Posted by tonyv on September 3, 2008 at 12:49pm
We have created a follow-up survey based on the feedback of the original survey. This follow-up survey contains new features that were suggested by our members. Now we can vote as a group on whether or not these new features are worth including.
Comments
Tony Valle Promethius
Tony Valle
Promethius Consulting, LLC
Tony Valle
Promethius Consulting, LLC
Chrome
I have read about chrome, but not yet tried it. Here are a some random articles/references:
http://waffle.wootest.net/2008/09/02/cr24/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/kurafire/2822606444/
http://dev.chromium.org/user-experience
http://googlemac.blogspot.com/2008/09/platforms-and-priorities.html
Art is like life - be creative!
Art is like life - be creative!
Discussion about features in the survey
Doug and I were discussing the issue of posting the podcasts, training videos, and recipes so I thought it would be worth posting here. With other sites to deal with that have been doing this for years (namely Drupal Dojo, Lullabot, and other Drupal Groups) maybe we should reference these sources. But if an issue arises where we can't find the help, we should maybe develop tutorials for these as we dig through them (possibly even as a group - i don't know). This way we can create help areas that will benefit our group as well as the drupal community. We could also gain more recognition if we post about issues that isn't easily found.
I'd love to go to a drupal con and hear some one say "Go to Drupalindy.com, those guys have a tutorial about that"
I also wonder about businesses submitting projects. Hopefully we can do this to where we don't look like a group of piranhas? And our close-knit group may be put to the test if we're constantly competing over bids :)
But I do think if our profiles convey our diverse talents, we could get those requests directly and specifically, maybe privately. I just have a concern about that since we aren't exactly starting a business model together.
Other thoughts?
We could always respond to
We could always respond to bids in a bit of a trade-union pattern ( Go Drupal Developers Union / Indianapolis Chapter ;-) ) where we always bid at the same rate, then we distribute within the group depending on skillsets and who has "banked" the least amount of hours. Thoughts anyone?
http://www.alxconn.com
CB Consulting
Can it be done?
Maybe it is possible for us to to successfully receive and utilize LEADS through the site.
I have a crazy INTERN meets PRACTICUM scenario that I wish to run past you.........
We have a content-Type called LEAD. When it's filled out a notice goes out to those who desired to be notified. At that point we start a discussion forum topic on our site that centers around what the job details are and how best the group can respond.
It would seem to me that any job we take would take at least two of us to complete if not more.
My travels, chats, Skypes, Podcasts, and meetings have convinced me that no Drupaler develops in a vacuum. Rather, it is nearly ALWAYS a team effort.
While every one's skills in this group are growing quickly, the truth is that only a few of us can really, take a website from IDEA to LAUNCH in a short period of time.
What is likely to happen here is that we would somehow work as a team so that people could learn the ropes and be as much a part of the process as possible.
I wouldn't mind taking some 5 page brochure site that came our way and charging a grand for it and having us all discuss in a private forum exactly what is happening with the development. We would need to be sensitive about the delivery time, but we could still incorporate the group somehow. And when the job is done. we can put some of the proceeds into a group kitty and use it for BOOKS, VDEOS, or EVENTS, or whatever you the gang can think of.
Facts:
1] any leads that come in must be built in Drupal
2] few of us can take an IDEA and LAUNCH a fully functional site from it quickly by ourselves.
3] accepting leads on the site just makes good sense.
4] IF we get a lead and we agree on a bid and IF they accept: then the opportunity for the group to learn from the process would be awesome.
5] If one or two of us take a more active role in any development then they should be rewarded. Observers should not. Persons who function in an almosy "intern" like role can count the experience as payment.
6] Any gig must have a good chunk of the fee set aside for Group Expenses.
my thoughts
Honestly, I don't think that there's any great way to handle bids. Does anyone know of any other user groups that have done something like this?
First, I don't think that a "union" with a flat rate is a good idea. We all have very different skill levels and availability, and as such, should charge different rates. A person seeking development from our group should get good value for their money. I would not want them to pay too much or too little for the work that we would do for them. Our bottom line goal should be to always have a fully satisfied Drupal user in the end.
In my opinion, the proper way to handle these requests will depend on the number and scale of the requests. If the sites are small and we only have a few interested customers, then it's probably fine to go with something like Doug suggested. We could knock out a couple of sites for cheap and use the proceeds to help the group out.
However, if there start to be large-scale requests or we receive a large number of requests, then I think that the simple system would start to break down. If that's the case, we should probably split off into official "teams". Each team could present its skill set, pricing, time requirements, etc. to the customer, and the customer could decide which group provides the best value for what they want. For example, those of us who can do an entire Drupal site from scratch could be our own "team", or we could form small groups of people. Also, companies like Promethius could be their own teams as well. It would be up to group members to decide how the teams shape up.
Once a customer becomes interested we could discuss their needs (features, timing, etc.) in a forum and decide which teams are interested in placing bids. Also, if a unique request comes in, we could talk about combining team efforts. Then each team could get in touch with the customer to explain their offer, skills, etc. At that point, its in the customer's hands as to who they go with. I think that this system is good for many reasons:
1.) The customer will have a specific person or small group of people to turn to for future updates, questions, etc. I think that will give them more of a sense of security than having to lean on a more diffuse local users group.
2.) The customer will make the ultimate decision about who to go with. We do not only present them with one option.
3.) This will challenge us to all raise our skill level to remain "competitive" with each other.
4.) The pay will only have to be split up within a small group of people for each job. Each team can decide in advance how much it will give to each member.
In no way do I envision this as a "dog eat dog" type of system. We should always be helping each other learn how to better develop Drupal sites. I also hope that we would all be getting our own business from other places regardless. If there starts to be trouble or animosity over bidding, then we can address the problems then.
For now this is all that I can come up with...Like I said, I think the system Doug suggested would be fine initially, unless the number or scale of requests increases. I don't envision a large demand for sites through the group...so this will probably not be an issue anyway.
By the way...I'm really pumped about all of the activity in the group recently. Thank you to everyone who's pushing to make this group great!
-Mike Goodwin
Red Leaf Media
http://www.redleafmedia.com