OK, just a few minutes after posting my unflattering portrayal of outsourcing auction sites, I came across Elance Online, which goes by the tagline, "Everyday outsourcing." It appears to be a US version of eLancer. The site is fairly sophisticated. You can specify which country you'd like to choose a provider for. The search engine works smoothly. You can see how much money a particular firm has earned through its listing in the auction. Portfolio links are available. The English still sucks in the listings, but the overall Web experience appears to be a cut above the auction sites I referenced in my earlier entry.
Since one has to subscribe as a "Provider" to gain access to complete project descriptions, I can't report on that aspect of the site. In fact, those who list projects appear to have to pay for the privilege; that probably discourages some of the more nefarious operators.
Would appreciate hearing from anybody who has experience with Elance.
