php forum mods...?

Question

Hi. I have a very basic forum right now but would like to build it with adding on some modifications. Unfortunately, I don't know anything about computer code so I am willing to hire someone to do it for me. For the list of mods that I have(2 dozen to be exact), the estimated time is around 3 hours, but I'm guessing it would take more like 5 or 6. If you are interested let me know what you charge per hour and send me an E-mail or something and then I'll get back to you promptly. Thank you.

I looked up specifically what mods I want and the author of these mods listed the approximate times so I am going by that. If they are the ones who wrote the mods, then I would think they know the times better than anyone. True, I don't know a damn thing about php mods other than what I would like to have on my forum because I am not an expert such as yourself. Doesn't mean you have to be an *** about it though.

Also, I have a documented list of the ones I want. If anyone is interested, I will send it via E-mail.

Answer 1

Here area couple questions that if you have the answers prepared would help a coder greatly

1. Broadly explain what it is you are hoping to achieve.
2. What are your specific requirements?

I understand you are only talking about a few mods not a whole application, but it could save you some time. A coder will do what you pay him to but can't tell if you know what you want.

Answer 2

I am a recognized PHP expert, and find your message pretty humorous. Let's look at it for a second:

"I don't know anything about computer code so I am willing to hire someone to do it for me."

"For the list of mods that I have(2 dozen to be exact), the estimated time is around 3 hours, but I'm guessing it would take more like 5 or 6."

Let's take these two suppositions together:

A) I have no clue how to code, but I know I want some modifications to some code

B) Although I don't know anything about coding, I still think I can tell you (coder) how long it should take you to create my laundry list of modifications on a piece of software you didn't write, and which may not be designed in such a way that it's even possible to make the changes which I admit I don't even understand in the slightest.

In the real world, what someone like yourself needs to do is create a requirements document. This is a list of the modifications you want, with enough specificity, that someone might be able to give you an estimate. Since this is a modification to an existing product, in order to give that estimate, most developers would have to do some analysis to even provide the estimate, and for a small potatoes gig like the one you describe, for just about anyone I know who's competent, there's not a snowball's chance in hell they'd waste their time doing that research just to get a couple of hours of work.

My advice to you is: write up your requirements document, and then go either to a php developers forum which allows work for hire adverts, or to craigslist, or to one of the many broker sites, that allow people to post projects, and get bids.