Query concerning the 'claim' owner of this site.

I had no idea where to post this but the HangOut seemed the most informal, I could be completely wrong, I just thought I should bring it to someone's attention.

I was searching through GetAFreelancer.com and noticed this person bidding on a project, although what struck me as odd as he claimed to be the owner of this site designercontest.net and does so on each 'bid'.

His s/n is designcontest.com seen here: http://www.getafreel...lers/50017.html

And one of his posts quoting himself as the owner currently at the bottom:

http://www.getafreel...ects/15147.html
Quote:
designcontest
I can do it, I am the owner of www.DesignContest.com

This is a great site, and I wouldn't like someone to ruin the reputation of this site.

Although I'll more then appologise if I'm wrong.

looking at the name and location of the individual, I can see that it most likely is the owner of this site (Sergey aka resurepus).

If this really is him, I think that this is the most ridiculous way to get people to come to DC.net. Sites like Get A Freelancer and Scriptlance are there to be used by the freelancers to get clients and new work. It really makes me mad when people use it free advertising.

Sergey, I hope this isn't you, but if it is I am disappointed.

I think it's okay to use it for free advertising. The internet is a ruthless place. I would advertise every way I can. Why try to be mr.niceguy? WHat does that accomplish for you? Besides, he's not advertising really, he's pretty much using it as an example of what he is capable of. If it's not against the rules, than do it. My 2 cents. Than again I dont think resurepus did the design right?

I hope this is you

Advertise anyway you can I say!

I was more concerned about someone taking a project on under the name of someone who owns this site, doing a bog-job and ruining a repuation.

Maybe I'm aliiiitle over paranoid, though I just thought it was to easy to claim yourself as an owner of a site.

Don't you think its wrong for someone to claim to be able to do the work, and then point to a site where other people do all the work for them? I think it is misleading to the actual client in question.

By doing it this way DC.net only becomes less professional looking, ruining a well built professional reputation that currently exists.

I agrete with Penguin. I posted a thread about this a while ago, but Sergey just deleted it as soon as he found it. It really does tarnish the reputation of DC.ne, and I hope he stops doing it soon for the good of the community.

This thread will probably be deleted soon as well.

So another posting on this topic was started earlier, by you Rtbenson?... And, it was deleted?... Sounds like censorship to me... Also, it's very unprofessional to have deleted the comment unless you (sorry, have to give the benefit of the doubt to the person[s] that may have deleted it) had entered something that could have been deemed offensive or damaging to designcontest.com... Think of it this way, even if something was true about you, and it could damage your reputation, the odds are would be that any comment made about you you would attempt to keep from being heard/read. So, this leads me to ask, why (if it is true) was this comment deleted? Does Designcontest.net have anything to hide? Do the people that run Designcontest.net run it in the utmost ethical manner? I hope that the case regarding the deletion of a thread as a means of censorship is untrue. I, as well as hopefully every other member, want to believe that Designcontest.net is a place that we all can have absolute faith is representing us as designers, artists, and professionals.

I am sorry to disappoint you, John, or anybody else, but it was really me bidding on the projects and personally I do not see any problem with it. Getafreelancer, elance and other websites of the kind are not really designed for freelancers, but rather for the clients to help them find the most efficient way to get their projects done. If you look closer at GAF you will see that there are many companies and not only individual freelancers who get projects there. And nobody sees a problem in it. I don't see it as a violation of any rules that I promote our Design Team instead of myself. If the project owner chooses my bid I will post the project as a contest on DC and will give him a great design product.

I understand your worries about the competition. It definitely hard for an individual to compete with the whole team od DC designers. But I am not going to get into that discussion again. If you are interested you can make a search and find previous discussions on this topic.


Edit: name me 3 ways to "ethically" advertise DC when you have NO money. (I do already know about link exchange)

However I don't want to be a stubborn guy. If you give me a good reason why this should not be done I will stop advertising DC this way. If you like I will stop advertising it in any way. Ok, I'd better round up. I am really really close to a breakdown. I need to calm down.

Sergey, no need to breakdown - we are having an honest discussion here.

Yes, I agree, GAF is a site used to help a client find the most efficient way to get their project done. But I also think that it's misleading to them to say "I own DC.net. Hire Me." This site is not a company. A design company consists of a group of designers collaborating together on a project.

I consider what you are doing to be a form of spam. It looks unprofessional and it is another "cut and paste" message that has no true meaning to the project you are "bidding" for. You act as though your "team" of designers work with each other to complete the finished project, but that's not the case.

3 ways to advertise with no money? It's not possible. Advertising costs money.

3 ways to advertise for cheap? (I know there is money saved up from the 10% of contest funds)
1) Google AdWords - they are cheap, you can set daily limits on how much you want to spend, and if you set it up correctly you can probably get some awesom contests in here.

2) Set up a link to us page (this one is actually free!) Hold a contest to create banners and buttons for designers and even happy clients to put on their websites. Your google rank will increase as more and more sites link to you, and you could even set up a directory listing so you can link back.

3) Form partnerships with design firms. If they have any overflow work, they might be able to send a contest or two our way.

4) Put together PDF Case Studies of why DC.net works, and why companies should host their contests here. I am sure more than a few people have turned away because they are not 100% if its the right solution.

5) Get the newsletter going, the way mbleigh had started it (with the separate gazette page). I know I wasn't able to help with this.. it takes time that I don't have to write a good article, but find someone who has time to do it.

Finally, Whatever happened to the postcards? Create some print material and mail it out to companies who need a new logo, website, etc.

John,
as for the saved money from 10% fee. There really is very little. And besides I have nothing to do with this money.

As for the rest I'd like to thank you for th hints. I should do some things when I have time. The link to us page sounds really good should have been done long time ago.

Of course I know that advertising costs money. I do know that there are less expensive ways, but they still require money. Money that I do not have. I spend hours every day working on the website. And nobody pays me for it. In fact I could have sent up a personal portfolio and tried to get some extra work instead. That's probably what I should do.

How many members are currently registered with DC.net? How many of them have you actually ASKED to link to DC.net?

Also, I believe that if you assure that most are happy (yes, I know that not everyone can be made happy all of the time) then those designers/artists/contest holders would be MORE THAN HAPPY to supply a link to DC.net on their own websites. Additionally, those same members may recommend to friends, family, and other associates to places links on their own sites. Word of mouth advertising is one of THE MOST important forms of advertising and it is 100% FREE... Value the quality of your services first and foremost, not the quantity... If you look at the volume of services or products you produce, initially it will almost never be what you envisioned. More likely, you need to focus on quality as that is what brings people back for more of what it is that you are selling to them. I'm sure you've heard, and those people tell 2 people and those people tell 2 people, you get the point... This means CUSTOMER SERVICE... I understand this isn't the only job that most (I'm not sure about all) DC.net employees (?) have. So, that makes it quite difficult to be a primary focus for those individuals. However, everyone that works for/with DC.net needs to remember they are REPRESENTATIVES of DC and need to deal with everyone EXACTLY AS THEY WOULD LIKE TO BE TREATED... This means NOT taking things personally when asked questions (which has occurred when I have asked questions). Also, try coming up with some cookie cutter responses to aid with repetitive questions. This will aid in less frustration within the administrative ranks. Another thing that may need to be considered (and I know this isn't exactly the forum for this discussion) but DC.net needs to enforce competition deadlines. I believe you can do this by wording the contracts with such explanations stating that the contest holder will lose all funds provided to the winner of said contest if a winner is not selected by the deadline (including the 1 week extension we all know about)... This money could then be used to fund DC.net's advertising in the future... I understand that this would not make a company happy, if they did NOT choose a winner, but that would be their fault, not yours, and could be explained to anyone that questions such actions... This seems off base of the discussion, but really all goes in with customer service. DC.net is not only here to assist companies with projects they need completed but is also responsible for assisting artists and designers find work. Therefore, DC.net needs to make sure that all parties are made to feel comfortable and well taken care of. Stating that there are deadlines, yet not enforcing them, does nothing for the community as a whole. Taking some (if not all) of the advice that is provided to you in the forums will only make DC.net a much more successful business...

digitalmunky, I would be SOOOO happy if you could become admin's aid on askin members to link to DC

I guess we could discuss that further... Go ahead and PM me later and we'll discuss the details further... If you're 100% serious of course... lol...