Personal websites in proposals

[chyson]

Hi,

I was wondering about linking to oustide website portfolios in proposals. I know they aren't allowed in profiles, specifically if they contain outside contact information; but what about in proposals? 

Example is I have a website for my VO business that has my demos built in. I have found that attaching my demos hasn't been all that successful and feel linking to my site could be easier for clients to manage. My site does contain my direct contact email, but I obviously would not do any upwork related business outside of the site.

I'm just confused because I found one post from support staff saying: "You can share the link to your Upwork profile in your social media accounts, blog, website, online portfolio etc. What users aren't allowed is to include links in their *profile* which contain their direct contact information."

Then another post (I think from the same staff member) saying: "You're free to include your online Portfolio link in your proposals, but not in your profile."

So I just want clarification to make sure I don't violate any TOS. I wanna do this right lol

[BojanS · Accepted solution]

Hi Chris,

Yes, you can share your external portfolios. Portfolios are an important part of a freelancer’s bidding process to show off their past work and their potential to complete a future project. That is why we are not prohibiting the sharing of external links to personal portfolios or other websites that provide examples of past work. We recognize that some of these links might include contact information and ways to identify and contact you outside of the Upwork platform. When you share these outside links, please remind potential clients to only communicate with you through Upwork until a contract is in place.

Thank you!

[chyson]

Thank you for the reply! 

[codydv_studio]

This statement seems to directly conflict with the information given here under Contact Information > Terms of Service:

https://support.upwork.com/hc/en-us/articles/360049608113-Sharing-Information-on-Upwork

Could someone please clarify what is the correct, up-to-date policy for external portfolio links (most include contact forms) in the Upwork profile?

Just looking for clarification on this.

Thanks

PS - Two other forum posts also conflict 

( From 2019 https://community.upwork.com/t5/Freelancers/Adding-Personal-Website-In-Upwork-Portfolio/td-p/628865 )

( From 2017 https://community.upwork.com/t5/Freelancers/Can-I-share-my-portfolio-URL-on-my-profile/td-p/420373 )

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Edit: Looking back, I see that I misunderstood the first post. That post already excluded public freelancer profiles, and only asked what is allowed to be included in the proposal. There's no conflict as I originally thought.

[PradeepH]

Hello Cody,

Thank you for your message. As mentioned in the screenshot attached by you and the message posted by Bojan, we require that you do not request or share any contact information via any Contact forms and keep all direct communications on Upwork until you start a contract. Sharing of external portfolio links is allowed as long as they do not include or request direct contact information.  

Thank you.

Pradeep

[codydv_studio]

Thanks Pradeep,

I realized I should clarify my question a little bit. It was unclear to me at which stage contact information sharing is allowed.

#1. Before communication - via public Upwork profile

#2. Proposal or invitation - via messages

#3. After contract establishment - via messages

If I understand you and Bojan correctly now, no portfolio link (unless contact information is removed) would be allowed in stage #1.

In stage #2, communications must remain inside Upwork's messaging system, but portfolio links containing contact information are ok.

Then in stage #3, communications can be on any platform.

Do I have that right? I appreciate your clarification on this, thank you!

-Cody

[NikolaS]

Hi Cody, 

I would like to clarify that sharing contact information before a contract has started is against Upwork’s Upwork's Terms of Service and that all communications prior to the contract starting must take place on Upwork. Once you accept a client’s offer, you can choose to share your contact information and use other tools to manage your project, too.

We always recommend that users should be cautious when sharing any sensitive or personal information with anyone they do not know. Learn more about best practices for online safety here.

You can share links to external portfolios when you submit a proposal. This link can be shared:

• In your profile
• In conversations in the Upwork Message Center
• In a proposal

We understand external portfolios may include contact information, it is still fine to share these, though please make sure to ask the client to only contact you via Upwork.

You may want to check this article for more information. 

[taylorcrose]

Hey there Nikola 😀

Being that you're the last to comment on this thread I'll direct this question to you.  

I fully understand the rules of sharing a portfolio website with potential clients... what I have yet to see addressed is if the portfolio website is also considered an agency website, as in my case.

I have an agency website that highlights my previous work... all things considered... I communicate to the potential client that they may only contact me through the UpWork platform, would I still be able to send them to my agency website?

If the answer is no... would I be able to create a "portfolio landing page" with no links attached so that the client only sees the portfolio page, even though the domain is still my agency website?

Thank you in advance and hope you have a wonderful day.

Taylor