Should the number of free connects per month for Freelancer Basic accounts be increased?

[#1]

Now that the number of connects needed to send a proposal has increased, should the number of free connects per month for Freelancer Basic accounts be increased from 10 to 20?

Just asking.

[#2 · Accepted solution]

Yup.

[#3]

No. There are too many cheap or free connects as it is.

[#4]

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Jeanne H wrote:

No. There are too many cheap or free connects as it is.

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Too many free connects?

“You’ll receive free Connects (the number can vary) when you win an interview with an established client on Upwork. (To prevent gaming, we aren’t sharing all the details of what we consider ‘established.’ In general, it’s a client who has hired and spent on Upwork in the past.)”

Please see this: https://support.upwork.com/hc/en-us/articles/211062898-Understanding-and-Using-Connects

[#5]

I don't understand your point. I stand by my post. There are too many freelancers throwing connects at jobs they will not get. If Upwork insists on the connect system, they need to be more expensive, and we do not need any more free ones for unskilled freelancers with no profile to harass clients in a vain attempt to get a job.

As an established freelancer, surely you don't need more connects? Are you saying there should be more?

[#6]

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Jeanne H wrote:

I don't understand your point. I stand by my post. There are too many freelancers throwing connects at jobs they will not get. If Upwork insists on the connect system, they need to be more expensive, and we do not need any more free ones for unskilled freelancers with no profile to harass clients in a vain attempt to get a job.

As an established freelancer, surely you don't need more connects? Are you saying there should be more?

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Yes, as a matter of fact, I ocassionally do need more connects.

[#7]

We all have expenses. This is freelancing.

[#8]

I would be good with that if all other freebies were discontinued. Interviews should never result in free connects, nor should a client closing a job without hiring. The only time connects should be returned is if Upwork removes the job.

[#9]

Personally I am never at a want to connects, but removing free connects does create a serious barrier to entry for those wanting to try out UpWork for the first time. 

If you are new to the site (which doesn't mean inexperienced) and you join UpWork to immediately meet a paywall, and look at people in the forums complaining about going for months without work while spending hundreds of connects ... it wouldn't be enticing to purchase any and try out the platform.

[#10]

I'm one of those who are not happy with the lack of decent jobs, but I'm also one who tells freelancers to stop throwing connects at the job wall hoping something sticks. I'm fine with the current system, but we don't need any more connects floating around this platform.

I don't post to entice new people to join Upwork. Upwork needs to stop advertising for new freelancers. I routinely post telling Upwork they need to resort to the old practice of vetting freelancers, making them go through Upwork tests, and skills tests for their alleged talents.

I would prefer to know the truth about a business, and what I am getting into, before joining. Most of the people spending wildly with connects have no chance of being hired. They believe that by being one of the top three, they will somehow get the job. This is because Upwork suggests it is true.

I'm not saying get rid of the initial free connects. I am saying, don't give out any more for any reason other than fraud by the client. All the other ways of getting connects have been manipulated by cheating freelancers with no skills.

Most platforms, if they give anything away, allow enough to apply for one job. Some platforms expect freelancers to be adults and pay for access. However, those platforms have serious restrictions and real skills tests.

[#11]

I would wholeheartedly agree with UpWork vetting freelancers (and clients for that matter) prior to allowing anyone to use the platform, but seeing that UpWork can't even give an expert vetted status to 99.99% of freelancers on the platform because they do not have the in-house expertise to vet the freelancers this is a dubious system at best.

I asked them about it (when support still had a chat) because I do consulting, which is one of the very few categories under expert vetted and the response was, we don't have anyone that can do it, let alone anyone with knowledge in blockchain and digital transformation.

Like you I never "boost" proposals, it is meaningless and any client that selects based on this is a client that doesn't care about expertise, knowledge, or quality of work so not someone I would want to work with to begin with.  Almost all of my contracts come from clients contacting me, not from proposals.

[#12]

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Jeanne H wrote:

I routinely post telling Upwork they need to resort to the old practice of vetting freelancers, making them go through Upwork tests, and skills tests for their alleged talents.

Agree wholeheartedly.

[#13]

I really want to create as many barriers as possible to the massive flood of mostly junk proposals. You're right, though, that it makes things tough for newcomers who don't have a literal few bucks to spend on connects. What I would rather see is a cap on the number of proposals a freelancer can send in a month, but that will never happen because Upwork's cash register jingles every time a garbage proposal turns a client away from Upwork. 

[#14]

I try to not assume what people can and cannot afford, especially in an international environment.  1.5USD is still a daily wage in some countries. That doesn't mean people aren't qualified to do certain freelance jobs.

I wholeheartedly agree with putting a limit on the number of monthly proposals made by a freelancer and to put a stop to the useless "boosting" idea, but since both are likely cash cows for UpWork ...

[#15]

I'm in agreement with most of the folks here.

I think about Connects this way: Upwork provides a platform that facilitates the connection and relationship between freelancers and clients. To make that happen, they must spend money on systems, tools, and people to keep the process running. If they continually give out free Connects, millions of freelancers will continue to recklessly apply to jobs, which generates more bandwidth/problems and requires more system resources, tools, and people.

There is nothing wrong with having free Connects for new freelancers to test the platform. But endless, monthly free Connects?

I think new freelancers should get 160 free Connects, which is 20 proposals, assuming the freelancer only applies to jobs requiring the maximum 8 Connects. When those 160 Connects are exhausted, you're on your own.

I'm surprised the Connect fees haven't increased or been eliminated altogether. Boosting is nonsensical, but buying and spending Connects is simply the cost of doing business for established freelancers.

[#16]

Putting the matter of "making it easy/fair for freelancers is not in Upwork's best interest"  aside, the other thread about "people" applying blindly to an extremely vague job (or fake jobs, repeated jobs, etc) demonstrates that money is not a problem for them.

The "increase in cost" has caused some people, including me, to slow down. But not them  😁

Unless they found a way to get free connects.

[#17]

I get what you are saying.

I think the bots that apply to fake and legitimate jobs are being funded by bad actors or bad agencies; kind of like we see with groups of hackers being funded by individuals, agencies, and governments. They never seem to run out of money. 😂

However, I think the majority of Connects being spent are coming from legitimate freelancers. Many of them don't have your skills/qualifications, so nothing productive happens when they spend their Connects. Some of them are applying to fake jobs because they don't recognize them as fake, while others are applying to jobs where they lack the necessary skill to complete a job. They rarely get hired, and they should have never applied because it just adds another useless proposal to the client's inbox.