Topic: Freelance job opportunity

Ka-ching!
Hope this is not an inappropriate question for this group.

I need to find someone to do a web site for an insurance agent -
he also wants some "seminar" type pages linking off of the "main"
site...

anyone want to tackle it?
This is strictly a "one-off" type deal... spare cash in someone's pocket.
Hope I don't get flamed for posting this, but if anyone's interested, drop me
an email - I would do it, but I just don't have the time.

I don't know much more particulars about it - but I'm just supposed to
collect names for the guy. Anyone game for further talks? If so,
drop me an email at kevin@kevincar.net.

C-ya

No reason to offend at all, you're sub-contracting. Sounds legitimate to me

Of course it all depends on the validity of the client, and the scope of the project. RFPs are always nice, since just asking for resumes might net you a WHOOOOOOOOOOOLE lot of shitty "designers" that figure they can do it with eye candy and dreamweavah.







ICQ:# 10237808

incidentally ... who here has got a webdesign company? one that employs other designers to do the bulk of the maintenance work, etc ...?

i'd like to talk shop, por favor ... at least from the business end of it all ..

SUN
//maybe i should've done this as a new post ...//

Define "company."

Sure, I've got a business name that I contract out on, and I have compatriots across the globe that I subcontract to...but does that make me a company? Who knows?!

Pie for everyone.

if you've got limited liabilities and can file tax deductions on just about everything, then i'd say you're a happy company.

i'm looking at building an online adjunct to the tiny publishing house that i've got - you know the whole interactive community thing that may require a few web-maintainers (that's a word cause i say it is) and possibly contracted designers for online ads, etc. maybe i'm asking the wrong crowd, but i'm trying to decide whether or not to contract an outside crew for the whole thing or create a whole other web-design business to add to the notches in my belt or however that metaphor is supposed to go ...

or maybe contract Doc & Co to do the initial design work and leave the maintenance for some less experienced web addicts hanging out around here ...

also in the web-design business scenario, i was wondering how (well) you all mix business with your passion for art. i'm a doodler and a musician, but if i brought that into the business, i'd not get much business done at all ...

uummm ... feel free to move this question into another post if you like.

SUN
//sorry kevincar //

On a freelance basis, I can provide an affordable site with a quality design. If you need something more involved and legal, then you can hire my company Times New Media. It will be more expensive if you take the latter route.

Click my sig to learn more.

I was trying to think of how we could build something like this, not a super big "freelancers" for hire site with tens of thousands, but a way to let the inmates solicit work from each other if need be. It would have to be somewhat low-key, not to offend anyone, but we've got a natural opportunity here to get work for each other, methinks. Tasteful ideas/suggestions on how I could pull this off without mucking up our little community would be a cool thing. Hey DG! Tough break, losing the bet and getting stuck with Nielson, heh. *I* certainly wouldn't have been happy about that project, I fucking *hate* his site, it makes me crazy. "Web guru" my ass.

Your pal, -doc-

I think perhaps you could allow "available freelancers" to modify their profile a bit. They could show up in a separate members list that would include a breif description of skills, a link to a portfolio, and hourly rates. Those seeking work could just contact those that they were interested in. I think it would be important to organize this list randomly, though.

i read once about some guy who hit paydirt with an online jobsearch site for the accounting/finance industry. apparently his strength was niche marketing ..

hmmmm...

SUN
//Doc, let me know if i'll need to quit MY job and come work for you//

quote:

---

I fucking *hate* his site, it makes me crazy. "Web guru" my ass.

---

LOL.. I don't know the history, but must be somethig hard, since I've never seen the Doc like this.... hahaha


BTW, I think (And you know Doc that I'm very interested in this project) but I think that like this is Ok, you know? here is the forum about careers, and post like that should be posted here. But, but, making another category to this kind of stuff, woa, dunno. It has to be very well keeped to avoid the lot of problems that can bring...

Doc: Expanding on Metahedron's idea you could allow people list their skills with a link to their portfolio and they could tick an available for work box. This forum could then also be used for people soliciting for freelancers. I think the where-with-all is all here and it wouldn't take much fixing.

OR: You could set up a freelancing Inmates section elsewhere - like Ozoniclabs or (better) the Gurus Network (Guru for hire) it would be much better if it could be searched unde various categories and a PHP/MySQL DB would allow the required flexibility.

OR: People sign up at one of the many freelance directories and direct interested parties there.

OR: Must go to bed (the keyboard is starting to move - or I am).

Emps

I really like the idea, but I've seen the same concept turn into a mess on other boards. A "jobs" forum turns into a one-time poster area where there's lots of "Freelance designer seeking work" type posts. I'm sure we can think of a way to avoid this, just thought i'd mention the observation.

chris


KAIROSinteractive

Yah, I'm thinking it should be pople who are *us*, certified (good term for that, heh) members of either the Asylum or the GN. I'm still sitting on the domain for the GN's sister site, GurusWorkshop.com, maybe that could be the place? (Maybe I should have done it the other way around, ah well.) I do want to avoid creating any sort of free-for-all "gimma a job" boards, the internet has way too many of those already. Still, someplace where those of us available for work could let that be known, and if outside people want to come in and solicit our talent pool, well good for us! Might be worthwhile to allow outsiders to post "freelancer wanted" requests, (can anyone say RFP? =) I'll have to think on this, I've got too many projects cooking right now as is, and this one requires some careful thoughts and planning.

Your pal, -doc-

I think this has to be kept personal.

There could be nothing worse, than the flames possible by waving money in the faces of people.

Doing this by email. Would work. Maybe only go so far as to place an availability option on the profile.

Feed My Insanity
-and-
50 feet deep in it

This would keep it off the board hopefully, and away from potensial flame wars.

Money is one way to muck everything up.

I'd have to agree with Mage and Fig there.

Perhaps a checkbox to participate in the profile area, then if you participate in the "for hire" pool you'd be required to post a page with some of your design examples. Then you could have a "button" next to the "post new" (or wherever, prominence to be determined) to display everyone, with a link to their page, that has checked the box in their profile. Then if you get booked up, or want out or whatever, you could uncheck the box in your profile...

Jason

More thinking... as I agree this project requires careful planning. No big rush.

What would be of significant value would be creating new teams of developers that have never worked together before. It would be great if someone wandered into the GurusWorkshop (or whatever) with a need for a site design that required

1. Html/layout/graphics
2. 5 different banners for promotion
3. A php engine

She then selects three (+ three backup) different individuals based on their hourly rate/skills/design style that she likes.

These three freelancers, who have never worked together before are then contacted about the job. They meet online and are all prepared for the GurusWorkshop methodology for freelance collaboration. They enter a private forum, exchange private contact information, and begin their work.

With products like Adobe DesignTeam and programming techniques like CVS, it's clear that it helps to be organized and standardized as a developers group. However, I think it's possible to use the net to accomplish this, as long as everyone has RTFM on the process methodology of the proposed collaboration.

First off, I need to look stupid and ask?.

What does RFP stand for??

Ok now that?s out of the way, here?s my 2.3c?

I like the ideas so far but I'm not too sure about integrating it into ~this~ board. Making a different web site from it just feels like a better idea to me. We do have some clashing egos and elitist attitudes here and I wouldn't like to see anything hinder what makes this place special. Trying to hide this away from the rest of the board just doesn't make sense to me. Why not just put it elsewhere then we can develop a site to suit the changing needs of such a service and people network combination.

Another idea could be to set it up so that a small amount of the profits (1 or 2 %) from each job gets skimmed off the top and goes towards the hosting bills and bettering the services of the big three (Asylum, Gurus and this site).... This would also help the sites maintain close relationships and encourage people to work together to better the community on a whole. Again, just another idea to throw into the pot.

Oh, one other concern I have. Warez. We know people here use warez copies of apps but we can't really police something like this. I'm not sure how to go about assuring potential clients that all software used will be legit. Maybe we could also devote a small amount of the site to these issues and how potential members can work around them. Offering alternative apps to use, like Gimp and Max's HTML Beauty ++ instead of the common Photoshop & Dreamweaver combo that seems to be popular nowadays. Which in turn could see some more tuts for the GN with the associated apps.

However, making another whole site out of something like this would require a lot of work and a lot of planning. Trying to find the right balance of services and content to offer so that the site fulfills the need we have identified yet still co-exists with the Asylum and GN would be hard. So, maybe we could just start small and tack some of these ideas on one of the existing websites and build up to it so to speak.

Again, just some of the thoughts I had running through my head...

All in all. I think the need we have identified could be serviced quite well. I'm willing to help out where possible if we decide to run with it.

Drac.

Yeppers, I'm agreeing with you, Drac. Wrapping even more into the forum could cause problems, of several unforseen (and forseeable!) repercussions that we probably wouldn't like. AND, as has been pointed out, this is not a small job of work, no indeed! I do picture more "spin-offs" coming from this site, the GurusNetwork was the first, and it wasn't easy for me to let it go at first, too tempting to maintain control, which would have just turned it into a clone of this place, not the best for me, you, or the web community as a whole. I see several possible new sites we could spin off to, but which ones, when and how? I'm understandably a bit hesitant to start *another* big involved site, when I haven't even finished the new front page to my own site yet! (Yah, I been working.)

Perhaps, as a service to our members we could try something like this in a more modest way, maybe nothing more than providing a list of those folks willing to work freelance, and links to their sites? Once we find out how many folks would actually be interested in this, we could then start seeing who's the most passionate about the project and form a team to put it all together. But! We don't need to change the world overnight. =) Ilike the feedback on this, and was thinking of maybe trolling through the existing threads we have that address spin-offs and enhancements we might like to do, and gather them up into the Mad Scientists Lab? (The threads there last longer, in calendar time. High traffic forums get purged most often. I can't remember purging the labs section!) It'd be nice to look through some of the ideas that come up, and easier to judge which ones we might like to invest our time and passions in.

Your pal, -doc-

That's a dam fine Idea Doc. After all, isn't that what the Mad Scientists Lab is ment for. Should also help get the ball rolling.

RFP ??? Real Fragile People ???

Hehe, Request For Proposal

chris


KAIROSinteractive