Still can’t wrap my head around the number of connects required for bidding

[ravi_iitian]

Gone are the days when jobs required 1 to 5 connects.

Now most jobs require 8, 12, or 16 connects.

Occasionally, there is a job that requires “only” 4 connects.

Contrast this with the fact that the monthly free connects is still just 10 connects.

Here are some examples of jobs requiring an inordinate number of connects:

1) A job with a budget of $30 requires 8 connects.

2) A job with a budget of $70 requires 12 connects.

3) A job with a budget of $25 requires 8 connects.

4) A job with a budget of $10 requires 8 connects.

I have the links of all these examples.

[allpurposewriter]

I've been waiting for someone to put the connects fiasco into perspective. It is remarkable how Upwork bills itself as a platform for freelancers. But who do they squeeze: (another word for exploit): Freelancers!

[atreglia]

---

Anthony H wrote:

It is remarkable how Upwork bills itself as a platform for freelancers. But who do they squeeze: (another word for exploit): Freelancers!

---

For a company so heavily reliant on human behavior, they certainly do know how to bring out the worst.

[rekasesh]

Well, compared to these, I think that job paying $6 for 1000 words, 5 articles per week available for the willing, is definitely worth the 16 connects required. 🤑

[marjan22]

We all loved Upwork before last CEO came, the days when alll freelancers can get jobs. 

But thoose days are long gone, and, Upwork is now **Edited for community guidelines**and yes you might win on short run, but nobody won **Edited for community guidelines**long term.

Now Upwork target group are freelancers money , they dont give a flying**Edited for community guidelines**for clients and hiring,and quality jobs or quality freelancers,and, that is why we see, fake jobs, repeting jobs, and everything that they can think of, like, Profile boosts, proposals booosts, offers from AI, Adobe, buy this buy that etc.

They now understand that only way to make money is to take the freelancers money not clients money, becuse freelancers are the ones who holds the cash at the end of the working day, not clients.

Now Upwork is sending notification if client seen your proposal and that should be highlight of freelancer day for his money, not getting job. Just awful.

Upwork will be deaf and dumb and  never take action against itself. Upwork maybe will increase coonects for  aplying to 32 if freelancers are desperate for job and continue paying.

Only if freelancers stop paying or **Edited for Community Guidelines** until changes are made, only then Upwork will think this again. As long as freelancers paying and not saying anything, this madness willl continue. Or new platform come to play. Until then freelancers are doomed in never ending circle of working for connects and without profit.

Spend money on connects and get nothing in return, its not sustainable strategy, neither for Upwork, neither for freelancers, and its just a matter of time till it colapse completly, and in my view, only thing for complete colapse, is just if new platform on the market, and  downfall of Upwork will be over night.

[andriyofarts]

In second sentence they censored out word that can be made from letters **Edited for Community Guidelines**, lol

Upwork 2024: banning words on forum instead of banning scam jobs because last ones are profitable.

[andriyofarts]

Haha, Upwork, you're now banning letters! Nice!

[yofazza]

Discussing or arguing about what variables Upwork uses to determine connect cost should no longer be interesting if you can put yourself in Upwork's place for a moment.

• Run a high quality freelance marketplace = net loss
• Open the gate, rotate and milk the enormous number of freelancers = net profit

Also, think about what they would think when they read this or other threads here.

Don't get caught in the game.

[ravi_iitian]

I want to emphasize this line in my original post: Contrast this with the fact that the monthly free connects is still just 10 connects.

10 free connects in incongrous with the number of connects required to apply for job.

Why weren't the free connects scaled up too?

[8f772667]

I can accept the increased rate for applying, it's their explanation that is "better that way because people will stop applying for every job without consideration" , that's  what grinds me gears. It doesn't seem that way. Most of the jobs get 50+ proposals in less than an hour. I've once seen someone biding something like 70 connects for the top spot 😄 This strategy will fall in the long term. For how long can you spend money on proposals if you don't make any? Also, who the heck applies for the job that pays $10 for the week of work? 😄 And the client has the audacity to mark it as: "I'm willing to pay extra for the most experienced freelancers" 😄