GetAFreelancer — For Real?
Having klicked through from a Techcrunch posting, I have just discovered GetAFreelancer. I’m amazed. And amused. Is this for real? Are people really doing business over this service?
Just for the heck of it, plonk some names of Web companies / brands into the search box. The results are astounding! Someone has a budget of $300 to $1500 for developing an EBay clone. Great! I’ll take you up on that offer just after I return from the Caribbean vacation I’m financing with the $1000 I make from building this guy a Digg clone from scratch. Oh and someone is offering to build a Twitter clone for $1365.
Just on the off-chance that there are people out there who can actually deliver on something like this, here’s my list of job offers:
- EUR 750 for a Google clone.
- EUR 1500 for a Google AdSense clone (must be fully internationalized)
- EUR 850 for a JavaScript reimplementation of Microsoft Project (must be able to read MS Project files uploaded over the Web GUI).
Any takers? I’ll even throw in the Donuts you need over the course of the three days you’re scheduling to build the system.
Technorati Tags: freelancer, auction, business, nonsense
CYA-Style Disclaimer: I am of course in no way questioning the validity of the GetAFreelancer service or the quality and sincerity of their product. Just a couple of the offers posted on their site.
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November 11th, 2007 at 8:44 pm
[…] Update: See DRM for cloning projects on the site. eBay for $1,500. $1,000 for Digg. Twitter for $1,365. Tangler Loading information about Tangler… […]
November 11th, 2007 at 8:44 pm
[…] Update: See DRM for cloning projects on the site. eBay for $1,500. $1,000 for Digg. Twitter for $1,365. Tangler Loading information about Tangler… […]
November 12th, 2007 at 12:10 am
I’ve watched GetaFreelancer, and several sites like it (such as guru.com and elance.com), for several years. There’s a good business model in running one, and I’ve no complaint with the companies who do so.
However, these sites all have a long tradition of listing gigs that are both laughable financially ($150 for a MySpace clone?) and sad creatively (you could probably depress yourself by searching for the word “clone”). The cynical viewpoint is that the work is being done by people in other countries for whom $500 is pretty decent pay; alternatively, it could be done by someone who lacks years of experience in a technology (say PHP) but wants to be paid while she gains those skills (which isn’t a bad thing). Neither of which assure the buyer that they’re getting the best quality necessary, but then there’s always someone who imagines that “cheap” is better than “good.”
As a writer, however, I was always amazed at the number of people who wanted a freelancer to write their biography. They assured me that they had a fascinating life, and as soon as I found them a publisher they’d be happy to split the millions they would surely make from the book. Yeah. Great idea. Sure.
I never got a single gig on those sites, back when I was a full time freelancer.
Fortunately, I’m told, there are exceptions. You can find real work on such sites. But then, you can also find great antiques at flea markets. I lack the patience to weed through the junk to find them, however.
November 12th, 2007 at 6:37 am
Why dont you post these hypothetical projects and report back to us on what happens.
Most of these guys are working on US $10 an hour so $1000 is going to get you a lot more than 3 days work - it’s going to be more like 3 weeks work. Still it’s hard to see how anyone could clone Google in 3 weeks.
November 12th, 2007 at 11:03 am
[…] Update: See DRM for other cloning projects he found. eBay for $1,500. $1,000 for Digg. Twitter for $1,365. Tangler Loading information about Tangler… […]
November 12th, 2007 at 4:45 pm
Murray — I’m really tempted to do that. Just for the heck of it. I agree with your assessment, though — even three developer months worth of work in Bangalore isn’t going to get me anywhere near the desired functionality. So, this experiment would just be in order to prove a point. PLUS - I’d be losing three months supply of donuts, instead of just three days.
March 27th, 2008 at 1:19 pm
I’m a writer. I stumbled on getafreelancer and signed up from curiosity - and I’d like to find more work. Like you I was mind-boggled. Someone wants dozens of ‘articles’ of 500 to 1000 words for $1 each! Yes that’s one dollar. I managed to trace one post source and the ‘article’ I found was a description of a handbag. So ad copy rather than article. But what really hit me was the number of responses, people willing work for pennies and responding with sometimes poor English, but sometimes with claims to be retired professors, experienced copy writers, teachers. Most of the calls as well as the responses seem to be from India and perhaps a dollar can feed you for a day there. The site says it provides people from Romania and the Ukraine. Some of the calls included whines about having been let down, but even a second language speaker would dump one of those for almost any other job.
April 9th, 2008 at 3:37 pm
Yes,I often get project on GAF(getafreelancer.com),even though many freelancer dont like the way GAF works,it also supply many projects for me.GAF has gold member there , you just pay 12$ and get total payment from your custom,it works for me. And for get projects quickly ,I often use GafReminder ,it is a good tools for get new project.
April 14th, 2008 at 12:18 pm
As an experienced copywriter I have to agree. The problem with getafreelancer, for instance, is that many of the ‘copywriters’ registered on the site live in countries where rates of pay are very low. So a project might require someone to write 500 300 word articles for $1 each. That’s 50p in real money. Which is absolutely lamentable.
At the same time I see many UK and US businesses who use the site moaning about the poor quality of copy provided by freelancers via the site. Hm. What on earth do they expect if they’re only prepared to pay peanuts? As the saying goes, if you pay peanuts you get monkeys.
Getafreelancer would work a lot better if it split sites by region: europe / India / US etc. The concept only makes sense if employees offer the going rate in any particular country.
In the UK a good copywriter will charge between £35 and £45 an hour. About the same as a decent plumber or plasterer. $1 per 300 words is simply unacceptable. And greedy employers who try to save cash by taking advantage of poorer countries’ rates and foreign freelancers’ imperfect english get what they desreve. Poor work.
June 23rd, 2008 at 2:38 am
Most developers on GAF and the alike may say they will build from scratch but many use ready-made scripts that they found on sites like HotScripts or some backdoor site. These sites usually already have ready-made script clones for the most popular sites. The developer use these scripts and just customize it for their clients, shortening the length of the project considerably.
July 9th, 2008 at 5:23 pm
We’ve had a GAF account for nearly 2 years and yes many of the bids posted by freelancers are just ridiculous! Some of the jobs posted (expectations, budget, etc.) are equally as ridiculous.
Fortunately, we have obtained a few good jobs via this site, but we’ve also worked with some unscrupulous people (I wont say what nationality) who have tried to rip us off on so many levels. That aside, however, what really gets my goat with these people is their payment system… they have a prepaid mastercard to which you can access your funds once you have been paid by a client, yet every time you are to receive funds to this card they find some reason to deactivate your account and make you jump through hoops to get it back. Now security where money is concerned is one thing but this is just outright foolishness!!!