Freelance with Elance

I've recently decided to go into the freelance business. Because, well, when all of your education is in writing and editing and you haven't hit the New York Times bestseller's list yet, that's your option. I blogged last week about an action plan--a normal part of business blog that I think all freelancers and all writers should have even if they have yet to create a full business plan. But I'm continuing to do research and my action plan has changed. 

My initial action plan involved two craigslist ads. One for my resume writing services and another for my editorial services. One of the worst experiences of my life resulted from a craigslist ad. Why I thought this would be a good idea, I'm not sure. But as I continued to do research, I found other writers say they had had very bad experiences with craigslist and one man said he had many bad experiences with craigslist and no good experiences through that site. That opened my eyes. What he recommended instead was Elance. A site I had never heard of, but I checked it out. And I love it! I think I've been on Elance as a freelancer just over a week. And I snagged my first client! I'm writing articles for a sports ezine, at an industry standard pay rate. What I like about Elance is, I can see how many times an employer has posted, hired and what they have paid out before applying. If you use Elance's payment protection program, you can also avoid potential situations where you aren't paid for a job. I also hired a freelancer from elance last week to help with the launching of Finding Hope, a YA romance I will be releasing in the fall. I enjoyed using the site that way as well. I'm happy to say craigslist is no longer part of my action plan. But I am still looking for good ways to advertise.

Have you ever used Elance? What was your experience? Do you have suggestions for good places to advertise?