mkp
http://www.ontext.com

How much do the job you win there make up your annual income? Just curious.

Initially I got a couple of good projects via the site, and since you only have to pay if you get the project, I thought I was doing pretty good. But Writerlance quickly plunged into the darkest depths of low-paying gigs.

I'm still set up to receive a notification whenever projects I might be interested in are posted. I've noticed that with the low-budget gigs, if I place a high bid early on, scolding the "employer" for paying so low or touting the advantages to paying more, others will follow suit and the project will get fewer low bids.

So that's my main use for Writerlance. Some might call it a waste of time, but hey, since it seems to discourage others from placing low bids, I disagree. :o)

I also turned around an emergency rush job for the client — he offered, without prompting, to triple my usual rush free (anything that has to be turned around in less than three business days gets a rush fee tacked on to it). He needed it done in a matter of hours, and therefore tripled the fee. He was especially desperate because he’d gone with a cheaper-priced writer (who works for mill content sites) who mucked it up royally, and he had tens of thousands of dollars on the line. I let the fee say, “I told you so” rather than saying it myself. If you hire someone who writes for mill content sites or bidding sites, that’s the quality you’re going to get. You get what you pay for. He was ecstatic with the copy I came up with. We’ll see if he’s learned.

I relate to Eileen's comment. For me, it wasn't so much the waste of money as it was time and effort. Admittedly, marketing myself is not my favorite thing to do, but there should be some degree of hope involved. As a friend of mine told me, bidding sites are like fishing in a pond with a thousand other fishermen.