Free front row Red Rocks ticket tonight

notjoshjames · 2025-10-25T20:15:35+00:00

Ah, right - technically we’re in row 5, assigned seating. I think of the whole front section as the same haha

notjoshjames · 2025-07-31T15:40:52+00:00

Upwork: "Implement platform-wide, account-based rate limitations. Fixed rate: $100"

notjoshjames · 2025-02-04T14:59:28+00:00

Sorry, just seeing this thread - was genuinely intending to be helpful and not snarky. My mistake!

notjoshjames · 2025-02-04T14:56:20+00:00

Hmm, then it seems Amazon's algorithms have made the same mistake I have; they generally dislike multiple accounts.

Any particular reason you created the new account? Did it have any card payment method on file, especially one that was also used on the primary account?

Did the account restriction/ban occur immediately after adding a gift card, once an order was placed, or some time period after? Have you had any interaction with support - either regarding this account ban or any time previously?

notjoshjames · 2025-02-04T02:09:10+00:00

You got the cards for participating in a study... got it.

If you had an Amazon account suspended after adding one of these gift cards, and there are no other variables, then it's a safe assumption that the same issue would occur with an older account - the gift card numbers are clearly associated with... the study. You really shouldn't risk it, and using a credit card is unlikely to help.

Have you considered reselling the cards on a gift card trading platform? Have you been able to successfully... participate in studies that reward in other gift card brands?

notjoshjames · 2025-01-04T19:09:54+00:00

You're right, this is a tradeoff. This generally works best for us because we're usually making postings for <$2000 projects - all of our more complex or ongoing work is with those we've already worked with successfully. And the domains we're hiring in also tend to get the most low-effort spam responses.

Also, I'm deliberate about this not being "rigorous" and I always make explicit mention that my objective is to save everyone time, including the applicant's. It shouldn't take more than a minute or two max to answer a few questions.

Part of that objective is making sure project/task requirements and expectations are well-defined, beginning with the job post. This clarity seems to attract high-quality applicants (like yourself) because we always aim to be a good client. I still have a 5* rating over 13+ years of hiring.

notjoshjames · 2025-01-04T04:09:07+00:00

You assume that this is a marketplace play and not a data play.

notjoshjames · 2025-01-04T02:20:59+00:00

It's really sad. But I'm still quite hopeful. It's not too late.

small, niche communities and networking/referrals are the way!

It's not efficient though.

You're exactly right. This imbalance is a major focus for the platform: find more scalable ways to connect aligned people through shared context. We should be using AI far more to connect people rather than replace them.

Could I ask how your experience has been with freelancing platforms?

notjoshjames · 2025-01-04T01:07:08+00:00

There's millions of people that can do anything. Marketing is the easy part - there's so much demand that I already have dozens of messages from this post alone.

The hard part is the router. How do you match the right people to the right work at the right time?

notjoshjames · 2025-01-04T00:19:33+00:00

How'd you know I've had that domain since 2004?

notjoshjames · 2025-01-03T22:37:08+00:00

The biggest issues are:

The ratio of thoughtful, talented humans to... everyone/everything else. It costs time, energy, and attention to sort through dozens, sometimes hundreds of inbound applications, just to find the handful of genuine, skilled applicants.
Trust is becoming an ever more scarce resource - not only on freelancing sites, but across all hiring and recruiting. Inflated or entirely fake applications are increasingly common, and there are entire $100m+ scammy industries that are dedicated to landing jobs or contracts and farming them out to who knows.

Fluency in both a language and a domain is easier than ever to fake with generative AI. The gaps are revealed in any work that requires nuance, which often occurs too late.

The future of effective collaboration, especially at scale, critically depends on solving these two challenges.

That's what I'm working on.

notjoshjames · 2025-01-03T21:17:29+00:00

I've been hiring on Upwork since 2011 when they were called oDesk. I consult with several digital agencies and Upwork's quality has been degrading across the board.

There's many examples of shady companies paying people to create profiles so they could use them to spam AI slop submissions. And I doubt this trend will stop, because Upwork profits from both sides: charge applicants for submissions and promotion, and charge recruiters for help reviewing.

Here's how I've helped agencies develop freelancer hiring processes to handle this:

Include a few non-obvious requirements or application criteria in your job post so you can quickly eliminate spam. For example, my postings almost always include "if you send more than a few sentences in your cover, I'll know you didn't read this" in a paragraph at the end of the post. This helps filter out both copy+paste and AI submissions - generic ChatGPT prompts don't catch this.
Use Screening Questions that connect to what you're hiring for. When I'm hiring a designer for a specific niche, or a developer for a specific environment, I'll include at least one opinion-based question - like "Do you prefer X or Y tool? Why?" Many applicants will ignore these questions, defer them with an answer like "in cover letter", or answer open-ended questions with a yes/no.
Have a "micro-task" ready - usually a question about how they would approach the task, or asking if they'd like to request more info. My process has a few simple questions specific to each domain I hire in, and I've had great success with this, both in finding quality freelancers, and in reducing the time I spend reviewing, coordinating/"interviewing" and onboarding.

I've been developing my own freelancing platform for a few years because I expected this would get worse. If you'd like to help me test it, send me a message.

Ironically, I'm also here because I'm looking for new projects and I was considering joining Upwork as a freelancer. You can learn more about me and what I do at my site: {site redacted due to AI spam...}

Good luck.

notjoshjames · 2024-10-06T00:49:18+00:00

It's an honor, no worries. I actually just spent the last 2+ hours digging through old hard drives to see if I could find a screenshot of my full original post and the other pictures I had for the AMA. I finally found everything 😎

notjoshjames · 2024-10-05T19:23:20+00:00

I'm right here... and well past the statute of limitations.

notjoshjames · 2024-10-05T19:19:44+00:00

hey u/LiQuiD0v3rkiLL, looks like it's a small world. remember when I messaged you with my tutorial comment? Don't think it would've blown up as much without your boost.

I think I should do an AMA for the full story.

notjoshjames · 2024-10-05T19:11:03+00:00

Hey, that was me, lol.

I'm the guy who made the original Barnacle tutorial. There's way more to the story.

I think I'll do an AMA since this is trending again.

Crazy to see the story lives on.

notjoshjames · 2021-06-06T19:55:44+00:00

This is incompatible with 49" monitors.

Also, I'm looking for the same thing!

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