Re: Too complicated to make a profile

mike-mahler · ‎06-17-2019

your profile parameters are too rigid. I simply want to list my experience and post the assets related. The inability to simply upload post prior work assets to the general profile is tragic. The userability of creating a profile needs some 3rd party testing testing and updating. The UI/UX deign is not friendly. The forced catgories don't work for me. I'm an entreprener/start-up guy with a huge bank of digital assessts from business planning, fund raising, sell sheets, marketing asset creation etc. Your format was confusing and difficult, in fact it took me 20 minutes to even find a place to contact someone and I am relaged to a a support platform. For now, I am going to try the other freelance sites, I just wanted to give some feedback.

prestonhunter · ‎06-17-2019

Mike:

Thank you for taking the time to provide your feedback.

You offered your ideas voluntarily. Perhaps your feedback will help Upwork consider improvements to their system which would be helpful to others.

Two points, for people generally:

a) If Upwork's current profile functionality is insufficient for your needs, you are welcome to use other platforms which better match what you are looking for. (This appears to be what the original poster has decided to do.)

b) You have a completely free-form text field with a very spacious character count, in which you can describe anything you want. If you're not sure how to describe your complicated offerings as a freelancer, you may hire writers and resumé specialists on Upwork to assist you.

mike-mahler · ‎06-17-2019

a)- I don't need your permission, I will use other sites.

**Edited for community guidelines** I will be sending your reply to a
supervisor if one exists as well as using it all over social media.
b)- You didn't understand my post (my fault). My point is, my services are
very simple to describe, and the profile set-up is rigid, requires
unnecessary steps and bifurcations. I filled out the free form text with a
description of what I do, that was not an issue. I simply wanted to add
samples of my work. Your platform forces me to use a confusing workflow and
force my samples into categories I din't feel were appropriate. I was
simply looking to add about 7-8 samples a couple business plans, sell
sheets, pitch decks, use cases etc. I seller should be able to upload a few
samples to the general profile.

This bridge is burnt- I hire off Upwork, or used to. Never again, thanks
Slappy.

I am immediately posting this on Linkedin, my network has over 1500
professionals, most in the start-up/entrepreneur/freelancer communities.

Terrible choice of reply.

petra_r · ‎06-17-2019

Mike M wrote:

I am immediately posting this on Linkedin, my network has over 1500
professionals, most in the start-up/entrepreneur/freelancer communities.

Misunderstands what a public forum is
Takes offense at fellow freelancer's response
Throws toys out of pram, wails that he will share this embarrassing oversight on LinkedIn (to make sure that the egg on face is as public as possible....)
Declares instant exit, slams door.

Good luck with your future endeavors on other platforms.

User forums are obviously not your thing, probably best to avoid them.

mike-mahler · ‎06-17-2019

Fair enough assessment. Your second point is wrong though. I 100% thought it was an Upwork moderator, that and the email version of the reply only displays part of the message which makes it read totally different. I have hired freelancers for years going back to 0desk and Elance, love freelancers. If I knew it was a freelancer that replied it would have been a non-issue. Other than your second point, everything you said is a fair assessment, I own it. A humbling lession is a good lesson. I obviously I obviously needed it. Good luck to you as well.

petra_r · ‎06-17-2019

Mike M wrote:
Other than your second point, everything you said is a fair assessment, I own it.

Good for you! Nice to see someone put their hand up and say "Yes, I overreacted!"

Sooooo, how about you stop stropping and hang around and make the platform (and the forum?) work for you? It can be very much worth the effort!

martina_plaschka · ‎06-17-2019

Mike M wrote:
Fair enough assessment. Your second point is wrong though. I 100% thought it was an Upwork moderator, that and the email version of the reply only displays part of the message which makes it read totally different. I have hired freelancers for years going back to 0desk and Elance, love freelancers. If I knew it was a freelancer that replied it would have been a non-issue. Other than your second point, everything you said is a fair assessment, I own it. A humbling lession is a good lesson. I obviously I obviously needed it. Good luck to you as well.

Accepting your own answer as a solution to your question is just bad form. I'm just waiting for the pink haired girl to chime in!

And yes, I am also not a moderator, but a freelancer such as yourself. And I'm not ashamed to say, sometimes we mess a little with people that have either no manners, have not done their homework as recommended when starting out and ask the most basic of questions because they are just lazy, or violate upwork or forum rules blatantly. Not saying any of this applies to you! But you need something to break up the monotony of endless hours in front of your laptop. Thanks for understanding.

mike-mahler · ‎06-17-2019

At the bottom of this post is an unprofessional reply from your moderator. If I hear from a supervisior great of not, no worries.

I am 100% done with upwork and I will be sharing this email all over soicial media, specifically my linkedin community of over 1500 start-up, freelance, and entrpeneural professionals. I hire off Upwork, but not anymore. I was going to freelance, but the platfrom is too rigid and the UI/UX design needs a 3rd party hire.

I would probably have just left Upwork, but this pretetensous **Edited for community guidelines** thinks I ned premission to go somewhere else. Now I am going to share this reply all over social media and go out of my way to promote/endorse other freelance sites as much as possible.

So two things: a) just an unnecessary, unprofessional statement.

b) Please read my post. My point was that to simply upload a couple work samples to my profile was way too complicated. That the process of uploading a few work samples involved being sent into a rigid, somewhat confusing workflow with unnecessry bifurcations. It had nothing to do with character count, or my abilility to describe what I do. This guy insults me twice because he's annonomus. How about signing it next time pal? It'll keep your emotions in check.

"MIke:

Two points:

a) If Upwork's current profile functionality is insufficient for your needs, you are welcome to use other platforms which better match what you are looking for.

b) You have a completely free-form text field with a very specious character count, in which you can describe anything you want. If you're not sure how to descripe your complicated offerings as a freelancer, you may hire writers and resumé specialists on Upwork to assist you."

petra_r · ‎06-17-2019

Mike M wrote:
At the bottom of this post is an unprofessional reply from your moderator. If I hear from a supervisior great of not, no worries.

You are posting in a public forum. The person who replied to you was not a moderator, it was a fellow freelancer, whose name and full profile you can easily look at.

No need for any "supervisor"

mike-mahler · ‎06-17-2019

Thank you very much for replying Petra. I received the reply via email, which does not show who it came from. On the site post you can see it, not on the email. It also says Community Guru which I mistook to mean a Moderator. Thank you again for clairifying Petra, you're awesome. I am not used to having to rely on a community forum for customer support, and I just got a lession. Linkedin uses the community format and the one time I used it a moderator replied. My question wasn't for the community, but there is no other way to reach customer service on Upwork. I expected a customer service reply.

Here's a copy of the email I recieved to show how replies come in:

Re: Too complicated to make a profile

**Edited for community guidelines**