A Word of Possible Warning
Ever since I started ranting about Elance here, I've had some staff members from oDesk stopping by and leaving comments to plug their service as an alternative. Seeing as how I'm pretty much over the whole freelance-bidding deal at that point (Screw all of 'em!), I haven't had time to officially check oDesk out. On some of my other lists, however, I was hearing good things, that is until someone discovered this beauty of an article about the company: oDesk = eSlavery 2.0. If all this is true (that determination being left to your own discretion), I really don't think oDesk and I would be a good match. I got out of the corportate world precisely because I didn't like slaving away for others and being watched over my shoulder. How long is it going to take before the rest of the world understands the "free" part of freelancer?
Labels: freelance bidding, news
posted by Irreverent Freelancer @ 5:55 PM
12 comments
12 Comments:
Really scary stuff.
This gave me an idea of a blog post. I'm heading back to my blog now to blog about it.
Here's my post:
How to spot a micromanaging client
Micromanaging clients (the kind who would LOVE oDesk) are more common than I would have thought before I started freelancing, and I'm sure other freelancers have had similar experiences. Please feel free to add to my list if I've missed anything. :o)
Man, I would LOVE to see that dude from oDesk stop back in and comment now! In fact, I withhold my opinion until I'm sure it's actually happening, but if it is, shame on them for being colossal a-holes.
If this is true, it's INSANE! Wow...
I worked for a client through odesk for a few months and they had a MSN-like system on my computer that took pictures of my desktop to ensure I was working. Because clients were paying me by the hour it made sense. I could pause it if I needed to do something else or go pee or something. I later found a camera option where they could take snapshots of me while I worked. Why would they need that? What if I needed to scratch my nose and if by chance my finger slipped...how would that look? What if my husband walked by the computer wearing his underwear while they took snapshots? Would I really want pictures of myself being taken when I least expected it? I kept working in that mode for a few weeks BUT turned my webcam to face the wall. Screw that!
That relationship didn't last too long for me but: they did pay on time and they did have a lot of support for their mobile workforce and it was a great learning experience as my first real delve into telecommuting.
So it's true? They really keep that close of a watch on you? Screw that indeed! No way I'd agree to that either in an office or at home! Imagine if corporations tried that - no way in hell!
Thanks for giving us the insider scoop, Dana. At least now I know not to even waste my time checking out the site. What happens if you have to take a potty break? Do you have to take the Webcam into the bathroom with you? That's just plain sick, and if oDesk is an American company, I can't even see how the stuff they do is legal. It's bad enough that we have to compete with freelancers who are willing to work for slave wages. Now they're willing to have their work lives monitored? Even individuals who are under house arrest have more privacy than that.
Well, it was a short term gig for me although I'm pretty sure my resume is still posted on their provider list with plenty of other freelance / technical writers. The webcam seemed to be optional (at the time. This was over a year ago)and they preferred you use their screen program to capture screen shots if possible. I could look and see what screen shots they captured but it was really creepy to be working away and see my webcam light turn on randomly (that's why I had it pointed at the wall.) I only worked for them for about two months on one particular gig and they take 30% so you set your own pricing keeping that in mind. You can either apply to posted jobs or providers can access your profile/resume if you set it up that way so you can be contacted about potential jobs. There is a rating system as well that employers and employees can both utilise as well as odesk certified courses that were free (I believe).
They paid monthly via moneybookers and I had no complaints about them but I did notice a lot of low paying providers and it did (at the time) seem to be a system set up mostly for technical people rather than a great place for freelance writers.
wait sorry, maybe not 30%. I think it was more like 15%.
Dana
I stopped reading the article after the fist paragraph. I can't imagine who'd jump through those kinds of hoops. Post my picture every 10 minutes, puuhlease!
I'm not sure I am understanding why someone would need to take pictures of you to make sure you're working. That's why we are supposed to designate MILESTONES in our contracts. If you have a month-long project, maybe you set weekly milestones so your client can give you feedback and feel more comfortable with your progress. I mean, you're going to know if someone hasn't done any work if the deadline rolls around and there's no work completed, right? I don't see how using a webcam system is any better than just using milestones and keeping the lines of communication open.
Also, what is the point of this for FREElancers? The beauty of freelancing is doing the kind of work you want to do, when you want to do it, without a micromanager. Hell, if this is the direction freelancing was really taking, we would all be going back to work for other people. At least our benefits might get paid for (at least partially) if we were going to put up with that B.S.
In case you can't tell, I am now riled up.
Since the pay is all hourly and not project by project the buyers need to be sure that the workers are working, this is no different from your supervisor at work shoulder surfing you. Anybody who does any kind of technical work has their performance measured by a given metric which is usually known to both parties. The webcam is opt in and largely unnecessary, most odesk providers I know do not use it and most buyers do not require it.
You have to understand that the vast majority of providers on odesk are from poor nations like India, China, Eastern Europe and Russia. People from these regions are notorious for fraud, especially India, so the transparency is the only way that Western buyers can be sure they are getting their money's worth and not being scammed.
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