General Site Help
About Task Market
Microsoft Task Market
connects small businesses with skilled freelancers for marketing and
other document help such as graphic design, writing and editing, document translation,
and creating or enhancing presentations and spreadsheets. By focusing on tasks
accomplished using applications such as Microsoft Word, Excel, Power Point and Access,
Task Market makes it quicker and easier for
small businesses to get their task done.
Task Market is a "tech preview",
which means the site is in its infancy and still evolving.
If you have feedback or suggestions, we would love to hear what you have to say.
Send us an e-mail with your thoughts!
Microsoft Task Market Tech Preview does not charge to use
the site. Posting a task is free. Task Market also does not
charge freelancers who solve tasks; however, PayPal does charge a fee for transactions to their Business
Accounts. When you receive money through the Task Market
site, you may be subject to PayPal's fee. To learn more about PayPal's accounts and fees, please visit
our PayPal help section.
Registration Information
Creating an account on Task Market allows you to post tasks,
solve tasks, create a public profile, and subscribe to e-mail notifications to find out about
newly-posted tasks.
Registering
is free and easy, and requires signing into the site with a Live ID account.
You will also be asked to choose a username and supply an e-mail address to receive
task updates.
Optionally, you may supply a PayPal account e-mail address;
learn more about how we use this in our PayPal Accounts help section.
Your Profile
Each registered Task Market user can visit
their profile by clicking their username in the upper-right corner of the web site.
You are shown the private version of your profile, which contains information available only to you,
such as your site e-mail address and PayPal e-mail address.
You can change this information by clicking on the "Edit Profile" button.
A public version of your profile is also available. By editing your profile, you can also enter
a public description of yourself, highlight previous work experience, upload a photo/logo,
and add links to portfolios or other sites that you'd like to make available to the public.
This information is not verified by Task Market.
If you are a user, take some time out to fill out your own
profile.
This will help users learn more about you than your reputation alone can show.
Also included on the profile page is your complete reputation history on
Task Market. To learn more about how reputation
on Task Market works, see our
site help on reputation.
My tasks
Tasks that we believe are relevant to you are placed in your My Tasks tab.
They are separated into posted tasks, solved tasks, tasks you've expressed an interest in
(for example, by leaving a comment or requesting access), and a history of tasks you've either
opened or solved that are no longer active.
E-mail Updates
Task Market notifies you via e-mail when there has
been a significant change to one of your tasks or when there is an action required on your part,
for example, when someone is requesting permission to take your task, a solution to your task has
been uploaded, or the solution you submitted was accepted!
You can optionally subscribe to individual tags so that we can
notify you when a task has been posted that you might be interested in.
Reporting Content
If you feel that inappropriate words or subject matter, material that infringes upon copyright,
or malicious files have found their way to our site, let us know! We take abuse seriously,
and a link to "report this" is found on all task postings, uploaded solutions, comments, and user
profile pages. If you find a tag or piece of feedback that you feel is inappropriate, please
report it through the associated task or let us know at ptsrcjob@microsoft.com.
Posting Tasks
Types of Tasks
Do you need you a new logo for your web site? Seriously-sticky ad copy? Your company description
translated into Spanish? A thesis enhanced or your resume polished? Microsoft
Task Market is designed for these tasks and more.
We know that you're already busy and that you may not be an expert in everything.
Task Market is all about you getting the help you need,
when you need it. We're best for document-based tasks (those involving the exchange of documents)
and support tasks up to $500.
Posting a Task
In order to post a task, you must be a registered Microsoft
Task Market user.
Visit the Post Task link, located at the top of any
Task Market page, to create your new task.
Please also review our Code of Conduct for more information on posting tasks.
You will need to title your task. Constructing a strong (well-named) and descriptive title makes
it easier for others to find your task and quickly understand the scope of the work. Use the
description field to include more details, with as many specifics as you can think of.
The more information you convey, the less likely it is that there will be a misunderstanding.
You may upload as many as five files (up to 10MB) that you need help with or that illustrate
the type of solution you are looking for.
Specify a deadline for when the work needs to be completed by, from one hour to one month away.
Also state the price (in United States Dollars) that you are willing to pay for the work. If you
need help determining a reasonable price, please check out our pricing guidelines.
For security reasons, Task Market is currently limiting
tasks to $500. You are responsible for paying, via PayPal, for work done on the
Task Market site. For more information on creating a
PayPal account and how Task Market uses PayPal,
please visit our PayPal help section.
To make it easier for others to locate your task, choose the category that best describes the type
of work you are requesting. Then use tags to label your task so it is more
discoverable. Finally, decide if you want to restrict access to your
task (recommended). When you have filled everything out, click on the Submit button and...presto!
Your task has been posted.
Restricting Access
By default, the "Restrict access" box is checked when creating a new task, which means
Task Market keeps your task more private by
restricting who can view your task attachments and who can take your task. With this setting, potential
solvers will have to request permission before they can access your task posting. You will receive
an e-mail for each request and can choose to grant access or do nothing. Don't worry, if you
accidentally grant access to someone, you can always revoke it.
When access has been granted, the user will be able to view your task attachments and may choose
to take your task. However, granting someone permission does not guarantee that they will actually
take the task. Once someone does take the task, it will be closed to any other potential solvers.
If you are not concerned with the privacy of any attachments you have uploaded,
and are open to any user taking your task, you can uncheck the "Restrict access" box.
Editing Your Task
Once you have posted your task on the Task Market site,
you may edit it until someone has reserved the task. You should clarify your task description if a lot
of questions have been asked in the Comments section, or if there hasn't been much interest in your task.
Once someone has reserved your task, however, the only change you are allowed to make is to extend
the task's deadline. This is to protect the solver, who has agreed to do certain work for the
offered price. If you want to communicate with the solver, you can leave them a
Private Comment.
Terminating Your Task
If you decide that you no longer want to have your task listed on the
Task Market site, you can terminate it only if no
solver has reserved it. Terminating a task removes it from the list of open tasks on the site.
If you need to refer to the task at a future time, you can find it under your Posted Tasks History on
the My Tasks tab. However, all attachments will be removed.
Task Updates
Task Market will send you e-mail notifications when
there has been a significant change to your task or when action is required on your part.
These instances include when a task is originally posted, if a comment is made, when someone has
requested access, when your task has been reserved, and when solutions are available for your review.
The goal of these notifications is to keep you informed. You can also visit the
Task Market site at any time for status. If you are not
receiving these e-mails, please check your junk e-mail and e-mail filter settings.
Public Comments and Replies
Other Task Market users can add public comments to your
task before it has been reserved. These appear at the bottom of the task listing page under
"Comments History". You can choose to reply to these comments if you would like the user who left
the comment to be notified of your response. You can also leave your own comments.
Private Comments and Replies
Once a solver has reserved a task, the comments on that task become private and are only visible to the
poster and the solver. This is a good way to ask any questions that might arise while solving the task,
as well as to stay in sync on status. These comments never become public.
Reviewing Solutions
You will be notified to review any proposed solutions that the solver has uploaded to your task.
You can choose to accept the submission, or you can decline it. If you accept the submission,
the next page will guide you through the process of paying the solver using
PayPal. You should carefully review the submission before making a decision.
If you decline the submission, you need to specify a reason. In your explanation, try to include
suggestions for improvement so that the solver can revise the submission to your liking.
The solver can continue to revise and upload solutions until the task deadline. You can also choose
to extend the deadline to give the solver more time, however this is usually best done working with
the solver before the deadline expires.
Making Payment
Task Market uses PayPal to facilitate all payments.
For more information on how this process works, please see the PayPal help section.
Pricing Guidelines
If you're interested in learning more about how to price your task, please visit our
Pricing Guidelines page.
Finding and Solving Tasks
Finding Tasks
Microsoft Task Market makes it easy for you to find tasks.
You can view the newest posted tasks on our homepage and visit the Find Tasks
page to search for tasks by keyword or browse by category. Keyword searches are performed only on
open tasks by default. If you wish to search reserved and closed tasks, you may select the "All tasks"
option below the search box before performing your search.
You can also subscribe to e-mail tag notifications, and let tasks come
to you! When you subscribe to a tag, you are sent an e-mail every time a new task is posted with that
tag. You can create tag subscriptions and update or delete existing ones on your My Tasks page.
Requesting Access
By default, tasks are set to "restrict access". This means that in order to see any attachments
or reserve the task, you must first obtain permission from the poster. Requesting access doesn't mean
that you are required to take the task and complete it; it just signifies that you are interested
in learning more and would like permission to do so.
When you request access, the task poster is notified via e-mail of your request. If you are granted
permission, you will also be notified via e-mail. You can then view any attachments and/or reserve
the task. You must keep all attachments confidential, even if you do not take the task.
Not all tasks require permission. In task lists, those tasks with the padlock icon
 under the "Access"
column require permission, while the ones without the icon do not.
Taking a Task
You reserve a task by clicking on the "Take this Task" button. Reserving a task means you have committed
to completing it, and it requires that you have a PayPal Business Account so that you can be paid if
your solution is accepted. Please review our Code of Conduct for further
guidelines.
If you do not have a verified PayPal Business Account,
Task Market will require you to create one before you
will be allowed to take any tasks. You can learn more about PayPal accounts and how
Task Market works with PayPal in the
PayPal help section.
Public Comments and Replies
If you have a question or need clarification on a task, you can leave a comment. On each task listing page,
there is a section at the bottom entitled "Comments History," where any registered user can leave a new
comment or reply to an existing comment which notifies the user you are replying to about your response.
This is a good way to make sure you understand the full task requirements before taking a task.
Private Comments and Replies
Once a solver has reserved a task, the comments become private, only visible to the poster and the solver.
This is a good way to ask any questions that might arise while solving the task, as well as to stay in
sync on status. These comments will never become public.
Uploading Solutions
You can upload a proposed solution to the task you have reserved via the task listing page. For each
solution you submit, please include a description and up to five 10MB files. By uploading a solution,
you vouch that you own the work being submitted.
The task poster will be notified of your submission. You will receive an e-mail update when the
submission has been reviewed. The poster can choose to accept it and pay you, or can decline it and
send it back to you for revision, provided the deadline has not passed.
Getting Paid
Task Market requires that you have a valid PayPal Business
Account in order to receive payment. To learn more about why we need this account and how payment works,
please visit the PayPal help section.
When the poster has accepted your solution, they will be directed to pay you via the PayPal web site.
After the poster has logged in to their PayPal account and authorized payment, PayPal will move the
funds directly into your account. You will be notified of the payment via e-mail.
If you have questions regarding the payment, please visit
PayPal's support center. You can also post a comment on the task listing page to contact the poster
with any questions or concerns you have for them. Task Market
does not guarantee payment.
Tags
How to tag your task
Including tags is one of the best ways to make your task visible: it increases the chance your task will
be found in a search of tasks on the site and, more importantly, will be sent via e-mail to users who
have subscribed to the tags you've included.
Typical tags are keywords about your task. For example, if you want your resume reviewed for style and
substance, you might include the word "resume" in the list of tags for your task.
Tag e-mail alert subscriptions
Subscribing to tag e-mail alerts is a great way to be proactively notified when tasks that interest you
are posted. When you subscribe to a tag, you are sent an e-mail every time a new task is posted with that
tag. You can create subscriptions and update or delete existing ones on
your My Tasks page.
Reputation
How Reputation Works
Every Task Market user has a reputation based on the star
rating and comments that other Task Market users leave
after working with that person. A quick snapshot of this reputation, comprised of the average ratings,
is available by hovering over any user's name. You can also visit the user's profile page (by clicking
on their name) to see the user's complete reputation history.
Reputation is one of many factors you should consider when choosing who to grant access to. A high star
average is generally a good sign, but we encourage you to review the actual feedback left by other users
before making a final decision.
We also encourage you to leave feedback after every transaction you participate in, so that the
community can benefit from your experience. Although you can only leave a star rating for another user
once (your last rating will be the only one that counts), you can continue to leave comments for the
rest of the Task Market community to view.
Star Rating
Our star rating system gives you a total of five stars to rate a user with: 1 star is the poorest rating
you can leave, while a rating of 5 stars is the best. We encourage you to work with the other
Task Market user before you leave a negative rating in
order to avoid simple misunderstandings that might be easily resolved.
Comments and responses
Task Market gives you the opportunity to leave a comment
after your experience with someone. This is your chance to use your own words to describe your valuation
of the other user. We ask that anything you write abide by our
Terms of Use so that it is
appropriate for the site.
Once you have submitted a comment, it cannot be edited or deleted. Please think carefully about what
you are writing!
If someone has left a comment about you, you may respond to that comment. Similar to comments,
you can only respond once and responses are permanent.
Using your PayPal account on
Task Market
Microsoft
Task Market and PayPal
Task Market uses PayPal to provide payment services on
the Task Market web site. This means that in order for
the task poster to pay the solver after the task has been completed, both users must have PayPal accounts.
PayPal will handle the exchange of funds. All tasks are transacted in US Dollars.
PayPal offers a few different types of accounts.
What happens if I don't have a PayPal account?
PayPal provides all payment services on the Task Market
web site. In order to post and solve tasks, you will need to create a PayPal account. Once you've create
an account with PayPal, fill in the e-mail address you registered the PayPal account with on your
Task Market profile page.
Verifying your PayPal Business Account
If you try to take a task without registering a PayPal Business account with us, we will guide you
through a series of steps to validate your account. This ensures that you can be paid for tasks you
solve.
This process involves visiting the PayPal site to verify you have a PayPal Business Account, and
agreeing to allow payments through the Task Market site.
The first time you try to take a task on the Task Market
site, we will guide you through this process. You can also visit your
profile page to fill in the e-mail address you created your PayPal account
with and to validate the account. This will only need to be done once.
In order to verify your account, Task Market will pop up
a new window with the PayPal site. Please log on, where PayPal will ask you if you approve of payments
via the Task Market site. When you have granted
Task Market approval, please return to the
Task Market window. We will verify with PayPal that the
account is a Business Account and that you have granted
Task Market permission. This ensures you can be paid for
tasks you solve.
Completing the verification of your PayPal account
When you are done with the PayPal verification process, PayPal may direct you back to the Task Market
site. In order to complete verification, please return to the original Task Market window and click on
the "Finished" button. This will ensure that Task Market can complete the verification process.
Questions about Payment
If you have a question or concern about payment, please contact PayPal directly. The PayPal Help Center
has information on ways to contact PayPal:
https://www.paypal.com/us/cgi-bin/helpscr?cmd=_help&t=escalateTab
Questions about your PayPal account
If you have a question or concern about your PayPal account, please contact PayPal directly. The PayPal
Help Center has information on ways to contact PayPal:
https://www.paypal.com/us/cgi-bin/helpscr?cmd=_help&t=escalateTab
Using a different PayPal account on Task Market
If you find that you would like to edit or remove your PayPal account e-mail address, please visit your
profile page. Please note that if you edit the account e-mail address, you
may need to go through the verification process again for the new e-mail
address. This is only needed once per account.
Making Payment
After you have accepted a solution to your task, Task Market
will instruct you on how to make payment to the solver. This involves logging into PayPal so that you
can authorize payment. Once you have approved the transfer of money to the solver, you will be returned
to the Task Market site, where you can print or save a
receipt for your records. You should always keep a copy of your receipt for historical and tax purposes.
Receiving money
If your solution for a task has been accepted, the task poster will be instructed to make payment to your
PayPal Business account. While the Task Market site is
currently not charging a fee for solving tasks, please be aware that PayPal may charge their own fees.
For more information on PayPal accounts and any potential fees, please visit the PayPal web site at
www.paypal.com
You are paid by the task poster, not by Microsoft Task Market.
If you have questions or concerns about payment, please contact the task poster. One way to do this is
to leave a private comment on the task listing page. You can also contact PayPal about any payment
concerns from their
support center.
Tax implications
The tasks you post or the work you do may cause potential tax implications for you. It is your
responsibility to contact a tax advisor if you have questions about how your participation on
Task Market might affect you. Microsoft
Task Market is not responsible or liable for any tax
obligations.
Known Issues
To see a list of known issues with the Task Market site, please visit our
Known Issues page.
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