Dribbble gets its cut

I have not used Dribbble in ages, but I got an email today advising me that I must remove all my contact details — like my social media handles and website — from my profile and any posted work, or Dribbble would do it for me beginning in April. I must say, it seems quite odd for a platform to look at the App Store and Apple’s resulting relationship with developers and see it as something to emulate. If the response I have seen elsewhere is any indication, this is going to go over about as well.

Dribbble is changing how it offers designers freelance jobs. I’ve been meaning to write on this for a while. Dribbble was instrumental for me early on in building a fractional design business. I’m incredibly grateful for the opportunities and connections I made as a result.

Ultimately this feels like Dribbble just wanting more, wanting to own more of the relationships, and thus the money.

Several years ago, when gigs were only $29 to post, the job board was a thriving palce for small businesses and designers. I could count on numerous fantastic leads each week, was able to hear back from quite a few, and typically had at least one call a week from meeting with someone on Dribbble, leading to fantastic freelance opportunities.

Then Dribbble changed its price and the marketplace crashed. It’s never recovered.

I’m grateful for it, but it’s a great reminder to never count on a single source for revenue.

Via Pixel Envy.