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<DIV>I think the critical issue is whether or not there is significant expectation of code work and experience in working with APIs. My general impression from Drupal Con is that there would be a sufficiently broad range of turnkey modules we can use as building blocks, and we're looking for someone with a broad enough view of those. In the current economy, it is unrealistic to hope that most businesses, and particularly nonprofits, will write a blank check, unless they already have a successful earned income strategy or pre-approval and range of motion from their own clients. A critical factor is whether or not the client has a clear sense of their own strategic objectives and what they want the product to look like and do. In this scenario, the adept consultant comes as a resource in strategies to manage costs and add value. Few clients, however, are sufficiently rigorous at the front end, and hence I do understand these reservations and concerns</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>
<DIV>Ken Williams</DIV>
<DIV>Senior Technical Advisor</DIV>
<DIV>AED Center for Leadership Development &</DIV>
<DIV>Director<BR>New Voices National Fellowship Program</DIV>
<DIV>1825 Connecticut Avenue, NW, #1049<BR>Washington, D.C. 20009<BR>202-884-8972<BR>202-884-8419 fax<BR><A href="mailto:kwilliam@aed.org">kwilliam@aed.org</A></DIV>
<DIV><A href="http://cld.aed.org/">http://cld.aed.org</A></DIV>
<DIV><A href="http://newvoices.aed.org/">http://newvoices.aed.org</A></DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>Want to learn about the nation's best leadership development program for emerging leaders? </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>Watch this:</DIV>
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<DIV><A href="http://vimeo.com/7168443" target=_blank>http://vimeo.com/7168443</A></DIV></DIV>
<DIV><BR>
<DIV>And if you are an AED employee, visit the revamped AED Workplace AIDS Web site!</DIV>
<DIV><A href="http://awac.aed.org/">http://awac.aed.org</A></DIV>
<DIV> </DIV></DIV>.<BR>>>> Sam Cohen <sam@samcohen.com> 11/11/2010 4:45 PM >>><BR>I'm going to differ a bit on this. I don't think the project is unreasonable at all as long as the client is flexible and willing to work with you.. <BR><BR>Sure, if you have a client who wants everything done is a very specific way then with that type of time line it would be impossible. <BR><BR>But as long as the client understands open source and understands Drupal, you can build an amazing site very fast. I think it's premature to dismiss any situation as possible or impossible or under budget without first assessing the client's willingness to work with you.<BR><BR>On a project like this, I'd say to the client, for that much money you can have me for X number of hours. We will keep time to a minimum by trying to incorporate existing modules, and possibly adapting the requirements to those modules. Where necessary we will customize things, but we will try to keep that to the minimum necessary. <BR><BR>As long as the client understands that the work is based on hours and not specific specs, there's no reason it won't work. In fact, you can come in way under budget. <BR><BR>Best,<BR><BR>Sam<BR><BR><BR><BR></DIV>
<DIV class=gmail_quote>On Thu, Nov 11, 2010 at 3:59 PM, Bill Fitzgerald <SPAN dir=ltr><<A href="mailto:bill@funnymonkey.com">bill@funnymonkey.com</A>></SPAN> wrote:<BR>
<BLOCKQUOTE class=gmail_quote style="PADDING-LEFT: 1ex; MARGIN: 0pt 0pt 0pt 0.8ex; BORDER-LEFT: rgb(204,204,204) 1px solid">
<DIV bgcolor="#ffffff" text="#000000">Hello, Ken,<BR><BR>If you are interested in looking at platforms, you also might want to look at VoiceBox: <A href="http://code.funnymonkey.com/" target=_blank>http://code.funnymonkey.com/</A><BR><BR>Disclaimer: I'm part of the team that built and maintains VoiceBox.<BR><BR>It's free to download, install, modify, and use any way you see fit.<BR><BR>Screencasts are at <A href="http://code.funnymonkey.com/screencasts" target=_blank>http://code.funnymonkey.com/screencasts</A>.<BR><BR>RE the timeline: breaking your project down into a set of phased deliverables might be a more maintainable approach, as this would allow you to proceed in stages without committing too much in the way of time/money into a small development window. <BR><BR>Like some of the other respondents in this thread, we are booked up and not looking for work at the moment, but your project sounds interesting, and this list is a good place to find development talent. <BR><BR>Cheers,<BR><FONT color=#888888><BR>Bill</FONT>
<DIV class=im><BR><BR><BR>On 11/11/10 12:41 PM, Marilyn Langfeld wrote:
<BLOCKQUOTE type="cite">Hi Ken,
<DIV><BR></DIV>
<DIV>Here's the intro to Drupal Commons: <A href="http://acquia.com/products-services" target=_blank>http://acquia.com/products-services</A> and the description page <A href="http://acquia.com/products-services/drupal-commons" target=_blank>http://acquia.com/products-services/drupal-commons</A></DIV>
<DIV><BR></DIV>
<DIV>The other link I sent earlier is to Acquia's own installation of Drupal Commons, which serves as a demo site, allows you to join and try out the functionality, and ask your questions.<BR><BR>
<DIV class=gmail_quote>On Thu, Nov 11, 2010 at 3:35 PM, Ken Williams <SPAN dir=ltr><<A href="mailto:kwilliam@aed.org" target=_blank>kwilliam@aed.org</A>></SPAN> wrote:<BR>
<BLOCKQUOTE class=gmail_quote style="PADDING-LEFT: 1ex; MARGIN: 0pt 0pt 0pt 0.8ex; BORDER-LEFT: rgb(204,204,204) 1px solid">
<DIV style="MARGIN: 4px 4px 1px; FONT: 10pt Tahoma">
<DIV>Thanks Marilyn, I really appreciate the lead and the feedback. We'll revisit the budget and see how we could realign what we have.</DIV>
<DIV></DIV>
<DIV>
<DIV>
<DIV>Ken Williams</DIV>
<DIV>Senior Technical Advisor</DIV>
<DIV>AED Center for Leadership Development &</DIV>
<DIV>Director<BR>New Voices National Fellowship Program</DIV>
<DIV>1825 Connecticut Avenue, NW, #1049<BR>Washington, D.C. 20009<BR>202-884-8972<BR>202-884-8419 fax<BR><A href="mailto:kwilliam@aed.org" target=_blank>kwilliam@aed.org</A></DIV>
<DIV><A href="http://cld.aed.org/" target=_blank>http://cld.aed.org</A></DIV>
<DIV><A href="http://newvoices.aed.org/" target=_blank>http://newvoices.aed.org</A></DIV>
<DIV></DIV>
<DIV>Want to learn about the nation's best leadership development program for emerging leaders? </DIV>
<DIV></DIV>
<DIV>Watch this:</DIV>
<DIV>
<DIV><A href="http://vimeo.com/7168443" target=_blank>http://vimeo.com/7168443</A></DIV></DIV>
<DIV><BR>
<DIV>And if you are an AED employee, visit the revamped AED Workplace AIDS Web site!</DIV>
<DIV><A href="http://awac.aed.org/" target=_blank>http://awac.aed.org</A></DIV>
<DIV></DIV></DIV><BR><BR></DIV><BR></DIV></DIV></BLOCKQUOTE></DIV></DIV></BLOCKQUOTE><BR></DIV></DIV><BR>_______________________________________________<BR>consulting mailing list<BR><A href="mailto:consulting@drupal.org">consulting@drupal.org</A><BR><A href="http://lists.drupal.org/mailman/listinfo/consulting" target=_blank>http://lists.drupal.org/mailman/listinfo/consulting</A><BR><BR></BLOCKQUOTE></DIV><BR><BR clear=all><BR>-- <BR><A href="http://samcohen.com">http://samcohen.com</A> <BR>
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