Increasing Transparency in Boosted Proposals

[#1]

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.

[#2]

I think this is a deliberate ploy to put connects in place, allow boosting for a limited time, and then when everyone is so annoyed that boosts are in place, they cut them away and voila, we have connects to bid for proposals, and everyone is happy, Upwork gets their connects in place and freelancers think they won because boosting is gone.

Whereas, put connects in place, everyone is annoyed, they can't cut them away.

It's behavioural science.

[#3]

I totally agree. Let's archive this one for the future.

[#4]

This connects war is not helping us to make clients. It's just a waste of connects and money. I bought connects 2 times. Bid on proposals but  not even a  single client viewed my proposal. I am losing my profile growth due to it. Please, Upwork please stop this boost proposal section. It is not helping. 

Thanks!

[#5]

Valeria K, will anybody at Upwork tabulate our overwhelming feelings and insight about this?

[#6]

So let down by their disinterest in resolving this major issue.

[#7]

I belive that the whole bidding system is a way to make talent spend more money on connects and for upwork to benifit financially i have been up biding the competition and there was no difference in clients getting back to my proposal. I also believe it 's an unfair way to diffrenciate between the talents who are making more money out of upwrok than the talent who are making less. It s a system that makes the talent who get more jobs get even more jobs and the talent who cant afford to spend as much on connects make even less job. It s capitalism in a way and this should be stopped and go back to the old version where u can't even bid but rather your talent speak for u! 

[#8]

The bidding feature is stresfull, time and money consuming and overall just awful. 

PLEASE REMOVE IT AND GO BACK TO THE WAY IT WAS BEFORE!! YOUR ARE ABSOLUTELY TAKING OUR REALLY SMALL PIECE OF BREAD OUT OF OUR MOUTHS!!

[#9]

Dear Upworker,

please stop this idiotic war. The proposal bidding is like a bet but it no more anything. But we believe, the platform is efficient worker with client satisfaction. So please don't business with newcomer. They are newbies but it is possible that there are vast talented ones that are very suitable for your platform. so please lookup the matter.

Regards

[#10]

Do you really think you will continue to attract legitimate and respectable companies with the resources to pay for quality work by forcing them to sift through poorly written proposals just because the writer was the highest bidder?

What is the point of working hard to maintain a high job success rating, earn rising talent, or top-rated/plus ratings anymore? All you are doing is promoting a pay-to-play system that undermines the importance of writing good proposals and creating a strong track record of work through Upwork. 

Between this bidding nonsense, Upwork's inability to prevent scam job postings, and those god-awful TV commercials, I am losing faith in Upwork being the best place for freelancers to find work. 

[#11]

Bravo, well said. 

Working so hard to keep up with all the badges and job scores and ensure everything goes through the platform, and they do us this. The bidding system is a through-and-through example of capitalism: the survivors are the ones who're the richest. Upwork used to cherish and support talent, but now it supports bidders, leaving freelancers to drown because they can't get a job, yet alone buy more connects. 

[#12]

A perfect idea to bring more profit to Upwork, but what about the core of this freelance platform, which is building strong and long-lasting client-freelancer relationships? With the horrible introduction of the bidding, you've managed to diminish both sides. Freelancers feel like they're not worth it enough to be considered for a job and their years of building their experience and portfolio and status on Upwork are going down the drain. They can't get a job and are practically broke, yet they have to pay for more connects to outbid the outrageous bids!

On the other hand, you have clients, eager to find a suitable client to grow together with and find quality talent. But, they encounter shocking bids and they see freelancers without any experience or suitability for the job first on the list. Isn't this contradictory to what Upwork stands for? Myself, I joined this platform because it offered us a way to live as freelancers, they supported our unique talents and gave us space to be seen, heard, and hired.

Today, it's nowhere near that. We have to pay for connects, no one invites us to interviews despite our Top Rated statuses, and the number of fake job offers is higher than ever. Is bidding a justified method to filter out spam?-I think not. You have experts that can come up with ways to get rid of spam in both jobs and proposals without hurting the freelancer and client.

I believe this isn't the way. Removing the outbidding would be the smartest thing you could do if you want to keep your status as a respected freelancer platform!

[#13]

I totally agree with you Kristina

[#14]

I totally have a disagreement with boosting proposal feature at all.

It has increased bidding budget and decreased the value hard written proposals

Therefore I request upwork to remove this boosting proposal and let the community trust their hard written proposal instead of making high paid competitive instead highly competitive 

[#15]

This update is just a mess and nothing else. Upwork is losing its reputation and many of you know this very well. We have been on this platform for many years now but unfortunately, I started hating this platform now. I don't understand what is wrong with the decision-makers and why they care soo much about this proposal-boosting system. There shouldn't be any feature for boosting a proposal in the first place. I believe if Upwork keeps on going in the same direction, it will fall soon which will be very unfortunate for all of us. Total waste of connects and our hard-earned money. 

[#16]

The boosting system is clearly designed to get freelancers to spend more connects =$$$.
A client can clearly define how many proposals they would like to receive. If they're busy 5-10, If they're happy to explore a wider range of proposals 10-25? And this clearly negated the need to 'boost' a proposal - You're ripping off the very people that built your business Upwork.

*********EDIT**********
People, you need to take action! This forum is an echo chamber where we can rant forever but sadly to no avail. I have just called out Upwork on LinkedIn with the above and had a response within minutes. I urge you all to make your thoughts visible on LinkedIn, tag the CEO https://www.linkedin.com/in/haydenlbrown/ or any other senior management.   

[#17]

This system looks like we are playing bet using upwork connect. 😡

and if you want to apply any job you must be need to buy connects that's really radiculas. Please stop this type system otherwise we have to look forward for another marketplace 

[#18]

The boosted proposal option is making freelancers struggle(at-least its true for me). I am not a big fan of this feature. Unskilled freelancers are spending 400 to 500 % times to get hired. Really missing good old days!

[#19]

This is absolutely insane. Whoever has more money is gonna spend more and more to buy Connects and outbid the ones who are just starting out. This just shows money > skill. It becomes a totally money-draining machine. I used to spend so little Connects before but now it drains my Connects substantially. This is a highly capitalistic practice and would create monopolies on the platform. Even after being a top-rated freelancer I know that a top-rated plus person could easily outbid me just because he earns more and spends more on Connects.

[#20]

I noticed when freelancers post concerns about how their new bidding policies are ruining the platform they ignore these posts, but respond to other discussions, not related to how they are conducting business.

Their needs to a concerted block on freelancers on the platform until they make upwork are viable place for individuals to get jobs and start providing a platform that works for paid connects from us the users again.

Upwork used to be a place for freelancers to find extra jobs, but now it's just a place where you waste money submitting for jobs with no returns on investment of time or money.

Question for UPWORK: Why has the new bidding policy completely broken the system for opportunities that made this platform a fair and equal place for freelancers to propose their expertise, based on experience and not just who pays the most.

[#21]

I saw some comments on LinkedIn about this issue, have you tried commenting in there?

[#22]

They just don't care. that's right

[#23]

Notice how UPWORK REMAIN SILENT ON THIS POST. They only repond to posts that are not targettting their business model

[#24]

Dear Upwork

I am top rated plus freelancer on your platform and I have earned very well with you guys to date but each time I see a post regarding the new bidding feature in which, a person needs to spend a large number of connections to be in top 3 bids, I feel for all those new freelancers who can't afford that much connections for just one bid. In this way you guys are not distancing yourself from the loyal freelancers but also making the platform for the elite people only contrary to this, Upwork always valued and provided equal opportunity to all but that's not the case now. Freelancers love you as, Upwork is the biggest platform no doubt about that but, this new feature would definitely demotivate new freelancers who want to start earning with Upwork. I know these facts as I try to help new freelancers learn a thing or two every now and then in my circle e.g how to set up a profile and write a cover letter etc. But when they know about this new feature they get depressed. Kindly review this new feature, and try to find a diff way because platforms are due to their people, if there are no people, there would be no platform.

by: ShamShair Haider copied from LinkedIn

[#25]

There are so many complaints about this feature, there is currently an ongoing debate on LinkedIn, and if anything this is doing more than good. This means the more connects you have the more you likely are to land a job and woe unto new upcoming freelancers! 

[#26]

Hello upwork,

upwork is the bigest marketplace in the word. And every day technology are updateing every day new tools and technique are adding and the requird skills of client are shifting. every day there are a lot of new freelancer joining upwork with new and updating skills. every people have different talent, different views.

if upwork make difficult for new freelancer to start  there journy to make a bright carrier by use such this feature biting compitition useing connect then upwork may become fresh skill less.

I think the choice to hire a freelancer for  job should remain on byuer's hand. Let the buyer to choose natuarlly not that the rich freelance always hang ther proposal on the place 1st, 2nd, 3ed on the nose of buyers.

Thanks

Mustafa zabed