If all the freelancers quit to buy connects, what will happen. ??

[hayatulhaq]

I think we need unity everywhere, why to buy connects ,,,?? i fyou we dont have money ..we are here to earn money.. there is nothing we have for spending. . . this policy has been very awkward..for newbies. . . what will they do ?? infact what will we do .? if we have to buy connects and those connects are wasted by some employers.... the employers as well as freelancers should have a free platform.... . buying connects for earning is not suitable formula.. infact it is best for the owner but not for freelancers... 

huh.. what a strategy ... lets buy connects... I think this our right to have 10 connects at least 10 connects per day .. so that newbies are given a chance in such a harsh situation all over the world.. 

The upwork authority must lookinto this matter very seriously......Do you think in this inflation how come a person can afford to buy connects.....We are offering our services at the very low cost.. but still has to buy connects....thats a shamful act from the authority.......i dont like it ... 

the rule must be to provide 10 connects per day....only then when somebody can buy it... he should.....10 connects per month...huh...

[feed_my_eyes]

It's impossible to run a business without having any expenses, and Upwork is very cheap compared with other marketing methods (and even other freelancing websites). If you have a better way to find work without paying any money, then you should go ahead and do that.

[hayatulhaq]

I belive upwork is a giant  freelancer platform, with estimated 18 million freelancers, it means if we buy 1 connect on average it is a huge amount ...,, isn't very harsh and cruel attitude of such a giant network to snatch money from its tiny workers/startups,,, after all, we are the source of income,, dont we deserve something free on daily basis.

[feed_my_eyes]

Why do you feel that you "deserve" to use Upwork for free? The website isn't free to run, and most freelancers who join don't earn any money that contributes to the running costs.

When I became a freelancer, websites like this didn't exist, so I had to get off my butt and find my own clients. I spent months and months researching the market and developing a business plan, then spent hundreds of dollars of my own money printing brochures and taking out ads in my local newspaper and the yellow pages. Now, anyone - literally anyone, no matter how lazy and unskilled they are - can sign up here and start sending out proposals to warm leads within minutes, for the cost of a few dollars per month. It's never been easier to start a small business IF you know what you're doing and have a valuable skill to sell; if you don't, you'll struggle to get work even if connects are free.

[bobafett999]

Who gives you free money without you spending any money.  Even if you have a job you have to spend money for transportation, clothes,  lunch or tea......

Stop complaining about connects and focus on being good at what you do - compared to your competition. 

[hayatulhaq]

My point is there is a huge inflation in the world. upwok is a giant platform for earning. it can manage to give lets say 5 connects per day to freelancers free of cost as a gesture to boost the cycle of money....it should not squeez  all the amount even from the jobless peaople......this is the most harsh and cruel thing from such a giant platfrom..I belive this.

[abinadab-agbo]

It is my suspicion that UW this week fully discontinued free Connect awards for interviews.

A really welcome development this would be (though I'll still confirm it for a certainty in the coming week).

The real reason you're having difficulty landing jobs is that in the past few months, Connects have been too cheap (actually, free if you know your Upwork ropes).

This has resulted in an avalanche of spam that overwhelms and repels clients and discourages qualified freelancers from applying.

As a result, no one gets hired and applying to jobs becomes the actual job.

Nobody spams when they pay real money for Connects.

People who paid for Connects are more likely to only apply to jobs they are fully qualified for, with history to match. These ones are also more lilely to write very thoughtful, carefully considered proposals.

Clients who receive only this sort of proposals are several echelons more likely to make a hire.

I'm pretty confident that if

- all freelancers are now required to pay for Connects

- you know your onions, have a solid profile (even for a noob), and are submitting well targeted, carefully written proposals only;

You will land views, interviews and a hire or hires with the next $5 of Connects you'll purchase.

I also know of a thing called poverty and cost of living crisis but I'm pretty sure $5 isn't out of your reach right now.

[melaniekhenson]

---

hayat u wrote:

My point is there is a huge inflation in the world. upwok is a giant platform for earning. it can manage to give lets say 5 connects per day to freelancers free of cost as a gesture to boost the cycle of money....it should not squeez  all the amount even from the jobless peaople......this is the most harsh and cruel thing from such a giant platfrom..I belive this.

---

Hayat, I understand your argument, but Upwork is a business. They're here to make money.

To put it coldly (I'm sorry), if a freelancer doesn't earn enough to be able to afford connects (at least after the initial couple/few months on the platform), then the freelancer either doesn't produce quality work or the freelancer isn't charging enough.

Freelancing isn't a right. It's not for everybody and it's not meant to be. Freelancing via a platform like Upwork puts a middle man in there, so it's another expense for any independent contractor (until and unless they earn enough of a reputation on the platform to be approached for new work, rather than having to spend connects).

Upwork does not HAVE to make connects cheaper. They're here to make money just like you're here to make money. There's nothing wrong with that. Only a certain number of independent contractors are successful on a platform like this. And in a larger way, only a certain number of independent contractors are successful at all. That's the nature of pretty much any career I've ever heard of.

I am so sorry you're frustrated and I feel for you, I really do. But this is reality. You're able to do this or you're not. There are always things we can or can't do, and Upwork is either for you, or it isn't. Just my opinion, obviously, and yes, I put it to myself this way, too, when I started freelancing many years ago. I didn't assume it would work out. I knew I needed not just skill in my own craft, but business skill in general; the ability to reach out to others; the ability to organize the financial end and so on. Good luck...I truly hope this works out for you.

[the-right-writer]

Free connects = more proposals. It won't boost the cycle of money, it will shut it down as clients flee the flood of 100s+ proposals.

Upwork isn't squeezing anything. It's your choice to be here - you are self-employed. If you are jobless, you need to consider your options. If you don't have marketable Upwork skills and some money to invest, you will fail here. No, Upwork doesn't care about you or poverty or anything because it can't, it's a business.

It has no consciousness, no soul.

You think it's harsh because you are not given extra help that you feel you deserve. By the way, there are plenty of people from your country, and from impoverished areas, who are doing great on Upwork without special help.

[the-right-writer]

"the rule must be to provide 10 connects per day....only then when somebody can buy it... he should.....10 connects per month...huh..."

Well, that will get rid of the few decent clients. Then they can have 1000 proposals to wade through. If that were to happen, I think every legitimate freelancer and client would leave.

Also, it is a revenue stream for Upwork because most people never get a job, and they are spending more time on support. The solution is to stop allowing anything that can use a computer keyboard to set up an account as a professional freelancer. Unfortunately, Upwork is not looking at the long haul.

"i fyou we dont have money ..we are here to earn money.. there is nothing we have for spending"

If you don't have any money at all to invest into self-employment, it isn't going to work. If the freelancer has no money at all, they should look for an employer who will take care of all of that for them.

[the-right-writer]

I think many new and or struggling freelancers feel that some of us don't care about their plight. Most of the people who post care about other freelancers, or they wouldn't waste their time here.

One of the reasons I post is because there are a lot of hurting people in the world, and even in the U.S. that believe they can come online and start making money. That may be true, but for most, they either have no skills, or do not have the resources to invest into the business.

Upwork doesn't "care" about anyone. It can't because it doesn't feel; it is a business. Upwork needs money, and people who are self-employed have to spend money. That's why I tell people the truth, even though many don't want to hear it. If you have no skills, you will fail. No amount of plagiarism, connects, begging, exaggerating, or faking will make you a freelancer. 

I don't like to see people saying they are desperate and need food or medicine. But I know freelancing is not going to save those people, and they waste what little they have on connects.

More connects means more people are applying for jobs. That means, every freelancer suffers because of the additional proposals. You suffer when there are more free connects.

[abinadab-agbo]

:hundred_points:

[hayatulhaq]

Yes! you are right that more connects means more proposals, but what if upwork allow only skilled people to sign up, allowing new commers to pass certain tests, and then skilled people may submit proposal for jobs.. freelancers(employers) would hve vast variety of talent, with too many options. its cheaper and beneficial for everyone. 

[abinadab-agbo]

"Cheaper"?

How has cheap worked for you so far?

[the-right-writer]

There are no employers in freelancing.

[martina_plaschka]

What would happen? Clients would get fewer proposals. That would not be a bad thing. 

[abinadab-agbo]

Supported :hundred_points:

[hayatulhaq]

Yes! you'r right but fewer proposals means lesser possibility/ option for a business to succeed. 

[abinadab-agbo]

The keyword is fewer, more relevant proposals.

[the-right-writer]

Fewer proposals mean happier clients and freelancers have a better chance at being hired when instead of 50+ proposals, which could mean 1000 for all we know, the clients would have perhaps 15. Too many people believe throwing connects or lowering rates will get them jobs when they lack the skills. The fewer awful freelancers, the better for the skilled ones. Clients like having options. They don't want to wade through horrible proposals to find some good ones.