bahattab
24-06-2007, 09:06 PM
Protect yourself: what information you may need to disclose
When you find a developer willing to work on your project, he will likely need some access to your forums that a normal user cannot have. Some items he may need and their risks are below.
Admin CP Login: For many service requests, this is required due to their nature. However, you should create an account for that developer and then demote or delete it when he is done. That is, you should not divulge your password for your account.
FTP access: If the developer needs to upload or download files from your site, he will need FTP access. If possible, you should create a separate account for him, just as above. Requests such as template modifications do not require FTP access unless some files need to be uploaded such as images or style sheets.
SSH access: This is needed by some developers to fully back up your forums' database as well as run some complex queries. Template modifications and most other requests do not require this and you should not divulge it unless absolutely necessary, especially because most users cannot create separate SSH accounts; they only have access to one: their own.
vBulletin Customer Number and Password: The only time this should be needed is to access completely stock vBulletin files. The developer cannot always use his own login information as vBulletin files contain embedded license information per user. However, you should be extremely careful about giving this out. Few projects require this. Instead of giving out your customer information you should download any needed files from the Members area yourself and send them to the person working on your site.
Protection Recommendations
The following is a list of suggestions when committing to a service request:
Before Selecting a User
Once you are contacted by a member offering to fulfull the request, do the following:
1. Search this forum along with http://www.vbulletin.com/forum/ (http://www.vbulletin.com/forum/) and http://www.vbulletintemplates.com/ (http://www.vbulletintemplates.com/) for post by that user and with that user's name. If the posts are generally helpful, then you are usually in good shape. If there are no posts in all three sites or there are a significant number of unhelpful or negative posts, be wary.
2. If appropriate, ask the user for past work examples (a "portfolio"). Note, however, that many service requests are very unique and cannot support a portfolio. Also, there is always an honest user who simply has not had enough jobs yet to build a portfolio.
Involving Payment
1. NEVER pay by check, cash, or money order as they offer little to no fraud protection. In the case of a check, you can at least cancel payment, but it eventually is same-as-cash to the endorsee. Use PayPal or another secure, reputable online payment provider (although note that PayPal is by far the most commonly used provider).
Remember users with PayPal Premier and Business accounts can accept credit cards such as Visa or Mastercard. Both PayPal and credit cards support fraud protection, although PayPal's specifically excludes non-physical goods.
2. Pay only once a product is delivered, but it is reasonable to expect the user to request a percentage of the payment up front if the payment is significant. Paying 100% up front is dangerous.
Due to some user feedback, some clarifications are warranted on this policy (which is not enforced by vB.org):
Involving payment:
1. You should be aware that PayPal's coverage policies do not cover intangible goods. Effectively everything you do with vBulletin is an intangible good or service: for example, editing code. A tangible product would be a new server delivered to the user, for example. However, PayPal and electronic methods are far more preferable to any same-as-cash method.
2. Paying up-front 100% for small jobs (typically less than $50) is an accepted practice due to the lower value of the good or service and the fewer complexities of multiple payments. However, on jobs of several hundred or thousands of dollars, you should definitely consider alternate payment percentages over time. For very large projects that could potentially involve sensitive data or harm you if released, you may want to consider having the developer sign a "non-disclosure agreement", or NDA, which usually states that information related to the project cannot be disclosed under penalty of law. When done legally, it is enforced fairly well in the United States, Britian, and other major countries. However, some countries such as China that do not place the same level of emphasis on digital work as other countries may be less effective.
Others can't reply to your threads! (and more)
When your service request has been filled, please reply to your thread stating as such. It can be very helpfull to other members if you make a closing post, stating the membername of the person who fullfilled the request and if you where satisfied.
Also, PLEASE check your PMs and e-mail when posting service requests. Remember that OTHERS CAN'T REPLY TO YOUR THREADS in this forum, and you are likely to be receiving private contacts soon. We strongly suggest that you change your preferences here to send you an e-mail when you receive a private message to make the request be processed more smoothly.
If you didn't receive any responses to your service request (something quite rare), here are some tips to improve your chances:
1. Offer, increase, and specify payment. Many developers of vB modifications value their time and skills quite a bit and cannot justify working for $5 on a large template modification when another request has been placed at a reasonable price. Also, make sure you put at least an estimate of how much you expect to pay for the request to be fulfulled in your post, usually in United States Dollars as the majority of vB.org users are from the US. You should also very clearly state what forms of payment you can send. PayPal is the most common and always free to send money from.
2. Review your post. Did you state how you wanted to be contacted--e-mail, private messages, instant messages, by phone, etc.? The most common method is through a private message here with e-mail second. You should avoid instant messages as not all developers use or have access to all the necessary instant messaging clients. You should also avoid phone calls due to the likely need for an expensive long-distance call.
3. Be detailed, but not too detailed. Just stating that your forums has a bug that you can't fix and you are offering $20 means very little to readers of your thread. You need to describe the bug, what circumstances came about to cause it, and what you have tried to fix it. Similarly, if you are requesting that a template be modified, it helps to include a visual representation of what you want done and a link to a publicly-viewable page that has the problem in question. However, you should not be too detailed as many developers do not have the time to read paragraphs upon paragraphs of text.
4. Make your request guest-accessible, if applicable. For example, if you are having a template issue on a thread on your forums and you provide a link to that thread, make sure that guests can view it. Few users will register just to view the thread in question. At the bare minimum, provide any necessary login information necessary to view the thread, forum, or other page in question.
Do Your Research Before Hiring!
I don't know who you're listening to but money doesn't grow on trees!
You work hard for your money. So, why in the world are you throwing money away?
If you want to hire a programmer[1], do not hire based on "lowest bid" only. If you do, you'll end up with a product that has not been thoroughly tested, optimized, or worst--the program does not do what you want it to do.
Just like everyday life ... you need to do some research before you act. Only after you have completed your research should you hire.
Below is a guideline of what you should do when making a request and what you should expect.
THINGS TO CONSIDER WHEN MAKING A REQUEST
If it's a large project do not expect it to be finished in a couple of weeks. A good programmer will take the necessary time to test the product before adding it on a LIVE site. Testing a large project could take weeks even months.
Experienced programmers are usually busy ... if you place a request for something that needs to be done right away ... you will most likely be declined or ignored due to time constraints. A good programmer thinks about the business at hand not the business that could be.
It's always best to pay per project not per hour. For example, a large project could take up to 100 hours or more. The hourly pay for a good programmer averages $65-$150 per hour. Do you still want to pay per hour?
An individual creating and releasing a popular modification here in vb.org does not mean they are an "expert" in the field.
Do not base your choice on the "usertitles" that are found here. These titles are set automatically by the system and are based on "install counts". In my opinion, if you base your choice in "usertitle" you will most likely come out loosing.WHAT YOU SHOULD INCLUDE WHEN MAKING A SERVICE REQUEST
The more details you offer the better chances of getting a response.
Budget - If it's a large project add your budget. Your'e only wasting your time if you don't
Mockups[2] - Provide mockups of how you envision your project ... the more mockups you provide the better the estimate. In some cases, it will lower the estimate. For example, a programmer could be thinking something more complex when you want something simple. NOTE: A mockup can be done on your favorite HTML editor, graphic editor, or pencil and paper. It doesn't matter ... the goal is to give the programmer something to visualize so that they can base their estimate on what you want NOT on what they think you want.
Expect to pay a deposit of at least 50% down. Only when the "Trust Factor" exists should you consider paying 100% upfront.
Provide a full description, goals, bulleted list of features, examples, mockups, and screenshots of what you are requesting. Everything should be written down ... there should be no question as to what it is that you want.
Get everything in writing ... The best option is to have all communications via email or a "customer help desk w/email capabilities". This will provide all parties a copy of past and present communications.
Do NOT include the time that YOU think the project can be completed in. For example, I have seen statements in the following manner .. "it will take an experienced programmer 30 minutes top". If you do something like this you will most likely be ignored by the best of programmers.PROJECT COST
Factors that determines project estimate:
Complexity of project
Time to complete project
Requests for "Exlusive Ownership Rights" (Some programmers, like myself, will not grant "exclusive ownership rights". Others will just increase project cost by a few $1,000's.)High demand for a programmer usually means ... more experience, less risk, and a higher trust factor. With this in mind, expect to pay more for programmers who are in demand.
TRUST FACTOR
Do not trust anyone.
However, there are things that you can look for to build credibility and trust.
Take a look at current work the programmer has done.
Take a look at the programmer's responses to questions. This will give you a good indication of what "type" of person they are.
Does the programmer belittle people if they lack the proper knowledge?
Is the programmer "negative" in their tone of voice?
Negative responses are a big flag. All responses should be positive regardless of how the programmer feels about the communication at hand.
How long has the individual been a vb.org member? You don't want to hire someone who just became a member last month. Most of the "new members", are the ones that usually end up ripping people off.
Ask for full name and address ... you don't want to refer to someone by their WEB nick. For example, "iMuRfaTHeR is doing the work for me", "iMuRfaTHeR has ripped me off!". My response to you is ... Huh? Who is iMuRfaTHeR? Just think for a moment ... this person could leave and come back with a different nick. Guess what? YOU might hire them again. I don't think you want that. Do you?
Minimize risk by hiring people locally ... (hired in the following order)
City
County
State
Country Only hire outside when you can verify their credentials.
Hire only those that you can verify ... if in doubt, do not hire.
Ask for a telephone number (very important - you can verify address / locality of person with a phone number)
Try to find people that have a good understanding of all aspects of vbulletin ... this includes: PHP, MYSQL, XHTML, JS, GRAPHICS ... reading their comments found here in vb.org will help you to determine "what they know".DISCLAIMER
Information found on this article is provided for information purposes only. It's recommended that you hire a local attorney for legal advice.
[1] Programmer - in this article, we are using the term "programmer" in a general sense ... a programmer could be anyone who modifies or adds to an application in any form (eg. php, mysql, html, graphics, etc)
[2] Mockups - A usually full-sized scale model of a structure, used for demonstration, study, or testing.
No reprints of this article is allowed.
http://www.vbulletin.org/forum/forumdisplay.php?f=30
When you find a developer willing to work on your project, he will likely need some access to your forums that a normal user cannot have. Some items he may need and their risks are below.
Admin CP Login: For many service requests, this is required due to their nature. However, you should create an account for that developer and then demote or delete it when he is done. That is, you should not divulge your password for your account.
FTP access: If the developer needs to upload or download files from your site, he will need FTP access. If possible, you should create a separate account for him, just as above. Requests such as template modifications do not require FTP access unless some files need to be uploaded such as images or style sheets.
SSH access: This is needed by some developers to fully back up your forums' database as well as run some complex queries. Template modifications and most other requests do not require this and you should not divulge it unless absolutely necessary, especially because most users cannot create separate SSH accounts; they only have access to one: their own.
vBulletin Customer Number and Password: The only time this should be needed is to access completely stock vBulletin files. The developer cannot always use his own login information as vBulletin files contain embedded license information per user. However, you should be extremely careful about giving this out. Few projects require this. Instead of giving out your customer information you should download any needed files from the Members area yourself and send them to the person working on your site.
Protection Recommendations
The following is a list of suggestions when committing to a service request:
Before Selecting a User
Once you are contacted by a member offering to fulfull the request, do the following:
1. Search this forum along with http://www.vbulletin.com/forum/ (http://www.vbulletin.com/forum/) and http://www.vbulletintemplates.com/ (http://www.vbulletintemplates.com/) for post by that user and with that user's name. If the posts are generally helpful, then you are usually in good shape. If there are no posts in all three sites or there are a significant number of unhelpful or negative posts, be wary.
2. If appropriate, ask the user for past work examples (a "portfolio"). Note, however, that many service requests are very unique and cannot support a portfolio. Also, there is always an honest user who simply has not had enough jobs yet to build a portfolio.
Involving Payment
1. NEVER pay by check, cash, or money order as they offer little to no fraud protection. In the case of a check, you can at least cancel payment, but it eventually is same-as-cash to the endorsee. Use PayPal or another secure, reputable online payment provider (although note that PayPal is by far the most commonly used provider).
Remember users with PayPal Premier and Business accounts can accept credit cards such as Visa or Mastercard. Both PayPal and credit cards support fraud protection, although PayPal's specifically excludes non-physical goods.
2. Pay only once a product is delivered, but it is reasonable to expect the user to request a percentage of the payment up front if the payment is significant. Paying 100% up front is dangerous.
Due to some user feedback, some clarifications are warranted on this policy (which is not enforced by vB.org):
Involving payment:
1. You should be aware that PayPal's coverage policies do not cover intangible goods. Effectively everything you do with vBulletin is an intangible good or service: for example, editing code. A tangible product would be a new server delivered to the user, for example. However, PayPal and electronic methods are far more preferable to any same-as-cash method.
2. Paying up-front 100% for small jobs (typically less than $50) is an accepted practice due to the lower value of the good or service and the fewer complexities of multiple payments. However, on jobs of several hundred or thousands of dollars, you should definitely consider alternate payment percentages over time. For very large projects that could potentially involve sensitive data or harm you if released, you may want to consider having the developer sign a "non-disclosure agreement", or NDA, which usually states that information related to the project cannot be disclosed under penalty of law. When done legally, it is enforced fairly well in the United States, Britian, and other major countries. However, some countries such as China that do not place the same level of emphasis on digital work as other countries may be less effective.
Others can't reply to your threads! (and more)
When your service request has been filled, please reply to your thread stating as such. It can be very helpfull to other members if you make a closing post, stating the membername of the person who fullfilled the request and if you where satisfied.
Also, PLEASE check your PMs and e-mail when posting service requests. Remember that OTHERS CAN'T REPLY TO YOUR THREADS in this forum, and you are likely to be receiving private contacts soon. We strongly suggest that you change your preferences here to send you an e-mail when you receive a private message to make the request be processed more smoothly.
If you didn't receive any responses to your service request (something quite rare), here are some tips to improve your chances:
1. Offer, increase, and specify payment. Many developers of vB modifications value their time and skills quite a bit and cannot justify working for $5 on a large template modification when another request has been placed at a reasonable price. Also, make sure you put at least an estimate of how much you expect to pay for the request to be fulfulled in your post, usually in United States Dollars as the majority of vB.org users are from the US. You should also very clearly state what forms of payment you can send. PayPal is the most common and always free to send money from.
2. Review your post. Did you state how you wanted to be contacted--e-mail, private messages, instant messages, by phone, etc.? The most common method is through a private message here with e-mail second. You should avoid instant messages as not all developers use or have access to all the necessary instant messaging clients. You should also avoid phone calls due to the likely need for an expensive long-distance call.
3. Be detailed, but not too detailed. Just stating that your forums has a bug that you can't fix and you are offering $20 means very little to readers of your thread. You need to describe the bug, what circumstances came about to cause it, and what you have tried to fix it. Similarly, if you are requesting that a template be modified, it helps to include a visual representation of what you want done and a link to a publicly-viewable page that has the problem in question. However, you should not be too detailed as many developers do not have the time to read paragraphs upon paragraphs of text.
4. Make your request guest-accessible, if applicable. For example, if you are having a template issue on a thread on your forums and you provide a link to that thread, make sure that guests can view it. Few users will register just to view the thread in question. At the bare minimum, provide any necessary login information necessary to view the thread, forum, or other page in question.
Do Your Research Before Hiring!
I don't know who you're listening to but money doesn't grow on trees!
You work hard for your money. So, why in the world are you throwing money away?
If you want to hire a programmer[1], do not hire based on "lowest bid" only. If you do, you'll end up with a product that has not been thoroughly tested, optimized, or worst--the program does not do what you want it to do.
Just like everyday life ... you need to do some research before you act. Only after you have completed your research should you hire.
Below is a guideline of what you should do when making a request and what you should expect.
THINGS TO CONSIDER WHEN MAKING A REQUEST
If it's a large project do not expect it to be finished in a couple of weeks. A good programmer will take the necessary time to test the product before adding it on a LIVE site. Testing a large project could take weeks even months.
Experienced programmers are usually busy ... if you place a request for something that needs to be done right away ... you will most likely be declined or ignored due to time constraints. A good programmer thinks about the business at hand not the business that could be.
It's always best to pay per project not per hour. For example, a large project could take up to 100 hours or more. The hourly pay for a good programmer averages $65-$150 per hour. Do you still want to pay per hour?
An individual creating and releasing a popular modification here in vb.org does not mean they are an "expert" in the field.
Do not base your choice on the "usertitles" that are found here. These titles are set automatically by the system and are based on "install counts". In my opinion, if you base your choice in "usertitle" you will most likely come out loosing.WHAT YOU SHOULD INCLUDE WHEN MAKING A SERVICE REQUEST
The more details you offer the better chances of getting a response.
Budget - If it's a large project add your budget. Your'e only wasting your time if you don't
Mockups[2] - Provide mockups of how you envision your project ... the more mockups you provide the better the estimate. In some cases, it will lower the estimate. For example, a programmer could be thinking something more complex when you want something simple. NOTE: A mockup can be done on your favorite HTML editor, graphic editor, or pencil and paper. It doesn't matter ... the goal is to give the programmer something to visualize so that they can base their estimate on what you want NOT on what they think you want.
Expect to pay a deposit of at least 50% down. Only when the "Trust Factor" exists should you consider paying 100% upfront.
Provide a full description, goals, bulleted list of features, examples, mockups, and screenshots of what you are requesting. Everything should be written down ... there should be no question as to what it is that you want.
Get everything in writing ... The best option is to have all communications via email or a "customer help desk w/email capabilities". This will provide all parties a copy of past and present communications.
Do NOT include the time that YOU think the project can be completed in. For example, I have seen statements in the following manner .. "it will take an experienced programmer 30 minutes top". If you do something like this you will most likely be ignored by the best of programmers.PROJECT COST
Factors that determines project estimate:
Complexity of project
Time to complete project
Requests for "Exlusive Ownership Rights" (Some programmers, like myself, will not grant "exclusive ownership rights". Others will just increase project cost by a few $1,000's.)High demand for a programmer usually means ... more experience, less risk, and a higher trust factor. With this in mind, expect to pay more for programmers who are in demand.
TRUST FACTOR
Do not trust anyone.
However, there are things that you can look for to build credibility and trust.
Take a look at current work the programmer has done.
Take a look at the programmer's responses to questions. This will give you a good indication of what "type" of person they are.
Does the programmer belittle people if they lack the proper knowledge?
Is the programmer "negative" in their tone of voice?
Negative responses are a big flag. All responses should be positive regardless of how the programmer feels about the communication at hand.
How long has the individual been a vb.org member? You don't want to hire someone who just became a member last month. Most of the "new members", are the ones that usually end up ripping people off.
Ask for full name and address ... you don't want to refer to someone by their WEB nick. For example, "iMuRfaTHeR is doing the work for me", "iMuRfaTHeR has ripped me off!". My response to you is ... Huh? Who is iMuRfaTHeR? Just think for a moment ... this person could leave and come back with a different nick. Guess what? YOU might hire them again. I don't think you want that. Do you?
Minimize risk by hiring people locally ... (hired in the following order)
City
County
State
Country Only hire outside when you can verify their credentials.
Hire only those that you can verify ... if in doubt, do not hire.
Ask for a telephone number (very important - you can verify address / locality of person with a phone number)
Try to find people that have a good understanding of all aspects of vbulletin ... this includes: PHP, MYSQL, XHTML, JS, GRAPHICS ... reading their comments found here in vb.org will help you to determine "what they know".DISCLAIMER
Information found on this article is provided for information purposes only. It's recommended that you hire a local attorney for legal advice.
[1] Programmer - in this article, we are using the term "programmer" in a general sense ... a programmer could be anyone who modifies or adds to an application in any form (eg. php, mysql, html, graphics, etc)
[2] Mockups - A usually full-sized scale model of a structure, used for demonstration, study, or testing.
No reprints of this article is allowed.
http://www.vbulletin.org/forum/forumdisplay.php?f=30