desmond_aubery

I lock down the scope of supply prior to client placing the order. Once client has placed the order, I copy this agreed scope of supply into the project interface and request client sign-off. During the project I may send 'partial deliveries' (clearly marked as such) to make sure that the client is on board with the project progress and can inject their comments and requests. Once the original agreed scope of work is complete, I deliver the final version (marked as such). If client then requests reasonable small revisions, I complete these and re-deliver until everyone is satisfied. Perhaps a milestone-based approach may work better for you? You walk a road with the client until completion, or they decide to stop along the way. In that way, you get paid for each milestone - after delivery of each milestone. With a long, continuous project it becomes an all-or-nothing contract - even if you add in extras and client approves, it is treated as a continuous project. Your risk increases with that format.

In my experience thus far, AI can be an incredibly useful smart assistant. However, it needs to be expertly guided towards a desired outcome through detailed 'prompt engineering'. This requires a great deal of research and fine-tuning. I see that Fiverr has included work by Mark Hinkle. He's an excellent AI resource. I subscribe to his regular newsletters. He recently organized an excellent Techstrong online conference. I found some very useful information there. AI should not be seen as a threat but, rather as a smart assistant. An AI practitioner still needs to review the AI output carefully for hallucinations and errors, but, as the level of input prompt detail improves, so does the level of these unpleasant side-effects. Think of present LLM's as huge libraries. Some are better than others for text-based detail, others are more general, some are multi-modal. As systems develop further, I envisage a 'conscience, moral compass, rubbish filter' assistant which reviews and adjusts raw output from the general LLM's of today into an appropriate form suitable for the target audience. I have personally found Google Gemini and Anthropic Claude to be very useful AI systems. I have not been overly fond of ChatGPT. Open source LLM's are also emerging quite rapidly. AI still has a way to go before it reaches anywhere near AGI.

This appears to be a 'measure' of Fiverr marketing effectiveness for my individual Gigs. Spasmodic... 🤒

How would/could this explain the spasmodic (jerky) nature of the plots? In a well-designed model, the swings would be far smoother.

In my particular field (Thermal Engineering), you can arguably count the number of competitors on one hand in Fiverr space - so, market flooding is unlikely to apply. The Fiverr algorithm should follow a more smooth trajectory, with slight, gradual swings over time due to seasonality, economy, world events - as 'disturbances'. Spasmodic swings seem to predict a poorly-tuned, or designed, algorithm. If they are letting AI drive this for them - then - a huge ooooooops!!! AI will never have had sufficient training input/output data on the Fiverr platform to manage this adequately.

I read this as a way to use your professional network as a springboard to gaining market contact for the sender's - as yet - undeclared purposes. It would, in my humble opinion, be a total invasion of privacy.

AI assisted review of the above plots. Unfortunately, I can't definitively analyze the stability of the algorithm from the plots you attached because the time scale on the horizontal axis is missing. This makes it difficult to assess the frequency of the fluctuations we see in the plots. However, I can say that the plots do show significant volatility in impressions over time. There are periods of sharp increases in impressions followed by periods where impressions fall. This could indicate that the algorithm is sensitive to inputs and disturbances. Here are some possible reasons for the volatility in impressions: Changes in user behavior: The way that users search for gigs on Fiverr may change over time. If the algorithm is not able to adapt to these changes, then it could lead to fluctuations in impressions. Changes to the Fiverr platform: Fiverr may make changes to its platform that affect how gigs are displayed in search results. These changes could also lead to fluctuations in impressions. Competition: The number of impressions that a gig receives will also depend on the competition from other gigs. If there is a sudden increase in the number of competing gigs, then this could lead to a decrease in impressions. It is also important to note that not all fluctuations in impressions are necessarily a bad thing. Some volatility is to be expected on any platform that is constantly changing. However, if the fluctuations are too large, then it could make it difficult for sellers to plan their business. If you are concerned about the stability of the algorithm, then you can try contacting Fiverr support for more information.

The Fiverr 'Impressions' algorithm definitely needs a great deal of work. The profiles are spasmodic to say the very least. A stable algorithm needs to manage inputs (internal drivers) and disturbances (external drivers) well. Fiverr - this poor algorithm may be part of the reason for present system instability. Imagine this effect amplified across your large seller-buyer base. Ouch!!!

A sidebar: AI is trained on human input/output. What happens when human input/output is so influenced by AI that AI begins to train on AI-influenced 'human' input/output? Recycle this over time - what happens?

This is my auto-greet message to new incoming communications... Thank you very much for making contact. I'll reply as soon as humanly possible - if not sooner. Have a wonderful day. 🙂

Thank you. 🙏😊

Agreed. Nevertheless, Fiverr have made healthy returns thus far. Operating in a minority space can have its advantages, if the platform takes its marketing efforts seriously. There is a desperate need for alternative freelance platforms which cater to Engineers. A few alternative platforms exist that better serve this market.

Quote of the year. Kudos.

Actually, most of my decent projects have been ones I brought over from my own customer base - via mailshot, or direct contact. The reason I asked the question was partly because I wondered if the platform 'needed' to see in platform purchases, or a purchase of Plus. If not, they go off the boil. My technology sector is not in the standard run-of-the-mill digital tech sector. From observation of my Gig 'impressions', I have never seen stellar marketing efforts by the platform, to be candid.

How long does this honeymoon (short duration exposure/impetus) period last? What happens after this initial honeymoon period ends?

Let me repeat the question - How well does Fiverr market a New Seller's Gigs?

How well does Fiverr market a New Seller's Gigs?

I'm not sure that this is a big deal, to be honest. My reasoning is as follows: Build your hourly rate into your Gig price Optional extras in lumps of your hourly rate Milestone-based Gigs allow this in micro-lumps of hour-based pricing

Imagine a sliding scale for platform overhead fee - based on $ amount of project? Would this perhaps be more equitable as Fiverr moves upmarket?

I've took the Fiverr training suggestion about Quora participation. I also do a lot of mailshots presenting my Fiverr Gigs.

Would a milestone-based proposal perhaps have been suitable for that project? An all-or-nothing approach to a complex project is bound to end up with differences of opinion on the rare occasion. This can end up with two beasts in the proverbial pottery shop.

Thank you for your incredibly useful observations and advice. Kudos, sir.

Thank you very much. I agree wholeheartedly. 🙏 Lesson learned - the hard way. 🤗

My view is that Fiverr offers a platform for buyers and sellers to connect. All well and good. For this, Fiverr earns 20% + interest on 14 day payment clearance. To have to pay extra is something I simply won't do. To do a Toyoda-style model, would require brand changes - product differentiation is very important: "Normal" Fiverr => Fiverr Fiverr Pro => Tenner Fiverr Pro => Mega-something Frankly, I've seen business failures like this aplenty, over the years.

Thank you for your deep insights into the Fiverr client base. I agree whole-heartedly. I'll let my Fiverr Gigs float along and see where the Fiverr team go with their platform. I see many errors of judgement unfolding. In order to move up-market, Fiverr needs to follow the Toyoda business model. There is a reason why Toyoda owns multiple vehicle brands: Diahatsu - low cost, functional Toyota - mid-range, good reputation Lexus - up-market brand, competitor to Benz Hino - heavy trucks It is true that other freelance platforms are genuinely abysmal.