I need a project done, and no one on DP seems to want to do it.. based on 3 people responding in four days. Where else can I head to?
www.elance.com www.scriptlance.com www.getafreelancer.com www.guru.com These are top freelance sites.
I've never been impressed with GAF. Some times they force you to enter CC info, etc, and I just want to find a coder and be done. I don't want to pay via their escrow.. I'll use PayPal, thanks. Which of those is the easiest for that?
I have had decent results with RENTACODER.COM but let me preface this to be fair. For the past few years when I needed a coder, I would get recommendations from the webmaster boards. I would not just hire those who could make me a site for a dime. I wanted those who came with references. So I would contract out my work to these people that would get rave reviews. But just like time before, you would get hit n miss on the work. The last one I had before I went to RENTACODER.COM took a 50% deposit and then vanished. Kept giving me all of the designer classics... "I'm working on it. Almost there. Any day now. My internet was down. My Mac blew up." and so forth. Then just all out vanished. I am now sueing him, and referred him to the credit bureaus to remind him he owes me money. Heh. So much for buying that house next year. But before him, I had mixed results from these so-called 'highly recommended' coders and designers. I do not always go for the cheapest. I go for those with nice portfolios, and who know what they are talking about, as well as have references. Even THEN you do not always get a good one. When I want a designer, I want someone who can do the task and write good code first. Second, someone who can finish ON TIME. That means they give realistic due dates, and can meet them. Third, they give status reports. Fourth, they can be reached by messenger to work out details. Five, they must SPEAK ENGLISH. That is a good start. /end rant Now, the reason I like RENTACODER. If I am not satisfied, I can arbitrate their work, and get my money back. If they do not meet my, or the agreed upon deadline, I get my money back. They are ranked, so when they do not turn in their status reports, etc. They get nailed on their ranking and score. Long story short. If I am not happy with their work, I do not pay. The escrowed money is returned, and I can hire someone else. This alone after being ripped off is one of the biggest advantages to RENTACODER. I can't speak to the others mentioned as I have not used them. But on a last note.. What has been mentioned about some of the $5 programmers on these sites is true. You will get bids from $5-3000 or whatever depending on the project. For the mundane simple things, it can be advantageous to grab a cheapskate. But when looking for quality work, you will want to pick someone much higher up the rung. Preferably someone with a lot of rankings, and feedback comments who has been around a year or more. It's not an easy process by any means. While you can occasionally find a freelancer who does good work. You may run into the 'designer classics' with a lot of them. They all have big families apparently, or the most miraculous grandma ever. Some of them die 2 and 3 times. :-/ Good luck.
Have you considered trying to find a programmer in your local community? Local programmers come with local references you can check. They're also easier to manage, since you don't have to worry about language or timezone differences.
I would say everything barefootsies said but obviously they already did. Excellent post. I worked for a few years on rentacoder as a programmer. I always strived to deliver everything on time and provide weekly reports even when not required. If you make the buyer happy they will always send you more work. The only thing I hate about rentacoder (programmer perspective) was the competition for offering buyers a good price. You have to really know how to convince them to hire you. The ratings system was perfect for pursuading buyers later once you get tons of finished projects with perfect ratings. Now on the buyers side, RENTACODER is perfect since they have their own escrow. It's very hard to choose the right programmer when you are the buyer... so many people offer you work and it's hard to choose.