[thelist] rentacoder.com

[James Parsons]

>Tony sez...
>
>>> I don't know what this means as far as coding work goes
>>> for those of us in countries where $5 an hour won't pay
>>> for anything.
>>> Nan
>>
>>There are only a few possibilities:
>>
>>* Taxation on services imported electronically (an end to the free
>>internet)
>>
>>* Global parity on cost of living (eventually, but likely not in my
>>lifetime)
>>
>>* Gradual narrowing of the differential when the $5ph market is
>>saturated (I've seen Indian software companies seeking staff in the UK!)
>>
>>* Gradual education of buyers regarding hidden costs of overseas
>>development work (such as you have identified)
>>
>>* a mass movement of locally skilled workforce to either: - somewhere
>>where $5 per hour buys a lot, or: another trade.  (I hear plumbers get
>>paid well and are in short supply!)
>>
>>Hmmm....
>

A couple of minor errors, here.

>I looked at rentacoder.com and wasn't sure whether to snicker or break up
>some innocuous piece of nearby furniture and hurl it out the window.

The innocuous piece of nearby furniture was probably made in China.

>
>Where low-cost coding/development services in other countries are
>concerned, I'm conflicted. Legitimate and gainful commerce is a big part of
>the antidote to a lot of what ails us in many countries world wide. Because
>I think commerce and properity are the antidote to tyranny and oppression,
>I think we want to see skilled trades and commerce prosper and flourish in
>developing countries. But if the net result is that these services are
>delivered at something way under anything resembling fair market value, it
>kind of shoots the whole thing in the foot.
>

On this, I intended to say, "I'm NOT all that positive..." blah, blah, blah...

>I'm all that positive I like the idea of a tax or tariff on services or
>code or customized software applications imported electronically or not,
>but it strikes me that something along those lines might be implemented
>without major legislation. It may be possible to develop some kind of
>schedule of what those services would or should be worth if provided in the
>US market and imported products taxed based on that, rather than the actual
>cost paid? I see a lot of potential problems in making that work, but it
>may be feasible. I think I've got a fairly decent line of communication
>with my congresscritter and I might even write him on that one. As Chairman
>of the Budget Committee, he's got some influence.
>
>Otherwise, I doubt if any kind of global parity on cost of living or the
>other things (education of buyers? -- hah! hah!) are going to happen
>anytime in the forseeable future.
>
>I do think I'd like to see a country of origin declaration in web and
>software applications required. Something like "Website and content
>produced, developed, and hosted in the USA." Or, "Website and content
>produced and developed in the USA, hosted in the UK." Whatever. Where so
>many organizations don't even seem to even see fit to mention their actual
>location, that's probably not going to happen on any wide scale basis
>without legislation. With or without a declaration of country of origin, I
>wouldn't mind seeing some US companies/corporations/entities/organizations
>"outed" for using offshore developers/services.

As to this, virtually everything you examine on the shelves and racks at
Target or Walmart  will have, somewhere on the labeling, the country of
origin. Why shouldn't websites or online applications be similarly marked?

>
>
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But, on further consideration, I don't think I'm going to get too upset
about things like rentacoder.com.

The thing that tripped me, to begin with, was Pete's reference to "...an
angry email back from the
would-be purchaser, who actually swore at me and told me that my claims
that a professional developer would expect at least $1000 a week (this is
low in many cases) were absurd, and that he'd found someone to do the whole
thing for $300."

On further reflection, I suspect that the companies/individuals using
things like rentacoder.com to find talent are either not professionals or
they're mostly small or home based businesses with miniscule budgets and
won't necesarily be around in 3 months, anyway.  If it seems more troubling
to some, it's probably because this a time when quality prospective clients
aren't always calling in droves. The key to expanding your client base is
really not in plumbing things like rentacoder.com. Anybody in this business
who's been around a while knows that you'll be more successful if you look
to your existing clients you have a good relationship with for referrals to
new ones.







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