrong with that but it is certainly not a place for a writer who is just developing their creativity and confidence.  It may be a good site but I think it is totally out of the realm of a site like HubPages.  WB

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6. 59

   Egghead70posted 14 years ago

   I'm a "member" of Elance, but I find that the people requesting projects, especially for SEO articles want to pay ridiculously low amounts for your work. Last week I was searching for new projects and many of the people hiring wanted to pay a paltry $1-$2 per 500-600 word article. C'mon!  You can work on DemandStudios.com or About.com (contributing writer) and make $15-20 or more for the same amount of work. If you combine that with their "finders fee" (I think it is 2.75 percent now) and other fees, it just doesn't seem worth the while.
   
   I'm sure there are other higher paying projects on Elance, but those projects seem to be translation or programming jobs. I'm sure there are others as well, just apparently not content/SEO articles.

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   reversecharlesposted 14 years ago

   I would recommend writers with credibility to use eLance.  If you have a strong niche and have general sales skills you should be able to convince someone why your 4 years of publishing is worth a higher bid, then the one that 20 year old 1st year blogger submitted for $200 less.   IMHO, its a great way to get business, kind of like an old school reverse Groupon.

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8. 83

   rachellrobinsonposted 14 years ago

   Based on answers I read here I just joined Elance, I hope I am doing the right thing, time will tell I guess.

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9. 59

   WotVposted 14 years ago

   I have used Elance for over a year now. While there are some jobs that have very small budgets, many are fairly priced. It is a great place to hone skills, learn more about different kinds of writing, and create a portfolio.
   
   Elance has built my confidence as a writer and I have been fortunate to work on tons of creative, interesting projects.
   
   I am currently ranked in the top .25% of providers in Writing and Translation. I intend to continue my relationship with Elance and strongly recommend it to others.

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10. 61

    nathanaeligposted 14 years ago

    I find it's hard to find projects that pay enough to make it worthwhile on Elance. I'm on Guru and find people too cheap too. Is it that writing just isn't appreciated as it should be? I think so. I'm sticking with Craigslist! I've gotten a lot of work from that!

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