Tools for the Gig Economy

How Web Technology Is Improving Work Life for Free Agents

Posted by Kelly Eidson on 04.17.09 @ 02:30 PM

Kelly Eidson

In the last few months, we've seen the headlines dominated by news of systemic layoffs as agencies shed talent that they can't afford to keep. Some of this talent has forsaken the hope of finding a new job and transitioned into self-employment to become part of the so-called gig economy, where they jump from project to project as a freelancer or consultant. As Martin Bihl noted a few weeks ago, not everyone is cut out for this, but for those who are comfortable swimming in uncertainty and good enough to bring in a living income, they may never look back. Life in the gig economy is getting easier, as emerging web technologies are solving problems for free agents.

For some of those considering the move to self-employment, the potential for isolation has been a fear. Leaving the comforts of the traditional workplace isn't easy; it means losing contacts and friends in the office. Freelancers now have tools like LinkedIn to help them preserve their network, and Twitter to feed them quick updates on what people in the industry are up to. There are communities like the Behance Network, where creative pros can post their work to get feedback and recognition. Though social networks aren't exactly a substitute for the interactions the traditional workplace provides, they are more robust than they used to be and act as a social lifeline for the self-employed.

When virtual community is not enough, freelancers can meetup at Barcamp or Jelly events, or join the co-working movement, where they can share a collaborative workspace (like Conjunctured in Austin) with others while maintaining their independence.

When talent leaves the established brand of the agency behind, they must create their own, and it can be tough to build a solid reputation from scratch. With publishing now accessible to the masses, free agents have plenty of opportunity to create content and show their smarts by starting a blog or a podcast. These tools are leveling the playing field and helping independents build business.

Consider the story of Bob Knorpp, a seasoned pro who left the agency world to be a consultant. He hosts a weekly podcast about the industry called The BeanCast and has built a social network to bring together fans of his show. The podcast is a way of establishing credibility for his brand and creating content to showcase his thinking. It's helped to humanize his web presence and generate leads. Knorpp says, "I figure, you can tell people what you can do, or you can show them."

Tools that connect freelancers with prospective clients are exploding on the web. Beyond traditional methods, freelancers can now look for new projects on sites like Elance, Crowdspring and Idea Bounty. These sites cater to different types of independent professionals, but they all carry a common theme: Anyone can log on and find a client's problem, compete with others to pitch the best idea and collect the payout. Clients get to crowdsource their briefs and set a firm budget, and freelancers get more projects to work on. Even if they don't bring home "the bounty," it's valuable practice that can help creatives keep their skills fresh and build a body of work. Small businesses have embraced using these platforms for collateral work, and now even BBH Labs is experimenting with the concept by crowdsourcing their logo.

These platforms are not without controversy. There was a heated debate at SXSW Interactive about whether crowdsourcing commoditizes design that became one of the most talked about panels at the event.

Freelancers can't do it on their own. Eventually, bandwidth gets maxed out and they have to call in reinforcements. Most of the platforms we're seeing so far are project-management tools that enable disparate parties to keep track of the tasks, timelines, and people involved for a given project. Action Method Online, Basecamp and Tempo are all competing to create the killer app for coordinating work in loose, virtual networks. There's also Blellow, which helps freelancers exchange knowledge in real time.

The implications of the current exodus of talent from agencies have yet to be seen, but if the shift toward self-employment enabled by a surplus of talent and new technologies doesn't shake things up in this industry, I don't know what will.

5 Comments

By armandocrespo | Pearland, TX April 17, 2009 07:55:00 pm:

This economic downturn is probably the best thing that could have happened to my partner and I. It has given us the initiative to go ahead and start our own endeavor, something we had aspired eventually doing from the get-go. The way we see it, this IS the best time to launch ourselves and show what we can do. We have nothing to lose and everything to gain. We're optimistic about the future, despite all the constant negative information coming from our television sets and newspapers. Yes, it's going to take some time, and we know that there are going to be tough times. However, we also know that we're not alone in this, that there are other like-minded talented people out there in search of an outlet. So far, the experience has been amazingly refreshing and we invite other talented crazies out there to join in on the fun. Thanks for the uplifting and motivating read. I'd like to see more stories like this.

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By john120 | Marlborough, MA April 19, 2009 12:29:11 pm:

I have to agree. I started freelancing as a filler between jobs when I left my last full-time gig, thinking that I would freelance until I found another full-time position. However, the full-time work search has been fruitless, and in just 4 months, I've managed to land 4 freelance clients, and am well on my way to supporting myself full time. What's more, I spend most of my day barefoot, in my home office with my dogs. Freelancing is a great life, and something that I wouldn't have been forced into trying in any other economy.

This is a great article, with some very useful resources for me and for other freelancers!

Jean Levasseur

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By rosskimbarovsky | Chicago, IL April 20, 2009 11:32:34 am:

Hey Kelly,

Thanks so much for writing about crowdSPRING. I wanted to update you and your readers - this morning, we launched our industrial design offering. For our first project, we've teamed with LG and Autodesk on LG's $80,000 Design The Future competition - to design LG's next mobile phone.

Design competitions have been a staple throughout history. Here's my post from our blog today: http://blog.crowdspring.com/2009/04/20/design-competitions/ about other notable competitions.

Best,

Ross Kimbarovsky
co-Founder
http://www.crowdspring.com

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By cmajedi | NEW YORK, NY April 21, 2009 11:21:35 am:

Hey Kelly,
I loved the article. Great job! You defineitly provided some great resources I'm going to look into.

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By Limitbreaker2000 | Chicago, IL April 24, 2009 12:36:43 am:

This is the nature of where the web is going. E-Bay set the stage for e-commerce, craigslist replaced classifieds, and now the likes of Crowdspring are doing the same for creative. This reality is not going anywhere so the best thing that companies can do is leverage their collective knowledge/strength to serve the large scale needs of their clients. Plus let's not forget the personal touch. People can use sites like craigslist to find an apartment, but there are many who want to have a professional take them from place to place because they have already built the relationships and industry know-how.

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