The subtleties in outsourcing using RentACoder
I've had experience using online sites to source jobs, and I think this advice is right on.Here are some summary points, generalized away from rent-a-coder:* don't hire Americans to do commodity work (i.e. PHP CRUD)* be clear but not ominous in your job description, and include visual mocks if at all possible* don't try and be secretive - no one wants your dumb idea anyways* make sure someone has a decent reputation on the site you use* keep track of the progress of the product and keep in touch with the coder, but don't be overbearing* be somewhat flexible with the deliverable - aim for perfect but accept done* test the code thoroughly and request fixes in one shot, but don't conflate new features with bug fixes or no one will be happyThe only points I would modify are:* Job requests can include bullets, but don't be overly fine-grained.* You can in fact build relationships with outsourcers via rent-a-coder (MTurk, 99Designs, etc), and you should - this will lead to much better long-term work. A good way to get this started is an unexpected bonus.* Don't ever screw someone on work. This is just karmically bad. They live in Eastern Europe and are poor. You live in America and are rich. I think the best way is to give someone a piece of work (5-10 hours worth), ask them for a bill, and proceed from there. If the work sucks or is over-billed, you pay and move on. Otherwise, you can give them more work.