99designs:- review and guide

99designs is the world’s largest online crowd-sourcing graphic design web site. For more than seven years they’ve been connecting passionate designers with customers who need quality, affordable design services. The company was co-founded in 2008 by Mark Harbottle and Matt Mickiewicz in Melbourne, Australia. The company opened its U.S. office in 2010, and in 2011 the company secured $35 million in Series a funding from Accel Partners and a handful of angel investors.

In 2012, 99designs acquired the European creative services marketplace 12designer. The following year the company established their European headquarters in Berlin and launched localized versions of its services in German, French, Spanish, Dutch and Italian. The company also acquired Brazilian design marketplace LogoChef the same year.

How it works:

     1.   Find a contest: They offers contest. Find one that fits your skills.  

     2.   Submit your design: Read the brief, create a design and collaborate with the client.  

     3.   Win and make money: The more you win, the more opportunities you’ll get.  

     4.   Keep a good thing going: Continue working with clients using 1-to-1 Projects.  

Quick Guide:

Step 1: Create an account.

Step 2: Create a profile. Upload a photo; enter your display name and biography.

Step 3: Go to settings and update your profile info like account details, public profile, notifications, social networking with twitter and widgets.

Step 4: Go to contest to browse which one is suits you. You can filter it to highest price to lowest price or reverse. Or choose category what you like. Select one then you will find Non-Disclosure Agreement (NDA). Click on “I agree” button.

Now it is a three step process - 1. Qualifying Round 2. Select Finalist 3. Final Round and  4. Select winner (contest holder will declare the winner).

You have to enroll your name in the contest.

Step 5: If you cleared all level then you’re winner and take your money.

Best of luck…..

Guru - Freelancing site review and guide

Guru is one the oldest freelancing site, well known for variety of job availability. Headquartered in Pittsburgh, PA, Guru provides businesses with the tools to find and hire talented freelancers all over the world. They also offer freelancers the opportunity to market sought-after skills to a global audience for a minimal cost. They do much more than facilitate job postings on Guru. They also offer a wide range of promotional and support services. This combination of services and a powerful, flexible platform helps you get the work you need done in a way that best suits you.

How it works?

Create a profile and define the freelance services you want to offer. Employers will find you by these services when they search for freelancers to hire. Search and apply for jobs that interest you, in any category. If the buyer hires you, complete the job and get paid for your work.

Quick Guide:

Step 1: Sign up for an account after clicking on join now and select “I want to work” fill up the form and join Guru.

Step 2: Create a profile.  With your profile, you can establish your brand and define unique services you want to offer. Express who you are and what you do.  A great branded profile delivers your message clearly, confirms your credibility, connects with employers’ needs, and motivates them to view your services as one of a kind.

Step 3: Now you have an account and a dashing profile. Then what you need to do is that find a job of your choice. You will get recommended jobs according to your profile. Select some job that you like most and apply for the same. Wait for some hours. Then you will get an invitation if the buyer selects you.

To submit a proposal,

1. On the top navigation bar, click “Leads.”
2. Click “Job Invitations” in the left-hand column.
3. Click the job’s title.
4. Click the “Apply” button.
5. Follow on-page instructions.
   

To decline the invitation,

1. On the top navigation bar, click “Leads.”
2. Click “Job Invitations” in the left-hand column.
3. Click the project’s title.
4. Click “Decline”.
5. Type your reason for declining the invitation.
6. Click the “Decline Invitation” button.

Step 4: Collaborate

You've been hired - congratulations! What's next? Accept or decline the project award. Be sure you've received and accepted an award for the project before starting the work. Without an official award via Guru.com, you do not have the necessary information to send your employer an invoice.

Step 5: Get paid

You and your employer have two transaction options in their mandatory billing & payment system— paying invoices alone and paying invoices via SafePay. SafePay provides more payment protection than invoicing alone. Working with an employer you already know? Invoicing allows you to accumulate customer and earnings statistics. It also protects your financial and tax ID information. It's fast and easy — you receive funds immediately after employers make payment. However, Guru cannot assist you with unpaid invoices. Working with a new employer? SafePay has all the benefits of invoicing and offers the most payment protection! Up-front SafePay payments and dispute resolution services help you avoid unpaid invoices. You have a choice of transfer methods with which to receive your cash account funds: direct deposit, PayPal, Prepaid MasterCard, and wire transfer.

Elance | Hire freelancers and find freelance jobs instantly

Elance is where people work differently.

Elance

It is an online work place where business goes to find, hire and collaborate with skilled online freelancers line yourself. Not a brag, but Elance has over 500,000 business posting and 100,000 jobs each month.

On Elance you’ll have the opportunity to work with businesses in more than 170 countries – from Fortune 500 companies to small businesses and individual entrepreneurs.

How Elance works.

To work at Elance, all you need is an internet connection and talent. You use Elance to find jobs (they will help you, making it even

easier), then you complete jobs in a secure Workroom. They also

take care of all the paperwork, plus collect and pass-on your money-due (so you’re sure to get paid). As a freelancer, working on Elance doesn’t have

to cost you a penny. You have a choice of membership options, including a free plan. They will take a nominal 8.75% service fee above and beyond your price. For example, when you submit a $500 proposal, they add their fee to your quote and pass it on (your client would see a quote of $543.75). When the work is delivered, they will deduct their $43.75 and pass the remaining $500 on to you.

Quick Guide

Step 1. Sign up:

1.  Click the blue Register Now (it’s free) button near the center of the Elance Home Page.
2.  Select I want to Work and click Continue OR sign up with your LinkedIn or Facebook details.
3.  Complete the registration fields by manually entering your information OR by choosing to use your LinkedIn or Facebook details. Click Register.
4.  Fill in your skills or areas of expertise. If you get stuck, click the Browse All Skills link to see a full list of available skills. When done, click I'm Finished. You may choose to Skip entering skills at this point; however, if you choose to Skip the Skills field must be blank.
5.  Before proceeding, check your registered email address and click on the link sent by Elance.
6.  After clicking the link from your email, it is now time to choose your Membership Plan. Remember your email must be verified before selecting a Membership.

Step 2. Create a profile:

1.  Go to the Find Work button in the top navigation bar of Elance and click on Freelancer Profile.
2.  Click the green Get Started button to begin on your profile.  
3.  On the next page you will upload your thumbnail photo, create a tagline, enter in a minimum hourly   rate, create a Freelancer overview and enter in your skills.

Step 3. Finding jobs:

1.  Go to Find Work on the top navigation bar and choose Search Jobs.
2.  You can browse jobs by a number of criteria: (like category, job type,  payment verified etc.)
3.  Click the Down Arrow link or click on the job title to view the job description.
4.  For additional information about a Client, mouseover the Client's username. 

Step 4. Submit a proposal:
 1. Click on the job name.

 2.  You will see a job details section on the top left of the page that quickly covers basics about the job, like when it was posted, how much time is left, where the client is located, start date, budget, job type (fixed or hourly) and more.  This gives you a quick overview of the job.
 

 3.  Below the job details section is the job description.  Here you will also see some quick stats about the Client with the Client activity icon.  The green circles are a quick representation of how much the Client has spent on Elance as well as payment readiness status. After evaluating the job and skills required you can submit a proposal. 

4. Enter your detailed proposal description into the box on the right hand side, including any attachments. You can expand the form to make it easier to write, view and submit your proposal. In the Proposal Description area, you can enter up to 4000 characters, and there are several rich text formatting options for you to use to make your proposal stand out even more.  In your proposal description, describe your relevant experience, qualifications, and what value you will bring to the job. 

5.  Below the Description you can set the proposed Terms & Milestones for the job.  If the client awards the job to you they will have the option to accept these Terms or to propose changes to the Terms.  Once awarded you will have to confirm the Terms & Milestones to finalize the job and enter Working status.

6.  On the bottom half of the proposal submission area is the Cost & Timing section.  In this section you will indicate your cost and the estimated delivery date.  There is a calculator here that will help you determine your best proposal value for both Hourly and Fixed Price jobs.

7. If you need clarification on the job details before completing your proposal, you may submit a bid without a price by selecting the Will Submit Amount Later.  When selecting this option you will have to update your proposal with an amount at a later time in order to have the job awarded to you.

8. If you would like a Sponsored Placement for your proposal, check the box labeled Place mine at the top of the list for... . Your proposal will be highlighted and appear at the top of the Client's proposal list. Only 3 sponsored placements are available per job (on a first-come, first-served basis), and Sponsored Placement requires 4 Connects.

9. Click Preview to proceed.

10. Review your proposal, then click Submit Proposal.

Once you submit your proposal, you can view the job on your My Jobs page, by filtering on the status 'Hiring Open' on the Job Status bar.  This link will shows all the jobs for which you have submitted proposals, where the bidding period is still open.

 

Step 5. Working with the client:

If the Client selects your proposal and hires you for the job, the following will occur:

• You will receive an email notification informing you that you have been selected.
• The job can be found on your My Jobs page, by clicking on 'Finalizing Terms' link in the Job Status bar.  This view will display all jobs that have been awarded to you, indicating you and the Client are negotiating the Terms.
  Your contact information on your profile becomes available to the Client.
• The job’s status will change to Finalizing Terms.

Step 6. Getting paid:

At key Milestones or when you have completed the job, you will need to invoice the Client through Elance’s Billing and Payment system to receive payment for non-Escrow jobs. Once the Client receives your invoice, they will send payment via Elance’s Billing and Payment system. Learn how you can qualify for Work View Payment Protection using Tracker with Work View.
To invoice the Client:
1. Go to the Manage tab in the top navigation and click Billing in the drop-down menu.
2. Click Send Invoice from the menu on the left. 
2. Select the job for which you want to send an invoice and click Next to proceed.
3. Click Request Release to request the release of funds for your completed Milestone.