[Complaint] Upwork randomly keeps changing its features

[#1]

A month ago upwork changed the availability feature, setting yourself as available cost 2 connects per week.
This feature was terrible, but I did not complain and set my availability to unavailable since I wasnt actively looking for clients (but was open to offers).
I was subsequently removed from all search indexes...
Recently upwork has introduced the availability badge feature and reverted the availability feature to its previous state. So availability stopped costing 2 connects.
I did not receive any notification about the availability badge feature and continued to set myself as unavailable.

For a month I was not being indexed in search because of this.

Free tier now randomly gets free connects, before they did not get any connects. Free tier getting connects devalues my current Plus membership, so members should be notified.

These are just a few examples of features I have noticed that keep changing randomly that have negativly impacted me.
I am just making this post to share my disagreement with this behaviour by upwork.

I really appreciate the platform upwork has made for freelancers, but things like this can definetly be improved.

[#2]

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Shravan S wrote:

A month ago upwork changed the availability feature, setting yourself as available cost 2 connects per week.
This feature was terrible, but I did not complain and set my availability to unavailable since I wasnt actively looking for clients (but was open to offers).
I was subsequently removed from all search indexes...

You misunderstood entirely. You can still set yourself as available.  It will not cost anything. Of course, if you set yourself as unavailable, you will not appear in searches, but there was absolutely no need to do so at all.

I do, however, agree that the "available now" badge is an entirely dreadful idea.

[#3]

Is this some kind of mandela affect? I am sure that upwork asked me to pay for setting my availability and then reverted it, there are other posts on the forum who had the same experience -
https://community.upwork.com/t5/Freelancers/1-Connect-to-login-upwork-account/m-p/954219#M595962

[#4]

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Shravan wrote:

I am sure that upwork asked me to pay for setting my availability and then reverted it, there are other posts on the forum who had the same experience -

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Again, you completely misunderstood.

You can set your availability to available and NOT pay for the silly "Available now" badge.

You still appear as available, you just don't get the stupid "available now" badge they are testing on some clients and freelancers.

Is this some kind of mandela affect?

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What in the world do you mean?

[#5]

Hello Petra!

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Petra R wrote:

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Shravan wrote:

I am sure that upwork asked me to pay for setting my availability and then reverted it, there are other posts on the forum who had the same experience -

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Again, you completely misunderstood.

You can set your availability to available and NOT pay for the silly "Available now" badge.

You still appear as available, you just don't get the stupid "available now" badge they are testing on some clients and freelancers.

Is this some kind of mandela affect?

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What in the world do you mean?

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The Mandela Effect refers to a situation in which a large mass of people believes that an event occurred when it did not. 👀👀👀

[#6]

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Woodrow Q wrote:

Is this some kind of mandela affect?

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What in the world do you mean?

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The Mandela Effect refers to a situation in which a large mass of people believes that an event occurred when it did not. 👀👀👀

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I (obviously) know what it means. It doesn't apply here. Hence me asking what the hell he means.

No need for mansplaining, thanks a lot.

[#7]

Feature so obvious it confused both freelancers and clients 🙂

[#8]

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Petra R wrote:

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Woodrow Q wrote:

Is this some kind of mandela affect?

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What in the world do you mean?

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The Mandela Effect refers to a situation in which a large mass of people believes that an event occurred when it did not. 👀👀👀

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I (obviously) know what it means. It doesn't apply here. Hence me asking what the hell he means.

No need for mansplaining, thanks a lot.

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I too believed that Petra did not know what the effect was based on her query.

I didn't know what it was. So, thanks for the mansplaining, I guess? 🤷‍:female_sign:
Saved me a web search. 

[#9]

Hello Petra!

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Petra R wrote:

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Woodrow Q wrote:

Is this some kind of mandela affect?

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What in the world do you mean?

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The Mandela Effect refers to a situation in which a large mass of people believes that an event occurred when it did not. 👀👀👀

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I (obviously) know what it means. It doesn't apply here. Hence me asking what the hell he means.

No need for mansplaining, thanks a lot.

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Gotcha!

You give insight, but others must hush.

Understood!