Elance Blog

Get Prepped with Patrick O'Malley

elance_rupa — Wed, 23 Jul 2008 18:15:26 -0700

Elance buyer Patrick O'Malley founded his business, Get Prepped, in 1999. Based in Boulder, Colorado, Get Prepped offers courses on campuses nationwide to help law school applicants prepare for the Law School Admissions Test (LSAT).

Get Prepped was born while Patrick was in law school and tutoring prospective law students. Soon thereafter, his entrepreneurial instinct kicked in and he decided to start a business focused on helping potential law school students prepare for the LSAT.

Overview of New Features

vsinha — Wed, 16 Jul 2008 23:53:43 -0700

We are excited to announce our latest product release, which includes improvements that help the management of remote engagements and help Providers streamline several day-to-day administrative tasks.

• MyElance Redesign for Providers
• Status Reports and Job Tracker

MyElance Redesign for Providers
The new MyElance interface lays the foundation for future enhancements and includes many suggested enhancements we have received over the last few months. Watch the video tutorial »

Web Designer Reaches New Clients

elance_rupa — Tue, 15 Jul 2008 13:58:26 -0700

Meet Ketan Sethi (username: EyeForWeb), a talented web designer and small business owner who joined Elance to reach new clients.

Ketan founded his web design business as a freelancer in 2004. Prior to getting into web design, Ketan worked for renowned news channel like Zee News and DD News as a 3D animator and graphic designer. While working for Zee News, Ketan became fascinated with web design.

Bowdabra Creator Staffs Company with Elancers

elance_rupa — Mon, 14 Jul 2008 14:27:24 -0700

Meet Sandy Sandler, corporate gift expert and creator of Bowdabra, a bow-making tool.

Sandy started her product development/marketing business, Nuvelle Crafts, in 1996. Like most businesses, Sandy started small – only employing herself and one part–time assistant to run the day-to-day operations. Her business strategy has also included the idea of hiring on demand. She started the business knowing she would hire contractors and service providers to help it grow.

The Best Logos on Elance - Winners & Runners Up

lorenzo — Wed, 09 Jul 2008 18:12:44 -0700

We would like to thank the members who entered their logos in the 2008 Best Logos on Elance contest and all of the members who voted. View Winners >>

Elancers Help Create a New Kind of "Iceberg"

elance_rupa — Mon, 07 Jul 2008 14:26:37 -0700

Business partners and Elance buyers Wayne Byrne and Robert Byrne found Elancers to help create software tailored to cut development time for programmers. The software, Iceberg, is essentially an application development platform that allows anyone to create custom-built business software, giving its users programming capabilities with a point and click interface.

Wayne and Robert began development of Iceberg in 2001 and continued over the course of four years – outsourcing parts of the development to Elancers.

Melissa Finds Success and Flexibility Working at Home

elance_rupa — Tue, 01 Jul 2008 09:55:19 -0700

Melissa Rudy is a 32-year-old mother of three young girls (ages: 4, 2 and 3 months) who recently made a life-changing decision to work full-time on Elance.

Melissa – born and raised in Cincinnati, Ohio – graduated from the University of Cincinnati in 1999 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in English Literature and a writing certificate in Journalism.

Elance Buyers Share Outsourcing Tips

elance_rupa — Mon, 30 Jun 2008 14:17:54 -0700

Experience is a great teacher – but gaining experience takes time. To get new buyers up to speed quickly, we asked buyers who post and award numerous Elance projects to share their wisdom.

The following are just some of the great tips we received for communicating with providers, evaluating bids, and managing the projects you award. Plus we’ve included some additional tips to help you succeed when hiring on demand.

Use Market Research to Help Your Business

cathysiciliano — Tue, 24 Jun 2008 17:38:34 -0700

Do you feel as informed about your customers and their needs, or about your industry and recent market trends as you want to be? It's easy to stay up-to-date when you work with a qualified professional to do market research for your business.

Market research can provide you with valuable information to help drive the strategic direction of your business, and your business will reap the benefits:

Tips From The Trenches for Outsourcing to Independent Contractors

Guest_Blogger — Mon, 23 Jun 2008 13:48:17 -0700

Analyst firm NelsonHall recently forecast that business process outsourcing (BPO) will grow to a $450 billion market by the year 2012.

I’ve been noticing that small businesses are doing an increasing volume of outsourcing of project work and even certain parts of their business processes. It’s a strategy that helps you grow your business flexibly. You can increase your capacity and throughput, without adding fixed expenses that would be difficult to scale back.

But being smart about outsourcing is crucial.

Experienced Graphic Designer Goes Global

elance_rupa — Fri, 20 Jun 2008 11:25:22 -0700

Every week, hundreds of new Elance providers are hired for their first projects. We’d like you to meet one of them, Sharon Thompson (username: allamericangal) – a California-based freelance designer with over 20 years of experience in the graphic design industry.

Sharon has an impressive background in business and graphic design. She is a small business owner, having founded, Sharon Thompson Design Studio, in 1989, and has an extensive portfolio of logos, illustrations and photos.

New Apple iPhone Applications Unveiled

elance_rupa — Wed, 18 Jun 2008 16:14:22 -0700

Part 3 of 3

In parts one and two of our Apple iPhone blog series, we highlighted Elance service provider Nick Dalton (username: 360mind), an iPhone SDK specialist, and provided tips on how you can have an iPhone application built via Elance. In this third and final part of the series, we highlight iPhone applications developed on Elance. Check out these great apps recently developed:

1. KidsCards
KidsCards, the brainchild of entrepreneur Mark Hanusz and 7-month old son, Avi, is an educational flash card application designed for children ages 1 - 3 years old. The application uses the Core Animation framework and allows iPhone owners (or their children) to flick through the flash cards, with categories such as letters or colors, using the familiar iPhone touch screen.

New Summer Job - Freelancing

elance_rupa — Mon, 16 Jun 2008 13:13:32 -0700

If you’re a student, you’re lucky if your summer job is somewhat related to your field. (If you land an internship, it'll probably be related – but you might not get paid for the privilege of developing your skills.)

Freelancing provides high-end work for college students supplementing their summer income – or can even serve as your stand-alone summer job. Plus, freelancing over the summer could easily generate long-term clients you can work for throughout the school year as well. Who knows – you might get paid to complete a project that also satisfies class requirements!

Top Design Skills

elance_rupa — Wed, 11 Jun 2008 10:16:11 -0700

It’s hard to post a project if you don’t know what you want. What may not be as obvious, especially for design projects, is a secondary – but nearly as important – consideration: How do you want your project developed? Knowing what you want done and which application you’d like to be used helps ensure your deliverable fits your current – and possibly your future – needs.

Different applications create different end products, so let’s take a look at some of the more common design applications. Keep in mind this is merely intended to be an overview: Hundreds of books have been written describing the uses of each application.

Finalists Announced in Best Logo Contest

lorenzo — Mon, 09 Jun 2008 18:15:07 -0700

The nominations are in for the 2008 Best Logos on Elance Contest, and we've chosen the finalists. With over 100 entries in categories like Best Makeover, Web and Real Estate, the finalists are truly the best of the best.

Help us choose the best logo in each category by casting your vote. Votes will be accepted through June 15th.

Vote Now >>

How to Kick-Start Your Apple iPhone Application Project

Guest_Blogger — Mon, 09 Jun 2008 15:48:40 -0700

Part 2 of 3

Continuing our three part series focused on the development of applications for the Apple iPhone, we asked Nick Dalton, iPhone SDK specialist, to give Elance buyers a few tips on how to scope and post an iPhone Application project. Here’s what he had to say:

The iPhone is an amazing device that invites creativity. If you’re an iPhone owner I’m sure you’ve said to yourself: ‘I wish I could do that on my iPhone, or I have a great idea for an iPhone application’.

New Enhancements Improve Project Collaboration

ypoon — Thu, 05 Jun 2008 21:18:18 -0700

We are excited to announce the latest product release to the Elance community, which includes improvements that make it easier for buyers to award, collaborate on, and manage their projects. We’ve also made it easier for providers to get repeat business.

Key Enhancements:

Focus on iPhone - iPhone App Developer Finds Business on Elance

elance_rupa — Wed, 04 Jun 2008 15:26:51 -0700

Part 1 of 3

This is the first of a three part series focused on the development of applications for the Apple iPhone. We start the series with a spotlight on Nick Dalton (username: 360mind), an iPhone SDK application expert and author of 101 iPhone Tips and Tricks.

What is an iPhone SDK expert, you ask? An iPhone SDK specialist is a programmer who can design and create applications – similar to downloadable games or widgets for other cell phones – but specifically for iPhone users. The SDK (software development kit) released by Apple in March, opens the iPhone platform to development by third party developers.

Making Your Ideas Stick (Without a Lot of Money)

Guest_Blogger — Tue, 03 Jun 2008 11:15:37 -0700

Have you heard the one about the business traveler who accepts a drink from an attractive stranger—and then wakes up in a bathtub full of ice, minus a kidney? Or what about the tale of the gang members who’ll kill you if you flash your brights at them?

Urban legends stick. A sticky idea is one that’s understood, remembered, and changes something—behavior, opinions, or beliefs. Legends like the “kidney thieves” tale seem to stick effortlessly. But it’s not just sleazy ideas that stick naturally, it’s also lots of valuable ideas: proverbs, fables, and scientific ideas, to name just a few.

Must-Have Documents for Your Virtual Office

elance_rupa — Mon, 02 Jun 2008 18:24:26 -0700

Whether you’re new to working remotely, or just want to brush up on a few housekeeping items, this article is for you.

Imagine this:
You and your Elance buyer seem to be a perfect match, and your project bid is on the verge of being accepted. But it’s not smooth sailing yet. What’s the easiest way to spoil what could otherwise be a great working relationship? Poor communication.