This post originally appeared on the American Express OPEN Forum, where Mashable regularly contributes articles about leveraging social media and technology in small business.
Forgoing a steady paycheck from a full-time job, freelancers make a living by using their talents for multiple clients, the operative world being “multiple.” It takes discipline and organization, and it helps to have an online community with whom you can share resources, best practices and even job prospects.
Here are a handful of freelancer communities that provide resources and paid opportunities for freelancers. If you’re a freelancer who has used these or o ther sites, let us know in the comments.
1. Elance
Elance offers freelancers the ability to set up a profile, apply for projects directly and do the actual freelance work in their cloud-based work area. There are several subscription levels on the site. You can opt for a free, basic level that provides a profile, a minimum number of proposals to potential clients and minimum workroom storage space. The highest subscription permits multiple users, “preferred listing” status, enhanced storage space, wire transfers and other features for $40 per month. These two levels are the extremes — there are other options in between to align with your needs.
From a business perspective, companies can hire freelancers and use the cloud workspace to manage the project. This is a plus for companies that need to manage multiple contractors at the same time.
Elance also streamlines the oft-troublesome invoice and payment pro cess — the company pays...
