Out of action

Hi guys, I'll be out of action for a small while, I promise to be back soon though with some more interviews and some informative posts. Hope you're all well,

Jo.x

Monday Monday

Where do the weekends go???

So today I have a million and one things to do, mainly because all weekend I've been telling myself "I'll do that in a minute". Really, really have to get out of that habit.

A big thanks to Mahesh for his interview last week, and I look forward to posting Stef's interview on Wednesday at some stage. (As early as possible, I promise).

In other news. This week, I've mainly been "tweeting".
Gone are my misconceptions that only the likes of Demi and Stephen Fry are allowed to tweet, and I have to say I'm very impressed at the difference twitter can make to any online business. I must have spent hours reading articles and tips on how Twitter can enhance your business. A big thanks to Doreen, who helped to get me started with her article on making the most of Twitter, and well I think I'm on the way now!

I have to say though, that I'm very conscious of making sure I don't overdo the whole linkage thing, I don't want to make anyone feel like I'm spamming them with links to my blog or my Helium articles, so I'm making a concerted effort to ensure I retweet others posts, engage in discussion and post other tweets that are not work related. 

Ask me again in a month and I'll tell you how much I love it then :)

Back to the grindstone now for a bit I think, as I've a few things to catch up on. But as always I'll be back with an interview during the week.





Until tomorrow.......................

Humble Guy?

Morning all,


So today I'm going to share with you, my chat with Mahesh Walatara. We talked a number of weeks ago on Skype for 1 hour and 40 minutes. To say it was interesting would be an understatement. Unfortunately due to Mahesh's lose tongue and colourful use of language I've had to edit out a lot of the interview. Whilst he is a very entertaining chap, and certainly has strong opinions, his views on race and religion were a bit disturbing if I'm honest so I've decided that I don't want to publish that kind of material on my Blog. Mahesh is aware of the editing and just so you all know, the words on the page you see below are as they were spoken by Mahesh, I have not edited them in the slightest, I've just left out a few of his rants :

So without further a due..... Mahesh Walatara.

Name: Mahesh Walatara

Age: 32 / 34 ??

Location: Sri Lanka

Occupation: Graphic / Logo Designer

When did you first start using oDesk?

In November 2009, some guy mentioned the name on a forum and that’s how I found it.

So tell me Mahesh, is oDesk the only freelance market site you use?

Yeah everything else sucks.

How long did it take to get your first job?

5 weeks.

And tell us about the job.

An average size logo job. It went pretty well, the guy liked my portfolio. When he hired me I was working for just 3 bucks an hour. It took 21 hours total to complete.

Were you happy with that rate?

First job yeah, I was mostly wanted the feedback.

I think that’s the same for a lot of newcomers, would you recommend lowering your rate to get that 1st job so then?

Yeah, lower anyway.

So what rate are you working on now?

$15 most of the time, sometimes go down to $10 when the jobs are dried up.

So, do you freelance full-time now?

Yeah

Did you have much experience in Graphic Design beforehand?

Yeah, I was always a creative fella so it came to me naturally. I did a lot of programming stuff at Uni. in Australia, but never really graphic design, but always had a knack for it

How do you find it? And do you think you’ll continue freelancing?

Good.

I make more money than most of the idiots slaving away in office jobs in my country from working from home, so can’t complain. Only problem is no Office sex L

Would you be surprised if I told you office sex wasn't a common thing?

Yeah at least can get a few phone numbers, no such luck L

Ah well that can be another project for you!

Is Office work in Sri Lanka low paid then?

Yeah mostly, unless you’re the office manager or CEO or something.

What’s the minimum wage there?

Don’t know, don’t care.

Ok, so lets change direction a bit, you spend a lot of time on the forums at oDesk, tell us why Humbleguy is your user name.

Thought it would help me make a good first impression.

Do you think that worked?

Dunno, think the user is not visible till your actually hired or something, didn’t know that, or I'd have gone for something from Star Wars.

You are very opinionated on the forums about hiring the highest bidder etc, you have the stage now, tell us what you really think.

They must be very sure of themselves and their abilities to bid high.

Personally I don’t give a sh*t if some little fella from wherever gets played out, I just surf the forums and put in something cos I am bored.

Do you find the forums on oDesk helpful?

Yes, Jacqui’s a bit too stiff, but overall, ok I guess.

She has a tough job keeping you in check.

She gets paid a lot; she needs to earn it.

Sounds like you’re a bit jealous?

Nah, she looks nice

So tell me about a positive experience you've had working on oDesk, what was your favourite project and why?

Most of them were good, cos its creative stuff so never gets monotonous

Don’t like em buyers who keep asking for the world for $20 fixed job

Does that happen often?

Not anymore, I do apply for $20 jobs now. Earlier happened couple of times

Put up a disclaimer saying lowest bidders are not to be trusted and quality of work will be on par with the pay. That might make some buyers think twice about hiring low bidders.

We both bid low to get our first jobs though didn't we?

Yeah well if u got the talent you'll get hired.

So there is a case for low bids sometimes?

Yeah I guess, but a disclaimer would do good as well, a pop up every time a Buyer tries to hire.

Ok, so tell me a negative experience you've had?

First job I got hired buy Irish con artist from Dublin, he made me do some samples and then said he didn't like em, later he said job was cancelled an he refused to pay. : I contacted customer support and he got suspended. I never got paid. Even if I did he would've left me bad feedback so glad it worked out this way

You’ve mentioned on the forums a few times that you think you should leave bad feedback for a buyer if you think his feedback might be negative, why is that?

Then Jacqui got me banned for 3 weeks cos I was controversial in the forums or some sh*t.

Cos I don’t wanna leave someone good feedback an see they had left me bad, cant stand it

But surely they are entitled to their opinion; feedback should be honest don't you think?

Some just leave u bad to spite u or cos they’re racist or got caught trying to run away or something.

Do you think that if a buyer looks at your profile and sees you have left a lot of negative feedback for others that they will be less inclined to hire you?

No, my portfolio is too impressive J

A Humble guy you are definitely not.

Perfection like me is never humble

Have you any advice for newcomers?

Don’t do free samples, most of the con buyers target noobs to get free samples cos they don’t know any better. Don’t get cocky, Just keep at it and they'll eventually get work. Portfolio is more important than anything else I believe.

What do you do in your spare time besides annoy Jacqui & Doreen on the forums?

Stalking me on the forums, when I completely ignore her.

Outside oDesk, not much usual day to day stuff, eat, sleep get pissed throw rocks the usual

Throw rocks?

Yeah sometimes I throw em back, when I am in a bad mood

Is that a national past time or something?

In this sh*thole of a country that’s what these hopeless cases do

Do you read?

Yeah, used to a lot, lots of sci-fi fantasy horror stuff.

What’s the last book you read?

Last Harry Potter book.

What about music, who do you like to listen to?

Not really sure, Bon Jovi!

Where do you see your career in 5 years?

Hell. Don’t think more than a couple days ahead.

Ok, well what would u like to be doing in a years time then?

Nice Swedish Blonde.

Do you work set hours every day?

Nah, work whenever takes my fancy, most of the time just surf the web.

And how’s business at the moment?

Not good, not much jobs these days, after I set up on me new computer, I hope to get back at it.

Is there anything about oDesk you would change if you had the power?

Yeah Escrow for fixed price work, speed up the payment cycle & take over the bosses’ job.

Okay, some quick fire questions then and I’ll let you get back to surfing.

Favourite Colour: Blue

Star sign:

Dunno,

What date and month were you born?

March 14^th.

That makes you a Pisces.

Whatever

What would you do if you won the lottery?

Move to Switzerland, buy a small log cabin by the side of the Alps and find a nice Swiss milkmaid.

Tell us a joke or something to make us smile:

Dunno L can’t think of any, I’m tired tonight.

Ok, well look I'll leave you to it Mahesh, sorry for keeping you for so long, and thanks for taking the time out.

No worries don’t get run over or anything.

You too, don’t get hit by any rocks now.

A big thank you to Mahesh for taking time out to talk to me. He is as oppinionated as the rest of us, only he has the guts to say what a lot of us are thinking at times, and I commend him for that.

Thanks for bringing a smile to my face every day on the fourms Mahesh, and long may you prevail on oDesk :)

Chat with Mahesh on his PC Forum http://scurvy.proboards.com

Until tomorrow..............

Has the tide turned on oDesk?

Big thanks to Thomas for his interview last week, great speaking with you Thomas and love your attitude to work and life. :)

On another note, my post today is more of a moan than a blog post if I'm honest.

Hands up if you're a bit disheartened with oDesk and the powers that be at the moment. (holds 2 hands up). For any of you who are following this thread on oDesk, I'm guessing you'll agree with me.

Now surprisingly, this morning I had an email in my inbox from Matt Cooper of oDesk, who has asked to speak with me further to understand my situation. While this is all very well, and I do appreciate him getting in touch. I do think at this stage, that understanding is just not going to cut the mustard on this one. oDesk understanding the situation, will, in fairness, mean diddly-squat to those who need the situation remedied.

Are we going to get a solution to this problem? that's the question.

Since when did it become so impossible for someone to put up their hand and say they might have made a mistake. If the powers that be are unwilling to go back to the term 'buyer' then that's fair enough. But surely 'Client' & 'Customer' would be viable options, I mean seriously if there are people out there that get those words mixed up with 'contractor' then the really shouldn't be freelancing at all.
If I'm honest, I don't think there was huge misunderstanding of the word 'buyer' either, "I misunderstood the meaning" is a great way to lie about the fact that you just wanted to advertise yourself to thousands on the job boards.

Agghhh the frustration of this situation is getting to me now, and if oDesk are to blame for putting my plans on hold I won't be a happy camper.

What y'all think?

Anyway enough of the grumps, there'll be another interview up on the blog over the weekend ... and let me tell you this... prepare yourself, it's our love him / hate him Humbleguy.




Until tomorrow........

Introducing Thomas Cosby Jr of Cosby Art

Hi guys,

It's that time of the week, where once again we speak with a member of the oDesk workforce. Thomas Cosby Jr is a relative newcomer to oDesk, however, is a shining example of how well things can go if you put your mind to it.

So a round of applause please for Thomas, the floor is yours.

Thomas Cosby Jr

"Top 10% Photoshop Artist - Traditional and Digital Illustrator - Freelance Website / Graphic Designer, United States"

Name: Thomas Cosby Jr
Age: 30
Location: Vincennes, Indiana - USA
Occupation: Full-time college student, and freelance graphic designer and illustrator

Hi Thomas, can you tell us when you first started working as a freelancer and why?

I actually started out in high school when I was 16, drawing images for students for awhile; however, I started professionally about 8 years ago after putting together some web sites. I freelanced as a way to make some extra money, but since last year things picked-up and it is becoming a career.


And how did you discover oDesk?

My college professors recommended that we work over the summer break with jobs to fill our portfolios. I started searched online using Google and eventually found my way to oDesk.


When did you 1st start working on oDesk?

I joined oDesk on May 10, 2010 and spent several days setting up my profile and taking the tests.

How long did it take you to get your first job on oDesk?

It was ten days after I joined, and just a few days of sending out my first cover letters.

Tell us about your first project, what was it like?

A real eye opener. I thought it was for some simple website graphic redesign work in Adobe PhotoShop, it was more than that. I found it more challenging as the work involved me recreating large parts of the design so I could redesign it as instructed.

It taught me several valuable lessons about using oDesk, using the oDesk team software, and any work you think will take a certain amount of time always requires more time.


Did you ever doubt your calling as an Artist?

Indeed I did. I actually started out in college in the medical field for two years, and took a Drawing class for fun. I always heard from my family and friends that art is a good hobby but not a career, and then the usual starving artist line. I have pictures I drew dating back to when I was only three – I grew-up filling sketchbooks of drawings but never thought of it more than a hobby.

During my drawing class I talked to my professor Stephen Black all that I could about a career in art. Then once the semester was over I switched my major to Graphic Design/Illustration and I couldn't be happier.

Did you ever think twice about being a freelancer?

Yes, I did till just recently. I had a job on May 20th and did not see any more work on oDesk until the start of August. During that time I tried updating my oDesk profile, reading everything I could about selling my services, writing cover letters, and anything else without any luck.

I gave the freelancing a decent chance of several months, but had to look at getting a regular job to make ends meet. In a final act I lowered my oDesk hourly rate. I thought if my oDesk rate was the same as a job I would likely find locally, I could keep designing and avoid having to work a job I would hate. Within 24 hours on oDesk I had a couple interviews, several employers asking me additional questions, and had three new jobs.

Has telecommuting changed your life in any way?

It has allowed me to continue freelancing with a much larger client/employer base than I would ever have locally. This has allowed me to stop worrying about finding a job with a design company, or at worst a minimum wage job, and lets me work on projects I actually want too.

Are you a full time freelancer at the moment? If not, what else do you do?

Yes I am until my university starts back up this fall; however I plan to freelance as much as possible then as well. I am also a full-time college student in my final year at my university.

What did you do before you started a freelancing career?

I had many various jobs at restaurants, worked as a meat cutter at a restaurant, a butcher at a meat processing company, and then worked from a food stocker to the meat department manager of a grocery store chain. I left the management job to attend my university, and in my university health degree I also worked for a year at a local funeral home.

Do you think oDesk has changed since you joined?

It is hard to say as I only have been at Odesk for three months; however, it seems one of the biggest changes has been the site redesign, and the other would have to be the wording/definition changes of freelancer/provider to contractor and client to employer.

It seems the word changes are causing problems for many with accountants, some banks, student loan repayments, and more due to the legal definitions of the words now used on oDesk. I am unsure how/if I am affected until I file my taxes.

Do you find the community forums on oDesk helpful?

I stumbled into the forums one night when I mis-clicked the help tab. I found some interesting information and tips which did answer my question that night, and been helpful ever since. Often I browse and read the messages more than I respond. My only problem is that I often forget to read the forum, as I am often busy filling out cover letters or talking to clients.

Tell us about a positive experience you have had on oDesk or any other freelance market site.

My first job on oDesk would be a good example. I took a job that seemed to be simple, but was much more complicated than I would have imagined. This allowed me to learn first-hand many things that can only be learned from working my first job online. When I turned in the design the client was really happy, left me a 5 star feedback, paid me, and offered me some additional work.


Have you had any negative experiences through freelancing? If so how have you dealt with it?

The most negative experience has to be the potential clients that want free work which they call “samples” or a “test”. It is nothing more than spec work and I find it hard to believe how many people try to get it. The job postings often state, “Designers send in your logo designs and I will buy the best one”, “Include a finished design sample of one of the following items..”, and many others. I deal with it by avoiding those job posts and telling the client I will only do samples if I get paid for my time.

Have you any advice for newcomers?

My advice would be to find out what spec work is and avoid it, understand the rules of the freelance site so they do not get their account suspended (like getting paid directly by the client), do the online tests and put in your portfolio samples to create a great profile, learn how to write cover letters to apply to the job posts, and lastly set a reasonable hourly rate.

The hourly rate is the difference between getting jobs and filling out countless cover letters/job bids without getting the jobs. It seems in almost all cases no matter how many years someone has freelanced offline, how great their portfolio and cover letters are they will not get a high/decent pay rate as they have no feedback.

The lack of job feedback on the site is the same for a sellers feedback on the eBay auction site. With little to no feedback it is hard to sell anything. Once the seller starts to receive feedback they sell much more often and even at a higher cost – as the buyers/clients are less worried of getting ripped-off.

My advice is to start your hourly rate at the price you would expect from a local job that you would get hired for. The lower the hourly rate at first the better, you have to build feedback/reputation on the site before you can get what you think you deserve. Once you start to get the jobs and feedback then the hourly rate can be increased, and you can continue slowly increasing to the pay you deserve.

What do you do in your spare time?

I like to sketch, watch MST3K, read cartoon strips (Garfield, Snuffy Smith, etc) and comic books.

What is the dream?

To have a comfortable income from freelancing – that is it in a nutshell; however how I do it can vary. This may include work on oDesk, illustrating book covers and children books, selling cartoons to magazines, working on a cartoon strip, perhaps being one of “the usual gang of idiots” for Mad magazine, or doing comic book work (as a penciller or inker for DC, Dark Horse, Image, or perhaps independently).

Where do you see your career in 5 years?

In five years I see myself working freelance making a comfortable living doing something I love.

As a freelancer who works from home, how do you separate work from home life?

In all honestly it blends together, until one or the other requires my full attention. I think if there is a real way to separate the two it could come from working only a few hours each day at a high pay rate.

Do you have set hours you work every day or do change from day to day depending on demand?

I work as required so there is no set time for me to work, and often the same is true for my sleep – I do it as needed.

How’s business?

As of lately it has gotten busy, and I find myself filling out cover letters much less often on oDesk and working more. Also my website has been receiving more visitors as well due to all the various search engines listing it and site links. I just hope it keeps up!

On a lighter note:

Favourite colour: Orange
Lucky number: 6
Star sign: Libra
Something to make us smile: :)
What would you do if you won the lottery?

Start my own publishing company creating a large outlet for my endeavours. Perhaps a new magazine, or published works of indie comics and cartoons.

Tell us a joke:

Well one of my favorite quotes is, “Always remember that you're unique. Just like everyone else.”


A big thanks to Thomas, who it was an absolute pleasure to talk with and who I'm sure will be running a very successful freelance design business for many years to come. Visit him any time at www.cosbyart.com

Thanks Again Thomas.

Until tomorrow..........

A big thank you.

I'd just like to say a big thank you to all at oDesk for your support over the past 2 weeks and the enormous response I've had to the interviews.

Glad to hear you all enjoyed reading Rebeccas opinions last week. I'll have another interview up on Wednesday and I have a growing list of other oDeskers who are only too happy to spill the beans!

The curse of July and August seems to be over now thank god, it's a slow part of the year I find. Since last week the floodgates have opened again and I've had to get the diary out again to schedule interviews and work out my projects rota. I just love it when that happens. Hopefully it's the same for all you guys aswell!

I've got to go get myself another microphone for the laptop though; it always seems to give up at the most opportune of moments. What did we ever do without Skype?

So, just a short post for today, lots to do and no time to do it! I'll be back on Wednesday with another interview from one of your favourite oDeskers and hope to speak with you all then.



Until Tomorrow.... (well Wednesday)

The 1st of our weekly interviews.

Morning all,

It's been a while, but since we last spoke I have been lucky enough to pick the brains of 5 oDeskers. Today we'll speak with Rebecca Haden, a successful copywriter and SEO expert.

So without further ado lets find out what Rebecca has to say about her oDesk & freelancing experience.

Name: Rebecca Haden

Age: much older than everyone else in this business

Location: Fayetteville, AR, a very beautiful university town in the Ozarks.

When did you first begin working as a freelance writer?

I’ve done some freelance writing on the side for decades; I went full time in 2008.

How did you discover oDesk?

I got a job announcement in an email from Indeed.com for which I felt highly qualified. It was through oDesk, so I signed up there in order to apply for it.

When was that?

September 2008

So how long did it take you to get your first job on oDesk?

I got that first job – so one day, I guess.

Tell us about your first project.

I blogged for that client for a couple of years. I enjoyed it; I’d do a dozen posts at a time every month or so. Very simple and pleasant.

Did you ever doubt your calling? 

I love what I do. It’s the perfect job for me.

Has telecommuting changed your life?

I earn more than I did as a salaried worker, I don’t have to drive as much, I see my family more, I get to work barefoot. On the other hand, I sleep less, weigh more, and don’t get to go to office parties.

Are you a full time freelancer?

Yes. Actually, it would be more accurate by now to say that I own a business. I have a number of contract workers.

What did you do before you started a freelancing career? 

I taught college. Then, when I had a bunch of babies, I managed a teacher’s store (less travel). That’s where I learned SEO – the owners wanted their online store to make money the way the physical ones did.

Do you think oDesk has changed since you joined? 

No. I like the improvements at the website, but my experience has only changed because of me. That is, I now am too busy to work much at oDesk, and I only take jobs by invitation, so I’m not there much.
 

Do you find the community forums on oDesk a helpful outlet? 

At first, it was useful to me. People like Doreen and some of the others gave me good advice and the discussions were useful. I don’t think it’s very useful for experienced people.

Tell us about a positive experience you have had on oDesk or any other freelance market site.

I’ve never been to any other freelance market sites. I’ve worked with a wonderful group of people at oDesk, and really enjoy the chance to talk with people in other parts of the world. Almost all the experiences I’ve had there, as a contractor and as a buyer, have been excellent.

Have you had any negative experiences? If so how have you dealt with it?

Early on, I applied for a job that looked like a writing job but was one of those horrible gray hat article mill things. I suffered through it and learned to avoid those.

Have you any advice for newcomers?

Set a reasonable rate, apply only for things you’re really qualified for, and constantly improve your skills.

Good advice here guys, take heed! 
 

What do you do in your spare time? I sing in choirs, hang out with family and friends, hike, read. Ordinary stuff.  
 

What is your ultimate dream?

Hmm... my kids tell me I have wimpy goals, and I guess that’s true. There are aspects of my current experience that I might like to upgrade a bit (more travel, a proper desk instead of a hand me down student desk, stuff like that), but I’m really very happy.

Where do you see your career in 5 years?

I currently employ my oldest daughter full time and my younger one quarter time. I’d like to have both my girls working with me full time, and then I won’t have to do anything except the fun stuff. LOL. Otherwise, I intend to continue growing the business as I have been. Hmm. oDesk isn’t in there at all, is it? I hire graphics people there, though, and with continued growth I hope to do more. oDesk will probably continue to bring me occasional surprising and fun clients.

As a freelancer who works from home, how do you separate work from home life?

Badly :)

Do you have set hours you work every day or do you chop and change like me ?

I work most of the time. I keep trying to set a schedule, but I’m not very good at that. I’m still working on it, though.

How’s business?

Quite good. I remember when I first started I was worried. In fact, I wanted a web engineer I work with to hire me. He wanted me to do contract work for him. I told him I wasn’t; temperamentally suited to freelance work, I had tuition to pay for my kids, I needed security. He assured me that he had all the work he could do, all the time. He turned work down. I found that unbelievable, but it’s true for me, too.

I meet people who are unsuccessful freelancing with Internet design and content, but I think that anyone who is skillful and willing to work hard can have all the work they need.

Anything else you would like to share with us?

I like the way oDesk safeguards both contractors and buyers. In my experience, it’s easy to spend a morning applying for things and be set with work for the month without time-consuming interviews and meetings. And then we get paid, for sure. Freelancers so often have to work so hard to collect the money we earn, oDesk gives us the stability of a steady paycheck. I don’t see a lot of appreciation of that in the forum, but it makes me feel secure. 

On a lighter note :
 

Favourite colour: green   

Lucky number: I don’t believe in luck; I’m a very sceptical person. On the other hand, I win things surprisingly frequently, so I guess I’m lucky without believing in it.   

Star sign: Pisces, but see above   

Something to make us smile: Hmm. Well, this may be just for you, but I’ll tell you that I like to think about my distant clients and colleagues in their far-off countries, and I know I probably imagine it all wrong. I’m thinking of you, right now, in your stone cottage with thatched roof, drinking very strong tea while something marvellous bakes in the oven and people hang around singing ballads and playing penny whistles and stuff. I like to imagine my Australian clients with kangaroos bounding along outside their windows. Probably all of us are hanging out with the computer in much the same way, but I like to think it’s all picturesquely global.

I love it :)     

What would you do if you won the lottery? I never buy tickets (see above), but I guess if I did I’d invest lavishly in my business and give a good deal of the money away.      

Tell us a joke: ?! Okay. A mushroom walks into a bar. “I’m sorry,” says the bartender, “we don’t serve your kind here.”

“Oh, come on,” says the mushroom, “I’m a fungi!” (This only works if you pronounce it as “fun guy.”)

:) 

 

I'd like to sincerely thank Rebecca for taking the time to answer my questions and appreciate the honest answers she has shared with us. Her own experiences, I'm sure, will serve as an inspiration to many and her positive attitude is something we should all aspire to.

Thanks Rebecca, you're a star!! :)

Visit Rebecca through her website at www.rebeccahaden.com where you will see how her professionalism, strong work ethics and talent come into play.

Until tomorrow..........  (gotta stop saying that)