Outsourcing-Learn Code vs. Hire Developers?

Outsourcing video from http://www.ClickMillionaires.com: Hiring outsourced developers vs. learning code yourself? You need to build a web site but DIY or outsource to web developers is the question. Scott Fox answers Click Millionaires member question suggesting some of both, including recommendations for the best web sites to hire developers on an outsourced basis.
More free business-building and online marketing tips from Scott Fox at http://www.ScottFox.tv

Category:

Howto & Style

Tags:

• outsourcing
• outsource
• web developer
• website
• drupal
• contractor

[meestaree]

Let me tell you a secret as a web developer.

If your site is built in Joomla, Drupal, Wordpress etc. you are showing that you are cheap. Customers that want quality won't favor you. You get what you pay for especially in web development. Want a real website? Expect to start at 5k+. This isn't 1990 and that outsourcing will only give you drama. You think it's hard to communicate in english with someone local...try someone from India...they may work for $2 an hour but that's what you will get.

[scottfox1]

@meestaree Sorry, Meestaree, cheaper is better for early stage businesses. 99% of users have no idea what system a web site is built on and wouldn't care if they did. Once you've proven your business model upgrading is fine but I would never recommend spending $5000+ on a startup site unless it had some pretty techie database, security, or customization features.

[griffith69er]

Drupal isn't a language. It is a CMS, Content Management System, written in PHP

[scottfox1]

@griffith69er Of course you are right. Drupal is a CMS, not a language. Configuring Drupal for full utilization of its CMS capabilities gets pretty technical, though, so for non-technical web site entrepreneurs it can be almost as intimidating as learning PHP or other languages. That's why I recommend outsourcing if a newbie wants to jump into Drupal (or Joomla).

Thanks for commenting to help clarify that.

[meestaree]

For ex. Any Joomla site is always domain/administrator/ to get to the login, the default login is admin. Just by installing that template I have given any cracker 90% of the work done, all they need now is to figure out my password if I don't edit the defaults. Same with wordpress wp-admin.php at the end of the blog folder and default login is admin. Once again, 90% complete - your template told me your login page and your username, custom code doesn't. 

[meestaree]

@absulitcr You tapped into one of my largest complaints about "web developers". Too many people call themselves such but are just hobbyists. They can install pre-made code and rarely adjust it, this is another reason to avoid them. As you mention - if someone is going to install a template, make sure they know how to secure it which means you will have to have some understanding of web concepts and you can't just feign that's too hard to learn.

[absulitcr]

(cont-2) and that means we dont have the usual "squared" scheme as joomla or the default Drupal themes. I agree also that the person you advice should stay in their bussines, there are a lot of people wich study o learn it by themselves and that is their job; same way this guy study and earn enough money to pay a brand new websile from people with knowledge.

[absulitcr]

I'm a full developer, also a web dev as @meestaree I remember that I used to look at joomla and I had the same idea about it was cheap; but that is because I NEVER EVER touched joomla; now, Im not working with joomla, Im working with Drupal, but what @meestaree does not know is that is not just configuring modules or plugins as joomla, it is a lot of dev stuff that you should do because even when the module has great features, it doesnt has everything you need. Also we do our own themes (cont-1)

[meestaree]

Now for a case study - client we have goes to a company to get a site. The company is offers them Zend framework and Joomla because the company doesn't really know how to code, just install templates, they chose Zend and put 4 domains there. Google dings for duplicate content. I fixed this giving - at a price of course, they would have paid less to do it right the first time but thought cheaper is best. SEO in a template is also CRAP, too often the meta tags are dupes or the head tag shared etc

[meestaree]

@scottfox1 Maybe you misunderstood, I am offering an opposing opinion to yours. This means that duplicating your same opinion is no retort. I am though a web developer and you are not so you should stick to your specialty not mine : ) If my opinions don't "aid" a business I don't keep a job and I will always tell them that while the internet is a great leveling area for the large and small to compete, shotty effort and being cheap will still show to a discerning customer.