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Valeria's avatar
Valeria K Community Member

Increasing Transparency in Boosted Proposals

Our team recently launched a test to increase transparency around bidding in Boosted Proposals to help you make a more informed decision around spending Connects.

Check out the product update about this test here and let us know your thoughts about this update in the comments below.

~ Valeria
Upwork
886 REPLIES 886
Alex's avatar
Alex P Community Member

What solution are you talking about?? 

 

Do you really think that someone from freelancers can change Upwork directly? 

 

Only thing we can do is complain, bringing the attention of Upwork to our problems and they would find a solution. 

 

This is not your job, Malcolm, and not mine searching for the solutions...

 

All we can do is to give a feedback about certain choices of the company and our experience.

 

I actually find it funny when freelancers here really think their "solutions" will change something. 

 

Let's get real, Malcolm, all we can do is complain. If this problem could be the main one for the freelancers, Upwork will definitely do somehing about it.

Alex's avatar
Alex P Community Member

Hi Kelly. 

 

I already made another topic about this and yeah, things going bad rapidly with this "feature". 

 

Thanks for highlighting this problem, if we have enough voices we can make a difference. 

Muhammad's avatar
Muhammad A Community Member

This feature should be removed untill it gets refined

SALAH UD's avatar
SALAH UD D Community Member

image_1018c6d6-6c99-4ee1-bc7c-289a3889b49420221120_123058.jpg

 Dear Upwork why should I even send proposals if it's only the wastage of connects.
in 14 proposals only 1 was viewed in last 30 days.
That's why 💔 because of Boosted Proposals.
Please tell me why should I even waste 6 connects if my proposal is not going to show up to the client.

And if I boost it for example for 20 connects and 3 proposals with 21 connects (only one connect extra will waste my 20 connects)

Is there any propose solution you've thought or I'll get a typical response like
"Thank you for your concerns we are sharing it with out team bla bla bla"

 

Upwork I have been the biggest fan of you among all the markete places but I think I should change my mind because of this negligence.

Dr. Ayuba Adewale's avatar
Dr. Ayuba Adewale S Community Member

Upwork Admin,

 

The new boost option feature is making our lives very difficult. Getting jobs on upwork has become a hell. This is frustrating! 

 

Please, in the interest of the platform, kindly remove this feature and let's go back to the old way of submitting proposals.

 

Qualifed freelancers are already leaving the platform. At the end, I foresee clients also leaving the platform if their desires are not met by qualified hands.

 

All we are saying is that this boost feature is making things difficult. Remove this feature, please.

Gulmuner's avatar
Gulmuner A Community Member

Some time ago I had sent some proposals but I did not get any further response. 

Gulmuner's avatar
Gulmuner A Community Member

Ok thanks

Dr. Ayuba Adewale's avatar
Dr. Ayuba Adewale S Community Member

PLEASE REMOVE THIS PROPOSAL BOOST FEATURE. 

 

Upwork is gradually turning to another thing... Imagine using 25-50 connects to apply for a job that at the end you get outbid. This is greediness from the Admins of this platform.

 

Extorting more money from us and jobs are not getting in. What is upwork turning to?

 

Noneof the freelancers on this platform is finding it easy anymore. The Jobs are not coming in anymore. Please review and get rid of this feature.

 

Please, remove this feature.

Zia's avatar
Zia U Community Member

I think is money wasting.

It is good that you can see current bids. It was hidden before.

Fasan's avatar
Fasan O Community Member

This Structure Of Transparency Is Not To The Benefit Of Both Upwork's Freelancers And Customers.


Better proposals and freelancers with talents that could deliver quality work aren't rewarded. But inexperienced freelancers, new to the platform who think they can buy their way to success will invest in connects to boost their proposals.

And since the boosted proposal ranks at the very top, they will create the first impression a new customer will have of upwork freelancers, which might cause them to bounce off and hire on a platform like Fiverr, which obsessively rewards top-performing freelancers over newbies.

Upwork is far more transparent than Fiverr as it provides an equal and fair opportunity for anyone to succeed as long as you can sell yourself and go beyond the client's expectations to earn a stellar review.

But this transparency in boosting proposals is like a shadow that doesn't reward creativity & talent but whosoever has the most money to spend (waste).


If Upwork is out of features to make its company more competitive in the marketplace here are some features I will suggest that every freelancer would find enticing:


Automatic Connects Refund

If a client posts a job and he fails to hire and doesn't close the job, after a certain period (like 30 days) Upwork should automatically close it and refund freelancers' connects back.

And Upwork won't lose connects earnings if they choose to refund connects. In fact, upwork stands to gain even more because more freelancers will apply for more jobs, including the ones they are not certain the client would hire since they know they will get their connects back.


Star Proposals

There's is no problem with Upwork former method of boosting proposals (where other freelancers can't see what other freelancers have bid). But I will suggest Upwork handpicks & reward the 3 best-written proposal that promises to resolve the client's problem using a special Algorithm and rank them at the very top above other proposals.

That way the first impression a new customer has of upwork is fantastic. Customers will know upwork have their back and freelancer would be interested in writing better proposals since they know it would be rewarded.

 

That way both parties win and when both parties win Upwork wins big.

Darren's avatar
Darren w Community Member

But if the cost of buying and submitting a proposal outweighs the gain, how does this benefit any freelancer, new or experienced? The answer is; that connects have always been a revenue generation tool for the platform, and the "Boost" option is an evolution of it. Why do it; maybe because client spending is down, and they had to plug the financial gap.

Asif's avatar
Asif M Community Member

#Valeria please stop this connects war, the old options for sending proposals was best thats why i come on upwork, 
please solve this connects issue otherwise we can't survive on upwork 

Wei's avatar
Wei L Community Member

Ever since this feature was introduced, it has gotten to the point where it's now twice as hard to get my proposals to even be seen. This "transparency" feature is just another excuse to pressure freelancers into purchasing more Connects. It's neither helpful to the clients nor the freelancers. The only party it helps are the ones benefiting from the purchases of Connects.

Nina's avatar
Nina G Community Member

Upwork already takes 20% of our profits from what we get paid for the job so having to pay to apply for jobs and adding a bidding system will just drive freelancers away from the platform. It shouldn't cost us anything to apply for jobs. Overall, the bidding system is terrible and should be removed.

Bilal's avatar
Bilal A Community Member

I agree with you 

Darren's avatar
Darren w Community Member

Upwork takes 20% of new contracts up to the value of $500, after which it's 10% up to $5000, and then 5%.
The solution is looking for long-term clients and creating a pipeline of those who return repeatedly. 

I've spent years doing that, which means I am never out of work. Plus, I've also discovered that not boosting proposals still breads results.

Faisal's avatar
Faisal B Community Member

i am not  agree on it for start up freelancers its not good

 

Dr. Ayuba Adewale's avatar
Dr. Ayuba Adewale S Community Member

SAVE THE SOUL OF FREELANCERS, SAVE THE FUTURE OF UPWORK

 

With the introduction of this connect bidding war, it's obvious that the system is under severe threat. Qualified freelancers are relegated, making the system more difficult to land a job.

 

Upwork was once known for integrity, equity and quality, now the reverse is the case as the Admins are now so greedy at the detriment of the future of the system. 

 

The idea of boost Proposal is a very poor idea, brought by a very poor mind. We appreciate you created a platform for us to actualize our dreams of working flexibly, but this doesn't mean you should pressurize the freelancers in order to increase your own gain.

 

The system is dying and qualified freelancers are leaving. You're making our lives difficult as a freelancer. As you can see from all comments, we can't even boast of landing a job anymore.

 

REMOVE PROPOSAL BOOST

REMOVE PROPOSAL BOOST

REMOVE PROPOSAL BOOST

 

This our heart cry, this is our request. It does no good for us and the clients rather it only enriches upwork stakeholders. Let's go back to the old system of applying for jobs.

 

STOP THIS USELESS TEST RUN!

 

STOP CONNECT BIDDING WAR, PLEASE!

Paul's avatar
Paul W Community Member

When is this unethical bidding war going to stop?

Mohammad's avatar
Mohammad M Community Member

What war is being talked about?

Amit's avatar
Amit S Community Member

I have been associated with Upwork since I started my career as a freelancer. And It's been a great roller coaster ride for me. I learned a lot and even got a great reputation for my work ethic. But now, I'm feeling cheated. Yes, Cheated by Upwork with their new Bidding system. It's all about their benefit now. A freelancer has to buy bids and apply for a job with the maximum connects. I saw a job post and started applying for it, But the maximum bid was 40 and I only had 27 connects. And I felt like this is not a freelancer-friendly platform anymore.

Dear Upwork, Thanks for being a part of my life. But even I have shared a part of my earnings with you. Please think about me and end this bidding system.

Thanks and Regards,


Amit Sharma

Martina's avatar
Martina P Community Member

It's all about their benefit now. 

It always was. Upwork is a large corporation. 

A freelancer has to buy bids and apply for a job with the maximum connects.

Not true. Your premise is that all clients only look at and hire from the first three bids. That is simply not the case. 

Aliaksandr's avatar
Aliaksandr T Community Member

Hi everybody.

From this moment (with Boosts) there is no equality and there is infringement for freelancers , especially for beginners.

Before i could have a lot of work based on my reputation and status that i've received druing years but now all this don't make any sense. Because someone can boost his proposal and you wil not receive project.

Because of this all possibilities for earnings moved down almost twice (at least in my case). And it became almost not possible to get any work here. In case if it keep moving by this way for me there be no more sense to spend money for connects and stay here without clear and honest possibility to earn. I guess there are a lot of freelancers who has the same issue. 

Hopes Upwork will remove this boost option and will return system where everyone is equal to each other and the better your work the more you get.

Thanks

Darren's avatar
Darren w Community Member

Play the numbers game and send more proposals, but don't boost.

Since I began doing that, I've seen my response rate increase.

I believe that if a boosted proposal is of low quality and a freelancer has a poor profile, boosting is a waste of time.  Clients are not stupid; they do their due diligence and only select based on profile feedback, top-rated plus, etc, earnings, and availability. 

Ivory's avatar
Ivory P Community Member

Yes. I definiteky agree that uowork should remove the boosting system. It is not fair for those who does not have too much connects but qualified for the job.