More Connects to win more of the work you love

[Shumaila S]

Same here it's 5 December and I also haven't received any free connect yet

[Joanne Marie P]

Hi Shumaila,

We're already sending out free Membership Connects. However, please note that you’ll see your monthly free Connects added on your next billing cycle date. You can find this date on your “Memberships and Connects” page under User Settings.

[Binh L]

Totally agree.
I did join this platform almost one year and pause for a while since it costs too much for bidding.

The first month, I spend 15$ to take 30 connects. Luckily I got two smally projects and I earn > 50$. All of them + my credit, I spend like 150 $ and work without getting any more projects.

Upwork should at least provide like 30 connects/month for free.

Many project posted with very low project fee. Let say, a project is post with fix price is just 15$. You have to spend 2 connects to bid it. And you know that number of freelancers bidding the project is from 40-50. Wow? how much do the platform receive base on the bid connects?

It is very hard for a new freelancer to be survive since they have less rating and experience?

Please Upwork grant more free connects per month, so freelancer can find more match projects and 20% project fee is good. The platform will have more traffic.

Anyway, this is a sign for changing. 
Good to see this,

[Mikko R]

Binh, I think there is a little mixup in your thinking.

Your problem is not the price of the Connects because according to you your proposals are not successful anyway.

You're flushing your own money down the drain anyway.

Trying to bid on projects with $15 is insane knowing that you need to pay for the Connect.

What kind of logic is that for any kind of business where you have no hope of getting profit, I wonder?

The problem lies in the business, not in how the platform fees.

I'd support this platform even if the Connects cost $2 each and none came for free. It's a very practical way to keep hobbyists out and let all good clients receive only quality proposals.

[Bryan O]

Upwork is not a platform dedicated solely to large projects. The freelancers should not dedicated only to large projects. Some of the best talent in the world will only be on Upwork as a "hobbyist" because they are gainfully employed already. Not all people are here to create a primary income stream. Some come to give great service and help smaller businesses that could never afford that kind of talent because they want to help give back as well as build a side income stream.

Removing free connects effectively removed bidding on smaller projects that you aren't bidding on anyway. Giving the ability to bid 1-2 small jobs per month is a step in the right direction, but still not great for those freelancers. Please try not to be so condesending to everyone just because they do not need your business model.

[Potential J]

It's a good idea in its entirety.

Whether upwork provide free connects or not, freelancers who love what they do at their own pace and time would still tick and build their own businesses that way.

In my opinion, upwork is doing all they can or need to do so to speak in order to encourage and build a strong community as they've done thus far.

However, not every new freelancer on upwork is entirely new to their skill or expertise as the case may be.

My concern is, if the chances of getting hired are minimal, it'll sure be detrimental to both upwork and the freelancers.

It is true that upwork makes more when we work on jobs and get paid, so the connects should not have been much of a problem.

But what's more important is, they (team upwork) are the ones running the processes and it must favour them well.

If it won't bring them business, they'd fix it without delay.

Let's just do all we can to up our chances of getting more jobs as we can and also ensure to deliver topnotch when a client bets their trust on our ability to deliver a great job.

[Binh L]

Hi Mikko, 

It is not about the bid fee or connects. It is about the way this platform works and support for freelancer, specially new freelancer to survive.

One a contract is made on price of 100$. Client have to spend like 120$. Freelancer just received 80$ instead of 100$. Meanwhile, the project has the bid price at 6 connects. Let say, it got attention and bids from 40 people. That means the platform takes like: 20$ + 20$ + 24$ (form 240 connects). 
That is too much. And this way eliminate new freelancer when they join the platform.

I would agree with you, we are fair to pay for the fee but that has been taken in the project fee.

You bid for 15 projects and win one of them. Some projects are even faked or abandoned (the client post the job, collects many bids but never proceed or sign the contract to anyone). This is the reason why many freelancer could not stay and work.

[Daniel P]

I aggree with everything Mikko R is saying. Having people that are not specialized (hobbyists), using free connects every month, bidding low prices and providing to the clients low quality work for exchange is not good for the platform at all. Most of the clients are looking for high quality work provided by professionals. Upwork is making these changes so every professional can be benefit for, even for new starter professionals. With these changes, being a specialized freelancer, will be much easier to get new contracts since there are going to be less bids sumbitted in every job. That means hires for talented professionals will be increased providing more quality work for the clients. These changes are also a good idea since the number of the freelancers are way bigger than the number of clients. If a new freelancer in this platform knows how to build up his overall profile, portfolio, cover letters and etc. it will be even easier to be seen through out all of the proposals since the number of proposals will be significantly lowered.

[Urska S]

so true

[Mikko R]

Davide, I think the problem with too few Connects relates to the understanding of your ideal clients (or the lack of it).

Alternatively, the proposals lack a clear value proposition or credibility.

Upwork is one of the VERY few platforms where you can define a very nice perfect niche and keep doing business with very specific kinds of people.

(That being said, I'd remove all freebies from this platform to make it fairer from the business-building perspective. The best freelancers always win anyway.)