Hi to all, Has anyone had any experience of using oDesk.com? Did you have any problems with being on different time zones? Have you found it a good experience? Also, has anyone any experience of using the debit mastercard as a form of recieving payment? How does it compare to paypal? Questions, questions, questions...lol All the best Christine
i found the debit mastercard a bit expensive. had to pay $19.95 just to have it activated. the succeeding fees were also unfavorable. paypal's still more convenient. re: time zones. my client/employer knew what time zone i was in so there wasn't any problem
I have no bad experiences with odesk and no good ones, I have been a member for a long time and never had a job from it, then again I dont write 20 articles for $8 I find it like get a freelancer just to difficult to work with people who care nothing about quality only quantity
The thing that makes me approach Odesk with caution is the fact that you have to turn your computer into a "fish tank" so that the client can watch you work. I am not saying it's bad. I'm just saying I am not sure if it is a good way to work for a writer or programmer who needs to focus. I will probably try it but I am not too sure how it will turn out.
Thanks for the comments. I agree with the 'fish tank' senario, also Im finding that if you can complete a project more quickly, you are penalised for working less hours.
sorry to resurrect this thread. ive been a member of odesk for just a month. got 5 clients in that span and earn good $ per hour. i dont mind being in a "fish tank". it is the employer's right because this is not the ordinary brick-and-mortar setup. this is remote work/outsourcing. how can the employer monitor you especially if they are paying you hourly. let us accept the fact that there are some people out there who will abuse this system if they are not put in the fish tank. as long as you are doing the job efficiently, i don't think that should be an issue.
Hi, Ive just started to use odesk, and have got some projects, but whereas I can see that the fishtank approach works - a good writer my finish a project more quickly than someone who, for example, doesnt type as quickly (silly example I know). I have had an employer tell me that they will only pay for x amount of time, rather than the full hour. I feel slightly penalised for being a touch typist who types like the wind! ;-) Apart from that, my experience of them has been ok, although it does seem a little complicated - especially as I do much of my writing on a small keyboard that I hook up to my computer and upload at the end. What I *do* like about them is that I dont pay a subscription, and my site costs are automatically added into my hourly rate. Swings and roundabouts I suppose Christine
Resurrecting this ancient topic! I too have been concerned about the "fish tank" thing. Have I basically just downloaded spyware into my laptop? I mean, how much of my p*rn collection can be viewed, right? I haven't scored any jobs as yet, but as and when I do, I will post in case others are curious. That said, has there been anyone use it recently that has something to say about it - good or bad?
Actually, in some places (like the US) no, it's not the employer's right. Why? Because they're not "employers." Clients of independent contractors have no right whatsoever to look over your shoulder in a direct supervisory sort of role. As a matter of fact, if they act too much like an employer and treat you like an employee instead of the independent contractor that you are, they may find themselves in trouble with the IRS, having to pay employment taxes, withhold your taxes as an employee, etc. That's oversimplifying, but the point is that clients don't get those supervisory "privileges" legally in some places, just as they can't generally dictate where you'll work from, your work hours, or treat you as an employee for other intents and purposes. And frankly, I would never work for a client with that much time on their hands. If they don't have something better to do than watch a contractor work, they're not serious enough about their own business for me to waste my time working with them. As for odesk specifically, you couldn't pay me enough to use their service. I actually recently started refusing to highlight gigs there on one of my sites for freelancers where I publish job listings, because the gigs listed are so pathetic for the most part - far worse than any of the other garbage freelancing sites out there.
A coffee/keyboard incident has just taken place thanks to that line, Jenn! I have been browsing oDesk, but have yet to find anything $-worthy. Methinks my browsing will be chalked up to an adventure in nothingness.