Over the last two years, interest in cryptocurrencies has grown slowly but steadily, so they’re gently penetrating into the mainstream. Also, the inherent advantages in decentralized applications and technology become increasingly evident outside the cryptosphere. Blockchain technology keeps proving its worth as a new resource capable of tackling old problems in new ways. It’s showing it will disrupt many industries in the world and that it will ultimately change it.
Most recently, we’ve witnessed blockchain’s effect on fintech corporations and projects. It’s reshaping them and also the industries that touch on them. But it’s also impacting seemingly unrelated fields such as education, aid organization, charity, ride sharing, politics, real estate, logistics, and healthcare.
Blockchain and freelancing
There’s another environment that blockchain technology promises to reshape, and that’s the freelancing business. Freelancing was not a good thing a decade ago. People frowned upon it as a general rule. These days, freelancing is reshuffling many professional fields in which workers are gaining freedom, and employers are increasing versatility. Freelancing evolves very quickly, and it’s increasingly globalized.
Blockchain is instrumental at some things. One of those things is cutting the middle man off. That’s one of the reasons why it’s making an entrance into the freelancing community. It enhances flexibility in working agendas, it makes payments swifter (another blockchain specialty), and it lowers fees vary significantly.
An emerging problem for freelancers is the continually growing number of freelancing platforms that seek to capture the five or six million freelancers working in the world today. The platforms must verify new jobs, offerings, the closing of deals, and all the dirty details that are somewhat unique to freelancing.
The processes are not very transparent in most sites, and they’re usually not automatic either –both things that could be fixed immediately with a good smart contracts platform. Unfair payment systems and fake reviews are also common problems that affect both freelancers and potential employers. And these problems could also be solved by the proper use of blockchain technology.
The good news is that some freelancing sites are taking advantage of the blockchain to make life better for everybody involved. They’re still not among the industry leaders; they’re not exceedingly popular. They’re still marginal, as the blockchain and cryptocurrencies remain. But that only means that you are just in time to rip the benefits of early adoption.
If you’re a freelancer, or if you’re looking for freelancers to employ, you should go to any or all of the following sites which bring the freelancing and the blockchain worlds together.
Blocklancer.net
Blocklancer promises to solve “all problems of current freelancer platforms.” Talk about high ambitions! The platform is based on blockchain technology (Ethereum’s blockchain to be more specific). And it’s all about putting right all that’s wrong with most of the currently available centralized freelancing platforms.
There’s a strong focus on getting rid of excessive rigidity, abusive payments, and false reviews. The system is decentralized, and it includes a native token that helps keep the platform honest. Token holders can vote on decisions and settle a broad variety of disagreements. The dispute settling system is automatic, so it ensures fair play for all involved.
Another characteristic in this platform is the fee system, which is quite low (only 3%). There’s no tolerance for censorship either.
Going by appearances you’d think that this is just your typical freelancing system in which freelancer just look for work, develop a reputation, and get new clients based on that reputation. But this is an innovative platform in which the difference is under the hood, so it’s normal not to notice it all that much. The gap should be in your experience as a user, though.
FreelancerCoin.io
This platform, like the ones mentioned above, runs on the Ethereum blockchain. It could very well be the most technologically advanced blockchain freelancer platform in the world because it combines blockchain technology with artificial intelligence and smart contracts. It also has a native token, which is the means of payment between employers and employees within the system.
It has every feature you typically find in freelancing websites. So there’s a long list of available projects posted by prospective employers for freelancers to apply on the ones they like. However, there’s added value in the site’s service as it enables users to create smart contracts that automate the payment process. The site’s native token is instrumental in this.
Ethlance.com
The Zero-fee in this platform helps it be one of the most popular blockchain-based freelancing platforms in the world. The only fee is the usual “gas fee” you find in every application or contract that runs on Ethereum, which is necessary to transact in the network.
The user interface in this platform is amicable so freelancers can search the available projects to find work very efficiently. The searching process can be shortened by applying the available filters. Prospective employers can look for freelancers too (not always the case in these platforms) and select one based on the feedback they’ve had so far, language, hourly rates, ratings, and skills.
A limiting factor in this platform is that you must use it using MetaMask and Ethereum’s Mist browser, which are not precisely the most widespread applications in the world. But they’re worth installing if you’re interested in joining this market.
CanYa.io
Like other projects, CanYa also issues a cryptocurrency (CanYaCoin) which freelancers and employers can use to pay for the standard 1% fee this platform collects. It’s accessible from anywhere in the world, open, and decentralized. It’s in a position to build a good reputation in a business in which reputation is everything.
CanYaCoin incentivizes the platform’s growth, and it intends to guide user behavior so that everybody enjoys a service of the highest quality.
Steemit.com
It’s more known as a blockchain-based social network, but it’s also a freelancing platform. It’s a good example that illustrates how the trend is shifting towards blockchain-powered environments. As most platforms of its kind, it links freelancers with their potential clients.
A unique feature in Steemit is that it allows all users to post anything they want in the platform, in a way reminiscent of Facebook. The difference is that high-quality content is rewarded with the platform’s tokens instead of “likes.”
Final thoughts
There are many more freelancing platforms in the cryptosphere, of course. We haven’t mentioned them all because we’re not about to write a book. But you can browse around their websites and decide if you like them. Atlas, Cryptotask, Orbinetwork, Ethearnal, and Dream are good examples of places to visit and, if you want them, open an account.
Cryptocurrencies and blockchain technology remain marginal and far away from any meaningful mainstream adoption. But it’s platforms like these, which provide a service that is useful for people on both sides of the crypto border that can really help the cryptosphere to join the mainstream successfully.
Mainstream adoption is a long process that can’t rely on a single use-case, of course. Yet, these platforms are obviously useful even for users that are not very tech-savvy, which is one of the limitations we often find on many blockchain projects. Some of them are very cool indeed, but they need a degree of expertise that people in the mainstream just don’t have.
Disclaimer: Please do your ‘very own’ market research before making any investment in cryptocurrencies. Neither the writer nor the publication (TronWeekly.com) holds any responsibility for your financial loss.
