Good platform for extra earnings if you know how to navigate the assignments!
Blackbear is great for earning extra on the side and could potentially be useful for expanding your network, if you pick the right assignments and clients. Starting is very easy, just create an account and start applying for assignments. Your earnings can be quite significant, if you are willing to put in thorough effort in writing several motivations to apply for multiple assignments (and complete them, of course).
There are some downsides, and I will note them below, though I want to stress that these do not outweigh the benefits too much and could potentially be solved in the future. The client awards your work 1-5 stars (based on how they rate the quality of your work), which directly correlate with your earnings. Though my experience overall has been really good, it can happen that a client withholds a star (or more) while you disagree with this evaluation. Blackbear does a decent job in mediating between the client and you though. In addition, a drought in the number of assignments you are able to work on (and thus how much you earn) can happen. Feedback on your written motivation is scarce, and the site does not mention clearly the deadline for applying, so it's possible the time you spent on drafting your motivation was wasted if you find the assignment has already been given to someone else. Finally, I find Blackbear less useful for learning new skills, as the feedback on delivered work is limited, and the system (maybe rightly so) is more aimed at putting skills you already have to work.
Overall though, it's really quite easy (in my experience) to start an assignment once in a while, and earn some extra cash while working on enjoyable assignments and interesting topics!
