How to Get a Reputation & Promote Your Rails Development Businesss
Jose Hurtado
Like many in the list I am starting with Rails and seriously trying to get some contract work for it.
Coming from PHP / ASP and web design background, it has not been easy. First because Rails takes time to master, and second because it also takes time to get new customers who need web development, rather than web design.
Unfortunately this is the typical chicken and egg dilemma; on the one hand you need new customers to trust you do Rails development for them, on the other you have no previous Rails customers so it's tough to convince new prospects!
Any advice on this subject... I do have some ideas but would like to know what has worked for you.
Best Regards,
Jose L. Hurtado
Web Developer
Trumpet Interactive
Toronto, Canada
Aaron Blohowiak
piece on your own time.
Eric Davis
> make a project that you can use as a business card and as a portfolio
> piece on your own time.
Or contribute to an Open Source Rails project.
--
Eric Davis
Little Stream Software
http://www.LittleStreamSoftware.com
Courtenay
>
> Aaron Blohowiak wrote:
> > make a project that you can use as a business card and as a portfolio
> > piece on your own time.
>
> Or contribute to an Open Source Rails project.
>
Write a bunch of small, useful, applications that get the respect of
the community. Team up with a kickass designer and release it as
open-source. Your code will get you work.
Contribute to Rails itself. Contribute to the documentation
(shameless self-promotion, I'll even pay you a respectable wage).
It shouldn't matter what technology a website is built with -- and
it's a hell of an easier sell today than it was 2 years ago.
Finally, you might like to subcontract for other, established
developers -- you don't need to acquire or maintain clients, and the
money's good enough AND consider that you're not dealing with stupid
clients, only people who know what they're doing.
Courtenay
Rick M.
Work for established web developers is something I'd truly love to do
as I am a Rails and Web development lover but am going to school full
time. Where's the best way to find Rails developers that are looking
for more Rails developers?
Thanks,
Rick
On Sep 15, 8:47 pm, Courtenay <court3...@gmail.com> wrote:
Courtenay
>
> Hey Courtenay,
>
> Work for established web developers is something I'd truly love to do
> as I am a Rails and Web development lover but am going to school full
> time. Where's the best way to find Rails developers that are looking
> for more Rails developers?
Don't over-commit yourself. I've hired many Rails developers to
subcontract over the years and the ones who already had other
commitments (work, school, life) couldn't maintain any sort of
reasonable contracting*. Even the ones who swore black and blue that
they could. Usually they'll last about 4-8 weeks before imploding.
Sad but true.
* It may also be my crappy management style.
That being said, getting work from other developers can follow pretty
much the same rules; get noticed, have some solid code opensourced, or
just get networking. Join your local ruby/rails user group, start
posting on the various mailing lists, helping the noobs.
Courtenay
Jose Hurtado
I was thinking of an open source project or a relatively simple web application to practice and at the same time, show the skill I am attaining with Rails.
This project is clear way to show that you know your stuff.
I would like to add a little more suggestions that I recently heard from Peter Cooper, creator of the RubyInside blog and several Ruby apps. In an interview with Geoffrey Grosenbach, he outlined what I would say is a personal PR strategy to get ahead in the Rails marketplace, below some highlights of what he did and said:
1. Start a Blog, Relevant to the Rails Community
"I began Ruby Inside (blog) as an unintentional serendipity... a good way to promote a Ruby book." (which would come 10 months later)
"What's gonna happen when I release this book and no one buys it,I was kind of thinking from the start how am I gonna sell this book"
2. Write a book ; )
He wrote an introductory book related to Rails, Beginning Ruby.
I would add that even a free book, or a documentation effort like Courtenay suggested could also help.
3. Write a simple app, free or open source or both.
Peter wrote two free apps and made some money on premium services or ads. Not much, but in the end he sold those and actually made some cash. At the time of the interview he had sold one, and now he sold both.
So many ideas to work with...
But at least I know have a way forward.
Courtenay, I have some free time, so paid documentation work... mmm why not?!
Thanks everyone again, and have a great weekend!
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--
Best Regards,
Jose Hurtado
Toronto, Canada