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Elance

- Star Review

Last Updated: 10/14/2008

Elance Star Rating

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Member Reviews (1)

Thanks to the increasing cost of the daily commute, more and more people are finding it necessary to work from home. Fortunately, it's also increasingly easier to do so. We can now connect with people all over the world through the Internet with instant communication and the ability to transfer documents. Whether you are looking for work or need a freelancer to do work for you, the Internet may be the best place to start your search. The Star Reviews team wanted to compare freelance websites to see which ones had the most to offer. Elance.com, the online freelance giant, was one of the first sites we looked into. Here's how they measured up to the competition...

What’s New?

Water Cooler – Community forums for Elance members.
Elance University – Instruction for the freelance worker.
Skills testing to verify skills and abilities.

Our favorite Feature:

We really liked Elance's Water Cooler. It's a great way to find out inside information from other Elance members.

Elance Experience:

Elance.com brings the freelance worker and the employer looking for a worker together in one convenient location. When we arrived on Elance’s home page we found that is arranged like most similar websites. You choose your path through the site depending on whether you are a potential employer or employee.

If you need some help getting started, a video tutorial is provided providing information and instruction. Although the site is so easy to navigate, you probably won't need it. The site pages load quickly and navigation is simple and straightforward.

To get any value from the Elance website, you're going to have to register. This is done by providing your email address and selecting a user name and password. As a member you get access to a My Elance tab that gives you direct access to all the information you need to manage your profile and work.

The professional freelance worker can set up a profile and include a photo, a summary of skills, employment history, education and a whole lot more. You can take skills tests to verify your skills and create business cards from the site. Searching available jobs is done by keyword or by category and you can bid on any job of interest.

Stop by the “Water Cooler” to participate in a forum. You can join a group for your particular field or one for newcomers where you can get first hand information from people active on the site. If you have a question or concern this is a good place to start looking for the answer.

Elance University provides all the information you need to get started on Elance. It’s a great resource for the seasoned professional as well.

If you're an employer looking for a pro, the site will be a rich resource for you. You can search by keyword or by category. Individual and company profiles are listed in each of these categories. You can post a job under a specific category and wait for the job to be bid on by providers or you can choose a freelance provider and contact them directly. If you choose to post your job you will be given a form to fill out that will provide all the information necessary. Then review the bids as the providers submit them and simply choose the one that meets your needs.

Elance proves to be one of the hottest resources for both freelancers and the people who need to hire them. If you're only going to sign up with one or two freelance services, this is one of our top picks.

Elance Features:

Post a profile with a basic free membership.
Search for freelance professionals.
Bid on work.
Post a job for bid.
Water cooler provides education and support.
Elance University provides support and information.

Elance Pricing:

Basic Membership – Free

Profile
Charge for skill tests
Allows 3 proposals per month
Email contact only
6% Fee paid to Elance on work completed
2.75% processing fee for credit cards

Individual Membership - $9.95 per month

2 free skill tests
Up to 20 proposals per month
4-6% fee
2.75% processing fee for credit cards

Small Business Membership - $19.95 per month

4 free skill tests
Up to 40 proposals per month
4-6% fee
2.75% processing fee for credit cards

Large Business Membership - $39.95 per month

8 free skill tests
Up to 60 proposals per month
4-6% fee
2.75% processing fee for credit card

Elance Customer Service:

Elance.com customer service can be reached via phone Monday through Friday from 7 am to 7 pm PST or by email. An extensive help menu is also available that will probably answer most questions.

When we contacted Elance's phone support they were very helpful, although our hold time was almost four minutes. Email support, unfortunately, was a bit of a frustrating experience. We submitted a question, got an answer the next day, but not the answer to the question we asked. In fact, the answer didn't address our question at all. We had to reply to the response explaining the answer wasn't appropriate. We got a response a day later – with the same answer. Finally, third time was a charm, and three days later we got the answer we were looking for.

Upside:

Skills tests for verification, verification of credentials available, water Cooler provides interactive forum for providers.

Downside:

Elance is one of the most expensive sites to join for the freelancer and projects don't pay as well due to overseas competition.

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Elance Member Reviews

Member Rating (based on 1 reviews)		See all 1 reviews

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Nice

by pearlofafrika who has written 38 reviews and is trusted by 0 members

As a Freelancer, I am continuously finding new methods to get work. Elance is a very popular site in the freelance community. It basically allows you to bid for work, as a contractor, or allows jobs to find you. It's very easy to get started with Elance, and it's free, which I liked (although there are advanced options for a charge). I think it's a handsome tool for any freelancer.

Although I haven't found any success on it (I created a basic profile, but I don't actively search for jobs through Elance), I know many people have found lucrative jobs through this site. Worth a look. It's free to register and try it out.

Agree Completely	0	Helpful	1	Seems Biased	0	Just a Flame	0

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