Hi guys, Id say it depends on what youre looking for, but as a copywriter myself and speaking solely from the perspective of my industry, I think these sites are garbage. Design is more or less a universal language in many ways but good writing isnt. Im glad these sites exist because I normally get a lot of business from people that have had horrible writing experiences there and need something corrected/brushed up and in some cases flat-out re-written. But forget getting quality writing work from these places. Five to ten years ago, these were good places to go (for the writer and the contractor), but over time theyve been completely overrun by cheap, outsourced stuff from India and Asia. Not to mention the bogus job postings that also pop up. Back in 2006 I bid on a project for a set of press releases for a line of childrens books that I won at $1200.00. When I contacted the guy he tried to knock me down to $200 for all six releases over the phone. Later that year I caught an online content farm stealing my work and using it as their own portfolio work. How did I catch them? They bid on the same project I did, I scoped out some other portfolios and viola there was half of my portfolio. In many cases, you really cant be sure of what belongs to whom, so getting a read on someones ability is nearly impossible. At one point in time, I was regularly making a ¼ of my annual income off those sites, but now theyre not worth the time at least from a writing perspective. Id personally be very wary of putting writing projects out to bid. Sorry to be so sour about these places, but saying theyre not what they used to be is a huge understatement. Just my two cents. Sorry for being so glum. Best, Hunter Golden Write Stuff Copywriting PO Box 61072 Longmeadow, MA 01116 Phone: (860) 305-1684 Fax: (866) 644-0401 hunter at writestuffcopywriting.com www.writestuffcopywriting.com <http://www.facebook.com/people/Write-Stuff-Copywriting/1194374636> facebook <http://www.linkedin.com/in/writestuffcopywriting> linkedin <http://twitter.com/WriteStuffCopy> twitter WriteStuffLogoFinal From: hidden-discuss-bounces at lists.hidden-tech.net [mailto:hidden-discuss-bounces at lists.hidden-tech.net] On Behalf Of Jeff Rutherford Sent: Tuesday, March 01, 2011 5:03 PM To: Christine Polaczak Cc: Hidden Tech-discussion Subject: Re: [Hidden-tech] crowdSPRING Christine, Sites such as Crowdspring can be controversial. Some designers are vehemently opposed because they think it's commoditizing their work and devaluing it. However, I can see both sides of this argument. The reverse argument could be that designers living in impoverished countries gain access to a viable marketplace - at rates that are very lucrative for them. Here are a couple of blog posts from Chris Brogan discussing 99Designs - a site similar to Crowdspring. Brogan used 99Designs for a logo for a new project he was working on, and designers let him know how they felt about it. http://www.chrisbrogan.com/a-perfect-dichotomy/ http://www.chrisbrogan.com/the-opportunity-to-learn/ For what it's worth, I'm considering using Crowdspring to find some eBook writers. I'll be curious to see how that experiment goes. Jeff Rutherford 413-475-0087 jeff at jeffrutherford.com http://about.me/jeffrutherford Hands All Around Quilt Show - March 26-27, Amherst, MA http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=154418274607098 On Mar 1, 2011, at 4:19 PM, Christine Polaczak wrote: ** Be sure to fill out the survey/skills inventory in the member's area. ** If you did, we all thank you. Hi Robert, I am asking about submitting work for consideration. Christine Polaczak chris at cpdesignworks.com 413 539-3582 On Mar 1, 2011, at 9:29 AM, Robert Archer wrote: ** Be sure to fill out the survey/skills inventory in the member's area. ** If you did, we all thank you. Are you asking if you should submit your work, or if you should use it to get some design/writing done? On Feb 28, 2011, at 12:46 PM, Christine Polaczak wrote: ** Be sure to fill out the survey/skills inventory in the member's area. ** If you did, we all thank you. Dear Hidden-Tech geniuses, Does anyone in the design/writing field have any knowledge of or experience with an online company called crowdSPRING? I'm generally not in favor of doing work on spec, but... Here's the link to their site: http://www.crowdspring.com Thanks in advance for your help. Chris Christine Polaczak chris at cpdesignworks.com 413 539-3582 _______________________________________________ Hidden-discuss mailing list - home page: http://www.hidden-tech.net Hidden-discuss at lists.hidden-tech.net You are receiving this because you are on the Hidden-Tech Discussion list. If you would like to change your list preferences, Go to the Members page on the Hidden Tech Web site. http://www.hidden-tech.net/members Rob Archer ________________ gravity switch Nice People. Award-Winning Process. Websites Done Right. p: 413.586.9596 f: 413.582.9987 gravityswitch.com _______________________________________________ Hidden-discuss mailing list - home page: http://www.hidden-tech.net Hidden-discuss at lists.hidden-tech.net You are receiving this because you are on the Hidden-Tech Discussion list. 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