Help P-lease!
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- OSFA
Alright, this is a good one.
1. What are your favorite social network sites and why? What makes them different? Is it facebook, virb, myspace? Why is this guy asking for this you say? Let me explain...
Met someone that wants to build his own custom/original social network. He's got the time and money to make it happen so the project got my attention. This will be an international site, with all the services and capacities as myspace, youtube, etc, etc, etc.
2. How much would be fair to charge for extensive research, proposal presentation and design of such project? We won't need to program or develop anything, just provide the design.
- van_rijn0
that is a toughie. good luck
- OSFA0
Tell me about it...
- neverblink0
You can't really calculate how much hours will go into this research, so maybe you could settle for an agreement where if you put in X ammount of time a month you get Y ammount of money, especially if the research is over a longer period of time.
maybe throw in some stocks / percentage of profit
- harlequino0
Are you responsibel for development and execution?
For the research and design, hit him with 7500, see what he says. But I wouldn't do this for less than 4-5k.
- You'd probably need to look into outsourcing some company to produce hard research data.harlequino
- OSFA0
No. We're just doing the research and design. Just to make it clear, the research he asked for is mostly a 'make sure we use the best of the best and that 'nobody' has anything similar to us. I wanna be 100% original.'
We'll then focus on the design aspect of it. I want to be fair in pricing this, since we'll only be doing the design for the site, but I am also considering every aspect of it. From the bad ones, to the crazy good ones such as an offer from Google or Yahoo. His idea is if facebook is worth x right now, I can and am willing to be worth double.
I am pretty sure I won't be sleeping tonight...
- harlequino0
Fair enough. Still sounds like your role is worth upwards of 10k at least for something like that. Probably more, considering your role has such an impact on the site as a revenue generator.
- horton0
the virb team already did some of your research for question #1:
- OSFA0
Hey ya'll. I finally reached the point of 'providing the estimate/invoice' for the work we'll be doing and it hit me like a brick. I'm so burnt out that I can't think of a good way to describe everything the client is receiving and that has been done in order to pay. As you can see on the top posts ^ we're in charge of research, concept, name,identity, branding and design.
How should I list these on my document? Please help me out...
- capn_ron0
I feel for you OSFA. this is a tough one to quote. It seems like the best route may be to offer a set amount of time at a set price say per month. Kind of like a retainer. Then you would just have to manage your time really well and let him know if he needs to pay more if you work more time. Either that or really list what you are going to do and then just break it into smaller jobs to get the pricing. Good luck with that. Either way, it seems like a good gig and potential.
- OSFA0
tell me about it.
I'm open to suggestions and help :)
- ismith0
Facebook and Virb. Virb for the spirit behind the community and its developers, Facebook for its simplicity and consistency.
As for your second question, I have no idea. Sorry.
- Jaline0
If you have to make one, do it like Virb. I guess lots of people like applications (as they are damn annoying at Facebook), but if I had a choice I would not include them. I guess: the more features, the better though (according to the majority of users), so whatever.
- I like apps, I just wish they had to be approved by Facebook first to fit the feel of FB, because some apps are great imo.ismith
- capn_ron0
Check your email. I sent something that may or may not be of service. I'll keep thinking of what I have for you to check out.
- ********0
Honestly, there are 1000s of people who sound like they have the time and the money, have seen facebook become a huge player and want some of what looks like an easy pie. Bit of code, good design and you're away, right ?
Buy some land, build some houses on it, and we'll make millions..
It sounds like he has had a vague idea of 'something like facebook', but...er....er....better, yeh - better. Loads better. TWICE as good, yeh something twice as good...And wants you to work out how.
To my mind that makes him an investor in YOUR COMPANY.
Repitch it to him like that. All these 'ideas' will be yours, as will their execution, production and development. All his idea seems to be is make money out doing something like what one of the most recognised things in the world is. Charge him the earth and make sure he thinks everything is HIS idea so if it doesnt work, then he can't really blame you.
- OSFA0
Thanks for the great coments and advice guys! Keep 'em coming!
- vague0
stop whining.
- Hall0
up to $100K concept & design
over $150K development
- ********0
How much do you charge to build something for someone that could 'potentially' earn THEM millions?! ...Impossible question mate!
I've had half a dozen requests over the past year from dumb ass students wanting me to build them a social networking site, cause apparently it's that easy to make a quick million and compete with MySpace/Facebook! lol
- rafalski0
I have learnt that if the client has no idea what he wants, but he wants to put his money in interwebs, the thing will likely fail.
This is how it works: there is a startup by visionaries who don't eat don't sleep only work 24/7 on their next big thing. They need funding so they find someone with money. Bang, success!
Do you think there would have been youtube the founders hadn't had the vision what they'd wanted and the enormous drive to do it in the first place?Is there anything you see behind that project beyond the funding? They're paying you to come up with a vision?
Probably their best bet would be to find a small social network startup and invest in it, preferably with your company on the design end.I have once worked on a feng-shui numerology based dating startup. She didn't have an idea how it would work and what it would do exactly, but wanted it built anyway. When I said the project needed a person to run it daily, she introduced a friend who only seemed to be interested in the dating potential of the site "what do you mean phone number, like I'd have to answer clients' phones? No way I'm doing this!"
I also worked on "a specialized eBay, only better". The owner was sure "if you build it, they'll come" and it would just produce money by itself. Was surprised when I said he needed to provide daily support, at very least someone to oversee the thing running during the startup months.Both of these were probably of much smaller scale, but I guess the same rules apply, especially on a tight market social networking is. If they have no vision I'd either skip it or cash in while clients learns that he needs to learn what he's actually doing.
He's paying you to do the research he should've done himself, fair enough but I don't see it coming together.
There is an old Jewish joke:
"What do you mean you're in business with Solomon? You have no money to invest in it!"
"Well, I have the experience to do it. Worst case scenario is, in 6 months he'll have the experience and I'll have the money."