I've been looking for some part-time freelance income. Has anyone has ever used these contests to supplement income, or to make valuable contacts? I've partici

I've been looking for some part-time freelance income. Has anyone has ever used these contests to supplement income, or to make valuable contacts? I've participated in TopCoder a couple times a while back, but didn't see much benefit in practicing up to become competitive. This article indicates that it may be different now. Is that true? Specifically, the prizes awarded were not sufficient to compensate for the time investment required. Even bidding $10/hr for rent-a-coder gigs typically have a higher return on investment.