Linking from other sites to oDesk profile

[Natalia G]

Thanks Ron for yout thorough post!

Well, since this is confusing and unclear, I will not make any changes to my oDesk profile until we know it´s OK or not OK to link FROM the profile (I.e. writing links on the actual overview etc)

What I did a while ago was linking to my oDesk profile from:

My LinkedIn account (In "work experience" I state have been a freelance translator for almost 7 years through oDesk). Actually it was tricky as I had to write that oDesk was the employer, there was no other way to ad oDesk to my work experience. Is this OK?

My translation website: Links to my oDesk profile (as a sort of portfolio, as most of my work was done through oDesk) and to my LinkedIn account.

I just want to make sure everything I did is correct and within guidelines. I am MEGA paranoid about being suspended!

Thanks, and please MODs help?

[Ronald T]

Natalia, I have revised my initial post to align with Valeria's latest information with regard to linking TO and FROM oDesk freelancer profiles.

Enforcement of the rules used to be...well, a little more flexible (no need for details). Nonetheless, rules are much clearer now. Better to be safe than sorry!

Now, I can trash all the evidentiary replies I had received in the past...

[Isabelle Anne A]

Guys, you are not allowed to put any links on your oDesk profile (except in the Portfolio section, where you can have a link to your portfolio, or in the Certifications section, where you can link to a certificate).

When I first set up a profile, I stupidly put a link (to my website and portfolio site) in my Overview, because I didn't read the terms & conditions properly. My account was flagged for a policy violation, but everything was cleared as soon as I told them that I removed those links.

Regarding Ron's statement: "Now, I believe that the information taken from freelancers' social media accounts is ported to oDesk for internal use, and no one at oDesk seemed to know exactly how the information was used. For that reason, I disabled any linking I had setup. Maybe the Linked Accounts feature is one of those features that oDesk initiated yet did not fully implement."

I am also wondering about this, as I have allowed my Twitter & LinkedIn account to be linked to my oDesk profile, but I have no idea what good it does me. Mods???

[Natasha R]

Maybe the Linked Accounts feature is one of those features that oDesk initiated yet did not fully implement.

You’re right. About 2 years ago I added LinkedIn, but when I didn’t see it displayed on my profile I submitted a ticket.

CS:

Hi Natasha,

As per our Engineering team, linked accounts have been removed from profiles.

[Ronald T]

Thanks Natasha! Maybe they should remove the "Linked Accounts" feature from freelancers' profiles to avoid any further confusion. I will be checking back to see what Valeria finds out.

[Lena E]

Hi Everyone!

We allow you to sign up for oDesk using your social media account to easily port information for your oDesk profile. By linking social media accounts to your oDesk profile it helps to bring your reputation and past work experience with you. Also linking your accounts is an important step to have your profile at 100% complete, because it helps us with ID verification and credibility. 

Thanks,

Lena

[Ronald T]

Hi Lena! Thank you very much for your reply; however, there still seems to be some answers missing.

Your reply is correct and deals with the sign-up process. However, we were discussing the "Linked Accounts" feature (optional) as shown in freelancers' profile (aka "the Linked Accounts feature" discussed below)..

Question: Are these two uses of social media accounts now merged into one feature? Please review the follwoing information before answering.

In February 2011, I requested and had my ID verified (bank statement, Florida driver license, and photo) on oDesk at no cost and not as a result of any request from oDesk. It was an option back then.

I believe my oDesk profile was 100% complete before ID verification (maybe not), and is now 100% complete without using the Linked Accounts feature.

Attempts to use the Linked Accounts feature linking FROM Twitter and LinkedIn TO oDesk resulted in no apparent changes to my oDesk profile.

Thus far, attempts since 2011 to obtain further information from oDesk support and the Community have not resulted in full disclosure of needed information.

Question: After using the Linked Accounts feature to link FROM social media account(s) TO oDesk, how does oDesk use the information ported FROM social media account(s) TO oDesk?

Question: Does the Linked Accounts feature actually work? If yes, please describe.

Note: Please note that as mentioned by Natasha prior to recent oDesk replies, Natasha wrote in part:

(start)

"About 2 years ago I added LinkedIn, but when I didn’t see it displayed on my profile I submitted a ticket.

CS:

Hi Natasha,

As per our Engineering team, linked accounts have been removed from profiles."

(end)

Request: If the oDesk Linked Accounts feature is not workable, then, oDesk should remove the "Linked Accounts" feature from freelancers' profiles to avoid any further confusion.

Request: If the oDesk Linked Accounts feature is workable, then, oDesk should update the pertenent help files with full disclosure and other facts in order to avoid any further confusion.

[Lena E]

Hi Ron, 

To answer your questions, the account linking feature is used by some people when creating a new profile. It's used to pull information to help complete a new oDesk profile. You may have not noticed a difference with your oDesk profile because you had already filled in most of your profile information. 

In addition, the information obtained from the account linking feature will be leveraged as we continue to roll out new features in the future. We're continuing to explore new ways in which to best leverage this feature.

Thanks,

Lena

[Valeria K]

Hi All,

Thank you for the discussion. I would like to confirm that including links to other websites that contain contact information or a contact form in your oDesk profile is not allowed and will get your profile flagged.

If you wish to share the link to your oDesk profile on another website to showcase your experience, you are welcome to do so.

I will check with the Team regarding linking your oDesk profile with your Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, and other accounts in the Profile Settings and be back with more information. 

Thank you!

[Isabelle Anne A]

Hi Valeria,

Thanks for the response - I just want to double-check: I have an online portfolio site, but there's contact info on one of the last pages (it's not on the landing page on anything) - so I'm not allowed to add a link to that site in my Portfolio section, right?