Charles A.

I opened a gmail account when it was still an "invitation only" service.

It's been very reliable for me. The best part is the spam filtering. I also have a yahoo account, which apparently has no spam filter at all. It is now so overloaded with crap that I never even check it.

I am a technical writer with 20 years experience with some blue chip companies. When I wanted to pull away from the corporate world, I opened an account with Upwork, and began submitting proposals for gigs I was highly qualified to complete successfully.

For some reason, I never received a response from the companies that placed the RFQs. It turns out that Upwork has a filter that favors some freelancers, at the expense of others. The criteria is obscure, and seems totally illogical.

They did send a few recommendations to me, but they were jobs outside my area of expertise. I mean way outside -- one was in Spanish.

The experience was a total waste of time. Stay away.

Charles Arnold
Happypathcommunications.com