Resource Update: Odesk and Elance Become Upwork

If you've been using odesk.com or elance.com, you probably know that they merged and the Elance platform is going away.

I have updated the resource list at www.managedservicesinamonth.com resources.html to reflect this change.

www.Upwork.com

(For those of you who haven't looked, that site lists all the resources at the end of each chapter of the book, with appropriate hyperlinks. See http://www.managedservicesinamonth.com/resources.html.)

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Here's what's up and Upwork.

1) Odesk changed their name to Upwork. Not sure why. Odesk is a much cooler name. Anyway.

2) Elance is merging into Upwork (the outsource desk formerly known as Odesk).

3) You can no longer register a new account on Elance - you need to go to Upwork.

4) Starting in September, there would be a limit to the ability to post new jobs on Elance.

Here's a memo from Upwork CEO Stephane Kasriel:

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I'm writing to share that we will soon wind down the Elance platform and invite customers to join the Upwork community. As we shared earlier this year, the decision to focus on a single platform was difficult but ultimately necessary to help our customers, and company, achieve greater success.

The Elance community is incredibly important to us and we will make it as easy as possible for you to copy your Elance reputation to Upwork so you can keep working without interruption. Your invitation to join Upwork will be sent by early September. Also, when you work on Upwork with freelancers you hired on Elance, we’ll honor the same fee as before.

Important dates for Elance clients:
• In early August, new customers will no longer be able to register forElance.
• Starting in September, we’ll begin to limit the ability to post new jobs on Elance.
• Through early 2016, you can continue your current projects onElance. However, we encourage you to begin all new contracts onUpwork and move existing contracts to Upwork when possible.
• Through mid-2016, you will still be able to access your messages, contacts, and files on Elance.

Upwork has already proven to be a rewarding marketplace for clients who are able to hire more quickly from a larger pool of experienced freelancers. We’re also working to deliver innovations to hire more rapidly: mobile apps are now available for iOS and Android and a new messaging tool enables real-time collaboration.

Thank you for your business on Elance. We appreciate your patience during this transition and look forward to welcoming you to the Upwork community. You can read more about this announcement on our blog.

Best regards,
Stephane Kasriel
CEO, Upwork

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Upwork has also create a couple of video tutorials on how to move accounts and how to use Upwork. This one is for freelancers:

. . . and this one is for contractors (clients):

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Thanks to Lurie from Upwork for the links.

:-)