How I started Freelancing Online?

I started freelancing  with Elance.com in the Year 2004. Worked steadily for 7 years on big and small projects then tried Freelancer.com for a short while and then moved to Odesk, & Envato Studio (formerly called Microlancer).

Elance.com

Elance has a lot of fixed price projects, there is competition by both new and experienced providers. Project descriptions at times are brief and  people in hurry overbid each other to get the Project.

Once you get the Project some Clients get work done and if they are Happy all is fine, you get paid and move on.  Sometimes, you get stuck with a client who decides to get more and more done for the Agreed Price by building upon the vague requirements he had initially put forward. Although Its not about Elance it is about the Clients & Providers.

I will call Elance, corporate and formal. Elance is very disciplined, systematic and strict by all means.  Strict means they at times may not like you putting links to your personal portfolio in a bid. Good for someone who is starting. You need some level of honesty in what you say and what you do to work and be successful there.

There is Word for : Data Entry, Online Marketing, Writers, Web Designers, Web Developers

Charges: While you purchase the bid for somewhere around $ 0.5 you pay  8-10% of the Project Price to Elance.com

Downline: Elance Support is responsive. Elance is not flexible and at times are not answerable. They do not like someone using multiple platforms especially if you mention it at Elance.

Freelancer.com

Freelancer.com is growing fast, They seem to spend a lot of time on ambitious projects. Like they have a marketplace, do a lot of online promotions, They recently acquired Warrior Forum an Intenret Marketing Forum. If you want a less formal environment, can manipulate and can twist things when needed Freelancer.com is for you.

There is Word for : Data Entry, Online Marketing, Writers, Web Designers, Web Developers, Software Developers

Charges: Not sure here, I did ended up paying more than what I paid at Elance

Downline: What is lacking is not enough attention to what is being posted there, anyone posting spam and crap gets unnoticed.

They are not concerned much about the things are going at ground level. While they have largest number users, people working there are unprofessional and get away with cheating easily.

Clients who get work done and do not pay. Freelancer.com has escrow, milestones everything but no one to give a detailed thought about the system whether it runs smoothly. While some bids are free there. Still they have put a lot of Focus on Charging you where ever possible.

Odesk.com

Odesk,com is my favorite so for as far as freelancing is concerned, They focus on hourly projects, although fixed price projects are there. With brief project descriptions and varying nature of projects most clients and providers can work long term and can accomplish more and still maintain quality.

Odesk is right in saying hourly projects earns you more, and are stable. You need to be focused on how much output you give in a given time. They have the Famous Odesk Team Software which tracks your activity level, hours worked each day. You receive guaranteed payment for work done.

If I record hours for the fixed price projects I notice it pays me one third of what I would have earned if it were a Fixed Price Project. This is because I am honest, I love quality. I don’t want to do something I cannot show anyone.

There is Word for : Data Entry, Online Marketing, Writers, Web Designers, Web Developers, Software Developers

Charges: Free to bid, charges 10% of the amount you earn.

Downline: At the start you may need to take some fixed price projects and it may start slowly.

studio.envato.com

Envato Studio is great place to start freelancing if you know your work, like you are expert in logo design, graphics, web design etc. There is no bidding. You put up a profile and service description. Client orders it and you start work. It is Safe and smooth. Its relaxed like you are doing something you are already good at.

There is Word for : Graphics and Design Oriented, Some Web Development

Charges: 30% of the Project Amount.

Downline: They take up to 1 month to clear your payment.

These are some of the experiences on how I started freelancing,  tomorrow I will write on “How to Hire on Freelancers for Your Next Project”. So be right there.

 

How I started Freelancing Online?