5 ms·

Hire HN: Looking for a developer to help with dead simple dating site

21 points by kyro 18y ago

Hey all, I have an idea, and a couple sketches, for a site I'd like to get help on developing. I think it's a relatively simple idea to actualize, along the lines of a twitter/craigslist mashup. The idea's imagined success is found in its simplicity, so I'm not looking to pack it with features. Anyway, I noticed several recent posts about hackers here finding work, so I thought I'd come here to tell you that I need work done! This will be a paid gig. What I'm looking for is a rockstar ninja fighter pilot sniper beast of a coder. I know that pisses off the majority of you. I wasn't serious. :P Anyway, I'm looking for a talented developer with knowledge in your preferred language of choice, although, I'd prefer ruby/python because I hope to jump in and help out in the near future, as well. Good with databases, javascript, css, xhtml. A skill level sufficient enough to build something like a twitter. If you're interested, you're more than welcome to email me at kyro@kyrobeshay.com. Apologies if this job post comes off as wildly novice. I'm not a hacker myself, so my requirements and such might seem rooted in a bit of ignorance. But hopefully you get the gist of what I'm looking for. Thank you.

alnayyir 18y ago
No one wants a reverse engineer/systems programmer anymore :(
- eprijer 18y ago
  Hey linux does ;-> Lots of device drivers still need to be written.
  - alnayyir 18y ago
    No one's asked me to contribute. I actually am going to be helping the nasm project instead. They needed me.
ojbyrne 18y ago
This is almost the perfect job ad for here, except for what someone in at the beginning is going to look for - a little bit of equity, with the promise of a lot of control (i.e. a co-founder-ish role) down the road if they rose to the occasion. I'd be tempted myself, but I'm in the middle of something.
vaksel 18y ago
might want to mention how much you plan to pay, since for a lot of people the "its really simple" means that they only want to pay $100
- kyro 18y ago
  Well, I was expecting a coder name their hourly wage, or what they'd prefer to charge. I'm not sure if that's the accepted convention. I'm always open for advice.
  - vaksel 18y ago
    if you go by hourly rate you really have no idea what it will cost in the end. A good programmer at $100/hour, can get the whole thing done in a week. A crappy programmer at $20/hour will take a year, and it'll cost you 3 times as much. You really can't know how long it'll take, since most people will overpromise and underdeliver. At least if its a fixed cost, you don't lose any extra money for someone else being lazy
    - wehriam 18y ago
      Fixed fee projects are similarly fraught with danger. There are two scenarios: 1) The client over-pays due to developer over-bidding. (In relation to the time it took him to complete the project.) 2) The developer over-works due to under-bidding. Neither is particularly advantageous for the client, as a developer will not be as responsive to a client's needs if he or she is working towards a minimum feature set. A developer can make a reasonable estimate based on clear goals. If requirements change (as they inevitably do) the developer will be compensated accordingly. Similarly, if the project is finished in less time than expected, the client will reap the benefits.
    - cubicle67 18y ago
      I've never yet seen fixed price work well, and I think on something of this size it's doomed to fail. The biggest problem is defining the scope which is almost impossible to do in any detail at the beginning of a project. Instead, I'd recommend either fixed price for small, bite sized tasks, or (as per my current contract) a weekly rate until completion. I work on rapid turn-around, so the client almost always knows exactly where the project's at and how it fits with their requirements. Of course a precondition of this is a decent level of trust on both sides, and a client who's not a pain.
jimfl 18y ago
There's nothing simple about dating.
- wehriam 18y ago
  Tell me about it. The good news is I don't have to pay for roses or a fancy Valentine's dinner this year.
peterhi 18y ago
Not a great deal of content in this message. It comes down to "This will be a paid gig", "kyro@kyrobeshay.com" and "dating site". The rest is just plain weasel speak. Hopefully you express yourself more succinctly in the spec. However there are some things that a potential coder would be interested in that it might do for you to answer here. 1) What are you plans for hosting this site 2) How do you intend to promote the site 3) Given that coders are crap at graphics do you have a designer to make the site attractive 4) What is the timescale And as a side note any competent coder can do this, the rocket scientists are capable of developing it for themselves and cutting you out of the loop. Thats if they would be interested in a dating site.
- wehriam 18y ago
  I'm a potential coder, and I think there's enough information: preferred language, general complexity of the project, and required skills. Everything else would be outlined in initial communication. Posting a budget would be disadvantageous to him, as the answer is probably, "the least possible, and no higher than a certain amount." This post is not "weasel speak," whatever that means.
  - peterhi 18y ago
    "I have an idea, and a couple sketches, for a site I'd like to get help on developing. I think it's a relatively simple idea to actualize, along the lines of a twitter/craigslist mashup. The idea's imagined success is found in its simplicity, so I'm not looking to pack it with features." Ok, just what does that paragraph mean. What the hell is a "twitter/craigslist mashup"? Do you have any idea how this proposed site would actually work from that description? And if you don't know what weasel speak is how do you know that it is not weasel speak? Weasel speak is the sort of buzzword laden zero content nonsense that marketing usually churn out. There were enough words in his post to actually describe the site or at least what a "twitter/craigslist mashup" was and how it would be different from any other 'me too' dating site. I have personally been on too many projects where the specification was full of this kind of nonsense to take such things kindly. A project that may end up being conducted by people on different continents needs to be clear. Other than it is a dating site I have no idea what he wants. If he justs wants to rip off craigslist or plenty of fish then fine, but at least say so. Hell if he just wants to rip off a site but is prepared to make sure that it is hosted and promoted then people would probably do it for free just to get it on their CV. Hence the reason I asked for clarification of those four points.
kwamenum86 18y ago
Good luck...just promise not to use the word "dead" tagline.

21 points by kyro 18y ago

alnayyir 18y ago

No one wants a reverse engineer/systems programmer anymore :(

eprijer 18y ago
Hey linux does ;-> Lots of device drivers still need to be written.
- alnayyir 18y ago
  No one's asked me to contribute. I actually am going to be helping the nasm project instead. They needed me.

ojbyrne 18y ago

This is almost the perfect job ad for here, except for what someone in at the beginning is going to look for - a little bit of equity, with the promise of a lot of control (i.e. a co-founder-ish role) down the road if they rose to the occasion. I'd be tempted myself, but I'm in the middle of something.

vaksel 18y ago

might want to mention how much you plan to pay, since for a lot of people the "its really simple" means that they only want to pay $100

kyro 18y ago
Well, I was expecting a coder name their hourly wage, or what they'd prefer to charge. I'm not sure if that's the accepted convention. I'm always open for advice.
- vaksel 18y ago
  if you go by hourly rate you really have no idea what it will cost in the end. A good programmer at $100/hour, can get the whole thing done in a week. A crappy programmer at $20/hour will take a year, and it'll cost you 3 times as much. You really can't know how long it'll take, since most people will overpromise and underdeliver. At least if its a fixed cost, you don't lose any extra money for someone else being lazy
  - wehriam 18y ago
    Fixed fee projects are similarly fraught with danger. There are two scenarios: 1) The client over-pays due to developer over-bidding. (In relation to the time it took him to complete the project.) 2) The developer over-works due to under-bidding. Neither is particularly advantageous for the client, as a developer will not be as responsive to a client's needs if he or she is working towards a minimum feature set. A developer can make a reasonable estimate based on clear goals. If requirements change (as they inevitably do) the developer will be compensated accordingly. Similarly, if the project is finished in less time than expected, the client will reap the benefits.
  - cubicle67 18y ago
    I've never yet seen fixed price work well, and I think on something of this size it's doomed to fail. The biggest problem is defining the scope which is almost impossible to do in any detail at the beginning of a project. Instead, I'd recommend either fixed price for small, bite sized tasks, or (as per my current contract) a weekly rate until completion. I work on rapid turn-around, so the client almost always knows exactly where the project's at and how it fits with their requirements. Of course a precondition of this is a decent level of trust on both sides, and a client who's not a pain.

jimfl 18y ago

There's nothing simple about dating.

wehriam 18y ago
Tell me about it. The good news is I don't have to pay for roses or a fancy Valentine's dinner this year.

peterhi 18y ago

Not a great deal of content in this message. It comes down to "This will be a paid gig", "kyro@kyrobeshay.com" and "dating site". The rest is just plain weasel speak. Hopefully you express yourself more succinctly in the spec. However there are some things that a potential coder would be interested in that it might do for you to answer here. 1) What are you plans for hosting this site 2) How do you intend to promote the site 3) Given that coders are crap at graphics do you have a designer to make the site attractive 4) What is the timescale And as a side note any competent coder can do this, the rocket scientists are capable of developing it for themselves and cutting you out of the loop. Thats if they would be interested in a dating site.

wehriam 18y ago
I'm a potential coder, and I think there's enough information: preferred language, general complexity of the project, and required skills. Everything else would be outlined in initial communication. Posting a budget would be disadvantageous to him, as the answer is probably, "the least possible, and no higher than a certain amount." This post is not "weasel speak," whatever that means.
- peterhi 18y ago
  "I have an idea, and a couple sketches, for a site I'd like to get help on developing. I think it's a relatively simple idea to actualize, along the lines of a twitter/craigslist mashup. The idea's imagined success is found in its simplicity, so I'm not looking to pack it with features." Ok, just what does that paragraph mean. What the hell is a "twitter/craigslist mashup"? Do you have any idea how this proposed site would actually work from that description? And if you don't know what weasel speak is how do you know that it is not weasel speak? Weasel speak is the sort of buzzword laden zero content nonsense that marketing usually churn out. There were enough words in his post to actually describe the site or at least what a "twitter/craigslist mashup" was and how it would be different from any other 'me too' dating site. I have personally been on too many projects where the specification was full of this kind of nonsense to take such things kindly. A project that may end up being conducted by people on different continents needs to be clear. Other than it is a dating site I have no idea what he wants. If he justs wants to rip off craigslist or plenty of fish then fine, but at least say so. Hell if he just wants to rip off a site but is prepared to make sure that it is hosted and promoted then people would probably do it for free just to get it on their CV. Hence the reason I asked for clarification of those four points.

kwamenum86 18y ago

Good luck...just promise not to use the word "dead" tagline.