Will the REAL ‘Largest Workplace’ Please Stand Up?!

Did you know that Elance, oDesk, Guru, and Freelancer, four of the most popular online outsourcing services, hold the esteemed title of “The World’s Biggest and Largest”?

They do…

According to the world of PR, Elance and oDesk and Guru and Freelancer are “the world’s biggest [fill-in-the-blank] on the Internet between 2010 and 2011.

What’s more is that they’re the world’s largest [fill-in-the-blank], individually:

• Elance is “the world’s biggest employment resource on the Internet.”
• oDesk is “the largest and fastest-growing online workplace.”
• Guru is “the world’s largest online services marketplace.” And,
• Freelancer is “the world’s largest outsourcing marketplace ” too.

See for yourself…

The Four #1′s

Elance

Elance calls itself the leading platform for online work in a November 2011 press release (https://www.elance.com/q/node/572). It’s home to over 500,000 contractors, and its ranked #349 in the world according to three-month Alexa traffic data.

oDesk

oDesk calls itself the largest and fastest-growing online workplace in a November 2011 press release (http://www.marketwire.com/press-release/odesk-to-provide-online-work-training-through-connect-to-compete-1584736.htm). It’s home to over 1.4 million contractors, and it’s ranked #458 in the world (according to Alexa traffic data).

Guru

Guru calls itself the world’s largest online services marketplace in a January 2010 press release (http://answers.guru.com/About-Guru/Press-Room/Press-Releases/All-Releases/Guru-Answers-Helps-Plan-Outsourcing-Projects.aspx). It’s home to over 250,000+ contractors, and it’s ranked #2,595 in the world (according to Alexa traffic data).

Freelancer

Freelancer calls itself the world’s largest outsourcing marketplace in an August, 2011 press release (http://press.freelancer.com.s3.amazonaws.com/2011-09-06-Freelancer.co.uk-opens-office-in-UK-appoints-Saif-Bonar.pdf). It’s home to over 2,939,569 contractors, and it’s ranked #348  in the world (according to Alexa traffic data).

It’s A World Record

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Never before in history have multiple entities ever jointly owned a sole, “biggest” or “largest” status, so consider yourself lucky to have witnessed this fantastical event. But do note that this historical account excludes the likes of The Four Tops and 4-1-1. Those two entities broke first place barriers because of their name. The companies above break barriers because of their numbers. Well, that and something called, “magic math.”

You might not have heard about magic math before because it’s usually applied to venture capital investment ploys. And unless you’re intentionally trying to start the next economic meltdown, you won’t encounter magic math at all. Magic math is a science that contradicts the logic of quantity, yet yields a value that’s consistent with extraordinary results — typically in the favor of the mathematical magician. It’s one of the most highly regarded math sciences, privy to those with a Hogwarts type of education.

Magic Math In Use

Below is a device you can use to play with some of the numbers quoted above. As you move them about, you’ll see that no matter where they’re placed, the four online outsourcing services above retain their #1 spot. It’s amazing. Because it’s magic math.