[ale] Basic web design fee

[James P. Kinney III]

On Tue, 2005-04-26 at 01:25 -0400, Christopher Bergeron wrote:
> Mike, I specifically prefaced my email to Paul by saying, "If I were 
> you".  I too, charge quite a bit for my web services (on the rare 
> occasion that I accept that kind of work). When I do, I offer complete 
> solutions - not just webpages.
> 
> Paul sounds like a younger fellow and he's obviously interested in what 
> he's doing.  I think we should encourage him (ALL OF US, were there at 
> one time or another), and help him achieve his goal.  ALE isn't just a 
> group of elitist Linux hackers;  we're also one of the more respected 
> [Linux related] solutions providers.  I can't back that statement up 
> empirically, however, I have noticed a significantly disproportionate 
> number of ALE related results when I search for anything Linux related.  
> ALE is without-a-doubt one of the most/more significant LUGs on the web.

I did a google search a while back looking for a solution to a problem.
The top hit was an ALE post _I_ had made with the solution to the very
same problem! <mutters something about missing brain cells>...
> 
> That said, let's help him by providing him with a solution; not rhetoric 
> or how much better are/would charge to do the work that he would enjoy 
> doing.

I read the responses as more "Don't under sell yourself". This is a
technical field that requires a high degree of expertise to get it
right. Just as there is a difference between the shade tree mechanic and
the pro shop with the fully stocked tool box, so it is with the web site
mechanic. It's OK to charge what ever the web writer is willing to live
on. There is a need for that level of web expertise as well as for the
mid and top level writers as well.

However, $12-$15 per hour writing web pages won't pay the bills unless
you are booked solid 40 hours per week every week. If the low-cost
writer has another full-time job, then freelancing at that price is just
extra beer money (over 21) or game cash (under 21). Once someone is
doing it full-time, there is time called "overhead" that is not billable
directly. It turns into a delicate juggling act balancing non-paying
time and pricing the paying time to get a rate that keeps the roof up
and doesn't scare away customers. There's a reason that most retail
stores have more than a 100% markup. 
> 
> Sorry for the tirade.
> -CB
> 
> 
> 

-- 
James P. Kinney III          \Changing the mobile computing world/
CEO & Director of Engineering \          one Linux user         /
Local Net Solutions,LLC        \           at a time.          /
770-493-8244                    \.___________________________./
http://www.localnetsolutions.com

GPG ID: 829C6CA7 James P. Kinney III (M.S. Physics)
<jkinney at localnetsolutions.com>
Fingerprint = 3C9E 6366 54FC A3FE BA4D 0659 6190 ADC3 829C 6CA7
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