Is Elance Really The Best?
Posted on | September 1, 2007 |
As a ghostwriter you have to look for jobs on a regular basis so my question to you today is do you think Elance is really the best place to go for ghostwriting jobs or have you found a better place?
When I was writing the Ghostwriting Uncovered Manual I had to compile a list of websites where you could bid on jobs. Some were fee paying and others were free. I did find that the free websites such as Get A Freelancer which is relatively new were lacking in a number of areas. These websites were pretty basic which is not really a problem but they also contained very poor portfolio information. With Get A Freelancer the main problem I found was that the people who were posting ghostwriting jobs were looking for people to work for very little and this hasn’t changed.
I get an e-mail alert whenever new jobs are placed on this website and even today there was a job posting looking for ghostwriters to write 500 word articles for $1.50 each. Is it only me that thinks this is ridiculous? Come on, who in their right mind would write a 500 word article for $1.50….would you?
This website is filled with these sort of jobs and it’s such a shame. It allows people to think that we ghostwriters will write for nothing. In my opinion I’m sticking with Elance. It might be subscription based but at least I know that for my subscription I get the opportunity to bid on realistic jobs that pay realistic amount. You very seldom find people looking for 500 word articles at $1.50 and if they do happen to be foolish enough to post them they don’t get any bids and on occasion they get told exactly what to do with their jobs.
I guess like everything, you get what you pay for and ghostwriting jobs websites are no different. I would love to know if anyone has found a free jobs website that actually has good jobs.
Until next time,
Amanda
bid on ghostwriting jobs, Elance, Get A Freelancer, ghostwriters, ghostwriting jobs
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4 Responses to “Is Elance Really The Best?”
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About Me
My name is Amanda Evans, the owner of Ghostwriting Uncovered. The aim of this blog is to provide additional help and advise to those who want to know how to become a ghostwriter.
Writing is my passion and I have been doing it all my life. I began freelancing in 2000 and have been working full time as a professional Ghostwriter for almost 2 years. My mission is to help as many people as I can to become successful ghostwriters and be able to quit their day jobs too.- Visit My Website
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September 5th, 2007 @ 1:39 am
Elance has proven its worth many times over, in my experience. They consistently work to keep their site updated and focus on service to providers and buyers alike. They offer safer payment systems, relatively reasonable fees, and they do have a quality-oriented clientele.
GetAFreelancer, in my opinion, is one of the worst sites for writers, especially Canadian and U.S.-based ones. Writerlance is another, and RentACoder isn’t much better. There is no way to compete against the low rates being slapped up by mediocre providers. Even buyers who admit they’d prefer better quality work continue to choose the lowest bid. Money makes the world go round, it seems.
However, poor website and low-quality content don’t live long in the online world. There isn’t any point focusing energy on supporting that type of business by offering writing services for them. Better to have respect for oneself and one’s skills, working with auction sites for freelancers that match that respect. Also, online entrepreneurs that care about their business and its success are more geared to working with writers from Elance, who care about the work they do - for the most part. There are some who are just in it for a fast buck.
P.S. iFreelance is another good site to try out.
P.P.S. Hope this comment made sense. I’m tired
September 5th, 2007 @ 7:14 am
Hi James,
I agree with you fully on this one. It is so frustrating and annoying when you see writers who can’t even speak English bidding peanuts for ghostwriting jobs. I receive email alerts daily for GAF (get a freelancer) and even when I come across something that might interest me the bids are so low that I just don’t bother. Elance on the other hand offers quality jobs and the buyers know that they get quality work too. I have seen a couple of job posts recently on Elance for $1.50 article writers and this is for 500 words. They didn’t get any bids which is great. Let’s hope Elance remains this way.
Thanks for you comments.
I love your website by the way.
Amanda
September 10th, 2007 @ 6:38 pm
Hi Amanda, Thanks for this very interesting and helpful blog. I’ve just joined Elance and started bidding on jobs and am glad to hear it is one of the best freelance markets and that it is possible to earn reasonably from it. Even here I am seeing a huge variation in bids descending to the peanut level. I’d be interested in hearing any more of your experiences that would be helpful to a freelancer starting out.
September 11th, 2007 @ 7:45 am
Hi Kit,
Thanks for your kind words and I am so glad that you like the blog. I am here to help so if you have any questions why not head over to the ghostwriting uncovered website and shoot me an email. I am also hoping to be able to post daily on this blog very shortly so stay tuned for more information.
Kind regards,
Amanda