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should I outsource this, how much should it cost?

Posted: Tue Sep 15, 2009 10:17 pm
by mmenashe
Hello everyone, my first post here, getting into PHP a little :drunk: but still kind of new

anyhow, here goes

there are two parts to this

#1

I have a webpage where customers fill out a form, and wait a little until those entries in the form get plugged into their respective holes in a preselected template

Right now,
the form gets emailed to me
I put the fields into excel
the template is in HTML code inside a word file
word file mail merge with the fields in the excel file
upload the excel file to my server
operation complete

side note: the form also has a portion where they can upload images, I organize those as well and put the /img/*.jpg links inside the excel file so they show up in the template

how should I change this operation around? should I incorporate a programmer to make something with PHP and SQL? what do you think?


part #2

I have the domain and webpage ready to go
I want that file they create to be a subsection of my page, ie if my page is http://www.avcomp.com, when they make a site, it should be http://www.theirsite.avcomp.com

and ultimately, they purchase their own URL (through me) and I just mask the forwarder so it doesnt show my page and subURL also


let me know what you think needs to be done to make all of this simple and more automatic, and if you think its time to outsource, tell me what cost range I should expect


thanks

M

Re: should I outsource this, how much should it cost?

Posted: Tue Sep 15, 2009 10:56 pm
by Mirge
Well, depending on your server, software, etc... it's not particularly difficult, but if you aren't familiar with PHP or web development in general then no, you shouldn't be taking this on yourself, IMHO of course.

For a beginner there is a lot of potential error that could bring upon pretty drastic problems for you & your clients. I'd recommend out-sourcing it... plenty of people on these boards I'm sure wouldn't mind giving a quote, plus there are plenty of other websites that exist solely to join contractors & people needing work done.

Re: should I outsource this, how much should it cost?

Posted: Tue Sep 15, 2009 10:59 pm
by mmenashe
thanks for the quick reply

Id entertain any quotes, really

can I ask you what you think the ballpark fair market price should be? I am looking for a simple solution rather than something grand and exhaustive.

Re: should I outsource this, how much should it cost?

Posted: Wed Sep 16, 2009 2:20 am
by Ollie Saunders
how should I change this operation around? should I incorporate a programmer to make something with PHP and SQL? what do you think?
It's hard for us to answer without knowing a few things:
  • How annoying is doing this work to you? i.e. How valuable is your time? Consider what else you could do with it. How long does all this take?
  • How many of these do you have to do in, say, a week?
  • How many of these do you expect to have to do in the future?
  • And, of course, as you have already asked, what are the costs involved in an automated solution? Also consider if there could be other side benefits to automation.
It's a business/productivity decision that really only you can make. I wouldn't be so bold to suggest what you should do without knowing your situation. Maybe my asking those questions will help you make it though.

I'm without work at the moment so I could write this for you and give you a quote beforehand. I won't go into details on that point because it's off-topic; PM me if you're interested.
I have the domain and webpage ready to go
I want that file they create to be a subsection of my page, ie if my page is http://www.avcomp.com, when they make a site, it should be http://www.theirsite.avcomp.com
You want to create a subdomain. I can't say I know how you could automate the creation of these, it will probably depend on your server's hosting platform (Plesk, CPanel, self-managed?) some research on these could confirm if it was possible and how to do it.
and ultimately, they purchase their own URL (through me) and I just mask the forwarder so it doesnt show my page and subURL also
What do you mean by this exactly? Are you doing this now? If so, how?
let me know what you think needs to be done to make all of this simple and more automatic, and if you think its time to outsource, tell me what cost range I should expect
The way I see you have three choices: Hire someone, do it yourself, or don't do it. Either way it seems like a good idea to get some quotes. I can provide you with one via PM if you like. If you want to try it yourself you'll find many people willing to help you on this forum and others.

Re: should I outsource this, how much should it cost?

Posted: Wed Sep 16, 2009 3:27 am
by mmenashe
Hi Ollie, thanks for a comprehensive reply
  • How annoying is doing this work to you? i.e. How valuable is your time? Consider what else you could do with it. How long does all this take?
  • How many of these do you have to do in, say, a week?
  • How many of these do you expect to have to do in the future?
  • And, of course, as you have already asked, what are the costs involved in an automated solution? Also consider if there could be other side benefits to automation.
let me start by saying that its a relatively new process, as we have just launched our website using a method completely different, easier and with more robust features than above, however in this we have a cost of $10 a month in which we charge $24 a month for the elaborate service (includes a thing like short text # for corresponding web page, etc). As of now, we (me and partner) could resell the existing service, or create a simple webpage in the fashion described in the original post.

I have not started selling pages in the aforementioned fashion, so its hard to answer those questions accurately right off the bat, however in a weeks time, that may very well be different. As it stands, I have enough free time which I can take care of at least a dozen or a few dozen in one days time If I needed to, and furthermore I feel I could pay someone a nominal wage to do this for me, since the process isnt too complicated to begin with.

In regards to how many to expect, Im selling to an industry I am well connected in, so once I get the word out, there should be a constant flow of pages, which is why automation is important here. To give an example, one company who caters directly to my target market has a customer base of 100000+ that he is ready to upsell, although we are obviously going to spread that out into what we can manage.
I can't say I know how you could automate the creation of these, it will probably depend on your server's hosting platform (Plesk, CPanel, self-managed?) some research on these could confirm if it was possible and how to do it.
I think my partner has some kind of script, but Ill have to check, on Hostmonster I have CPanel
I'm without work at the moment so I could write this for you and give you a quote beforehand. I won't go into details on that point because it's off-topic; PM me if you're interested.
Thanks, what I will do is quickly PM you the URL address of the existing site, and since It is getting late for me, Ill have to ask if you can wait until tomorrow and Ill send you off much more intimate details of the existing operation.

I will say that I do have work, but it is usually commissioned base, and it is an extremely slow time right now in this specific field of international trade; I dont have much money to spend at all, henceforth my motivation for posting around and not going straight to RAC or elance. The money that we have put in this project, is mostly tied up in the marketing side, which is vital and cannot be subtracted.

Be that as it may, I am much more inclined to accept a commission heavy deal over one with a direct payment, in which Ill grant what I believe is irrefutable evidence of any revenue and automatic payment on each deal. Since I am in a commissioned based trade, I can surely understand anyone being disinterested in such a payment structure as I have to do this all the time for myself.

Anyone interested, please PM me and I will respond with the existing URL, and some details about the marketing we have in place.

Re: should I outsource this, how much should it cost?

Posted: Wed Sep 16, 2009 4:42 am
by Ollie Saunders
that its a relatively new process, as we have just launched [a new] website using a method completely different, easier and with more robust features than above, however in this we have a cost of $10 a month in which we charge $24 a month for the elaborate service (includes a thing like short text # for corresponding web page, etc).
For a different market I guess? But, I'm curious what is the different method?