Recently invited...

atlinguist · ‎08-03-2019

Dear Upwork Moderators,

While checking my profile recently (by which I actually mean recently, namely today), I noticed a flame icon with the accompanying text "Likely to be hired soon. Recently invited 32 times".

What is that supposed to mean?! I have not been invited 32 times over the last couple of days! Or does "recently" refer to a couple of months?

Is there a way to switch this algorithm feature off or remove it from the profile page? I really don't think it will recommend me to potential clients! (More likely they'll think I'm too busy refusing or completing other projects. In any case, being invited is no recommendation, given that it's a simple "invite all X" button clients click when posting their job.)

Thanks.

martina_plaschka · ‎08-03-2019

Alexandra H wrote:
Dear Upwork Moderators,

While checking my profile recently (by which I actually mean recently, namely today), I noticed a flame icon with the accompanying text "Likely to be hired soon. Recently invited 32 times".

What is that supposed to mean?! I have not been invited 32 times over the last couple of days! Or does "recently" refer to a couple of months?

Is there a way to switch this algorithm feature off or remove it from the profile page? I really don't think it will recommend me to potential clients! (More likely they'll think I'm too busy refusing or completing other projects. In any case, being invited is no recommendation, given that it's a simple "invite all X" button clients click when posting their job.)

Thanks.

Yeah it's new. There was a recent thread about it. Nobody liked it, as far as I remember.

atlinguist · ‎08-03-2019

Ah, okay. Thanks, Martina. You see, I left the Community Forum a while ago and only reconnected today, so I wasn't aware of that. I know that you're supposed to keep checking the forum, but my posts tend to get removed by the algorithm -- and I refuse to be bossed about by a machine.

colettelewis · ‎08-03-2019

Alexandra H wrote:
Ah, okay. Thanks, Martina. You see, I left the Community Forum a while ago and only reconnected today, so I wasn't aware of that. I know that you're supposed to keep checking the forum, but my posts tend to get removed by the algorithm -- and I refuse to be bossed about by a machine.

______________________

Flames, rockets, stars - you mention it we've got it. We've also got this sort of thing in "Search freelancers". It is one of Upwork's more juvenile brainwaves. There are posts about it everywhere.

wendy_writes · ‎08-03-2019

Adding to Nichola's post ...

"Flames, rockets, stars - you mention it we've got it. We've also go this sort of thing in "Search freelancers". It is one Upwork's more juvenile brainwaves. There are posts about it everywhere." None of which are in the slightest complementary.

FLers are furious with the amateurish, ill-executed, trite, and in poor taste cartoonish icons tossed all over our once-professional profiles.

feed_my_eyes · ‎08-03-2019

Wendy C wrote:
Adding to Nichola's post ...

"Flames, rockets, stars - you mention it we've got it. We've also go this sort of thing in "Search freelancers". It is one Upwork's more juvenile brainwaves. There are posts about it everywhere." None of which are in the slightest complementary.

There are rockets and stars now, too? Or are you joking? (Please tell me you're joking.)

dzadza · ‎08-03-2019

Christine A wrote:
Wendy C wrote:
Adding to Nichola's post ...

"Flames, rockets, stars - you mention it we've got it. We've also go this sort of thing in "Search freelancers". It is one Upwork's more juvenile brainwaves. There are posts about it everywhere." None of which are in the slightest complementary.
There are rockets and stars now, too? Or are you joking? (Please tell me you're joking.)

ahem....no...

martina_plaschka · ‎08-03-2019

Sanja D wrote:
Christine A wrote:
Wendy C wrote:
Adding to Nichola's post ...

"Flames, rockets, stars - you mention it we've got it. We've also go this sort of thing in "Search freelancers". It is one Upwork's more juvenile brainwaves. There are posts about it everywhere." None of which are in the slightest complementary.
There are rockets and stars now, too? Or are you joking? (Please tell me you're joking.)
ahem....no...

Oh man. Did not know about that. Wish I hadn't looked into the forum today and mowed my lawn instead.

Edit: Great, I have a rocket now. C'mon upwork, delete the kindergarten signs.

dzadza · ‎08-03-2019

Martina P wrote:
Sanja D wrote:
Christine A wrote:
Wendy C wrote:
Adding to Nichola's post ...

"Flames, rockets, stars - you mention it we've got it. We've also go this sort of thing in "Search freelancers". It is one Upwork's more juvenile brainwaves. There are posts about it everywhere." None of which are in the slightest complementary.
There are rockets and stars now, too? Or are you joking? (Please tell me you're joking.)
ahem....no...

Oh man. Did not know about that. Wish I hadn't looked into the forum today and mowed my lawn instead.
Edit: Great, I have a rocket now. C'mon upwork, delete the kindergarten signs.

haha... it's contagious

on a serious note...I'm really shocked by the lack of response from Upwork regarding this issue...

colettelewis · ‎08-03-2019

Sanja D wrote:

on a serious note...I'm really shocked by the lack of response from Upwork regarding this issue...

______________________

I've often found that when Upwork gets caught with its fingers in the cookie jar - it takes a while for it to put its disclaimer together.

colettelewis · ‎08-03-2019

I think it depends on how many times you have been invited (it's not clear if this is per week). So, a rocket, then Bethlehem stars (as in Christmas cards), and then flames. The latter is presumably when the FL is burned out having declined dozens of inappropriate invites.

ETA: What really gets up my nose is that Upwork then says (under the flames), I answer "almost all" my invites within 24 hours. I answer every single one of them within the time frame. I think Upwork must be backed by companies who want to sell their BP monitors.

mwiggenhorn · ‎08-03-2019

As I've said before, it begins to look like a dating platform. Next is a winking/ flirting icon...

colettelewis · ‎08-03-2019

Mary W wrote:
As I've said before, it begins to look like a dating platform. Next is a winking/ flirting icon...

____________________

Lol! The beckoning finger ...

researchediting · ‎08-04-2019

Mary W wrote:
As I've said before, it begins to look like a dating platform. Next is a winking/ flirting icon...

Maybe a blinking blue light? "Attention, Upwork shoppers..."

melaniekhenson · ‎08-05-2019

I'm still only a rocket, so I guess I'm not expected to get hired soon, which nobody told to the client who invited and hired me today.

I mean I get it, it's meant to create urgency, etc. but...do clients really rely on these at all?

researchediting · ‎08-05-2019

Melanie H wrote:

....I mean I get it, it's meant to create urgency, etc. but...do clients really rely on these at all?

I absolutely do not get it. That is not how my market works: the more urgent prospective clients are, the less professional and more needy and generally a PITA they are likely to be.

Of course, we can tell Upwork till we're blue in the face that we are not assembly-line workers, and they're flogging a metric—speed of hiring—that is of no value to our (speaking for my market) clients. Unless and until they seriously segment the market here into professional and other, it's all in vain.

tlsanders · ‎08-09-2019

Douglas Michael M wrote:
Melanie H wrote:

....I mean I get it, it's meant to create urgency, etc. but...do clients really rely on these at all?
I absolutely do not get it. That is not how my market works: the more urgent prospective clients are, the less professional and more needy and generally a PITA they are likely to be.

Of course, we can tell Upwork till we're blue in the face that we are not assembly-line workers, and they're flogging a metric—speed of hiring—that is of no value to our (speaking for my market) clients. Unless and until they seriously segment the market here into professional and other, it's all in vain.

But, based on recent changes and their recent report, it's assembly-line workers they're most interested in. They probably don't care in the least about how these changes impact high-end, specialized freelancers. We're almost certainly next on the chopping block.

researchediting · ‎08-09-2019

Tiffany S wrote:
Douglas Michael M wrote:
Melanie H wrote:

....I mean I get it, it's meant to create urgency, etc. but...do clients really rely on these at all?
I absolutely do not get it. That is not how my market works: the more urgent prospective clients are, the less professional and more needy and generally a PITA they are likely to be.

Of course, we can tell Upwork till we're blue in the face that we are not assembly-line workers, and they're flogging a metric—speed of hiring—that is of no value to our (speaking for my market) clients. Unless and until they seriously segment the market here into professional and other, it's all in vain.
But, based on recent changes and their recent report, it's assembly-line workers they're most interested in. They probably don't care in the least about how these changes impact high-end, specialized freelancers. We're almost certainly next on the chopping block.

I'm not reading the report that way. I find the choice of the $1000 contract as a marker of Upwork's "larger engagement" market segment—the substantial majority of its business—to be interesting. Presumably that single criterion correlates to a cluster of generally lower-maintenance, higher-yield contracts, and a body of lower-maintenance, higher-yield freelancers. If that is the case, Upwork would be well advised to leave us alone to do what we do well. And I'm not seeing any signs that they intend to do otherwise.

I'm more concerned about the pressure they are putting on my clientele with their Client Plus nonsense. While many of my clients can simply shrug it off as of no value, a few might find it just enough of an annoyance to drive them away. Upwork seems determined to squeeze a market segment that is a gateway to their more profitable larger engagements.

lysis10 · ‎08-09-2019

well wow I suppose this is the positive side of getting fewer invites. no stupid icons for me. nobody wants me and I'm not popular so my profile is nice and clean from the emoji herp.

out of curiosity, do all of you have specialized profiles? I wonder if that's related.

mtngigi · ‎08-09-2019

Jennifer M wrote:
well wow I suppose this is the positive side of getting fewer invites. no stupid icons for me. nobody wants me and I'm not popular so my profile is nice and clean from the emoji herp.

out of curiosity, do all of you have specialized profiles? I wonder if that's related.

That would be interesting to know. I don't have a specialized profiles, nor do I have any stupid icons (yay).

lysis10 · ‎08-09-2019

Virginia F wrote:
That would be interesting to know. I don't have a specialized profiles, nor do I have any stupid icons (yay).

We got TWO people with no emoji herp and no specialized profiles. This is def a pattern and working to our advantage. It pays to stay old school, Virginia.

mtngigi · ‎08-09-2019

Jennifer M wrote:
Virginia F wrote:
That would be interesting to know. I don't have a specialized profiles, nor do I have any stupid icons (yay).
We got TWO people with no emoji herp and no specialized profiles. This is def a pattern and working to our advantage. It pays to stay old school, Virginia.

No matter what Jen, we'll keep kickin' it old school.

dzadza · ‎08-09-2019

no specialized profile - but I have a wild bbq fire on my profile...

lysis10 · ‎08-09-2019

Fine. Virginia and I will stay old school while you ruin my hopes and dreams that no specialized profile protects me. We'll just giggle in the corner as people post about their specialized profile problems.

dzadza · ‎08-09-2019

Jennifer M wrote:
Fine. Virginia and I will stay old school while you ruin my hopes and dreams that no specialized profile protects me. We'll just giggle in the corner as people post about their specialized profile problems.

well, your rocket looks great on your profile - specialized or not 😉

m_terrazas · ‎08-10-2019

Jennifer M wrote:
Virginia F wrote:
That would be interesting to know. I don't have a specialized profiles, nor do I have any stupid icons (yay).
We got TWO people with no emoji herp and no specialized profiles. This is def a pattern and working to our advantage. It pays to stay old school, Virginia.

Sorry to disappoint you, but ...

mtngigi · ‎08-10-2019

Maria T wrote:
Jennifer M wrote:
Virginia F wrote:
That would be interesting to know. I don't have a specialized profiles, nor do I have any stupid icons (yay).
We got TWO people with no emoji herp and no specialized profiles. This is def a pattern and working to our advantage. It pays to stay old school, Virginia.
Sorry to disappoint you, but ...

Thanks for bursting our old school bubble, Maria.

sergio-soria · ‎08-09-2019

Virginia F wrote:
Jennifer M wrote:
out of curiosity, do all of you have specialized profiles? I wonder if that's related.
That would be interesting to know. I don't have a specialized profiles, nor do I have any stupid icons (yay).

Well, I can confirm that it's not related. I don't have a specialized profile but I just found out I got a rocket, so now I am heading to infinity and beyond!

lysis10 · ‎08-09-2019

Sergio S wrote:
Well, I can confirm that it's not related. I don't have a specialized profile but I just found out I got a rocket, so now I am heading to infinity and beyond!

Go away you're ruining my genius analytical find.

mwiggenhorn · ‎08-09-2019

I think they're only visible if you log in as a client.

researchediting · ‎08-09-2019

Jennifer M wrote:
Sergio S wrote:
Well, I can confirm that it's not related. I don't have a specialized profile but I just found out I got a rocket, so now I am heading to infinity and beyond!
Go away you're ruining my genius analytical find.

Extrapolations from a sample of two rarely turn out that way.

m_terrazas · ‎08-05-2019

Melanie H wrote:
I'm still only a rocket, so I guess I'm not expected to get hired soon, which nobody told to the client who invited and hired me today.

I mean I get it, it's meant to create urgency, etc. but...do clients really rely on these at all?

I can't see flames or rockets or stars anywhere.
Can you see it when opening your profile?
I have opened it, and nothing appears. Neither in yours nor in any of the others who have commented that they have the stupid cartoon

petra_r · ‎08-05-2019

Maria T wrote:
I can't see flames or rockets or stars anywhere.
Can you see it when opening your profile?
I have opened it, and nothing appears. Neither in yours nor in any of the others who have commented that they have the stupid cartoon

It appears on "preview profiles" only. Do a freelancer search for your first and middle name, then click on your profile in the list

mtngigi · ‎08-05-2019

Petra R wrote:
Maria T wrote:
I can't see flames or rockets or stars anywhere.
Can you see it when opening your profile?
I have opened it, and nothing appears. Neither in yours nor in any of the others who have commented that they have the stupid cartoon
It appears on "preview profiles" only. Do a freelancer search for your first and middle name, then click on your profile in the list

That "Flag as inappropriate" where it's placed is infuriating.

m_terrazas · ‎08-05-2019

Virginia F wrote:

Petra R wrote:

Maria T wrote:

I can't see flames or rockets or stars anywhere.
Can you see it when opening your profile?
I have opened it, and nothing appears. Neither in yours nor in any of the others who have commented that they have the stupid cartoon

It appears on "preview profiles" only. Do a freelancer search for your first and middle name, then click on your profile in the list

That "Flag as inappropriate" where it's placed is infuriating.

Something more than "infuriating". It's something really stupid.
I don't know **Edited for Community Guidelines** this occurred to, both the cartoons and the location of "Flag as ...."

But, hey, someone is very happy with the occurrence.

Mods, wasn't this just a test?

kochubei_valeria · ‎08-05-2019

Hi All, this is still a test. And we are running it to see if it helps boost client engagement and results in more opportunities for freelancers. Our goal is to see if this increases how often clients post a job, contracts, save a freelancer’s profile, etc. We appreciate your feedback.

~ Valeria

m_terrazas · ‎08-05-2019

Valeria K wrote:
Hi All, this is still a test. And we are running it to see if it helps boost client engagement and results in more opportunities for freelancers. Our goal is to see if this increases how often clients post a job, contracts, save a freelancer’s profile, etc. We appreciate your feedback.

Well, if it is a test and will continue longer, wouldn't it be possible to separate "Flag as ..." from the rest of the information?

mtngigi · ‎08-05-2019

Valeria K wrote:
Hi All, this is still a test. And we are running it to see if it helps boost client engagement and results in more opportunities for freelancers. Our goal is to see if this increases how often clients post a job, contracts, save a freelancer’s profile, etc. We appreciate your feedback.

A test ... okay, fine. But what is wrong with Upwork that they cannot see how bad "flag as inappropriate" looks right there along with their "test"? Seriously ... get RID of it. I can't imagine what clients think by that directive on our profiles. It doesn't occur to anyone how stupid it looks, not to mention possibly confusing?

colettelewis · ‎08-06-2019

Valeria K wrote:
Hi All, this is still a test. And we are running it to see if it helps boost client engagement and results in more opportunities for freelancers. Our goal is to see if this increases how often clients post a job, contracts, save a freelancer’s profile, etc. We appreciate your feedback.

___________________________________

Valeria,

Please share this with the Upwork team: It is one thing (coercively) showing these icons on our profiles, but similar finger-beckoning applied to dozens of false profiles at the top of the search freelancer pages, is not going to endear Upwork to any potential clients. I know Upwork is trying to do something about the profiles we have pointed out, but there are thousands of others. So the icons are not at all helpful, anyway in the search pages. In fact, if anything, they are positively detrimental.

oquintela · ‎08-06-2019

Valeria K wrote:
Our goal is to see if this increases how often clients post a job, contracts, save a freelancer’s profile, etc. We appreciate your feedback.

Are you also looking to see if clients feel discouraged to hire a freelancer that's been "Recently invited 25 times"?