Anyone Have Experience With Online Freelancing?

Hexmage-PA

I'm looking for ways to make some extra money and I've come across a few online freelancing websites (odesk, elance, fiverr, etc.). Has anyone had any experience with online freelancing, and is it worth the time investment?

davidsdurions

I, too, would be curious if anyone has any positive experiences to share about utilizing those freelancing services.

Pacificstar

I have used people on odesk/ elance and it was generally a good experience for me. Those companies offer you some safety from getting ripped off by an otherwise shady customer.

Technicality

Generally my experience has been that companies hire freelancers who (in descending order of priority):
1) They know, or someone they know knows
2) They can arrange in person meetings with
3) Are cheap

I found competing on number 3 is pretty hard to do in a really big market like a freelancing website without investing a lot of time and pushing the lower limits of what I am willing to work for. I generally get far far more for my time by going after number 1 and 2. Contacting previous clients and catching up (reminding them you exist)/asking if they have heard if anyone is looking for a freelancer is surprisingly effective for number 1, and local job sites/classifieds does well for me for number 2.

bowen

Technicality wrote: »

Generally my experience has been that companies hire freelancers who (in descending order of priority):
1) They know, or someone they know knows
2) They can arrange in person meetings with
3) Are cheap

I found competing on number 3 is pretty hard to do in a really big market like a freelancing website without investing a lot of time and pushing the lower limits of what I am willing to work for. I generally get far far more for my time by going after number 1 and 2. Contacting previous clients and catching up (reminding them you exist)/asking if they have heard if anyone is looking for a freelancer is surprisingly effective for number 1, and local job sites/classifieds does well for me for number 2.

Yeah I can't compete with overseas programmers who work for $1 an hour. You get what you pay for, but people on internet freelancing websites are cheap as hell, unless you're willing to put in a week's worth of work for $20, look elsewhere. I've found I could make more money with amazon's mechanical turk than through those freelance websites.

Get your name out, local chambers of commerce or business associations are a good place to start digging around. Look at friends, family or friends of friends of friends and so on. Be willing to do more than you normally would. If you install video cards, be willing to install antivirus or learn how to wipe and clean computers.

Darkewolfe

I work with a temporary creative freelancing agency group when I need surge graphics support. I don't know how you'd go about finding such a group, this one is mostly NYC and DC, but I'm sure there are others. It's sort of the best of both worlds, in that they can find you work but it's not $1/hour work.

It's a bit more expensive for me than just having a favorite freelancer on call, but I have the perk of being able to complain to the agency if work isn't good, and since they want me as a continued client they usually work with me. The disadvantage to you is you'd probably get paid slightly less, since the agency is taking a cut. Not $1 an hour less, though.