How Connects System works

fca814b7 · ‎05-08-2020

I don't understand how the Connects system works. Do I have to pay to have more connects? It does not seem fair that a freelancer needs to spend money to use your platform when you already take commission on the earnings. I have a job lined up and I will not be able to withdraw my funds because it's under $100 so I will have to spend money to be able to apply for more jobs so that I have the chance to make enough money to withdraw my funds otherwise the platform keeps it? I woud like to understand this. In the current crisis I am facing serious finantial difficulties and that is the reason I decided to start looking for gig work in the first place. I am not in a position that I can spend money to be able to look for work. I want to use this platform and to believe it is a legitimate and fair way to connect freelancers with clients and not any sort of exploitation so if you could please clarify the job hunting terms for me I would appreciate.Joana

florydev · ‎05-08-2020

Yes, that is how it works. When you sign up for your account you get a small number and then you have to pay for them again. If you get a rising talent badge you get some more and there might be some other way you get some for free.

You do have to use your account to buy more connects, you can not use it from funds you have earned. I am not sure why that is, but it is.

The problem before when FL'ers were given a set of 60 free connects there was a lot of spam posting on projects and it was quite annoying for clients. Clients are the lifeblood of this platform. I don't know if removing free connects has helped or not because pretty much since then I have been engaged in the same rotation of clients and have hardly bid on anything.

I am not sure what fair means. To me it is their platform and they can do what they want and owe me absolutely nothing. I also don't have to use them, but I do because, despite it's drawbacks, there are great clients to be found here. They tried being more generous and it did not work out.

People who were here before and suddenly didn't have their free connects anymore they definitely had a reason to feel a little gyped. I still don't think it was unfair. My grocery store didn't use to require me to wear a mask to shop but now they do so things change. Upwork made a policy change based on the what they felt was best for their company. I believe they have the right as do I.

fca814b7 · ‎05-08-2020

Thank you for clarifying. I didn't fully understand the withdraw limit rule
before and because only very recently I began looking for work online, I am
still learning and I have been dealing with all kinds of ellaborate scams
with little guidance. Naturally, we have to invest in ourselves to find
work and I have done it my all life but when it comes to the online work I
am still learning and I am terrified of falling victim to scams. I guess
this change opened my eyes to the dangers of online scamming and I am
adapting which can be stressful. I was used to relying on physical
networking, events, and meetings and I've never worked for clients that I
didn't know personally or through someone. I understand clients can also be
vulnerable when it comes to online freelance work, it is a relationship
based on trust.

I understand that it is hard to regulate remote work and that platforms
must make the choices that will protect the majority because there will be
people taking advantage and scamming if everything is free. I am just
anxious after falling victim to online scams and at the moment I need to be
reassured of the legitimacy of services. Because some of the scams I dealt
with were very well fabricated some even with well-fabricated fake
websites, I ended up growing suspicious of remote work, despite wanting to
engage in it. I want to learn how to navigate through online work and give
myself a chance to sustain my practice in this new reality but I just need
to know how to protect myself.

Thank you so much for understanding and clarifying

Joana

feed_my_eyes · ‎05-08-2020

Joana A wrote:
I am just anxious after falling victim to online scams and at the moment I need to be reassured of the legitimacy of services. Because some of the scams I dealt with were very well fabricated some even with well-fabricated fake websites, I ended up growing suspicious of remote work, despite wanting to engage in it. I want to learn how to navigate through online work and give myself a chance to sustain my practice in this new reality but I just need to know how to protect myself.

Only start working when you have a contract through Upwork and the payment method is verified (and escrow is funded, if it's a fixed price contract). If you understand how this website works and you follow the rules, you are unlikely to be the victim of a scam.

gilbert-phyllis · ‎05-08-2020

You do understand how connects work: after using the 20 free ones you receive when you join, you have to purchase them going forward. But you don't understand several other things about how the platform works. You really should invest the time to learn it better before trying to operate here.

You can withdraw any funds that are Available, even if it's only $1. Your Available funds will only be transferred to you automatically if the balance is $100 or more.

There are very few ways to look for work without spending any money at all. You need access to classified ads, online job boards, freelance marketplaces like Upwork. You need internet access, a phone where you can be reached, a resume, a portfolio of work to showcase your capabilities. For many types of work, you need a professional wardrobe of some kind, transportation, money to attend conferences and other networking events. You may need to maintain a website, print business cards, create brochures or other collateral material (printed and/or digital).

Upwork gives you virtually free access to a global marketplace of clients. Establishing your profile is absolutely free of charge. After using the complimentary connects, you have to spend between 15 cents and 90 cents for each proposal. For each new client you work with, UW takes 20% of the first $500 you earn, then 10% until you reach $10,000 in billings from that client, at which point the fee drops to 5%. In return, you get automatic billing and payment handling, some measures of payment protection depending on the type of contract you use, and the benefit of UW's multi-million dollar marketing program that attracts clients to the platform. Depending on the type of work you do and the fees you are able to command, the Upwork system may or may not be a good fit for you. If the ROI isn't there, then it doesn't make sense to struggle with it.

Upwork prospers when we freelancers prosper. It is not exploitive, nor is it here to provide a safety net for the unemployed and unemployable. Succeeding here takes more than a marketable core skill set, e.g. graphic design or editing or coding. Each successful FL is operating their own small business, employing all of the 'wrap-around' skills that requires including how to identify and vet good-fit clients and how to manage them and their projects effectively. It takes hard work, a thick skin, and confidence combined with humility and willingness to own and learn from mistakes.

chefperryp · ‎05-08-2020

Joana,

I feel your pain, lol. I've been here a year, and that was one of the first questions that I asked. Since then, I've learned a few things...

Personally, I think it's about "skin in the game"...if everybody could submit proposals to every job offer, without any tangible "investment" or "cost" on their part, the system would quickly get overloaded, as everyone applied for every job "just in case."

By using a system of bid points, Upwork (in my opinion) is forcing content providers to "weigh and measure" those jobs that they are best qualified and suited for, to improve their own return n investment. Not only does this improve our chances of landing jobs by reducing the number of applicants to those who are best qualified, but it's a safety filter for our clients, ensuring higher quality and more targeted applications, and not flooding them with hundreds of "shotgun" applications.

I may be wrong (Guru's feel free to correct me, lol) but after a lifetime in sales, I've learned that the best results (for both seller and buyer) come when supply and demand are filtered through a "pay to play" process, in which candidates are forced to narrow their focus on those jobs that they are actually best qualified for because each application has a material cost.

Trust the system. If you provide quality work and build up a positive work history, the system will work in your favor over the long haul.

I know it has for me.

~Chef Perry

miketcr · ‎05-08-2020

Joana,

It is worth it to pay the monthly membership. you will get free connects every month, and if they are not used, you get to keep them, the roll over up to 140 total.
Stay with Upwork, and do your best to build up your profile, then things get better over time.
Take care and stick with it