HOW to hire a honest programmer online?

Toggle sidebar Toggle sidebar
B

brannsiu

Distinguished
Apr 20, 2013
1,064
3
19,285
Let me talk about my experiences as briefly as possible. I hired two web programmers before on the web to create a SIMPLE website for me. I DID NOT request anything difficult, NO forum site, NO password login site, NOTHING sounds difficult, I only need a SIMPLE website that is already there in 90s.

I DID NOT overpay. I am not rich. But I am pretty sure I DID NOT underpay either.

At the end of the day, they gave my crappy work, even it's supposed to be a simple website -- photos / text / comment

The work did not look right to me. I put the work onto many different forums, asking for comment, voluntary people all suggest that all those work are crappy and full of bugs and full of security issues....

yes, it's HOW, when you spend $100 you get the crappy work from the dishonest people. Who can promise that when you spend $1000 or $10,000 you will get a project that is nicely made??

You pay him $100 he cheats you. You pay him $1000 or $10,000 for the same thing, he can still cheat you


Is subscribing to Weebly/Wix/Wordpress service the only way to be sure you get your money spent rewarded????

It's really so frustrating










 
ubercake

ubercake

Splendid
Oct 28, 2009
7,270
5
29,815
You may want to look into a DIY solution.

Most web hosts including Godaddy will give you content management tools by which you don't have to know anything about HTML or javaScript. What you give up with these content management systems is the ability to make everything EXACTLY as you want it, but they offer templates that are sufficient for most people by which you just fill in the content. If you're doing really basic stuff, this is a great way to go. The content management editors available are similar to working with word or some other familiar document/word processing software. With the content management systems available, you don't have to know how to program or anything about html and a lot of them allow you to click and drag elements onto a template and then you just add content (e.g. text, links, images, etc...). I helped a relative of mine get their own site going in this way and she just took the new knowledge and ran with it.

You'd pay around $100-$200 for a yearly hosting cost. That way, you could manage your own information.

You can find hosts out there that charge less, but I find smaller hosts get bought up often by larger hosting companies and you end up having to reconfigure certain aspects of your site when this happens (it adds work).

On the other hand, Weebly/Wix/Wordpress offer free solutions that are similar.
 
ImPrettyIrish

ImPrettyIrish

Distinguished
Oct 17, 2013
836
0
19,160
As ubercake said, doing DIY seems like your best option. You can learn how to code from websites like www.khanacedmy.org and www.codeacademy.com among other websites. That is what I did and my website turned out great! Granted, it will take you a while to do, but it really pays off in the end. You would be paying the programmer(s) for the "labor" (of sitting at your computer and typing away) as well as the hosting fees + whatever they want to markup on it. Plus, you can brag to all of your colleagues that you know how to code and make you sound very smart! It also gives you satisfaction when you complete it. I'd recommend checking it out.
 
R

rhenry01

Reputable
Nov 19, 2015
10
0
4,520
How hands-on were you during the process? Did you sit down with the "programmer" and provide real time feedback to what he was doing? Did you pay "up-front" for the work? These are some common mistakes made by the site's owner. I always work on-site and have the owner involved with proofing and testing, it makes things go a lot smoother.

Go to you local college and hang up a few flyers around the computer sciences/graphic arts areas advertising you want someone to build your website. Pay the person incrementally and ensure you have documentation just in case they bail on you.
 
B

brannsiu

Distinguished
Apr 20, 2013
1,064
3
19,285
Hi. Is there anywhere I can download a free or inexpensive website template???

The reasona I don't want to use Wix / Weebly etc are that
Yes
1. $100-$200 a year is expensive for me. I will need a simple website and do not update often. Paying $100 every year? --OK
Paying $200 every year ? NOT OK for me sorry.

2. Their web hosting server located outside my country. I want the website hosting in my country. Sorry
 
USAFRet

USAFRet

Titan
Moderator
Mar 16, 2013
171,434
17,903
184,590


And what country might this be?
Wix and many others, have a free level.

$200/year is too much? Not if it drives $250 business to you every year.

Hosting and bandwidth is different from creating the website. Creation is a theoretical one time cost (not really, but we'll go with that).
Hosting is an ongoing cost.
Either you pay, or you accept their ads on your site.
 
Lee-m

Lee-m

Distinguished
Jan 27, 2009
866
0
19,210

I'll just take it you are in the USA due to your use of the $ sign.

so $100 is a very low amount. You are basiclly asking some one to spend hours and hours of their time on design and programming skill (html or otherwise) for very little money.

You said the original guys didnt do a good enough job, but you didn't say why. If some one gave me $100 or £70 GBP in my currency, that would not pay for more than 2 hours of my time.

If the website is so simple it doesn't require a professional, then just use a simple editor and do it your self.

What does it matter where the webserver is ? I have a few websites, some business related and they are located in Germany, and I live in the UK. It would cost twice as much to host in the UK, and be no better. Its the internet dude... its world wide.
 
USAFRet

USAFRet

Titan
Moderator
Mar 16, 2013
171,434
17,903
184,590


This is exactly like owning and using a car.
Initial price - $10,000
Monthly cost - $100/month for gas and maintenance.

You pay someone to build it. You also pay monthly to use it. It doesn't just live on the internet for free..
 
B

brannsiu

Distinguished
Apr 20, 2013
1,064
3
19,285
It looks like that quite some replies are focused on the web programmer side and do not stand on the customer side.

I always emphasize I only need a simple web site that could display photos and some text without any difficult functions. I don't need a hosting.

Yes $100 is not some money but according to my requirement it JUST DOES NOT WORTH paying $100 for that.

If somebody needs "hours and hours" to make a simple website , it's
his inefficiency

I really cannot understand why it looks like some replies are like pissing around

 
USAFRet

USAFRet

Titan
Moderator
Mar 16, 2013
171,434
17,903
184,590


'Don't need hosting'. Where will this site live?

And my reply IS focused on the customer. You.
Without a clear set of requirements, an online monkey will give you crap. Or simply rip you off.

Being able to sit down with someone, even for 30 minutes, trumps several days of back and forth emails.


I always emphasize I only need a simple web site that could display photos and some text without any difficult functions. I don't need a hosting.
Click to expand...
For this, have you looked into Wix or Weebly? If it is that easy, DIY.
 
B

brannsiu

Distinguished
Apr 20, 2013
1,064
3
19,285
Who can on the planet guarantee after I pay $1000 instead of $100 to someone he will then invest the corresponding hours to make the work?

Anyone can just give a ''GOOD'' website apparently but full of underlying buys and security issues. Who knows?

FULL OF SCAMMERS on Fiverr "help" people to make crappy websites.

Here I take a chance to warn anyone who wants to hire a web developer on the internet, either

1. hunt for free website template
2. or pay to big company like weebly / wix etc

DON'T NEVER GO TO individual web developers

You underpay them - You 'll likely be scammed.
You overpay them - You 'll still likely be scammed.

Just don't trust any words. Or Hunt for free template.
 
B

brannsiu

Distinguished
Apr 20, 2013
1,064
3
19,285
T USAFRet:

I emphasized TOTALLY my requirement to the "monkey"

NO DESIGN needed. He can give me any "already-there" design.
Just displaying photos and text description. The most basic website already there when there was the first internet....

NO ANY login, forums, community or any other interactive features needed. No payment system needed.

The only thing I needed is a back panel that I'll be able to add or more products photos or edit text. Nothing else.

I paid usd $100 but turned out something that does not work at all after waiting for a month


If you think my requirement is really that harsh , it's really that mean for $100, then OK, I would rather not make a website, or
I give $200/$300 every year to weebly. I feel better than giving it to an individual monkey


 
B

brannsiu

Distinguished
Apr 20, 2013
1,064
3
19,285
USAFRet

According to my requirement, an average programmer might just get a template by themselves very easily and very quickly without possibly investing any time or effort on designing or custom made anything

I was already too kind to those f-ucks, somebody said $100 is low amount.

It's really ridiculous to see quite a number of web developers are so proud of themselves and overestimate their values. Some said to me their hourly cost is starting at $90 and that's why I ''should'' get crappy work because I paid only $100, not enough time covering

Do you think they have to spend an hour finding out a template on their porn hard drives and send to me?

What is the logic? It looks like a lot of what so called web developers on the web are not logical

It's simply ridiculous.

My experience and my conclusion is hiring any individual "web developer" on the web is very risky and very NOT wise, no matter how much you pay to them $100, $1000 or $10,000 . No difference. No protection. No gurantee




 
USAFRet

USAFRet

Titan
Moderator
Mar 16, 2013
171,434
17,903
184,590
If all they are doing is finding a 'template' and sending it to you, $100 is too much.

If they are also researching a hosting solution, creating the account at the host, uploading the site with some generic text and images, and then sending you the details and instructions for how you can manage and edit the content in the future, $100 is too little.
 
B

brannsiu

Distinguished
Apr 20, 2013
1,064
3
19,285
USAFRet

If there is an admin back panel in the template, for what reason do they have to spend any time on instructing me how to modify and manage the panel when I can read English ?

Admin back panel is of course supposed to be user-friendly to those who do not know about writing codes.

What I actually meant to them is a template, I never mentioned about hosting the site. I don't need them to put my site to hosting because I will do it with my ISP provider.

That's why I said those "web developers" were ridiculous and very unreliable.

No difference to robbers

 
B

brannsiu

Distinguished
Apr 20, 2013
1,064
3
19,285
Nvertheless I will join Jimdo or Weebly then. I will forget about those freelance web developers and hope anyone else do not hire them unless you have too much $$$$ to burn
 
USAFRet

USAFRet

Titan
Moderator
Mar 16, 2013
171,434
17,903
184,590


Because a lot of people DO need that level of hand holding. That's why they hired someone one else to build it and set it up.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

TRENDING THREADS

Latest posts

Moderators online

Share this page

COMPANY
RESOURCES
FOLLOW
Top Bottom