Have you ever run into a situation on your site where you need a quick technical fix but don’t know how to do it? Do you have a great idea for a new site design or web app?
It can be a pretty daunting task to get that kind of thing done. Some people are lucky enough that they happen to know someone with some tech skills. So you toss them $50 bucks and have them solve the issue for you.
For the rest of us, what do you do?
Luckily, there are freelance sites out there that can solve these problems for you, safely and securely.
If you’re the adventurous type, you could go to Craig’slist and post a gig. You’ll surely get a flood of interested freelancers. But there’s always that “what if” factor. What if the person screws up your site and walks away? What if they take your money without finishing the job? What if?
So using a site like that can be a little risky. Personally, I’ve used Craiglist for small technical gigs, and they’ve worked out fine. However, I have heard dozens of nightmare stories.
There are better alternatives though. Sites like Guru.com and RentACoder.com specialize in this type of work. It’s almost like eBay for tech geeks.
Basically, you post the “job” or task you have on the site, then the freelancers get to bid on your job. While they are bidding, you can see that user’s profile, job history, and rating. So right away, you already know a lot more about the person’s reputation than you would with Craigslist.
Once you negotiate and select a freelancer, the Guru or RentACoder holds your money in escrow for you. That way, if the freelancer were to drop of the face of the planet or not deliver on what was promised, you won’t lose your money.
They have customer service reps that arbitrate these disagreements on behalf of both parties.
From the freelancer’s perspective, they know if they do the job as promised, they will get paid. They don’t have to worry about getting stiffed.
All of your conversation with the freelancer happens through the website so there is a detailed log of your conversation history. That way there’s no finger pointing. Everything is out in the open for the arbitrator to see and evaluate.
So if you have a small or large technical job, you should check one of those sites out. Could save you a lot of headache and money!
Most small business owners need to have a simple site up on the web TODAY because their competition already does. For example, you own a small restaurant on the upper east side. Your diner’s need to know about how fabulous your food is! The also want to see what the food looks like, how your dining room is decorated, and how they can make a reservation.
