Freelancer.com
| File:Freelancer logo color on black large.jpg | |
| Company type | Australian Proprietary Limited Company (Private) |
|---|---|
| Industry | Freelance Marketplace Online Jobs |
| Founded | Australia 2009 |
| Headquarters | Sydney, New South Wales, |
Key people | Matt Barrie, CEO Darren Williams, CTO Neil Katz, CFO David Harrison, Vice President of Engineering Willix Halim, Vice President of Growth |
| Website | Freelancer.com |
Freelancer. com is a global outsourcing marketplace, founded in 2009 by Matt Barrie.
Background
Freelancer.com is a "roll up" of several outsourcing marketplaces including GetAFreelancer.com and EUFreelance.com (founded by Magnus Tibell in 2004, Sweden),[2] LimeExchange (a former business of Lime Labs LLC, USA),[3] Freelancer.co.uk (United Kingdom),[4] Scriptlance.com (Canada)[5] - One of the early pioneers in freelancing, Freelancer.de Booking Center (Germany),[6] Webmaster-talk.com (USA), a forum for webmasters.[7]
Freelancer.com categorizes its users as either employers or freelancers. Employers are individuals or companies who wish to outsource their work.[8] Once registered, users are able to bid for projects, or post their own. To help employers decide which user to select, Freelancer allows providers to take exams and prove their skills.
The major categories of work posted on the site are Websites, IT & Software, Mobile Phones & Computing, Writing & Content, Design, Media & Architecture, Data Entry & Admin, Engineering & Science, Product Sourcing and Manufacturing, as well as Sales & Marketing, Business, Accounting, HR & Legal.
Freelancer has also been accused of defrauding its customers, by closing their accounts and refusing to let them withdraw their money. Although the total amounts of money stolen are unknown, it is likely to account for several hundreds of thousand of US dollars. Quality of customer service is widely criticized as well [12][13][14][15]
The company has begun setting up regional websites around the world. In 2011, the company launched Freelancer.ph in the Philippines.[9] During the first quarter of 2012, the company rolled out Freelancer.in in India as well.[10] Specialized features include allowing users to transact in local currency. The company is also exploring the possibility of using the website in each country's local language.[11]
Other sites that provide similar services are ODesk, Guru, VWorker, Elance and Nubelo.
Awards
- Silver Stevie Award, 2012 International Business Awards[12]
- People's Voice Webby Award for Employment, 16th Annual Webby Awards[13]
- Webby Award for Employment, People's Voice Award, 15th Annual Webby Awards[14]
- People's Choice Award, 18th Annual AIMIA Awards[15]
- Best Export Achievement, People's Choice Award, 17th Annual AIMIA Awards[16]
- Inaugural BRW Entrepreneur of the Year 2011[17]
- Ernst & Young Technology Entrepreneur of the Year 2011 (CEO Matt Barrie)[18]
See also
References
- ^ "Freelancer.com Site Info". Alexa Internet. Retrieved 2012-04-21.
- ^ "News". Innovate it. Retrieved 2012-02-27.
- ^ "Crunchbase listing for LimeExchange.com".
- ^ "Press Release announcing the acquisition of Freelancer.co.uk".
- ^ "Freelancer.com aquires Scriptlance.com - article on TechCrunch".
- ^ "Press Release announcing the acquisition of Freelancer.de Booking Center".
- ^ "GoRumors Article covering Webmaster-talk.com".
- ^ Kobayashi, Mark. "Will breakdance for money – The SocialITe". Computerweekly.com. Retrieved 2012-02-27.
- ^ [1], Gadgets Magazine
- ^ "Website for freelance assignments launched in India". The Times Of India. 2012-02-09.
- ^ [2], E27.sg
- ^ "Stevie Awards Site".
- ^ "16th Annual Webby Awards".
- ^ "15th Annual Webby Awards".
- ^ "18th Annual AIMIA Awards".
- ^ "Freelancer.com Awards".
- ^ "BRW Entrepreneur of the Year Matt Barrie".
- ^ "Company Press Release for E&Y Award".