Freelance Websites

[Coyote_Bandit]

I think how they typically work is a freelancer pays a fee to be able to bid on various freelance projects which are listed with the site owner who also acts as the intermediary to insure payment for services rendered.

I was wondering if anybody here had any experience with using these. If so, please share.

[dave123williams]

1. Elance rocks.

http://www.elance.com

Good for finding work; great for outsourcing (whatever your opinion of the practice)

[AWorkerBee]

3. Yep. The Wal-Mart model

Bid yourself and others out of a fair wage.

But I suppose you gotta do what you gotta do.

[tjdee]

10. Yup.

I was a member there, but I'd have to be willing to write a 40 page novella for $4.00.

Which is good if you need the experience (and I do), but for all the work involved, seemed kind of awful. I might go back there, though. :(

[AWorkerBee]

2. freelancing wot?

I have been 'freelancing' for a dozen years. For publishers,

There have been agencies that supposedly help place people, but they take a hefty fee off the top. A lot of my colleagues have used them, it merely results in lower pay, but there are perks like billing, and medical coverage, if I am not mistaken.

Like a temp agency.

A 'U bid' deal sounds depressingly like "get what we can for the lowest wage"

That's actually a professional no no.

[Coyote_Bandit]

4. Looking for Work

All my skills reside between my two ears. I'm well educated (BA, MA, MBA, JD) and have a very respectable work history (insurance, investment management, law, graphic design). I'm also a long-term jobless schmuck here in crazy red f*cking JOklahoma. I was laid-off along with about 30% of my co-workers nearly two and a half years ago. I'm looking to make a few bucks. I am a single person who is rather rapidly depleting what used to be my savings.

I have worked in graphic design, compiled and edited weekly newsletters and I've worked with educational, technical and promotional publications.

I should be able to freelance and earn a few bucks.

[dave123williams]

5. Go to where the work is.

NY. LA. SF. CHI. Get out o' the red zone; unless you're also in the clergy, or something.

[Coyote_Bandit]

7. I Will Happily Pack Up and Move

and put the house up for sale when I have a job and have somewhere to go. I have been quite flexible in my job search and would consider changing industries, and job functions, relocating, accepting a cut in pay, and taking an entry level position.

[dave123williams]

8. BA, MA, MBA, JD

Dude, I'm suprised with a background like yours that you're not in business for yourself...

[Coyote_Bandit]

9. It's Called Money

or a lack thereof. I can't think of a better way to lose money than to start a law practice here in JOklahoma. Not a good thing for a single woman in the armpit of the Bible belt where there are about 90 people for every licensed attorney. I might feel differently if I were male but the stereotypes here run deep.

Last I checked freelancing was most definitely a form of self-employment.

[AWorkerBee]

6. Absolutely

Most of the publishers I do work for accept work from out of state workers. I'd go with the freelance sites, but you might want to go directly to publishers and producers of technical journals on your own as well.

If you know specific software like QuarkXpress, InDesign, Illustrator, etc. It's probably worth more an hour to you. IOW Editorial doesn't pay as well as say, 'type correcting a manuscript' inside quark.

Good luck.

:dilemma: