Welcome SOHOjobs.org Members

no7dell · SOHOjobs Member

GoFreeLance.com

HomeworkMommy · SOHOjobs Member

no7dell - you do not know what you are talking about.

Granted, I do not know anything about "GoFreeLance.com" - but I do know LOTS about Elance.

Just because an organization charges a fee does not mean that its a scam. I get ALL KINDS of work from Elance including data entry projects, accounting projects and document preparation projects. I am very happy with Elance and I am glad that SOHO directed me to them years ago.

I am working at home as an accounting assistant. This is a regular employee based job that I got thanks to SOHO a while ago. But I also like to apply to projects on Elance from time to time when I need extra money or whatever.

Anyway, I think its unfair to knock these services just because they charge a fee. Elance is a marketplace that puts the workers with the employers. Why should this be free to you?????

I think better advice for no7jol would be that if you are interested in doing freelance project based work, try Elance. Gofreelance might be good too but I do not have experience with them. I can say from experience, however, that Elance is legit and is a great way to get some work at home experience.

Amber - long time SOHO'er!

DOCwiz · SOHOjobs Member

I've used Gofreelance aka the Freelance Work Exchange. They are okay - nothing great. I've actually posted on this topic before. I think SOHOjobs offers a WAY better service (I"VE requested that Michelle investigate the idea of adding a freelance project category to this forum.... !)

If you are interested in home based projects, you might also want to look at Guru and Elance. I've used them both and have completed document editing projects on both.

Guru is free if you sign up for the basic service but they will charge 10% of your project pay after you complete your work. This is deducted from your pay. I tend to prefer Elance because it seems easier to actually win projects. I've also applied for projects I've found on Craigslist but you must be careful because there are many scams on craigslist.

One way or another, if you want to start doing freelance projects, you are going to pay a fee - either up front or a bigger fee out of your pay. It's to be expected because it is unfair to think that these companies are providing a marketplace for work but not get a cut. You wouldn't expect your local employment agency or temp service not to take a percentage or a finders fee, so why should freelance and work-at-home services be any different. And since I've actually earned money doing this, I can't complain at all! I am just happy to be working from home thanks to SOHO.

Good luck

SOHOjobs Moderator · TEAM SOHO

Hello everyone!

Here are the basics regarding these types of services....

1. charging a fee does not make them a scam
2. paying a fee may not be for everyone

That's pretty much the situation. Elance is a great company if you do not mind paying a fee to enjoy the opportunity to bid on projects. Guru is great if you do not mind a percentage of your earnings, if you should land a gig, goes to Guru. Freelance Work Exchange is a decent service if you want more project based jobs verses SOHOjobs traditional job focus.

Some people have complained about all three of these services (Guru, Elance and FWE). Others rant and rave about them. So - going back to the basics... charging a fee does not make these services a scam but paying a fee may not be comfortable for all job seekers.

As for the request to add project based work to the SOHOjobs forum - I hear you Karen! And yes, we are working on this. The logistics of this make it difficult to integrate. But I can tell you that we value your suggestions and will explore all the possibilities for you.

If anyone needs more information, here are the links

Guru http://www.guru.com/
SOLOgig www.sologig.com/ (another good freelance site)
Elance www.elance.com
FWE www.gofreelance.com

-- Edited by SOHOjobs Moderator at 20:09, 2007-05-01

no7jol · SOHOjobs Member

Thanks everyone! I'll start looking into them!

cmmatthews2000 · SOHOjobs Member

Don't know anything about GoFreeLance.com but guru.com is actually something to stay clear of if you aren't really savvy about freelancing. They have contractors bid on jobs, which is an okay thing, but they seem to be based in India and I was once offered 25 cents an hour for a job and the employer was adamant that this was the going rate in his country. Just check things out before working for someone like them.

Connie

SOHOjobs Moderator · TEAM SOHO

Just a quick clarification -

Guru is located in Pittsburgh (Guru.com, 5001 Baum Blvd., Suite 760, Pittsburgh, PA 15213)

They were launched in 2000 as A2Zmoonlighter.com

As with any other freelance/job bidding site, the employers that are hiring freelancers are located all over the world including India. The vast majority, however, are located in the US.

Guru is an excellent company if you are interested in freelancing. It is a great way to gain some work at home experience for your resume if you have never worked as a freelancer or from home before.

Hope this helps

Team SOHO
www.sohojobs.org

If anyone needs more information, here are the links

Guru http://www.guru.com/
SOLOgig www.sologig.com/ (another good freelance site)
Elance www.elance.com
FWE www.gofreelance.com

no7jol · SOHOjobs Member

Since I poked around GoFreeLance.com, I've been getting e-mails nearly everyday from them. Are they a scam? confused

oc7SSJupiter · SOHOjobs Member

I really don't understand the "bidding" process. I don't understand how one bids on a job, which is why stuff like elance has really confused me.

Could someone here break down the process involved with those types of places?