Before my last post on this topic even went live, the other two freelancers returned their work.

Task #2 – Develop Box Shot and Cover Graphics

For this task, I wanted a “virtual box” of our software application developed.  There is software that does this, but I didn’t want to buy something that I might only need once or twice (and still have to design the graphics).  This task was much easier to direct.  I provide the name and the icon of the software and the icons for the two companies who developed the software.  Here is the result:

box$5 for the box shot.  $5 for the box design.

Sure, the design is rather simple, but I really like it.  This does show a bit of whimsy (the stars on the top-left of the icon), but it’s just right.  Not too much – but it adds a splash of color.

 

Task #3 – Write a Press Release

This was a tough one.  A really tough one…but it had little to do with the outsourcing.  First of all, this product is really hard to describe.  And, once you find the words to describe what it does, it’s really easy to completely lose why that matters.  So, once you explain what and why, you have a really long press release.  And, on top of that, this will still only make sense to a relatively small group of people.

So in this task, I asked a complete stranger with no knowledge of the subject to write a press release.  You know what?  She did a great job.

For this task, I chose to upgrade the press release to be about 450 words.  The base gig was only about 200 words.  When the freelancer delivered the first version, she provided a short version, asked if we like what she had so far, and then asked for some more details.  She was very candid that this was all over her head, but I gave her a pile of words and…for the most part…she formatted my own words back into the press release.

After she completed her task, I submitted the press release to two other organizations for their approval and the red-lined everything.  However, the only real problem from the freelancer was the tendency to slip into some subjective language instead of staying objective.  Part of that was my fault for seeding her with subjective language, but I suppose one could argue that she should have known better.

All in all, this was another great experience.  I was pleased with the result and will likely use this service again.  Once the final press release has been approved for public release, I will link it up here.