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Just touching back on this issue, since I just had a client who wanted
a job done on an hourly rate, and wanted me to make my desktop
available by VNC or RDP so he could monitor it...<br>
<br>
I understand that as a buyer, you like to be able to see what the
people you have hired are doing.<br>
<br>
At the same time, I think there is a bit of a disconnect between how I
view my business, and how you view the people you've outsources work to.<br>
<br>
Specifically, I view myself as a business performing a contract for
you. I don't view myself as 'your worker' or 'your employee'. I work
for my business, which has taken your contract. You are not my boss;
you are my client.<br>
<br>
Would you ask your mechanic to set up a webcam in his garage to monitor
him working on your car, or your lawyer to set up a webcam in his
office? If you did ask, what do you think the reaction would be?<br>
<br>
All this said, if a service provider is willing to allow the client to
closely monitor his work, great. I just don't think that there should
be an expectation of it.<br>
<br>
Just to be clear - to me, this is an academic discussion. I quote 95%
of my work ahead of time to avoid any possible 'use-of-time' issues
with my clients. <br>
<br>
<div class="moz-signature">-- <br>
<strong>Brian Vuyk</strong><br>
Web Design & Development<br>
T: 613-534-2916<br>
Skype: brianvuyk<br>
<a class="moz-txt-link-abbreviated" href="mailto:brian@brianvuyk.com">brian@brianvuyk.com</a> | <a href="http://www.brianvuyk.com">http://www.brianvuyk.com</a>
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<br>
<br>
On 04/07/2009 04:01 PM, Matt Chapman wrote:
<blockquote cite="mid:49DBB122.2010505@NinjitsuWeb.com" type="cite">Brian
Vuyk wrote:
<br>
<blockquote type="cite">You are all right in probably not worth it. I
may just try with a small job and see how it goes. Like I've said, I
don't like the monitoring system, though!
<br>
</blockquote>
<br>
As someone who often hires people to do things I could do myself, but
lack the time for, I dare say that many Drupal developers are worse
than lawyers when it comes to billing practices. I've seen a 10 hour
bill for two lines of code changed to upgrade a module from D5 to D6
from a developer who was supposedly experienced in such work. Perhaps
he got hung up on researching writing the jQuery he used to check
*every* checkbox on the page for the requirement that one checkbox
should be checked & disabled default.
<br>
<br>
And the lower the hourly rate, the more likely they are to pad the
bill. I'll gladly pay 4-5 times the minimal rate for someone who works
as efficiently as I do. I'm not going to pay that kind of money to have
someone learn on the job. $8/hr is about right if you're making it up
as you go along, and you live in a country where the housing costs a
third of mine.
<br>
<br>
So, as a buyer, I'm a big fan of being able monitor my workers and make
sure they've been truthful about their time and their skills.
<br>
<br>
I get that research is part of the job; I'm not going to balk at
screenshots of api.drupal.org... but if some dev is surfing youtube on
the clock, I'm going to exercise my right to withhold payment. As for
me, I don't bill my clients for research time unless they want to do
something that really never has been done before. I spend about 10
hours per week on researching on my own time so I can stay up to date
on the latest progress in Drupal & related technologies.
<br>
<br>
Also, part of what the freelancers get from oDesk is an insurance
policy that they will be paid for their time if the end client balks
unjustly; as someone who spends way too much time trying to collect
from delinquent employers, I know how valuable that is.
<br>
<br>
Best,
<br>
<br>
Matt
<br>
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<br>
</blockquote>
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