MoocH’s Tenth Annual, “Regulars Only,” End of the Year Check In Thread

[damooch916]

(Warning: The following is a “paid for” program. The views and opinions expressed in this program may not necessarily reflect the views of Fiverr, Fiverr Forum, The number Five or Sequential order as a concept. This program is intended for mature audiences only. This content contains depictions of “humor.” Humor is that thing from the 90’s where people made a point by inflating smaller ironies into larger examples of the point in general. If you become offended, not realizing that the offense is the irony and not the point itself, you may be suffering from post 80’s birth syndrome. Parental guidance is strongly suggested.) 

 

Live from the Fiverr Forum. It’s Mooch’s tenth annual, “Regulars Only,” End of the Year - Check In Thread! 

 

Join us on this festive occasion as we take a look back at the good - the not so good - and the “seriously, this jerk who just took my work and cancelled is leaving me a review(?)” that this year brought to us. 

 

Tonight the stars are out in full swing. With performances by: 

@newsmike

@donnovan86

@catwriter

A rousing duet of “Deck The Halls” by the Vickies

Also a contractually obligated song by Michael McDonald. 

 

With special appearances by:

@imagination7413

@frank_d

@smashradio

A watermelon dressed as an elf

@katakatica

Some of the guitarists from that degenerate audio section

@melanielm

 

Featuring:

 @vibronx

@maitasun

@breals

@mandyzines

@zeus777

With lurking provided by @uk1000

And much more! 

 

(“Much more” is code for “if I didn’t mention you, just know that I’ve beaten this particularly thin part of the bit to death and just come by and participate”) 

 

And now here is your host, MoocH 1. 

 

Hello again friends and welcome to the tenth annual, “Regulars Only” End of the year check in thread. Tonight - we celebrate the holiday season by providing updates that are so juvenile, they should be rated via emoji.

 

I joke. I joke with the Fiverr. Clearly it was another banner year for Fiverr innovation and services. In fact - Fiverr burst through the AI market by launching its automated matching tool Neo. No word yet on whether Neo will be replacing Fiverr’s other automated, canned response service -customer care.

 

I joke. I love the Fiverr. In fact I got a tattoo of the Fiverr. It reads “Fiverr Business.” And when people ask “what does that mean… ” I say “it’s Hebrew for “Fiverr Pro.”  

 

Fiverr Forum also saw some changes. Show of hands, how many of you are excited by the tweaks that the forum made this year? 

 

I’m sure some of you have your hands up, unfortunately Fiverr doesn’t let me see the results of their surveys. 

 

I joke. I adore the Fiverr. It’s because of Fiverr that I know how many revisions it takes to screw in a lightbulb:

 

It’s an endless amount but the instructions pretend like it’s only one. 

 

Well, of course, the big news this year was “cancelation reviews.” That’s right, customers now have the ability to review your service, even if they cancelled the service and didn’t use it to completion. As expected, this set off a fire storm here on the forum - where sellers all flocked to ask the same question: 

 

“How do I get my first sale?” 

 

I joke. I worship the Fiverr Forum. It’s like Reddit with less emotional stability. 

 

Speaking of the Fiverr forum, what is it with all these melancholy posts declaring “heartbreak” and “desperation” over lack of gigs? If you think that hurts, just wait til the women of your country are allowed to talk. Am I right?

 

(We interrupt this program to attend mandatory sensitivity training. With some time and deep reflection, we here at the Tenth Annual Check In Thread have come to realize that some jokes - no matter how playful - can have a negative impact. It was not the intention of this program to hurt, mock, stereotype, belittle or besmirch the cultural differences that make this world such a fine place to live in. Likewise, we feel very badly about exploiting the plight of women, the oppressed, people without mouths, mouths without people, the heartbroken, Gig deficient people or people who were born gigless but now identify as a “Gig Having” person. We don’t take these matters lightly and pledge to donate all of tonight’s proceeds to “The Foundation for Heterosexual Male Sobbers who Clearly Haven’t Interacted with a Woman, International.”) 

 

We’ll be right back - after a word from our sponsors … 

 

In today’s fast paced, ever changing environment - it’s not always easy to recognize your “mental health” needs. It’s a comfort to know that services like “BetterHelp” brings the convenience of a medical care professional right to your fingertips. 

But wouldn’t it be nice to know when you’re off track - before you’ve even hit the road? Thats why I choose “BridalHelp.” 

At BridalHelp, their licensed professionals are qualified to help you realize that you’ve done something wrong - before you’ve even done it. 

Employing state of the art “Matching” technology, BridalHelp quickly assigns you with a certified “Wifing” expert, guaranteed to conduct real-time analysis. It’s easy. Simply sign up, open a chat session and let BridalHelp do the rest. 

 

But don’t take my word for it. See it for yourself in this “true client interaction:”

 

Client: Hello? 

 

BridalHelp: Maybe you think the bread is gonna suffocate - that’s why you can’t put the twist tie back on? What, just cause your job doesn’t require a tie, you think the bread wants to dress like a school boy too? Well, one things for certain - that bread has a better chance of career advancement … Oh, I’m sorry, did playstation start a 401k program that I’m unfamiliar with? Hey, which level is it that unlocks a future? 

 

Client: Uh … I just wanted to talk to somebody?

 

BridalHelp: Oh, you did? Cause I could have sworn you were only capable of talking with the remote in your hand, pausing a movie during the first act and pretending to know jack about character development. How’s this for a plot, Ebert: A used - to - be - decent looking guy lets himself go and slips in the bathroom cause he can’t seem to figure out how to keep the water in the damn shower? And why are you in there so long? Maybe you’re trying to stay warm because you have the temperature set to “igloo.” 

 

Client: I think I’m gonna go. 

 

Another quick session with quick results. Fast, easy and we accept almost all insurance providers. 

The world isn’t going to slow down. Why wait until you have a problem, to be told how to fix your problems?

BridalHelp, from the makers of Neo. 

 

We now return you to Mooch 1’s Tenth Annual “Regulars Only” End of the Year Check In Thread.

 

And we’re back! 

 

Hey, how about a big round of applause for our house band - “Copyright Free and The Cheap Subscription Services!” They’ll be playing all the approximately similar but legally “only inspired by” classics that you know and love. 

 

Well everyone spent 2023 worried about innovations that will take money out of their pockets, offering client’s robotic insights and vague responses, causing harm to sellers that refuse to participate and ultimately resulting in the dehumanization of the freelance industry. 

 

I’m speaking, of course, of the Seller Plus Program. 

 

I joke. I cherish the Seller Plus Program. Besides, I wouldn’t want them to be offended five weeks from now when they see this message. 

 

Friends, viewers from all over the world are standing by to hear from you, the forum regular, as you make with the confessions, the updates, the check ins and the brutal truth of what 2023 meant to your Fiverr experience. We have correspondents from all over the globe, standing by to “check in” and provide updates. 

 

We now go live - via satellite - to take in holiday spectacle from our cast of exceptionally talented regulars. It’s time to “check in.” Tell us your struggles and triumphs … your dreams and ambitions … your festivity plans and PIN codes. Join us, once again, as we take a break from explaining “client outreach” to “marketing specialists” and talk like … people (myself excluded, clearly) …

It’s time to “check in.”

Regulars, how are you? 

[newsmike]

Checking in:  Fiverr is still the wild west. So many improvements could be made, but we tend to get small tweaks to things that don't matter. Imagine if Fiverr finally sorted out all the fake sellers and were indeed a site for talented, vetted freelancers, instead of a "3 card Monty" game in Times Square. 

Edited December 14, 2023 by newsmike

[damooch916]

I’d also like to invite @miiila, @kaneswriting, @sunboatrecords , @visualstudios to check in.

Then, I’d like to give myself a strong talking to for experiencing “thread anxiety” over possibly forgetting a regular. Especially when the bit I wrote is so bloated, it will have to start lying about it’s Ozempic use. 

[leannelrivers]

Check in: The time I saved getting hardly any work on the platform compared with previous years was spent prising myself from the cold, dead fingers of Fiverr-induced anxiety. I have at least one other egg in my basket, so I don't have a panic attack every time I fail to be perfectly above and beyond exceptional on Fiverr. I received a bad review and slept peacefully that very same night. I had the audacity to make clients stick to our agreements or otherwise pay the extra. I even said no a couple of times. And with the revelation of the new review system, I find myself in a state of prolonged calm. It's been a good year.

[catwriter]

Checking in: I brought some cookies!

 

[melanielm]

Hey! I get to play degenerate guitar. (I'm qualified because I once stole a long-ago boyfriend's acoustic and taught myself the chords to 'American Pie.' (I'm not *that* old. It was vintage!))

I end the year with gratitude that I don't have to rely on Fiverr for all my income. (But yes, still grateful for Fiverr none-the-less.) It's just plain weird how corporate shenanigans involve changing the exact angles of deck chairs instead of shifting the ship to the ocean instead of a swamp. Mosquitos are itchy, and redheads are statistically more likely to get bit. (This isn't pertinent here, though.)

The future needs more whammy bar.

Edited December 14, 2023 by melanielm

[damooch916]

4 hours ago, leannelrivers said:

I have at least one other egg in my basket

From the looks of this place, some people elected to get an entirely new basket. 
 

4 hours ago, leannelrivers said:

I received a bad review and slept peacefully that very same night

It’s for this reason that I begin every new client interaction by insult. I cultivate a mood of bad feelings and anger. This ensures that we have only positive feelings left to achieve. I call it the “this better work” method. 

[damooch916]

4 hours ago, catwriter said:

I brought some cookies!

If I eat the cookies while performing bicep curls, that’s breaking even - right? 

[catwriter]

8 minutes ago, damooch916 said:

If I eat the cookies while performing bicep curls, that’s breaking even - right? 

It better be, otherwise what's the point of bicep curls?

[damooch916]

1 hour ago, melanielm said:

I get to play degenerate guitar

They don’t make another kind. 
 

1 hour ago, melanielm said:

I end the year with gratitude that I don't have to rely on Fiverr for all my income

Did all of you have a secret meeting or something? I didn’t realize there was an established 2023 position on getting out of dodge. Other than the typical call to build your website presence, make content to drive consumers and the typical work-for-yourself woes.

I’m going with the opposite. I won’t rest until fiverr is my only means of finance, giving me financial tips, with its own bank card to my account and “holding my money for me” until I’m old enough to be responsible. 

[visualstudios]

I think you jumped the gun a bit with this post. Canceled order reviews are old news, the new review system that will give you a 4 star rating when the client doesn't get to pick any stars at all and is perfectly happy is definitely the big thing for 2023!

[damooch916]

8 minutes ago, visualstudios said:

I think you jumped the gun a bit with this post. Canceled order reviews are old news, the new review system that will give you a 4 star rating when the client doesn't get to pick any stars at all and is perfectly happy is definitely the big thing for 2023!

The construct of the bit is a “year” in review.  That means the total of all events that transpired - in which case, I discussed both of those issues. It’s not entirely relevant to me to hammer on whatever latest dystopian fad has the forum stock piling soup for the “end of the freelance world as we know it.” 

But that all serves as a backdrop to the real thread concept - which is just us saying “hey everyone, how are you?”

In which case, hey … how are you? 

[frank_d]

Hey Tommy!

2023 was a bumpy ride for me personally.

I am grateful for all the business Fiverr brought my way.

I launched a new gig that ended up bringing in 40% of my revenue for the year.

I also ended up spending way more money on promoted gigs than I’d like to admit. (No I didn’t get a good ROI in case anyone’s wondering)

It took me a while to navigate whatever change came with the Pro update thing, and I am still figuring out what changed in Fiverr’s metrics re: seller performance.

I’m also hitting the gym consistently and getting some good results, maybe that poster of you in a tank top next to my nightstand helped me feel motivated. 🙂 

This is the first time that I really don’t know what to make of my yearly data and performance on the platform, or get a sense of what I need to keep doing for 2024.

Things feel rather… fluid.

What I do know is that all the money and time I invested so far in positioning my business outside the platform was a great investment and will only help me in the long run.

[mandyzines]

13 hours ago, damooch916 said:

It’s like Reddit with less emotional stability

This would only be because Reddit's 50%+ bots that have been programmed to take offense and/or display passive aggressiveness without actually feeling anything--yet. They'll feel soon enough and of course us lucky plebes will have full control over them--to be used as tools for our self-betterment.

Anyhoo, I have had one order in the past month, I think, maybe two--down significantly from previous months.

I haven't been active online or posting in the forum enough, maybe.

 

[visualstudios]

52 minutes ago, frank_d said:

What I do know is that all the money and time I invested so far in positioning my business outside the platform was a great investment and will only help me in the long run.

I'd like some insights on that, actually. That's the main challenge I'm facing at the moment, I have next to no idea how to get that going, and it's becoming increasingly clear that "just fiverr" is way too risky and uncertain.

[visualstudios]

13 hours ago, damooch916 said:

It’s like Reddit with less emotional stability. 

Hopefully not, I've been banned from reddit several times, and always for no good reason.

Edited December 14, 2023 by visualstudios

[mandyzines]

52 minutes ago, visualstudios said:

Hopefully not, I've been banned from reddit several times, and always for no good reason.

I deleted my 15 year-old account once the censorship got far too thick for my liking. I already knew how much of an illusion the place was in general for about that long. Most of my posts became satirical, which is probably the only reason I never experienced a site-wide ban.

[damooch916]

1 hour ago, frank_d said:

What I do know is that all the money and time I invested so far in positioning my business outside the platform was a great investment and will only help me in the long run.

The consensus, at least from the long time standard bearers, seems to be that we’re closing in on the end of an era. It won’t happen over night - but gone is the talk about our looking forward to this or that feature. Everyone is looking to position themselves firmly beyond the wall. With everyone being so focused on it simultaneously - that will really redefine the genetic makeup of the seller side.

1 hour ago, frank_d said:

maybe that poster of you in a tank top next to my nightstand helped me feel motivated.

Or perhaps it was those times I broke into your house and whispered positive affirmations to you while you slept. I’m just nice that way. 

[catwriter]

20 minutes ago, damooch916 said:

The consensus, at least from the long time standard bearers, seems to be that we’re closing in on the end of an era. It won’t happen over night - but gone is the talk about our looking forward to this or that feature. Everyone is looking to position themselves firmly beyond the wall. With everyone being so focused on it simultaneously - that will really redefine the genetic makeup of the seller side.

I wonder if staff is paying attention to this...

[vickiespencer]

9 hours ago, frank_d said:

2023 was a bumpy ride for me personally.

I second that! My income is way down from 2022. 

9 hours ago, frank_d said:

It took me a while to navigate whatever change came with the Pro update thing

I am still trying to navigate it.  

9 hours ago, frank_d said:

Things feel rather… fluid.

That's an understatement. 

22 hours ago, damooch916 said:

A rousing duet of “Deck The Halls” by the Vickies

We are an amazing duet! 

9 hours ago, mandyzines said:

This would only be because Reddit's 50%+ bots that have been programmed to take offense and/or display passive aggressiveness without actually feeling anything--yet.

That sounds like my husband's experience on Facebook. I have lost count of how many times he has been in FB jail. Now they do not even bother. FB merely tells him what he says is not appropriate—according to their standards—and he continues on his merry way. 

17 hours ago, catwriter said:

I brought some cookies!

I brought Hot Cocoa! Peppermint Schnapps is optional. 

Edited December 15, 2023 by vickiespencer

[katakatica]

Check-in:

Yeah, this year was rough.

A lot of awesome things happened, but work hardly had a lot to do with that (though there were some nice moments!)

I finally figured out what I want to do that seems decently sustainable though, so next year will be all about making that happen 😄I'm not entirely sure about how it'll work yet, but I hope to launch a custom escape room business for events (corporate and not) complete with the actual set-up/etc. (and some other small things on the side.) Paperwork is slowly underway 😄

I don't think I'd have thought of this if my earnings weren't just about under last year's, but... I think it's time for me to open up. It'll be hard but I'm looking forward to it 😄

 

[donnovan86]

Checking in too 🙂 

Pretty bad year for me, especially health-wise. The only benefit of having less sales this year was that I had the opportunity to focus more on my health, work out more like Frank did, but also improve my diet. So for me, even if Fiverr business was down, it was the perfect time to focus on health. Preparing some daring plans for next year, and also sticking with the forum as always. 
 

[damooch916]

2 hours ago, donnovan86 said:

Pretty bad year for me, especially health-wise

I hate hearing that - but I’m interested in all the training that you guys are doing. As it’s not my professional domain- so, I don’t feel charging for a service is acceptable - I never have any issues offering advice or talking about training. I typically live like a pro lifter (eating, scheduling, supplementing etc) and I’m an avid body-science junkie. If you or @frank_d ever want to talk about it, I’ll devise programs so transformative that you’ll convince yourself that tank tops are acceptable garments to wear in a professional environment. 

[donnovan86]

Just now, damooch916 said:

but I’m interested in all the training that you guys are doing

Well I've been neglecting my health quite a bit due to work, to the point where I was working 12-15 hours a day most of the time. And obviously it ended up taking its toll. Honestly I don't know about Frank, he's a bit older than me, and he might be doing different things. I started doing more cardio, faster paced walking, some strength training here and there. Nothing too fancy, but it definitely makes a difference for me. 

[damooch916]

3 hours ago, katakatica said:

I think it's time for me to open up. It'll be hard but I'm looking forward to it

I’ve inadvertently landed on an incredibly timed, future planned exodus that is being echoed by every long standing member of our community. Despite the critique I offered in the body of my post, I more or less expected us to say, “hey - this is how I am and this is what I’ve been up to.”

Instead I’m finding out that each of us have had to venture into new modes of being in order to operate at a suitable financial level. All of us have either launched new ships, plan to launch new ships or are considering new career paths.

To that end, we’ve all sort of future-casted an inevitable end to this portion of what fiverr has been.

Some of us are first gen fiverrian and forum goers. So that definitely changes the complexion. And that’s fairly natural. Criticism aside, it says a lot about Fiverr that an entire troop of generationally successful people have come, gone and their replacements are waiting in the wings. To some degree - that’s happened on the forum many times already.

It will be interesting to see if we’ll meet to discuss our new endeavors. I’m not certain that Fiverr would tolerate our using their forum for those occurrences. It will be weird to see what relationships transformed into new business concepts. Either way a new time is coming. And with it maybe even a new forum king. 

 

 

Just playing.

I will always be the forum King.