How do I find reliable web dev companies? [modified]
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In my marketing consultation work it's not unusual to speak with small or startup businesses who don't yet have a web site (or need the one they have pretty much scrapped and rewritten so that it actually accomplishes something). From a business perspective these needs are often quite simple, frequently just a handful of pages like home, products/services, about us and contact. These days it seems like everyone and their kid sister is a web developer, and there are tons of companies who are based in the U.S. (my point being that currency conversion is not the reason for the pricing) who routinely do such simple sites for around $500 - $1000. I have zero desire to get into this business. What I would prefer is to build a relationship with a couple of solid, ethical, dependable web dev firms so that I can sit with my clients, determine their business needs, and then put them together with one of these companies. Don't want a cut of the money, just want my clients taken care of reliably. In my quest to make life easy for my clients, I also put my own reputation on the line. If I tell them, "You need x,y and z, call my friends at This Company and they'll take care of you for a price that's in your budget," then I'll be held accountable by the client for the experience they have with the developers. And shocking as it may be to you, a very large percentage of professed web dev companies are flaky as hell. Some of the most common complaints are that they don't deliver in a timely manner, don't return phone calls, too many passes to get it right, more interested in evangalizing their favorite technologies / toys than serving the customer, etc. Not the kind of people I want tied to my company's reputation. That said, when looking for companies to refer, I have no idea how to do the weeding. About all I know is that I don't want to work with devs who have a full time job and do this on the side, as it simply provides too many opportunities for reliability problems. I also want to work with companies in the U.S. just to keep communication as simple as possible. Beyond that, no clue. Of course, I could ask for references, but what kind of idiot would give me references who wouldn't speak in glowing terms? What criteria would you use to find the solid, dependable companies amidst a standing room only crowd of amateurs, flakes and even the occasional disreputable creature? I pride myself on knowing when to say "I don't know," and this is certainly one of those times.
Christop
Personally, I'd look at their work checking out how it looks, as well as checking the source and see if they actually thought things through or just slapped a bunch of scripts together as the minimum.
I can imagine the sinking feeling one would have after ordering my book, only to find a laughably ridiculous theory with demented logic once the book arrives - Mark McCutcheon
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Rentacoder ? Seriously, why not advertise on the CP jobs board, and ask people to provide examples of their work ?
Christian Graus Driven to the arms of OSX by Vista. Read my blog to find out how I've worked around bugs in Microsoft tools and frameworks.
While I appreciate the sentiment, both of your suggestions offer zero in the way of avoiding the flaky, undependable coders posing as companies. And I don't want to be in the middle of the process in any way, shape or form. I simply want reliable businesspeople I can feed business to, knowing that they won't screw over my clients.
Christopher Duncan
www.PracticalUSA.com
Author of The Career Programmer and Unite the Tribes
Copywriting Services -
In my marketing consultation work it's not unusual to speak with small or startup businesses who don't yet have a web site (or need the one they have pretty much scrapped and rewritten so that it actually accomplishes something). From a business perspective these needs are often quite simple, frequently just a handful of pages like home, products/services, about us and contact. These days it seems like everyone and their kid sister is a web developer, and there are tons of companies who are based in the U.S. (my point being that currency conversion is not the reason for the pricing) who routinely do such simple sites for around $500 - $1000. I have zero desire to get into this business. What I would prefer is to build a relationship with a couple of solid, ethical, dependable web dev firms so that I can sit with my clients, determine their business needs, and then put them together with one of these companies. Don't want a cut of the money, just want my clients taken care of reliably. In my quest to make life easy for my clients, I also put my own reputation on the line. If I tell them, "You need x,y and z, call my friends at This Company and they'll take care of you for a price that's in your budget," then I'll be held accountable by the client for the experience they have with the developers. And shocking as it may be to you, a very large percentage of professed web dev companies are flaky as hell. Some of the most common complaints are that they don't deliver in a timely manner, don't return phone calls, too many passes to get it right, more interested in evangalizing their favorite technologies / toys than serving the customer, etc. Not the kind of people I want tied to my company's reputation. That said, when looking for companies to refer, I have no idea how to do the weeding. About all I know is that I don't want to work with devs who have a full time job and do this on the side, as it simply provides too many opportunities for reliability problems. I also want to work with companies in the U.S. just to keep communication as simple as possible. Beyond that, no clue. Of course, I could ask for references, but what kind of idiot would give me references who wouldn't speak in glowing terms? What criteria would you use to find the solid, dependable companies amidst a standing room only crowd of amateurs, flakes and even the occasional disreputable creature? I pride myself on knowing when to say "I don't know," and this is certainly one of those times.
Christop
I know of this Maunder geezer that dabbles in that area. Somebody told me he was employed full time but I can't believe that, given that he's colour blind.
Henry Minute Do not read medical books! You could die of a misprint. - Mark Twain Girl: (staring) "Why do you need an icy cucumber?" “I want to report a fraud. The government is lying to us all.”
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I would contact an IT head-hunter company that can arrange for a qualified pro to come in and do the work.
.45 ACP - because shooting twice is just silly
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"Why don't you tie a kerosene-soaked rag around your ankles so the ants won't climb up and eat your candy ass..." - Dale Earnhardt, 1997
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"The staggering layers of obscenity in your statement make it a work of art on so many levels." - J. Jystad, 2001For these little $500 / $1000 "billboard" sites, hiring programmers would be massive overkill in terms of both cost and firepower. All that's needed is a web designer, and in particular a company who has tuned themselves to be able to profitably kick out small sites quickly and cheaply. I know there's a ton of them out there, I just don't know how to determine who the flakes are versus the dependable companies.
Christopher Duncan
www.PracticalUSA.com
Author of The Career Programmer and Unite the Tribes
Copywriting Services -
I know of this Maunder geezer that dabbles in that area. Somebody told me he was employed full time but I can't believe that, given that he's colour blind.
Henry Minute Do not read medical books! You could die of a misprint. - Mark Twain Girl: (staring) "Why do you need an icy cucumber?" “I want to report a fraud. The government is lying to us all.”
Yeah, but I can't base my business on a guy who might zip off to the Alps for a biking adventure at the drop of a hat. :)
Christopher Duncan
www.PracticalUSA.com
Author of The Career Programmer and Unite the Tribes
Copywriting Services -
In my marketing consultation work it's not unusual to speak with small or startup businesses who don't yet have a web site (or need the one they have pretty much scrapped and rewritten so that it actually accomplishes something). From a business perspective these needs are often quite simple, frequently just a handful of pages like home, products/services, about us and contact. These days it seems like everyone and their kid sister is a web developer, and there are tons of companies who are based in the U.S. (my point being that currency conversion is not the reason for the pricing) who routinely do such simple sites for around $500 - $1000. I have zero desire to get into this business. What I would prefer is to build a relationship with a couple of solid, ethical, dependable web dev firms so that I can sit with my clients, determine their business needs, and then put them together with one of these companies. Don't want a cut of the money, just want my clients taken care of reliably. In my quest to make life easy for my clients, I also put my own reputation on the line. If I tell them, "You need x,y and z, call my friends at This Company and they'll take care of you for a price that's in your budget," then I'll be held accountable by the client for the experience they have with the developers. And shocking as it may be to you, a very large percentage of professed web dev companies are flaky as hell. Some of the most common complaints are that they don't deliver in a timely manner, don't return phone calls, too many passes to get it right, more interested in evangalizing their favorite technologies / toys than serving the customer, etc. Not the kind of people I want tied to my company's reputation. That said, when looking for companies to refer, I have no idea how to do the weeding. About all I know is that I don't want to work with devs who have a full time job and do this on the side, as it simply provides too many opportunities for reliability problems. I also want to work with companies in the U.S. just to keep communication as simple as possible. Beyond that, no clue. Of course, I could ask for references, but what kind of idiot would give me references who wouldn't speak in glowing terms? What criteria would you use to find the solid, dependable companies amidst a standing room only crowd of amateurs, flakes and even the occasional disreputable creature? I pride myself on knowing when to say "I don't know," and this is certainly one of those times.
Christop
You can start with this list: http://sortfolio.com/atlanta/3000-under[^] If you are not limited to Atlanta, you can use: http://sortfolio.com/[^]
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I would have thought that there are many people here who would be happy to take on such tasks for the right 'consideration'. Use them a few times and if they are reliable then you have a relationship. May as well make use of the resources you have at your fingertips.
------------------------------------ I will never again mention that I was the poster of the One Millionth Lounge Post, nor that it was complete drivel. Dalek Dave
Dalek Dave wrote:
Use them a few times and if they are reliable then you have a relationship.
I don't really feel like playing Russian Roulette with my paying clients. :)
Christopher Duncan
www.PracticalUSA.com
Author of The Career Programmer and Unite the Tribes
Copywriting Services -
Yeah, but I can't base my business on a guy who might zip off to the Alps for a biking adventure at the drop of a hat. :)
Christopher Duncan
www.PracticalUSA.com
Author of The Career Programmer and Unite the Tribes
Copywriting ServicesChristopher Duncan wrote:
zip off to the Alps for a biking adventure
Euphemism?
------------------------------------ I will never again mention that I was the poster of the One Millionth Lounge Post, nor that it was complete drivel. Dalek Dave
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Personally, I'd look at their work checking out how it looks, as well as checking the source and see if they actually thought things through or just slapped a bunch of scripts together as the minimum.
I can imagine the sinking feeling one would have after ordering my book, only to find a laughably ridiculous theory with demented logic once the book arrives - Mark McCutcheon
Actually, it's not that hard to find people who can kick out decent looking sites. The problem is business practices and reliability, which I can't tell by looking at the code.
Christopher Duncan
www.PracticalUSA.com
Author of The Career Programmer and Unite the Tribes
Copywriting Services -
While I appreciate the sentiment, both of your suggestions offer zero in the way of avoiding the flaky, undependable coders posing as companies. And I don't want to be in the middle of the process in any way, shape or form. I simply want reliable businesspeople I can feed business to, knowing that they won't screw over my clients.
Christopher Duncan
www.PracticalUSA.com
Author of The Career Programmer and Unite the Tribes
Copywriting Services*grin* Rentacoder was not a real suggestion. I can't see any way you can grab people without first looking into their work, and know they are dependable. I am sure that rentacoder is the best way to find people who are not.
Christian Graus Driven to the arms of OSX by Vista. Read my blog to find out how I've worked around bugs in Microsoft tools and frameworks.
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Actually, it's not that hard to find people who can kick out decent looking sites. The problem is business practices and reliability, which I can't tell by looking at the code.
Christopher Duncan
www.PracticalUSA.com
Author of The Career Programmer and Unite the Tribes
Copywriting ServicesYeah, that's a tough one. The same with any independent tradesman then, word of mouth.
I can imagine the sinking feeling one would have after ordering my book, only to find a laughably ridiculous theory with demented logic once the book arrives - Mark McCutcheon
-
You can start with this list: http://sortfolio.com/atlanta/3000-under[^] If you are not limited to Atlanta, you can use: http://sortfolio.com/[^]
Thanks for the list. Given something like that as a resource, how do you separate the reliable pros from the flakes without a trial and error process that could screw some of your clients?
Christopher Duncan
www.PracticalUSA.com
Author of The Career Programmer and Unite the Tribes
Copywriting Services -
I know of this Maunder geezer that dabbles in that area. Somebody told me he was employed full time but I can't believe that, given that he's colour blind.
Henry Minute Do not read medical books! You could die of a misprint. - Mark Twain Girl: (staring) "Why do you need an icy cucumber?" “I want to report a fraud. The government is lying to us all.”
Plus he's an Aussie, and I've heard vicious rumors that all they do is sit around all day and bitch about Telstra...
¡El diablo está en mis pantalones! ¡Mire, mire! SELECT * FROM User WHERE Clue > 0 0 rows returned Save an Orange - Use the VCF! Personal 3D projects Just Say No to Web 2 Point Blow
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*grin* Rentacoder was not a real suggestion. I can't see any way you can grab people without first looking into their work, and know they are dependable. I am sure that rentacoder is the best way to find people who are not.
Christian Graus Driven to the arms of OSX by Vista. Read my blog to find out how I've worked around bugs in Microsoft tools and frameworks.
Ah, the algorithm is beginning to come together - if company not found on rentacoder... :)
Christopher Duncan
www.PracticalUSA.com
Author of The Career Programmer and Unite the Tribes
Copywriting Services -
Plus he's an Aussie, and I've heard vicious rumors that all they do is sit around all day and bitch about Telstra...
¡El diablo está en mis pantalones! ¡Mire, mire! SELECT * FROM User WHERE Clue > 0 0 rows returned Save an Orange - Use the VCF! Personal 3D projects Just Say No to Web 2 Point Blow
:laugh:
Christopher Duncan
www.PracticalUSA.com
Author of The Career Programmer and Unite the Tribes
Copywriting Services -
Thanks for the list. Given something like that as a resource, how do you separate the reliable pros from the flakes without a trial and error process that could screw some of your clients?
Christopher Duncan
www.PracticalUSA.com
Author of The Career Programmer and Unite the Tribes
Copywriting ServicesUnless your clients offer big business to these folks, any reliable person can become a flake, if they find they took on too much work, and if your client is at the bottom of the list of people who it benefits them to treat well. Not saying everyone is a potential flake, just saying, it's not as clear as the people who always rock and the people who are always flakes.
Christian Graus Driven to the arms of OSX by Vista. Read my blog to find out how I've worked around bugs in Microsoft tools and frameworks.
-
In my marketing consultation work it's not unusual to speak with small or startup businesses who don't yet have a web site (or need the one they have pretty much scrapped and rewritten so that it actually accomplishes something). From a business perspective these needs are often quite simple, frequently just a handful of pages like home, products/services, about us and contact. These days it seems like everyone and their kid sister is a web developer, and there are tons of companies who are based in the U.S. (my point being that currency conversion is not the reason for the pricing) who routinely do such simple sites for around $500 - $1000. I have zero desire to get into this business. What I would prefer is to build a relationship with a couple of solid, ethical, dependable web dev firms so that I can sit with my clients, determine their business needs, and then put them together with one of these companies. Don't want a cut of the money, just want my clients taken care of reliably. In my quest to make life easy for my clients, I also put my own reputation on the line. If I tell them, "You need x,y and z, call my friends at This Company and they'll take care of you for a price that's in your budget," then I'll be held accountable by the client for the experience they have with the developers. And shocking as it may be to you, a very large percentage of professed web dev companies are flaky as hell. Some of the most common complaints are that they don't deliver in a timely manner, don't return phone calls, too many passes to get it right, more interested in evangalizing their favorite technologies / toys than serving the customer, etc. Not the kind of people I want tied to my company's reputation. That said, when looking for companies to refer, I have no idea how to do the weeding. About all I know is that I don't want to work with devs who have a full time job and do this on the side, as it simply provides too many opportunities for reliability problems. I also want to work with companies in the U.S. just to keep communication as simple as possible. Beyond that, no clue. Of course, I could ask for references, but what kind of idiot would give me references who wouldn't speak in glowing terms? What criteria would you use to find the solid, dependable companies amidst a standing room only crowd of amateurs, flakes and even the occasional disreputable creature? I pride myself on knowing when to say "I don't know," and this is certainly one of those times.
Christop
If you want to find reliable people, I am afraid there are only two options: 1) Call someone you worked with and know them well. 2) Ask someone you trust to recommend someone they worked with and know them well. Everything else is pretty much a gamble, IMHO.
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Thanks for the list. Given something like that as a resource, how do you separate the reliable pros from the flakes without a trial and error process that could screw some of your clients?
Christopher Duncan
www.PracticalUSA.com
Author of The Career Programmer and Unite the Tribes
Copywriting ServicesHow do you do it for any other service: CPA, Garage door repair, HVAC, Plumbers, or bunnies? I usually follow them in the following order: 1. Recommendation by a friend who has used the service. 2. Find on Internet through review sites. 3. Research using Google 4. Find their customers and contact them. 5. Talk to them, use them and see how it works out. I do not think there is a way which will guarantee you 100% that a company is good or for that matter it will be good in future.
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In my marketing consultation work it's not unusual to speak with small or startup businesses who don't yet have a web site (or need the one they have pretty much scrapped and rewritten so that it actually accomplishes something). From a business perspective these needs are often quite simple, frequently just a handful of pages like home, products/services, about us and contact. These days it seems like everyone and their kid sister is a web developer, and there are tons of companies who are based in the U.S. (my point being that currency conversion is not the reason for the pricing) who routinely do such simple sites for around $500 - $1000. I have zero desire to get into this business. What I would prefer is to build a relationship with a couple of solid, ethical, dependable web dev firms so that I can sit with my clients, determine their business needs, and then put them together with one of these companies. Don't want a cut of the money, just want my clients taken care of reliably. In my quest to make life easy for my clients, I also put my own reputation on the line. If I tell them, "You need x,y and z, call my friends at This Company and they'll take care of you for a price that's in your budget," then I'll be held accountable by the client for the experience they have with the developers. And shocking as it may be to you, a very large percentage of professed web dev companies are flaky as hell. Some of the most common complaints are that they don't deliver in a timely manner, don't return phone calls, too many passes to get it right, more interested in evangalizing their favorite technologies / toys than serving the customer, etc. Not the kind of people I want tied to my company's reputation. That said, when looking for companies to refer, I have no idea how to do the weeding. About all I know is that I don't want to work with devs who have a full time job and do this on the side, as it simply provides too many opportunities for reliability problems. I also want to work with companies in the U.S. just to keep communication as simple as possible. Beyond that, no clue. Of course, I could ask for references, but what kind of idiot would give me references who wouldn't speak in glowing terms? What criteria would you use to find the solid, dependable companies amidst a standing room only crowd of amateurs, flakes and even the occasional disreputable creature? I pride myself on knowing when to say "I don't know," and this is certainly one of those times.
Christop
There are companies that offer webhosting and often have associated web development companies.
Fight Big Government:
http://obamacareclassaction.com/
http://obamacaretruth.org/ -
Because we devs love those headhunter companies, and we know they always get it right.
Christian Graus Driven to the arms of OSX by Vista. Read my blog to find out how I've worked around bugs in Microsoft tools and frameworks.
It's certainly a better choice than advertising solely on Craigs List.
.45 ACP - because shooting twice is just silly
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"Why don't you tie a kerosene-soaked rag around your ankles so the ants won't climb up and eat your candy ass..." - Dale Earnhardt, 1997
-----
"The staggering layers of obscenity in your statement make it a work of art on so many levels." - J. Jystad, 2001