Outsourcing content & software creation

Hi everyone,

How successful have you been in finding good content writers or software developers on Rentacoder, Elance, Guru, Scriptlance etc?

If you're anything like me you've probably had both good and bad experiences, but even with the good ones, they've may not been perfect and therefore you've always been on the look out for someone new with each project you do.

Can be very frustrating looking for new freelancers all the time....

My experience with software & script developers is that you have to be very clear with your ideas and specification before they start work. However, sometimes you simply dont have the detail - all you have is a rough idea. How do you outsource idea and thoughts into something more tangible that can be written down into a spec? Any help with this one would be appreciated.

So, just wondered what everyone else's experiences were like when it comes to outsourcing.

If you are looking to outsource software development I suggest you to be very specific.
I mean VERY! Most of the time your coder will be from a different country and English is not
his/her first language, so keep that in mind. Before you choose your coder make sure to ask
for samples of their work so you know what they are capable of.

When writing your specs for software or script development you should explain in every detail
what you want your software to do. Explain how you want the design to look and exactly the process
of how the software will work. You want to be specific about the installation process of your software,
design, work flow, etc.

Choosing the right ghostwriter is a little easier. I always ask for samples of their work and look at their
feedback ratings. I also make sure they can deliver my projects in time.

ScriptLance has always worked well for me Chris :)

I now have built some great relationships with the "winning bidders",
so I rarely even need to post my projects anymore.

Sorry to hear of your bad experiences. Before you choose a winning bid,
be sure to check their review history, and samples of their work.

Sean :)

Chris

I have had good and bad times with outsourcing. A lot of time the problem is ME. I think i need to spend more time on getting the spec's written before I send them off.

Thanks
Charles

I have had success with using Elance. I have used them for voiceovers, programming, banners, logos and even legal opinions. I have yet to have a bad experience with Elance. Good luck!

Rich

There is a company in the Phillipines called "Agents of Value" that actually has their people take and post IQ tests as well as their areas of expertise so that you can see what you are getting. They are kind of pricey, but if you are looking for a long-term relationship, they might be worth a look.

Jim

I have had both good luck and bad luck. I hired one company to develop a site for me for $4500 over a 60 day period. I had paid them $3000 and a year later the project was not done and it looked as though they had stopped working on it altogether.

Money not well spent that’s for sure!

Now when I hire someone from a freelance site I always hire one of the top rated people. You will have to pay more for sure, but you get what you pay for.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Chris Douthit

You will have to pay more for sure, but you get what you pay for.

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That seems to never fail :)

Hello

Chris is 100% right. I have wasted $$ before going with the low bid. Now I just throw out the lowest bid from the start.

Also you might ask that in your bid that they include a secret word to make sure they read the bid and to include it in the proposal.

Only about 40% will even read the full specs and give you the secrete word back

Thanks
Charles

Hi Everyone, I just though I would add to this as I am a developer and see things from the other side of the coin so to speak.

A bit about myself, I have been coding for over 20 years. I am working to become a marketer and leave development behind, but it has been a slow transition. I have currently done two successful JV's with a marketer, where I build it and he gets them to come. We split the profits.

Ok, so taking an idea that a marketer has and turning it into a running application can be a but complicated and here is why. As a coder, I would prefer more details for several reasons. Number one, it helps me determine the time it will take to build something. It also allows us to spell out the contract between us better, ie) I will create this, this and this feature, by this date in exchange for $x.
The other reason it is better to have details, is that it stops what we coders call scope creep. That is the part of the project where you marketers (or customers) come to me and say, it would be so cool if we could do this or that when this happens. Can you make it happen? Well of course I can make it happen, but it takes more time and we are now out of the bounds of our original agreement. I may not be able to make the deadline now that we previously agreed upon and you will be upset.
A simple idea, does not always translate into a bit of simple coding :)

Now, I don't mind taking on a "rough idea" as the original poster remarked about is not that difficult, if it is a profit sharing JV. I don't mind putting in lots of hours to create a product that I get a recurring income from, but, taking a rough idea and turning that into a quote for X number of hours is pretty hard in many cases.

So contemplate this when you do your next outsourcing, the more details you have on how things are to work, will save you tons of grief in dealing with your coder. As for the project that never got completed, that was mentioned earlier in this thread, well, in that case I just think you got a bad coder. Or he/she dumped you for a more profitable deal. Either way it is poor behaviour on the part of the coder and it gives all coders a bad name,

Well, that's my 2 cents worth :)
Darren