🐈
» Forums » Freelancers » What are your thoughts on connecting with oth...
Page options
gracegarcia2
Community Member

What are your thoughts on connecting with other talent on Upwork?

Hello everyone! I’m looking deeper into how talent feels about connecting with other talent on the platform. 

 

Thinking about working independently as a freelancer on Upwork, are there reasons you might like to reach out to other talent, maybe even develop professional relationships with other talent on the platform? 

 

More specifically:

  1. What types of talent would you want to interact professionally with on Upwork and why?
    • Types of talent include:
      • Talent with skills that are the same as your own 
      • Talent with skills complementary to your own
      • Talent in my same geographic region
      • Talent with longer tenure in the platform
      • Other
  2. How would you like to be able to connect with other talent on the platform?
  3. What do you feel is lacking in current ways to collaborate among talent on Upwork?
  4. Would you like to explore ways to connect and collaborate on projects with a trusted group of talent without having to be part of an agency?

 

Any and all input is greatly appreciated!

ACCEPTED SOLUTION
gracegarcia2
Community Member

Thanks everybody for sharing your feedback and suggestions with us! The insights you have contributed are very valuable to our teams as we explore redesigns and new features.
We're closing this thread from further replies for now but we'll be sure to inform the Community about any updates that come out of it.

View solution in original post

27 REPLIES 27
roberty1y
Community Member

I don't see much of a problem. I prefer to work alone, and if I need some help there's the option of becoming a client and hiring someone. 

 

I think Upwork should focus on technical problems, which are more urgent, like messages being delayed.

 

lysis10
Community Member

Hi Grace,

 

I think most people talk in private with other freelancers at their level and to female dog about Upwork 🙂 So probably wouldn't want to female dog about Upwork on Upwork. 🙂  (Also, I can be as inappropriate as I want and not be censored, but that's another thing) The other big one is to rant about a client we're currently working with. Can't really rant about that in public, so you chat about things in private with people you trust. Trust is a big factor and also private groups are usually people who get along and everyone agrees to allow a new person into the group. Nobody really wants some "give me job sir" person in their group and someone they don't think will get along with the group.

re: "Also, I can be as inappropriate"

 

Have never seen it, but I'll take your word for it.

I got the mouth of a sailor and my jokes are completely inappropriate. It's no wonder I'm unemployed.

gilbert-phyllis
Community Member

Hi, Grace. It's late in the day and directness carrries the hour: IMO this is about the last thing UW needs to be concerned with. I can and do connect with other talent at my own discretion on the platform and off, and don't need or want UW's involvement or intervention in those interactions. 

 

Since you asked for any and all input, here are things on which UW needs to focus intense, relentless attention:

- Diagnosing and solving the occasional problem of messages being delayed for days. 

- Meaningful vetting of FLs to ensure they are minimally prepared to succeed before allowing them to submit proposals. Stop letting anybody who can fog a mirror and check boxes on profile completion start bidding on jobs.

- Fixing the Best Match algorithm so it stops generating terrible recommendations that doubtless drive clients away and undermine UW's cred.

 

This is not an all-encompassing list, just the urgent issues that are top of mind for me right now.

 

Thanks!

 

I concur with what Phyllis has said about networking with other freelancers. I have networked, met, and even hired (through Upwork) fellow freelancers I have met through this forum and other forums. 

 

In regards to making it easier to work together, the thing that bothers me the most is that in freelancer world outside of Upwork, if I bring in a freelancer to work with me on a project, I don't have to create additional contracts for the client. I am able to create one encompassing quote and send ONE invoice with our hours that gets paid as one. This is far less cumbersome for the client. On Upwork, if I put together a team to work on a project, the client has to go through the cumbersome chore of hiring each one of us separately, unless we do a fixed price model and for many reasons that doesn't work. 

 

One way to make it easier for us to collaborate is to take the burden off the client and allow us to create contracts for a team to bill hours to. 


Amanda L wrote:

 

One way to make it easier for us to collaborate is to take the burden off the client and allow us to create contracts for a team to bill hours to. 


This would be useful for people who regularly work in teams.

Hi All,

Thanks for the input so far! We understand that many of you use this and other forums to network and interact with other talent. And that's a great thing! What we're looking into is improving the ways for talent to connect with other talent directly on Upwork even if they didn't run into each other on the forum and potentially form teams to efficiently work on project that require multiple professionals to collaborate.



Amanda L wrote:

[...]

 

One way to make it easier for us to collaborate is to take the burden off the client and allow us to create contracts for a team to bill hours to. 


 

Amanda, your feedback about clients having to hire each team member separately is noted. This is one of the areas we're working on improving.

 

Finally, we'd like to clarify that exploring new features and updates doesn't mean that resources are taken away from other important parts of the business such as bug-fixing, trust and safety and others many of you noted here.


Grace G wrote:

Hi All,

Thanks for the input so far! We understand that many of you use this and other forums to network and interact with other talent. And that's a great thing! What we're looking into is improving the ways for talent to connect with other talent directly on Upwork even if they didn't run into each other on the forum and potentially form teams to efficiently work on project that require multiple professionals to collaborate.



Amanda L wrote:

[...]

 

One way to make it easier for us to collaborate is to take the burden off the client and allow us to create contracts for a team to bill hours to. 


 

Amanda, your feedback about clients having to hire each team member separately is noted. This is one of the areas we're working on improving.

 

Finally, we'd like to clarify that exploring new features and updates doesn't mean that resources are taken away from other important parts of the business such as bug-fixing, trust and safety and others many of you noted here.


It's not about taking away resources, it's that we don't want you spending resources on things we don't feel we need when other areas are clearly under-resourced. You come here for our feedback, but you don't listen. What's the point?

wescowley
Community Member


Grace G wrote:

 

Thinking about working independently as a freelancer on Upwork, are there reasons you might like to reach out to other talent, maybe even develop professional relationships with other talent on the platform? 

 


Hi Grace...

 

I understand Upwork thinking this is a logical step, and I appreciate you soliciting input before committing it to code. But, I'm with Phyllis and Jennifer. We already have and use multiple ways of connecting with other professionals in and around our fields: I'm on multiple mailing lists, subreddits, twitter, private groups, etc. I don't need or want another option. And if I need to collaborate specifically with someone on here, I already have all the ways I need to find and reach them and collaborate with them. 

 

I see Upwork as strictly a way to connect with clients on the platform and to facilitate contracts with them. For all Upwork's issues, it does that better than any of the other platforms I've looked at. But, I'm not really interested in having it involved in my business outside of that, in part because I don't want Upwork's TOS to touch anything I don't absolutely need it to. 

 

So, thank you, but no, thank you.

hglewis
Community Member

Hello Grace,

 

The thing that sticks out the most to me is referring to us as Talent.

 

Let's be clear, none of us are Talent.

 

We are Business Owners that provide freelance services to clients in that order. 

 

From this point forward, please refer to us as such because the IRS does!

I'm not advocating for or against this, but simply making an observation:

 

This feature or general concept HAS been asked about many times in the Community Forum.

 

I believe many freelancers who are new to the platform ask about it because they are thinking about their experiences with Facebook or Instagram or other social media platforms, and they think that Upwork might have those types of features... for directly contacting other users.

 

So I guess I understand why Upwork might be looking at this idea. The question I would ask, though is this: Have clients been requesting this or asking about it?

 

Because I regard Upwork as a tool made for CLIENTS. Clients are the customers of Upwork. Freelancers are Upwork's partners in earning money. If this feature provides clear benefit to clients, and potentially increases client satisfaction, and/or increases the number of clients using Upwork... Then I'm all for it.

Preston brings up some valid points, especially those individuals that use social media.

 

There is a segment of people who thrive and connect on social media, both young and old. For them, it stands to reason; that's one of the first things they might look for instead of coming to a forum.

 

But as he said, does this benefit the clients?

 

Or is the platform trying to form an in-house agency they can promote to clients?

 

Just a thought! Smiley Wink

Preston and Woodrow,

Yes, we actually do have a lot of clients coming to Upwork with more complex projects that require work by several professionals in different fields. Essentially they're searching to invite a team that talent created themselves due to proof of effective collaboration in the past - for example hiring a team that consists of developers, a designer and a product manager. Similarly, these clients would like to receive proposals to these more complex jobs from teams that offer various types of services but work together to find, bid and complete such projects.


Grace G wrote:

Preston and Woodrow,

Yes, we actually do have a lot of clients coming to Upwork with more complex projects that require work by several professionals in different fields. Essentially they're searching to invite a team that talent created themselves due to proof of effective collaboration in the past - for example hiring a team that consists of developers, a designer and a product manager. Similarly, these clients would like to receive proposals to these more complex jobs from teams that offer various types of services but work together to find, bid and complete such projects.


The problem, then, is not making it easier for freelancers to work together. We don't have any trouble networking. The problem is making it easier for clients to hire teams. What you're suggesting either requires a fixed price contract that only goes on one person's profile, or multiple hourly contracts. Allow us to create contracts for teams and it will be much easier for clients to hire teams. 


Amanda L wrote:

The problem, then, is not making it easier for freelancers to work together. We don't have any trouble networking. The problem is making it easier for clients to hire teams. What you're suggesting either requires a fixed price contract that only goes on one person's profile, or multiple hourly contracts. Allow us to create contracts for teams and it will be much easier for clients to hire teams. 


Yeah, I don't see the benefit of a "team" to a freelancer - only to the client.

Frankly I don't love the idea because everyone has their own way of doing things, and if you start forming teams, those project management styles will potentially clash, and then you not only have to worry about personalities with the client, but also with the rest of the team, unless you have worked with them before - and if you have, that seems more like Upwork's version of an agency. Plus, a team indicates there needs to be a leader, but perhaps the individual may end up not being compensated properly for directing others in addition to their average workflow, etc.

What I'm getting out of this is clients want agency level work with a preestablished team of individuals for freelancer prices that they can pay individually and separately to make their lives easy and our lives difficult.

Grace,

 

Based on your answer, this thought on connecting with other talents on Upwork now sounds like UW is looking into who's interested, who can they vet, and then present clients with its very own, in-house marketing agency solution.

amt17
Community Member



Woodrow Q wrote:

Hello Grace,

 

The thing that sticks out the most to me is referring to us as Talent.

 

Let's be clear, none of us are Talent.

 

We are Business Owners that provide freelance services to clients in that order. 

 

From this point forward, please refer to us as such because the IRS does!


 

Yes, by all means, stop referring to us as "talents". It's off-putting.


Annette E wrote:


Woodrow Q wrote:

Hello Grace,

 

The thing that sticks out the most to me is referring to us as Talent.

 

Let's be clear, none of us are Talent.

 

We are Business Owners that provide freelance services to clients in that order. 

 

From this point forward, please refer to us as such because the IRS does!


 

Yes, by all means, stop referring to us as "talents". It's off-putting.


I'm afraid this is a lost cause. Referring to Upwork's product freelance business owners as "talent" seems baked into the latest quasi-rebranding. They can refer to my clients as simply "clients," as if they were their clients; they can refer to prospects as "clients" whether they become clients or not; they can call me roast beef if it suits them; show me the money!

719f0add
Community Member

Connecting with other talent on Upwork would be great, so long as the individuals are around the same level. It can be a little intimidating to follow day-to-day advice from a person who already makes $100,000/yr on the platform, when you only make $3,000/yr.

 

It would also be beneficial if these other freelancers are able to offer relevant critiques on the methods those newer, or even less successful use to connect. Looking at what others do is fine.  Coaching often entails showing another person how to improve what they are doing, though. Not only putting the perfect picture out in the universe and saying, "go".

kelvinbarnes
Community Member

I think its a great idea. Anything that promotes community and collaboration is great. I imagine there are projects too big for any one person that would be suitable for some form of collaboration as well.

mipaparazzi
Community Member

About this issue alot of persons have different views about it and that is expected, one of the reasons why it is not accepted by some persons is the 

1) Can UW control the act of bugging someone's inbox with the message " I need some work or hire me" : I had a similar experience where a client needed a team that can do a project and created a room for that project. I'm not saying that its bad to get that kind of message but on what basis should that be done, if that option came on the basis of " How  did you successfully do this and that ? " it would be a better option than " I need a Job"

 

2) Can UW keep up with the act of checks on  identities and misinformation that will be on the rise when that feature becomes active.

 

 

 

And for people who need this feature I think this is what UW  when a new freelancer comes on board please show the things that he/she needs to do first in the skills that he claims and not to just show the job posting which makes new freelancers distracted and start bidding without doing the necessary things needed,  I'm saying this because I experienced that too, coming on board on this platform and not being guided properly at first was not a great deal at all, so UW can look at that too.

 

Then for the clients requesting that service, you can always look for ways to show them agencies/FL that do things related to thier request.

 

jr-translation
Community Member


Grace G wrote:

Hello everyone! I’m looking deeper into how talent feels about connecting with other talent on the platform. 


Considering the amount of message I just receive by unsuccesful freelancers just through this forum, I am not sure if I want to be accessible by anyone just so easily. Are you planning to hire people that bring freelancers together if one of them asks for it? Will there be negative consequences for freelancers that try to spam others?

amt17
Community Member


Grace G wrote:

Hello everyone! I’m looking deeper into how talent feels about connecting with other talent on the platform. 

 

Thinking about working independently as a freelancer on Upwork, are there reasons you might like to reach out to other talent, maybe even develop professional relationships with other talent on the platform? 

 

More specifically:

  1. What types of talent would you want to interact professionally with on Upwork and why?
    • Types of talent include:
      • Talent with skills that are the same as your own 
      • Talent with skills complementary to your own
      • Talent in my same geographic region
      • Talent with longer tenure in the platform
      • Other
  2. How would you like to be able to connect with other talent on the platform?
  3. What do you feel is lacking in current ways to collaborate among talent on Upwork?
  4. Would you like to explore ways to connect and collaborate on projects with a trusted group of talent without having to be part of an agency?

 

Any and all input is greatly appreciated!


No thanks. I don't need to be hand-held by Upwork to network with peers, nor am I the least bit interested in Upwork having access to my conversations with fellow translators.

 

Why doesn't Upwork concentrate on more important aspects such as Phyllis' suggestion to start vetting freelancers? Among translators on this platform there are "translators" with nothing but 5* reviews that frankly shouldn't call themselves translators or come anywhere near a translation job, however, this only becomes clear when their work is reviewed by an actual qualified translator as the clients rarely discover that they've paid for sub par translations because they don't understand the target language.

 

 


Annette E wrote:

Grace G wrote:
[...]

 

Any and all input is greatly appreciated!


No thanks. I don't need to be hand-held by Upwork to network with peers, nor am I the least bit interested in Upwork having access to my conversations with fellow translators.

 

Why doesn't Upwork concentrate on more important aspects such as Phyllis' suggestion to start vetting freelancers? Among translators on this platform there are "translators" with nothing but 5* reviews that frankly shouldn't call themselves translators or come anywhere near a translation job, however, this only becomes clear when their work is reviewed by an actual qualified translator as the clients rarely discover that they've paid for sub par translations because they don't understand the target language.


Many clients pay for a free machine translation. I found it more efficient to educate clients than reporting thes freelancers. Those that tried to scam me by sending a machine translation are still there and after redunding me the feedback calling them disappeared. We can only hope that Upwork starts EV translators soon.

 

Next time I get an invite into Danish I will forward it to you.

It's a no from me. I just can't see any benefit. But I can see plenty of potential negatives. 

Like others have said, I'd prefer it if resources were spent elsewhere. 

gracegarcia2
Community Member

Thanks everybody for sharing your feedback and suggestions with us! The insights you have contributed are very valuable to our teams as we explore redesigns and new features.
We're closing this thread from further replies for now but we'll be sure to inform the Community about any updates that come out of it.

Latest Articles
Featured Topics
Learning Paths