Elance Blog

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:

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.

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!

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.

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.

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.

I am sure many of you have heard the buzzword "Web 2.0". For many, it may have been from people or design companies that say make sure your website is Web 2.0! In truth, Web 2.0 isn't a new form of the internet. It is simply a word describing a trend that has been around for the last few years.

In short, a Web 2.0 website focuses on user experience and interactivity, allows users to share content, and is powered by a backend database.


Patrick Bennett - Web Developer

For your next website, it's important to know which technologies are associated with Web 2.0 as well as how each one can help you. In this article, I will describe each of the key technologies as they relate to user interface, search engine optimization and databases.  

For growing small businesses, being able to outsource is a flexible and cost-effective way to get the help you need to run your business.

Here are some criteria to consider when evaluating whether to outsource a function or activity or whether to hire an employee.

Thousands of people work on Elance from their home office, coffee house, or another location they choose. And many more are considering the switch to flexible work because it enables the lifestyle they want to lead – working where they want, when they want, and on projects that are rewarding.



If you have ever thought about making the switch to flexible work, browse our primer on the trend, how to get started and 10 common mistakes to avoid.

There seems to be a lot of buzz about web widgets, and so we asked Tracy Pizzo, an expert in this area, to define web widgets and their applicability to your small business marketing strategy.


Tracy Pizzo - Guest Contributor

What’s a Widget Anyway?
Widgets have certainly become a hot topic these days – and for good reason. They’re expected to break the web wide open. Despite the pervasiveness of widget talk in the press and blogosphere, there is still a lot of confusion about what a widget is in the first place.