Networking requests

[#1]

I keep getting these requests to "join my professional network", does anyone know what the point of this is? Has anyone here spent any time building up a network on here, and if so, to what end? I'm a little lost as to the point of it myself, I'm a freelancer, and I don't need another network of people with similar skills, I have LinkedIn for that. Am I missing something?

Paul

[#2 · Accepted solution]

My experience is it is extremely annoying and there should be a way to turn it off!

There are some with thousands of networkers, and they invite more.

I'm not going to become a farmer, or an "agency" and take all these people with no skills to be in my network, so I can find them jobs and educate them on freelancing, money, business, planning...life, while I make the money. 

Networking, as in the dictionary and the way professionals use it, is not what's happening here.

Oh, you are supposed to chat and discuss new and improved ways of freelancing and all the tricks and cool things you can do to harass clients! Run around online and find the latest YouTube video to watch' cause it guarantees you will make millions if you have a certain amount of letters in your profile and proposal.  See, isn't this helpful?

The only people contacting me want everything. I, too, have other ways of communicating with people, and would never use Upwork as "networking."  I have been asking and demanding a way to turn it off, and of course, that went nowhere.

So, I ignore it now and go through and dump people that just want.

[#3]

Yeah, pretty much as I surmised, I'll continue to just ignore it then.

[#4]

I use MY NETWORKS for people associated with individual projects. Call it a virtual office cube. NO I do not care about the random veiwers either. So If I do not know them - I do not accept their network.

[#5]

I am getting sick of these networking requests. I accepted few and they asked me to provide them with a job. I have to tell them that I am myself a freelancer how can I hire them. One of them asked for to go and check gis profile and let him know about the deficiencies. Another one asked to visit his profile and check the feedback given to him by his client. Is there any way to stop this thing?

[#6]

Only if we can get Upwork to stop forcing this on us.

[#7]

Only "solution" is to instant decline and move on. Huge joke that Upwork wouldn't provide the option to turn these off these. I have zero intention of building a "network" with other freelancers here, and I'm sure many feel the same. Doesn't help that so many people on this site are basically identity thieves anyway.

[#8]

Hi which type of work 

[#9]

Once again a perfectly well intended internet tool has turned to a useless pain in the rear!

We have lots of digital invention, nut little real though into the provess or use.

[#10]

Any update from Upwork on when we have some control over our network? It seems to be five or more chances for people we don't want to harass us for jobs, to harass us for job, clients, money...

Why multiple chances? We know why, but it would be nice for Upwork to explain.

[#11]

I've set up a filter in my email account so that anything with "wants you to join their professional network" in the subject line is immediately deleted. With the overall quality of new freelancers in a seemingly continuous freefall, there's no point in even opening these requests. 

[#12]

I can't ignore the requests, because it is also the only place client invitations are placed.

That's the problem, I might miss a real client.

[#13]

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 wrote:

I can't ignore the requests, because it is also the only place client invitations are placed.

That's the problem, I might miss a real client.

---

The freelancer messages aren't mixed up with client messages or invitations; they're in an entirely different place (Under "Find Work", "Your Network", "Pending Requests"). Very easy to ignore. And if you set up an email filter, you won't miss any client invitations, because they won't have "wants you to join their professional network" in the subject line.

[#14]

Yes they are. The bell notifications are the only place the invitations show up. I don't trust Upwork's emails for notifications because they are often late. There is no way to filter the notifications in the notification bell. That's where you receive requests, as well as invitations. The only place I have ever seen invitations is in the bell or in email.

If you can tell me and others how to get rid of the *$&*@$(# that clog my "bell" notifications, that would be great. Even the moderators have stated there is no way to filter, or turn off the flippin' constant flow of people demanding to be in my network.

Everyone who has complained about this would be thrilled to have a solution. Upwork has said they have no intention of allowing any way to filter or turn the bloody thing off.