Website Development Questions

[mikeyPotg]

Hello all,

I have an idea for a simple (I think) social blog website that I'd like to get developed. Since I have no programming knowledge whatsoever, I was thinking of using kickstarter.com to raise money for the site.

I currently have one person working on it, but since he's a college student he's been very busy with all of his work and hasn't been able to put too much time into it.

I have a very simple graphic design in mind and already registered the domain name. I need to hire someone/people to build the site from the ground up with some basic social networking features: the ability to add/follow people, comment and even "like" posts similar to facebook, and also give it the ability to post entries to facebook. Although I have a graphic artist, I think I'd also like to hire one more.

My questions are:
How many people do you think I need to hire?
How much money should I look to raise in order to hire the people?

 

[Consultant]

Hello all,

I have an idea for a simple (I think) social blog website that I'd like to get developed. Since I have no programming knowledge whatsoever, I was thinking of using kickstarter.com to raise money for the site.

I currently have one person working on it, but since he's a college student he's been very busy with all of his work and hasn't been able to put too much time into it.

I have a very simple graphic design in mind and already registered the domain name. I need to hire someone/people to build the site from the ground up with some basic social networking features: the ability to add/follow people, comment and even "like" posts similar to facebook, and also give it the ability to post entries to facebook. Although I have a graphic artist, I think I'd also like to hire one more.

My questions are:
How many people do you think I need to hire?
How much money should I look to raise in order to hire the people?

LOL. Have you heard about the story of Facebook and the brothers?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Winklevoss_twins

 

[bpaluzzi]

Do we really need another social media site? Especially one that appears to be just a skin over facebook?

Look into Google's struggles with Google+ to get an idea of the type of market you're attempting to enter.

http://theoatmeal.com/comics/websites_stop

 

[NutsNGum]

Aye, don't want to be down on it too much, but you're entering an area that is completely saturated.

 

[mikeyPotg]

Im not looking to compete but to integrate. It's a niche idea for specific people, but thanks for the heads up. I wasn't expecting to takedown Facebook.

And I'm aware that if I put my idea on kickstarter, the idea can be stolen. But regardless, any insight is greatly appreciated.

 

[bpaluzzi]

The reason that I brought up the chance of succeeding in that already crowded space is this:

As a developer, my pay rate is based on potential future earnings. If I am at a company where I think there is a potential for the company to do great things, I'll take a lower salary (aka, "sweat equity").

For a project like this, which is a large amount of work without much chance of it "blowing up" (which would lead to me becoming highly rewarded through ownership / equity), I'd expect a much (_much_) higher salary.

 

[jman2010]

If I were you, I would look into software that already exists and might get you 90% there.

http://www.jomsocial.com (requires Joomla CMS first)

http://elgg.org

http://dzineblog.com/2010/03/top-10...low-you-to-build-your-own-social-network.html

If you absolutely need it to be built from scratch, be prepared to spend a boat-load, assuming you want to do it right!

Good luck.

 

[mikeyPotg]

Thanks for the insight, bpaluzzi. Do all developers look at the possibility of ownership/equity? I was under the impression that I could hire someone just for the job and let that be it. I've thought about giving ownership to developers but that's a tricky topic since I'd have to trust the developer and all of that. Especially since all I have is the idea and no programming experience.

I actually have one person working on it who I'd split profits with (if I ever turned profit) but since he's finishing up college, he hasn't had much time to work on it.

Jman, thanks for the input on those sites. I've actually checked those out and several more before. I was starting to look into joomla until my one developer said he'd like to try to build it from the ground up. I'd just like to get him some help.

 

[bpaluzzi]

Thanks for the insight, bpaluzzi. Do all developers look at the possibility of ownership/equity? I was under the impression that I could hire someone just for the job and let that be it. I've thought about giving ownership to developers but that's a tricky topic since I'd have to trust the developer and all of that. Especially since all I have is the idea and no programming experience.

Sorry about that -- I wasn't very clear. The normal way of doing this type of job would be the way you're describing. The developer would be a work-for-hire contractor, and would retain no ownership of the code (or the product). However, to get a developer that is any good, you'll be paying a "competitive" rate. It depends a lot on where you're located, but good contract/freelance developers make VERY good money.

The sweat equity route is a way for startups to get top-flight developers without paying the going rates. It's certainly not the only way to do things, but just one way of approaching the problem.

To be blunt (sorry ), I'm not sure if the sweat equity route is something you'd be able to do, for the reasons I mentioned in my last post. To get a good developer, you're going to be paying a pretty good amount. Especially if, as a startup, you don't have a dedicated DBA, SysAdmin, front-end dev, back-end dev, UX engineer, etc... you'll need to find someone who can do it all, and do it all _WELL_ (otherwise your project has no chance of survival). I'm not sure where you're located, but if you send me a PM on here, I can give you some example salaries for different parts of the world where I've worked.