Outsourcing

Actually I am confused about what the guys need ?

Ken, do you use paid interns or unpaid ones? And if you have interns, are they considered employees?

Thanks!

Well, as someone who a lot of people outsource to, maybe I can offer some insight from the other end of things.

When it comes to people "dropping the ball", as you said, I think a lot of that comes from them having the wrong idea about working freelance. If you're really depending on an outsourced worker then you're probably giving them a lot of work. Handling this work means scheduling yourself, prioritizing things, and paying attention to deadlines.

These are skills a lot of people don't have. They may look like they have experience handling outsourced work but you should take a close look at that experience. Have they handled extended gigs? Sometimes people get a freelance gig that only lasts a week or two. Have they done anything big? Some people only ever handle small tasks and never go outside of their skill set (writing articles AND formatting and posting them, for example).

I think one of the best signs of a good freelancer is return business. If you can find someone who has clients that return to them on a regular basis, you've probably found someone who is reputable.

A really good freelancer might not even be available right away, they might not even be advertising right now because they're so busy. That means the people you do see advertising might not be of the highest quality.

When it comes to the problem of creativity, well, that's a major problem all over the world. Creativity is a skill which needs to be cultivated. Our modern world doesn't always value creativity in the individual. We have so many passive and consumptive hobbies (videos games, watching sports, etc) that people never cultivate their own creativity.

If you're just looking for some brainstorming suggestions, I suppose you can hope to find an outsourced freelancer who can help. If you're looking for serious creativity, on the other hand, you're looking for someone with a valuable skill.

I don't think it would be a good idea to hire someone to automate mundane tasks and expect them to be creative at the same time. You have to give the right sort of work to each person. This might mean you need to hire a creative and they might be more expensive than the drones you hire for other tasks.

I think the money is well spent, however, because true creativity is rare these days but it can be a truly valuable asset.

One thing I would suggest is requiring an update at least once a week. Businesses generally have at least one big meeting a week. This does two things. The first is that it keeps the boss and other senior employees up to date on what the rest of the company is doing. The second is that it creates a situation where serious problems can't go unnoticed for longer than a week.

Don't be afraid to request the updates. I've personally found that sending regular updates to my clients has been really beneficial. Communication can sometimes be tricky. I might think I'm doing something right but it isn't exactly what they wanted.

Sending regular updates means I can be sure I'm doing precisely what they want and I know they're happy with what I'm doing.

Bottom line: Outsource to people with a track record of extended gigs and repeat customers. Don't expect people who handle mundane tasks to be very creative. Request regular updates and don't hire anyone who refuses that request.

Thanks Frank

What really cracks me up is the ones who dig up a thread "related" to whatever they are pushing and then post their ad in there

I am sorry but I have been on the internet for so many years to see this sort of amateur hour nonsense highly offends me

I find it hard to trust anyone's advice here when so much of it is connected to whatever they are pushing in their sig line

What I expected here was more a place where others who actually work "offline" *or online...could share ideas, info, experiences, maybe learn a bit. A few threads are like that...Iamnameless and others had some good tips for me about managing clients (my major snafu LOL)...but it is disheartening to see the junk here

And the main marketing board or "affiliates' is even worse. I have been an affiliate for years....back when Commission Junction was a choo choo train. I would never..never sell the clickbank junk...I would not buy it ,why sell it? I actually still make money every month with a us based affiliate program that most of the clown here would not even be allowed to join LOL

I am so disgusted by the total nonsense...I think of some of these people like crack dealers...selling to addicts....I see junk like "forex" and "binary" and now an idiotic 'crowdfunding" Ponzi scheme and I say "WHATTTTTT"

Oh not to mention the number of people whose translation programs don't work well who want to sell junk to us "rich 'mericans"....(or poor 'mericns LOL)

It sounds like you spend more time and money trying to get the work done, than it would take to actually do the work.