How do you award a project on Elance?
I posted a project on Elance last night to get a logo designed for my RC blog and when I woke up this morning there were about 25 bids on the project already.
I culled a few that were too expensive or that didn't leave proper descriptions or provide any samples, but I've still got a list of 15 bids that I need to sort through and choose from.
They are all pretty similar in terms of price and the quality of their portfolio, which are my two main decision factors, so I really don't know how to select a winner.
I guess I could look at their feedback, the time to complete the job, and their willingness to work until I am absolutely satisfied with it, but on first impressions, they are all pretty equal on those fronts as well.
Many of the services like logo design have become commoditized on websites Elance and Guru.com and as far as I can see, there are very few differentiating factors anymore.
One of my main issues with outsourcing work is the "what if" factor. "What if" the person I choose isn't the absolute best person for the job. "What if" someone else would have come up with a logo that is 3 times better.
I guess I'll just have to choose one and hope I've made the right decision.
Have you had any experience choosing professionals on websites such as Elance and Guru.com? What other things do you look for when making a decision?
Comments
Choosing Elancers
Submitted by Will (not verified) on Saturday, March 29, 2008 at 3:37am.
Hi Nick,
The first time I work with an elance contractor, I tend to take more time picking the supplier. If they turn out to be good (and most of the time they do), then it's usually pretty easy to ask that provider to bid again on the same kind of work.
In my experience, it is normally not a very difficult task to choose between providers. Most have templated proposals that do not adequately address the specific brief, so they go straight in the bin.
As for the "what if..." question, you have to consider the value of your time. For a $50 elance project, is it worth agonizing over who which provider is potentially 10% better than another? I prefer to take a punt. Occasionally the provider is crap, but as long as the project size isn't too large you can just find another provider.
Cheers, Will
