I’m Alex Yoon, a member of the internal team here at Elance, and I came across your blog post discussing ElanceEnergy and felt that I should reach out and clarify a few things that would help answer questions that you and your readers may have.

As the commenter “Salma” mentioned, Elance Energy is an entrant into our The New Way To Work contest and does not have a formal relationship with Elance of any kind. Branding issues aside, if Wesley Asbell chooses to find his contractors or freelancers through Craigslist or other formats, that’s his choice and is completely independent to Elance, but we here at Elance stand by and use skilled professionals in our Provider Network on a daily basis to fulfill a wide variety of tasks, ranging from writing, programming, customer support, quality assurance, and more.

The article is based on the belief that Elance Energy and Elance are one in the same or is a part of our business when it’s not true. If you could please correct the article as soon as possible to reflect this, we here at Elance would greatly appreciate it.

—

As you all may or may not know, I post jobs here weekly. But I’m more than just a human version of Monster.com–I’ve got dreams and aspirations. I’ve got a sense of humor too. And I do a biweekly column in which I talk about humorous aspects of blogging, freelancing, and all that.

Yesterday, my dual capacity here on AFW ended up colliding. Let me show you this little ad I found on Craigslist. I’m copying the full text in case this is taken down.

Seeking a freelance writer or blogger to write content for our websites. We run and develop numerous websites to help promote existing companies. We are working to expand the content on our social profiles, websites, and create blogs for www.ElanceEnergy.com and ElanceTag (www.elancenergy.com/tag.html). More jobs will follow as we are rapidly growing. We need writer within the next week. Please send your resume, work examples, and rate. Feel free to add your info and content to our twitter page and facebook group. Looking for a telecommuter that is quick and has great writing skills. Compensation: $20 – $70 based on experience.

Did you see who that’s for? Elance.com, one of the biggest freelance bidding sites out there. What in the heck are they doing on Craigslist, trolling for people to create content? This is bad. This is potentially really bad. Maybe this is only some sort of promotional thing to do some branding for Elance, but I’m not convinced–the ad was only placed in the San Francisco Craigslist, and having been tricked by the bait-and-switch before, they usually don’t ask for samples.

To summarize: Elance is not even using their own service to find writers.

To illustrate my point a little better, let’s think of what this would be like in other industries:

• Ford executives driving Toyotas
• Coca-Cola employees drinking Pepsi
• A temp agency using another temp agency to staff their receptionist position
• Eating fried chicken with Jillian Michaels
• Philip Morris executives not smoking (oh wait)

Again, to summarize: Elance is using Craigslist to find a writer rather than using their own site–which they talk about being really super awesome–to find one. On top of THAT, they misspelled the URL of the site they want you to write for. And now, gentle readers, I am going to lay down with a wet cloth on my head. I officially have a headache from trying to figure out what the hell they were thinking.

• Fashion Blogger Needed
• Blogger on African American Issues
• Blog Writer / Editor for 2 Blogs
• Mental Health Blogger Needed
• Relationship Blogger Needed

Are these freelance writing gigs not what you’re looking for? Search for more freelance writing jobs or blogging jobs.

Key:

Blogging Job
Web Writing Job
Print Writing Job
Business / Medical / Technical Writing Job
Free Membership Required to Apply
Paid Membership Required to Apply
Bidding Site
High Paying Gig

I’ve found from experience that, often, the best gigs you can find on the Web are unadvertised ones that you’ll land through networking – but when you do want to see what’s “out there,” I hope these sites help.

Recommended Sites for Freelance Writing Jobs

Here are some of my personal favorites when it comes to looking for writing and blogging jobs:

• Indeed.com (aff) -This is the top site in my book, because it allows you to search multiple job sites at once – it can be a big time-saver when you’re looking for any type of job.
• CraigsList – Yes, I know they get ragged on for the crappy ads often posted. That said, they also tend to have far more publicly advertised gems than most other sites, at least as far as freelance writing jobs go (and I’ve found some of the higher paying blogging jobs also get advertised here).
• About Freelance Writing – Anne usually has some of the most comprehensive freelance writing job listings out there. Check them out.
• All Freelance Writing – Well, obviously I recommend this site. I try to post writing jobs and / or blogging jobs Monday – Friday.
• Journalism Jobs – While this site has far more full-time writing jobs than freelance writing gigs, it’s still one of my favorites. While I don’t respond to a lot of public ads personally, when I do they’re often from this site (and I’ve landed some very nice gigs through them).
• MediaBistro – This is another one I love for the gems you can find with a bit of digging. You’ll need to register (for free) to see the full job details though.
• ProBlogger – Darren’s job board is one of the best places out there to find freelance blogging jobs.

Other Sites for Freelance Writing Jobs

Here are other sites where you can find freelance writing jobs and freelance blogging jobs, or writer’s markets always open to freelance submissions.

While I don’t take issue with most of them, please don’t consider their inclusion in this list to be an actual recommendation from me.

A few of the sites here even made my list of the WORST sites for finding freelancing writing jobs – I simply felt it wouldn’t be fair to exclude them because I don’t care for them personally. How you use them is entirely up to you. They won’t all be everyone’s cup of tea.

They’re listed alphabetically, so please don’t take their position in this list to mean one site is “better” than another.

• Absolute Write – Paying Markets
• Beyond.com
• BloggerJobs.biz
• BlogHer
• BlogWork.com
• Career Builder
• Creative Weblogging
• DigitalPoint
• Elance
• FlipDog
• FreelanceSwitch
• FreelanceWriting.com – Morning Coffee
• GetAFreelancer.com
• GetTheJob
• Gumtree
• Guru
• HotJobs
• iFreelance
• Jobster
• Kijiji
• Media Job Market
• Monster
• Odesk
• Online-Writing-Jobs.com
• Performancing Forums
• PoeWar
• RentACoder
• SimplyHired
• SitePoint
• SoloGig
• SunOasis
• Twitter
• V7N
• Webmaster-Talk
• WickedFire
• Worldwide Freelance Writer
• The Write Market
• Writer’s Digest – Hot Markets
• Writers-Guidelines.com (disclaimer – I own this one)
• WritersMarket.com
• WritersWeekly.com
• WritingBids.com
• WritingCareer.com
• Writing For Dollars

As always, best of luck in the job hunt!

• IT Bloggers
• Freelance Medical Writer for Digital Project
• On-site Freelance Marketing Writer – Plymouth Meeting, PA
• Business Plan Writer
• Freelance Business Blogger – $10-15 per post
• Product Reviewers Needed
• Property Management Blogger – $40 per 500 word post
• Web Content Writer for Career Portal
• Press Release Writer
• Beauty / Fashion / Celebrity / Hair Blogger – $5 – 12 per post

Key:

Blogging Job
Web Writing Job
Print Writing Job
Business Writing Job
Free Membership Required to Apply
Paid Membership Required to Apply
Bidding Site
High Paying Gig

• Blogger for Web Design / Marketing Firm – 4 hours per week – $256 per month
• Freelance Copywriter w/ Radio & TV Experience – Chicago – $32 – 45 per hour
• Travel Writer / Community Manager – $1000 per month
• Writer / Editor for AskEJean.com – $3000 per month
• Professional Writer / Blogger Needed – Insurance Industry
• Freelance Tech Copywriter – LA – up to $50 per hour
• Freelance Newsletter Editor – Mastheads.org
• Web Copywriter Needed
• Freelance Magazine Writers for Auto and Cycle Articles – starts at $100 per article
• Business Plan Writer for Video Production Company

Oh, and for those freelance writers running their own blogs – would you like to add a new income stream? If so, consider signing up as a ClickBank affiliate (if you’re not one already) and promote my new Web Writer’s Guide E-book – you’ll earn 25% of every net sale! Find out more on the affiliates page.

• Freelance Copywriter – NY
• Freelance Copywriter – Digital People – MN
• Creative / Craft Freelance Writer
• Articles / Blog Posts on Dental Health
• Financial / Tax Blog Posts
• Music Blogger Needed
• Webzine Editor for Personal Style Site – FT / Freelance
• Freelance Marketing Copywriter – NY
• Neutral Polling Bloggers
• Article Writers for Screenwriting Site – $25 – 100 per article
• Lesson Plan Writers – $250 per lesson plan

• Freelance Magazine Writers – Business / News
• Web Writer – Freelance / Contract – MA – on-site
• Freelance Writers for New Business Magazine
• Freelance Web Content Writer – $25 – 75 per article
• Weekend Entertainment / Celebrity Gossip Blogger – $200 per day
• Writer / Blogger for 10 Medspa Articles – $100 – 200
• Beverage Blogger – $25 per post
• Web Savvy Writer – $10 per hour (40 hours per week for 2 months)
• Business / Finance Writer – $200 per week for articles (possible extra for on-camera gig)
• Real Estate Writer Needed for Blogs, Press Releases, and More – $300

On another note, I’ll be Deb and Jodee’s guest on FWJ Radio tomorrow morning at 11am eastern (Tuesday, October 7th), and we’ll be chatting about writing and marketing e-books. If you’re thinking about giving e-book writing a go, I hope you’ll tune in! :)

And on another note, my own e-book for beginning Web writers, and the first in the Web Writer’s Guide series, will be launching a week from today at WebWritersGuide.com. Check out that blog Wednesday for access to an excerpt, the TOC, and a one page business plan template I created for the e-book!

And now to the freelance writing jobs:

• Freelance Journalist for Special Sections As Needed – NY
• Freelance PR Writer for Press Releases, Case Studies, Articles, and Presentations
• Freelance Journalists – News, Business, Features, and Sports – FL
• Finance Writer – $50 – 75 / article
• Financial Blogger
• Resume / Cover Letter Writer
• Press Release Writer – $10 – 15 / release
• Resume Writer – Philadelphia – $60 / resume
• Business-Technology Blogger
• Web Copywriter

• Bloggers for Family and Other Topics
• Eco Bloggers
• Dating Site Blogger
• Sports Blogger / Reporter
• Creative Bloggers – $10 / 3 posts (150 words each)