What's wrong with the Freelancing industry

What's wrong? I'll tell you whats wrong. The big corporations with their profit at all cost mentality is what's wrong! Of course the same is true for so many things wrong today.

A bit over 10 years ago I jumped into the realm of working from home, coding PHP, PERL and BASH, writing articles, doing some LINUX sysadmin stuff etc. It wasn't easy, but there were a few good websites that made it a lot easier to not only find the work, but they also had measures in place to protect coders and clients from trying to scam one another.

In exchange for the service provided to coders and their clients, these "few good freelance sites" took a small cut of the money the coder earned once the project was completed and the client paid for the work. Life was good, work was plentiful and everybody won.

Well, not anymore. Since then the big fish have bought out and buried the little fish so coders like me are left with almost no choice on whom to do business with. However, it's not enough for these big fish to have a monopoly. Nope they want to squeeze every nickel out of the people that earn them money.

Take one predominant player in the realm for example. FreelancerDOTcom (who I'll refer to as FLC from here on) bought two of my favorite freelance websites, ScriptlancerDOTcom & RentACoderDOTcom along with several others, not only getting the business, but the coders and clients involved in those sites as part of the purchase.

Had FLC retained the business model those 2 other sites used, I wouldn't be writing this, but nope, FLC had to go the profit at all costs route and milk the people that earn them money for even more.

First, the old expression it takes money to make money has never been more true. Freelancers like me need to pay just to accept the work. Yes that's right, coders pay up front before being paid by their respective clients and of course FLC skims off of that transaction too. It simply does not make sense to anyone but the corporate big wigs behind it. Freelance coders are being charged for the "privilege" of earning FLC money. It doesn't matter what your track record is, how many years you've been completing projects and creating satisfied return clients etc. YOU PAY FIRST in order to earn.

But wait, there is more to this utterly asinine business model. Freelancers who accept a project have no way out of it. There is no way to cancel and even if you manage to get high enough up the food chain to have a project cancelled on your behalf, the fee you paid is NON-REFUNDABLE. In my entire Freelancing career I have had to cancel 2 projects out of hundreds. It doesn't matter. The 10% FLC immediately charges is theirs permanently, even if the client's "job" turns out to be illegal and in violation of international trade laws. It doesn't matter. They got your money and you won't be getting it back.

I used to mention Freelance sites that I liked here. Well I can't think of any now. So I suppose I'll have to change perspectives.

Freelancers, you would do well to avoid FLC..

Clients looking for freelancers to put to work are also advised to avoid FLC. The coders on FLC pay to be able to accept your work, and the bulk of the "qualification badges" you might see on their profile were purchased too. They mean nothing other than they bribed the outfit correctly and through proper channels. All it takes is a few bucks to get one and they say absolutely nothing about the freelancers "skill".

How can freelancers protect themselves from scamming clients?

Those that know me, know I've been a freelance web developer off & on for the majority of the last 13 years. Over that time, I thought I had learned the appropriate steps to take to prevent myself from getting ripped off. Well, it would seem I wasn't as prepared as I thought I was.

I take great interest in helping small & family owned businesses to create an effective web presence. In the past I've even offered to do the work for free, at extremely low hourly rates or for a small percent of future sales, as was the case in this lesson I recently learned.

In this case, I was asked to resurrect a website that appeared to be originally authored around 2003, using WYSIWYG editors such as Netscape Composer, and later M$ Frontpage. There was no rhyme or reason to the site's navigation, directory/file structure etc. Image files were not at all optimized and the site was just riddled with mistakes both visible and in the underlying code. Clearly a novice web master had gotten in over their head, created a site that was impossible to maintain, and doing very poorly in terms of search engine performance. I thought, great ! I can fix this !

Once I had the bulk of their "content" ported over to a bright and shiny installation of Wordpress, I put it up on their web server and started to address my many marketing concerns. So I asked the client to confirm himself as owner of the business on the Yelp page that already had the bulk of their business information. The phone number and location were no longer current, but in my mind, the most important part, the URL to the website was correct. I also asked the client for a PSD Photoshop file of their logo, since they had mentioned it was "done professionally", I would expect them to retain the PSD file for later use.

That was when the red flags started waving vigorously in the winds of deceit that I started to sense. They didn't have a PSD file of their logo, only PNG, JPG and BMP versions of the same logo making the touch-ups they were requesting impossible. They also said they couldn't claim the Yelp entry as their own, they weren't at that address any more, and the phone number had since changed. I suggested a new phone number to Yelp, and asked the client to try the "Claim my business" process again. Their response "it didn't work". So, I requested they create a new Yelp account. They blatantly refused and asked "Why is that such a big deal?". Clearly any legitimate business owner is not going to respond this way when offered free marketing. So I responded with something similar to "verify yourself as the legitimate business owner or I'm not going to continue the work" They responded by changing the FTP password to their server, and changing the "author" password for the Wordpress account I had created for them.

I contacted them shortly after, asking why the FTP password was changed, pointing out it made it difficult to get to the unoptimized images, optimize them and re-upload them.. when in fact I really didn't need it. No response. I waited a day, still no response.

So, after nearly 48 hours of silence I logged into Wordpress as admin, and went about deleting all the pages and posts I had made, and then emptied the trash. Then I edited the child theme I had tailored to execute some PHP which deleted the optimized images I had created, and then tweaked it to become inoperable. As a final step, I switched the Wordpress theme to ugliest I could find and made a single post, a series of links I had found when investigating the company and clients name.

Turns out this outfit has been involved in something called a Phoenix scam since 2003. In 2006 they were convicted of fraud. The Phoenix scam falls into the "Long Con" realm of cons and is named such because the company rises, does some legitimate work offering extremely generous warranties then claims bankruptcy, making the warranties and future contracts void. The "owner" then sells the company to a co-conspirator who raises the company from the ashes, and does the same thing again.

Apparently I was the unfortunate web developer tasked with helping with the third rising of this Phoenix. Once I realized what was happening, I swiftly clipped it's wings. I lost a lot of time for which I will never be paid, but at least I didn't become an unknowing accomplish to these scammers. As a result, I've amended my rule book.

1. If the client does not have a "confirmed" Yelp page , require them to claim their business before doing ANY work at all.
2. Do some basic Google searches to ensure that client provided content is not copied from a "competing" website. Copy a few long sentences from their text and see if you can find it identically on other sites by wrapping it with quotes.
3. Look at the headers of their emails and glean the originating IP address of the sender. Use a free service like IP2Location.com to ensure they are at least near the region they claim to be in. If the originating IP address is in a private range like 10.0.0.0, or 192.168.0.0, be very suspicious and act accordingly.
4. Do the bulk of the work on your own server and do not place it on the clients server until you have been paid at least 50% of the agreed price.
5. Have a backup plan to cripple the site, but leave it in a restore-able state, in the event the client doesn't pay in full. In the case above, keeping the Wordpress Admin password to myself served that purpose. To ensure I could restore the content in the event my suspicions were wrong, I should have used the Wordpresses built in "export" widget, but by that point I was 100% certain I had called it correctly.

It's embarrassing to admit I almost fell for this, but if it saves a community from getting scammed again, and/or another freelancer from the turmoil I went through.. It's worth it.

3 easy steps to make your freelance project fail miserably.

I'm a freelancer. I primarily do web development focused on the the behind the scenes stuff you don't actually see. Stuff like database optimization, automated back ups, load balancing, search engine optimization etc. You know, all the techno babble garbage no one cares about as long as the web site looks cool.

Anyway, I am continually amazed by jobs I see posted on freelance job boards. One type I am seeing an increasing amount of is the "Build a website that earns $X a day".. and that's pretty much the entire job description. Most don't even care what the site is about. It just needs to earn money.

First, if I as a freelancer could make a few websites and become independently wealthy in a few months, I am not likely to be looking at freelance job boards. I'm much more likely to be out on my yacht working on my tan while my all female crew flitter about in cheerleader outfits and serve me a rum & coke whenever I snap my fingers. Hey! I can dream can't I ?

To say these expectations are unrealistic is a major understatement. The people bidding on these projects are just as misguided, or I suspect offering to do the job knowing full well they can not guarantee the site will make a cent in the future.

So, the first step on the path to failure is to have unrealistic expectations.

Often, the very next job posting I run across has a headline like "Simple web project.." and the project description is incredibly vague, something like "web site needs a few touch ups, quick work for someone that knows what they are doing." And that is it, and nearly without fail, the person creating the project will accept the lowest bid.

I actually feel sorry for whoever "wins" these projects. They have no idea what they have agreed to do. Maybe it's just a naive website owner, but more often its an unscrupulous web site owner looking to bilk free work from desperate freelancers.

So step 2, be vague with your unrealistic expectations and hire whoever has the lowest bid.

Finally step 3 is easy. Simply don't do any research at all. Don't research the technology and man hours involved to make your vaguely expressed unrealistic expectation a reality and don't research the person/company you've chosen to do the project. Don't consider what language they speak, what time zone they are in. Just don't think about any of that. Just hold up a wad of money and say "make me something really cool"

If you want to hire a freelancer, please don't fall into the more money than brains category.

Do some research of what it takes to complete the job and do some research on whomever you've chosen to do the job. With freelancing becoming a more common way to make a living these days, the old adage is as true as it ever was. Buyer beware!

PS
This article, 3 easy steps to make your freelance project fail miserably. and several other articles by me unrelated to freelancing are viewable here

Hiring a freelancer

As a freelance web developer myself, I typically write from that perspective,
but on occasion I need to outsource. So today I thought I'd share what I know about finding and hiring a freelancer.

Where to look for freelancers.

Well, if you are reading this you found one (Shameless resume link) but possibly I'm just not the right guy. You can alert thousands of freelancers, myself included, of your project using the same websites I do.

ScriptLance is likely my favorite freelance website, both as a developer and a buyer, but before you rush off, you should skip down to Defining your project below.

I also use RentACoder.com. RAC as it's known offers some interesting features to the buyer such as targeting developers based on the economy of their countries.

Freelancer.com , formerly Getafreelancer.com is also a good place to find qualified people.

Elance is another alternative. Featuring in depth information about a potential freelancer for your project, it may be one of the best choices for high end mission critical projects.

Defining your project

It is crucial whomever you hire has a complete understanding of what is expected. All too often I've seen project descriptions like "Some website touch ups" and it turns out the work required is much more than the buyer realizes. The reverse is also true, where the buyer has the perception that their project is very difficult and time consuming, when it isn't.

To avoid catastrophe and unnecessary expense it is crucial the job be done right the first time, so if you have difficulty explaining the project with words, use pictures (gif, jpg or png) to act as the electronic equivalent of scribbled crayon on a napkin. Starting with a screen shot of a web site, or any program you can run, you can then add notes to it. A great free program for that is called Irfanview.. but I digress.

Many of these freelance sites get what I call robo-bidders, automated bids on your project. To weed those out I suggest adding a code word to your project, like "Please include the word cucumber in your response, so I'll know you have actually read this." Any response without your codeword should be disregarded. Most likely from a robo-bidder, or at least someone that didn't read or can't follow direction.

The freelance websites mentioned above also provide help to ensure your project is successful.

Selecting a freelancer.

Ok, you have typed up a detailed description of your project, including the URL if applicable, provided an image with notes if needed. You of course want to find someone with the right skill set to complete your project, but there are other factors you should consider when choosing someone.

• Language and Location
• Security
• Payment method and Economic ramifications,

Language of course because you don't want the details of your project to be
misunderstood. For example if you are a native English speaker, it is likely best to hire another native English speaker, however often developers from non-English speaking countries can perform tasks much cheaper. Ensure the developer's language skills don't create a risk to your project.

Location can be a huge factor in communication. Be aware of what time zone they are in. Are they likely to respond to you quickly ?

While it's not always feasible for the developer to work "off site", the best way to ensure your security is to find a freelancer that has their own development area, their own web server or workstation where the work can be completed. Still, often it is necessary to provide sensitive information. Determine what passwords are needed and change them, providing the new passwords to the developer. After the project is completed, change the passwords again. Read that last sentence again. Thank you.

Payment method can also be a deciding factor. Most freelance sites like ScriptLance provide an escrow system, that shows whomever you hire that you do indeed have the funds to hire them and provides a way to protect your money. Freelancers who insist on payments which bypass this protection should not be considered.

Finally Economic ramifications. In the big picture, where your money goes does have an impact. Of course that impact increases as the dollar amounts do, but just like your moral obligation to throw your candy wrapper in the garbage can, you might consider an obligation to your own region's economy. This may mean the lowest bid, regardless of qualifications, is not the one. Keep that in mind if keeping your local economy churning is a concern to you.

By the way, if you also freelance yourself you can monitor projects posted to the sites above here > Freelance Jobs

Freelancers need to occosionally say no.

As a freelance web developer I often find myself wrestling with morals.

Should I work for a client with obvious or even questionable morals ?

Should I help a client promote a product or service I wouldn't recommend to a friend ?

Should I provide what the client is asking for even though I know it will detract from their web site's search engine performance ?

While it's been hard at times, I am getting better at firmly yet respectfully declining jobs. Of course I still need to eat, but luckily the majority of clients I've worked for in the past call on me again when the need arises.

It wasn't always like this. When I first started freelancing I'd take work where I could get it and learned the lessons the hard way. Sometimes you just have to say no thank you.

Think about it. If a potential client has you write something that essentially helps him commit fraud or theft you are just as guilty as they are. It really is worth it in the long run to avoid those types of jobs.

I've also had to reluctantly pass on work promoting products or services I simply see no market for. I'll have no part in assisting a would be entrepreneur on their way to bankruptcy.

Finally there is the inflexible client insisting they have feature XYZ added, rejecting advice that feature XYZ won't help them, or might even ruin their business (like get them removed from the Google index) When a potential client is this inflexible I take that as my cue to gracefully decline. Several times they've looked me up again, essentially saying I was right, this didn't help,
and can I help them remove it.

Of course it's hard to be picky as a freelancer just starting out, but over time I hope everyone will learn from my experiences.

When considering a project, ask yourself whether it actually benefits the client as well as their respective clients. If the answer is no suggest alternatives. If the client won't budge on their specifications, it's probably best to move on.

Best freelance site

I've been a freelancer for a few years now, using various websites to help me to find work, and after using them for a year or more, I've come to a firm decision one is just better than the others.

Granted, I haven't tried every freelance site out there, after checking out several, I found I could get ample work by checking out these 4 every day.

Also, I should point out, Freelancing isn't just for ubergeek programmers. If you can type, you can freelance, since there are always jobs for article writers, product reviews, really anyone can freelance.

So, the top 4 I've used...

LimeExchange :
Pros Pretty interface, frequently added projects with a variety of platforms and programming languages.
Cons A lot, and I mean A LOT of form filling out in order to be able to bid on projects. Granted once you are done filling out the profile, you wont have to do it again, but just to be able to bid on a $10 project, it is extreme overkill.

GetAFreelancer:
Pros Large selection of projects
Cons Unless you spend money to upgrade your account, you are limited to 10 types of projects you can bid on. Example, if you haven't checked off "logo design" in your profile, you can go to the trouble creating a mockup, write up your proposal, and click the Bid now button only to find you've wasted your time, since they'll never see your mockup or proposal.

RentACoder
Pros Large selection of projects on diverse platforms and languages.
Cons Somewhat unintuitive interface, but by far the biggest con is it promotes racism.. Project creators can set their project so that only persons from certain countries can bid on them. Sure, your language ability should be a consideration when choosing a programmer, but excluding persons from bidding just because of what country they come from is just flat out wrong.

Scriptlance
Pros Large selection of freelance projects on diverse platforms and languages. Escrow system to ensure the project creator does indeed have the funds to pay you. Free withdrawal to your Paypal account once you've made over $30. Allows you to create separate programmer's account and a buyer's account so you can outsource portions of larger projects you've won.

Cons 5% or $5 of your earnings paid to Scriptlance per bid won (although other sites mentioned above charge the same or more) . No easy way to transfer funds from your programmer account, to buyer account, or vice versa, although their tech support can do this for you pretty quickly after you contact them.

And in order of best to worst, here they are.

1. Scriptlance
2. RentAcoder
3. GetAFreelancer
4. LimeExchange
   

And there you have it. If you are considering becoming a freelancer, or just wanna make a few quick bucks, I highly recommend ScriptLance.

ps, yes those are affiliate links, and after you create your account(s) you can make your own and earn even more.