Would freelancers pay for access to better quality projects?

[gbratan]

Do you think introducing paid projects for both buyer and contractor would elevate the quality of a project board?

I feel like the lack of accountability is drowning the freelancing model for everyone. I also believe that putting some money on the line would make the buyer think twice before posting a low quality project, while having the same effect for spam bids or people that are in it for the scam.

Would you agree?

I'm asking this because I've been working on a side project and have a closed beta here: http://beta.discover.io/channel?code=HN01

Of course, the main idea revolves around setting up a walled garden designed to keep a decent level of professionalism for both sides of the market. For now it's a draft and I have many ideas going forward - wouldn't mind if you demolish them.

If you have the time please register and look around, there's not much you can brake.

[johnjlocke]

There are already services like this, and they don't keep out low quality projects. I hope you can take lessons from those and improve upon them.

[gbratan]

I know, for this service specifically I will spin it in a different direction, more towards of a professional contracting network.

But for now I'm more curious whether the whole buying into a project is realistic. I would at least like to raise the bar a bit. A $50 buy-in would shave off 90% of spam bids, and I would do the same for buyers with an even larger buy-in cost. If there are no offers then you lose the money, which means something's wrong with your specs.

[joelmaat]

I'd pay for better quality projects, but that promise (guaranteed better quality) sounds like a tough one to keep.

[gbratan]

Of course, given my assumption that once people stand to lose money, they will be more careful about what they post.