If you’re like me, the benefits of freelancing locally may sound like a bit of a paradox. One of the many cool things about freelancing is that you can practically work anywhere in the world with anyone in the world. So why would you want to prefer to freelance in your area? That’s where Instantlancer comes in. Founded this past spring, Instantlancer features freelancer profiles that is linked to geographic locations, making it fast and easy for clients to discover the perfect freelancer in their area. I spoke with Fouad Saeg, co-founder of Instantlancer, to pick his brain on the topic:
Jackie: So, why freelance locally?
Fouad: One of the most common discussions I have with freelancers in L.A. is how brutal freelancing online has become in terms of pay. Freelancers from different parts of the world (even within the U.S.) often have drastically different ideas of what constitutes a decent level of pay.
Since most, if not all, of these online freelancer websites are based on a bidding system: the lower the bid, the more likely you are to get the job. This is extremely unfair to our local freelancers. Not only are they competing against extremely low bids from around the world, but also bids from freelancers that are not nearly as experienced. The bottom line is that freelancer “auction” sites often undercut the freelancers from every angle and slap them with a 10% commission. That is why many experienced freelancers choose not to join them.
Me: What are the benefits of meeting someone face-to-face? Isn’t that what Skype and Google Hangouts are for?
Fouad: It’s easy to see how meeting up locally would make sense for people who actually need to be in-person to conduct their service (i.e. tutoring, coaching, etc.), but oftentimes people inherently prefer to meet face-to-face whenever possible, even for a writing gig. Even journalists prefer to physically meet with their sources whenever possible.
The reason for this is that we’re often much more comfortable with people whom we’ve met in person. Whether you’re writing an article for a client or building an app for a team of young entrepreneurs, meeting in-person (at least once) provides trust and a strong connection that cannot be had through a computer screen.
Jackie: But what about all the technology there currently exists to facilitate communication between people in all corners of the globe?
Fouad: When you have a video chat, you may be able to incorporate many of components that make in-person conversations better than conversations over the phone or via text, but it’s not the same thing. Assuming you’ve worked your way past the choppy reception, static microphone, and the echoing version of you that lives in the other guy’s room. You’ll still find that you need to tune your behavior so that Skype can deliver the correct messages. For example, you may have to slow your speech, slow down your movements, etc., just so the person on the other side can follow you.
I’m am in no way saying that Skype doesn’t provide many benefits for all kinds of people. I’m only saying that Skype has a long way to go if it’s goal is to replace in-person interactions. Just think about the handshake, a valuable gesture since the 5th century BC. Will Skype let you do that?
I’m a millennial, and I probably love technology more than the next guy. I believe that tech is the future and it’s meant to make our lives easier. At the same time, tech should improve us as people, our interpersonal skills, and bring us closer together more often.
Jackie: Can you get more into the details of freelancing locally?
Fouad:
- Affordability: For a lot of jobs, it’s far more affordable when you cut out the middle-man and discuss terms face-to-face directly with the freelancer.
- Communication: Meeting in person with local freelancers will ensure that both the client and freelancer understand the goals of the job. In turn, this saves clients tons of time when working on a project.
- Legal Issues: A local freelancer can be much easier to contact and work with compared to an online one if any legal issues were to occur. For example, you hire a graphic designer to make your company logo. You later discover that the logo is used by another company, and they are suing you. Imagine having to sort this issue out with a freelancer in another country.
- Reliability: Local freelancers can be much more reliable than the ones online. And oftentimes, they are happy to provide additional support and service in the future. In contrast, online freelancers often change usernames, locations, which makes finding them very unpredictable.
- Quality: Above all is the quality you receive when you discover a local freelancer that is right for the job. Many projects require a freelancer to have a locally relevant mindset and perspective in order to deliver what the client needs. This directly translates into the quality of the work in the eyes of the client.
