nickj2013

I have my FAQ set for all of my gigs, and I make revisions when needed. But you're right. Some potential clients don't read the FAQ. And will contact you with questions that could've been answered if they had just bothered to read the Frequently Asked Questions portion of the gig. So while the FAQ is helpful to have as an option, I wish more people actually took the time to give it a peek. At least... a peek.

I think in situations where the orders exceed the amount of time you have to complete them. You must decide which opportunities are worth your while. Obviously, more expensive orders would get preferential treatment (atleast in my opinion). But other factors should include the buyer's conditions for the project. If a buyer seems difficult, inexperienced, or just plain rude. Clearly their order should not be given attention above other purchasers who seem more mature, easier to work with, and overall affable. Remember. As a freelancer, you get to pick your customers. If you have six interested clients, and two seem a bit flaky, or unpleasant, the solution would be to tell those two you're swamped right now, and maybe to come back in a few weeks to place an order. Perhaps by then, your workload will be more fluid. Which will lend you more patience to deal with a difficult client. If they really want to do business, they'll be back.

I'm getting a lot of these too. Sometimes they claim I have an order for one of my gigs, and in order to see it I have to click on a link. They've definitely changed up their game.

This is pretty spot on. Once fed enough information to survive, AI can 'choose' to continue allow humans to feed it knowledge. Or it can extract knowledge from various other sources on its own, and expand its IQ that way. Then it will take that knowledge and refine it, coming up with new and better ideas and solutions. Stuff we probably haven't even thought of yet.

So basically... we're screwed? Welp, "Terminator" tried to warn us.

Common, perhaps, in a society that has yet to evolve. But seeing as how human society is constantly evolving, even more in some places in particular, there's just no excuse 'now,' to not pay people what they are worth. Unless you're operating in bad faith. Which isn't illegal, but aesthetically, isn't a good look either. In the long run, it will hurt your ability to both attract, and retain talent. Then the company goes under. The CEO can always start a new company, but that depends on how successful the failed one was for him/her financially.

I got this message today: "𝐘𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐈𝐃nickj2013 𝐫𝐞𝐪𝐮𝐢𝐫𝐞𝐬 𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐟𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧! 𝐘𝐨𝐮 𝐦𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝐭𝐨 𝐮𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐠𝐨 𝐚 𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐟𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐜𝐞𝐝𝐮𝐫𝐞. 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐟𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐧𝐞𝐞𝐝𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐛𝐞 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐩𝐥𝐞𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧 𝟕 𝐟𝐮𝐥𝐥 𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐬. 𝐏𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐞 𝐮𝐬𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐤 𝐠𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐧 𝐭𝐨 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐩𝐥𝐞𝐭𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐟𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐜𝐞𝐬𝐬. 𝐖𝐚𝐫𝐦𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐫𝐞𝐠𝐚𝐫𝐝𝐬, 𝐬𝐮𝐩𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐭 𝐚𝐠𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐲!" My first encounter with a non-telegram scammer on Fiverr since I've been here.

Thanks for the well wishes. As far as the book is concerned. Still need to finish it, then perform edits of my own, and then, send it out to an editor. So there’s a long way to go. 😬

My spam interactions via inbox have fallen off significantly. Also, no longer getting low quality briefs. Not seeing a ton of orders on the platform either but, two out of three ain't bad.

Continue working on book two of my horror novel series. Also closing in on a deal to write for an online publication soon so, we'll see.

I think the issue with work these days is many of the jobs are too exploitative. It used to be somewhat more balanced years ago. Now, they want to squeeze you for a mountain of effort, with little reward. I don't mind lending my time to a project, so long as I'm properly compensated for it. And this is the problem. Most employers or hirers, feel you should be 'happy,' to have been chosen. And asking for too much in return makes you 'greedy,' or 'unappreciative.' This is basically the 'celebrity personal assistant' or 'apprentice' model introduced into 'all' aspects of work. Which really means indentured servitude in a world where people have to pay bills and eat. That's unsustainable. Even interns and PA's at some point will have learned enough to move on to full-time. That's the goal. In sports, the more the player learns about the game, the better they get, which means the more money they can command.

I still relish those rare opportunities to sign my name to a document in cursive. 😉

I rarely get a "Hi," from clients unless it's spam. They usually open with what they're looking for via my services. And my first response is always "Hi," or "Hello," followed by a detailed explanation of how I can help them. Or if I can't help them, a thorough reason as to why I cannot.

When promoting on social media, always remember every platform is different. And therefore, your gig promos have to match the platform you're using at the time. What works for Instagram, might not 'pop' on Twitter. And vice versa.

I think Fiverr, like many freelancing platforms, has certainly lost buyers. But the new buyers that have replaced them are of less than satisfactory quality. That's really the issue. Many businesses lose customers, or see an ebb and flow, or dip in purchases, visitors, and the like. But when new clients arise, you'd like them to keep you solvent until things pick up again and go back to normal. In the case of Fiverr, the 'fresh catch' are 'spoiled...' so to speak. They want more work for less money, give terrible directives, and ask for services they know you don't provide, in hopes of bullying you into an agreement. Furthermore, it seems, at least in my case, that the site is hemorrhaging U.S. users. Many U.S. sellers are getting solicited by foreign clients who either speak little to poor English. While some U.S. clients are running into sellers who are 'posing' as Americans, and don't even get me started on the people using AI to generate poor quality work. At the end of the day, this dubious environment creates a murky platform, where clients and sellers don't trust one another. Er go, interactions are hostile from the jump. And many clients choose not to invest in freelancers. While freelancers, out of fear of malicious intent and their scores taking a hit, are deciding not to work with certain clients. Some of which are legitimately just trying to get a task accomplished. The aura of current Fiverr seems less lively and positive like it did before, and even during the pandemic. Now, it feels more like a wicked game of chicken. Where some clients just want to squeeze some freelancers, and some freelancers are using bad shortcuts to fill orders. Which, in the long run, hurts all freelancers on this platform. In order for morale to improve, Fiverr needs to go back to fostering an environment where sellers and customers aren't bullish on doing business with each other.