I Quit (too)

[smashradio]

I wanted to take a moment to explain why I’ve been less active on the Fiverr forum lately. Not because I think I'm sorely missed, but because my last real post on this forum should be about the forum that I've grown to love, hate and use over the years.

Why? Because I think my ideas might still carry some weight, if not with Fiverr, perhaps with some of you fellow sellers out there. This community has been an incredible space for sharing ideas, learning from one another, and building friendships. I’ve learned a lot, shared a lot, and made some great connections. 

Just to make it clear: I'm not quitting Fiverr. I still think the platform has a lot of to offer me as a freelancer. While we're certainly in a situation where we can no longer trust Fiverr as a stable source of income, I can still enjoy working here. The keyword is working. Helping other sellers succeed has become nearly impossible in an environment where you can't be honest when people make mistakes. 

So, here are my reasons for stepping back from the community: 

1. Lack of free speech:

The forum feels less like a place for open expression and more like a controlled echo chamber. Disagree with how Fiverr's AI decides if your business lives or dies? Brace yourself for a smackdown from management. I’m not a fan of companies playing puppet master with our words and right to free expression, even though it is on a corporate forum, and especially not when it impacts our livelihoods. They call it transparency. I call it the thought police.

2. The good people left already

Many users who once provided valuable insights, sparked great discussions, and brought some fun to the forum have jumped ship. Some bailed because of the reasons mentioned above, while others ditched Fiverr altogether thanks to the platform’s increasing gamification. The quality of discussions and useful information has hit rock bottom—and that’s saying something considering every other post is about  "giig rank on fiber."

3. Health impacts 

I’ve talked to several sellers who’ve developed serious mental and physical health issues thanks to the stress from Fiverr’s gamification strategies. Some have even gone public about it. The relentless pressure to perform and compete is taking a toll on many, and it’s a problem that desperately needs addressing. I’ve tried to raise this issue over the years, but it’s fallen on deaf ears. So why bother anymore?

4. Pointless GPT-drivel

The forum is now a dumping ground for copypasted GPT content, which Fiverr management seems to prefer over actual, useful information. In fact, most of the content posted by Fiverr staff is among the worst examples out there. When other sellers and I have pointed this out, we've been told to be “more open-minded” about Fiverr’s use of AI. It’s not about being anti-AI; it’s about upholding a standard of quality and transparency, something the management on this forum seems incapable of doing. 

5. Spam:

Being active on the forum is like putting out a welcome mat for spam. Desperate sellers bombard you with AI-generated novellas claiming expertise. It's simply a waste of time. The more active you are, the worse it gets. 

To be honest, it doesn't feel like I'm stepping back from a community anymore. It feels like I'm saying good bye to a micromanaged, stress-inducing circus.

Thanks to everyone who's made this journey worthwhile. You know who you are. I might be back when the people running this place realize their AI obsession cost them their jobs. Oh, wait, they won't be around to see that, will they? Oh well.

[mateusbl]

13 hours ago, smashradio said:

where we can no longer trust Fiverr as a stable source of income

There's a quote: "Those who no longer complain or argue, already gave up! They no longer care."

Is quite sad see that many relevant and most successful sellers abandoned the Forum and even Fiverr, most of them with many knowledge and relevance to those who are starting their journey.

 

Wait do you have above 1000 positive reviews? So sad, you got 1 bad review... unfortunately you will need be penalized by it 🤡

The platform gamification punish the seller at any issue, for canceling or receiving 1 star review (Even that is not your fault!) Get one of these two and you will be affected in income and new customers for weeks. The hard work and commitment is doesn't seems be recognized by the gamification system.

 

Several sellers who’ve developed serious mental and physical health issues

- All the gamification prioritize the customer experience, to make sure they will always be satisfied at the end. But it comes the time where Fiverr should make some research and hear from the Sellers: What could be made to turn the Seller Life better and enjoyable?

 

-----------------------------

 

"You've got to make your employees happy. If the employees are happy, they are going to make the customers happy." –J. W. Marriott, Jr.

[donnovan86]

14 hours ago, smashradio said:

The good people left already

That hurt 😞

But that aside, I agree that things are not as great as they once was, so I can understand stepping back.

[hzsmith]

15 hours ago, smashradio said:

3. Health impacts 

I’ve talked to several sellers who’ve developed serious mental and physical health issues thanks to the stress from Fiverr’s gamification strategies.

There is some guy selling xanax on the forum right now! Even with overnight delivery!!! 😶‍🌫️

[emmaki]

17 hours ago, smashradio said:

2. The good people left already

I didn't like you anyway. You smell of musty old Norwegian woolwear that irritates your skin when you wear it, yet bobbles and shrinks on the first wash. And wet socks after a long walk in Norway's most boring small fjord.

For clarity, this is a joke. I apologize for any disruption to spam posting community who may be upset by this rude interruption to their commercial interests.

[katakatica]

I've also posted less and less lately (though I'm not sure I counted as super helpful I always tried to at least uplift the mood and post some smart stuff.) My mental health is better as an observer, sadly (for the most part.)

It's just not fun anymore. I remember at some point in one of the clubs we were told that staff won't interfere much (in the club at least) to let us chat freely.  I wonder what happened to that... 

To be fair I'm also against not being able to show spam and scams you receive (in the form of screenshots). It's so important to know what to look out for. 

I've had such ups and downs on the site in the past 12 months that even that doesn't feel worth it anymore sometimes (I won't go into rants again but come on, I often deal with people thinking trending stuff will get them rich. Of course I'll run into some bad apples!) 

I do hope that you'll be able to do something you prefer (over writing endless posts that might not get the reads they deserve!) Maybe the forum will go back to being better one day,  too. 

Maybe. 

[yourbrandingpal]

I think the idea is to manage your expectations versus what the reality is. I for one do not expect much from the forum, spam? doesn't matter, chatGPT generated responses? doesn't matter, company reaffirming that we all signed up for capitalism? doesn't matter. You can't expect Fiverr to focus on anything but massive profits. And not just Fiverr, all other organizations too make it seem like they care but all they care is about their profits. Nothing new there. Life's got more to it than this forum and all that happens here. But ya, if the forum is a negative influence despite your best efforts, by all means, it's your choice.  

[collinsconsult]

Change is the only constant in life and it's inevitable. 

[richardday365]

You are over thinking.  

[danno1950]

On 5/27/2024 at 2:23 PM, smashradio said:

Disagree with how Fiverr's AI decides if your business lives or dies? Brace yourself for a smackdown from management.

What does that smackdown consist of?

Edited May 29 by danno1950

[gary513]

On 5/28/2024 at 2:23 AM, smashradio said:

I’ve talked to several sellers who’ve developed serious mental and physical health issues thanks to the stress from Fiverr’s gamification strategies. Some have even gone public about it. The relentless pressure to perform and compete is taking a toll on many, and it’s a problem that desperately needs addressing. I’ve tried to raise this issue over the years, but it’s fallen on deaf ears. So why bother anymore?

Exactly what i feel 😞

[imagination7413]

On 5/27/2024 at 3:23 PM, smashradio said:

The good people left already

True! I'm already gone. This is just my ghost, still haunting and lurking, and making occasional moaning noises.

[vickiespencer]

On 5/27/2024 at 1:23 PM, smashradio said:

This community has been an incredible space for sharing ideas, learning from one another, and building friendships. I’ve learned a lot, shared a lot, and made some great connections. 

 

The Forum is where I learned how to launch my Fiverr business and made many Fiverr friends—most of whom are no longer active on the Forum, myself included. The Forum gamification and having badges were fun until it wasn't.  

A group of us used to have a recurring thread where we played an emoji game. It would get up to 300+ posts long, and then it would get closed, and we would start a new one. That is where I got to know many of my Fiverr friends. However, when the Forum was gamified, those who wanted to earn the Grand Master badge plagued the emoji game threads by giving hearts to every post and creating silly replies. So, we lost that place to hang out together.

After that, another group started a Wordsmith's Club and enjoyed shared knowledge and mutual interests. However, the option to have clubs was removed from the Forum, which further disappointed me and led to me spending less time here. 

Another nail in the coffin for me wanting to spend time on the Fiverr Forum is the plethora of Chat GPT posts. Will they never end? I am sick to death of users who seek to appear more knowledgeable than they are posting Chat GPT-created content. It takes too long to wade through the notifications to find content I want to read and comment on, so I choose to refrain from participating.

The Forum used to be a fun, educational place where I could count on many Fiverr friends to help me if I needed it, but not anymore.  

 

 

[moikchap]

Clubs gotta come back.
Spammy individuals will spend more time off the main forum and in their club, and professionals will stick around to talk to their peers in the clubs and leak out to the main forum.
Some negative is subtracted while some positive is added.

[newsmike]

20 hours ago, danno1950 said:

What does that smackdown consist of?

For me it has taken the form one "m.od" in particular who has consistently stalked me, removing posts and banning me from posting for a week at a time to the point of sheer harassment simply for "wrongthink." If only they put that energy into the thieves who scam all day long. They are somehow protected, coddled and encouraged.

See you in a week. 

Edited May 30 by newsmike

[danno1950]

43 minutes ago, newsmike said:

21 hours ago, danno1950 said:

What does that smackdown consist of?

For me it has taken the form one "m.od" in particular who has consistently stalked me, removing posts and banning me from posting for a week at a time to the point of sheer harassment simply for "wrongthink." If only they put that energy into the thieves who scam all day long. They are somehow protected, coddled and encouraged.

Thanks for the clarification. That is just wrong!

[mandyzines]

On 5/27/2024 at 10:56 PM, mateusbl said:

Get one of these two and you will be affected in income and new customers for weeks.

it seems that you don't need either for that to happen, as there have been people with perfect or near perfect scores who've come on here wondering why they've become invisible.

The power of AI can't even index my gigs right, as reflected in my stats, so promoting them doesn't make any sense anymore. The suggested cap's doubled, too, since March. So, I would be paying twice as much to have the system read my gigs wrong and bring poor matches to me.