Outsourcing Process #1 (Personal Project)

This outsourced project is made available to exemplify the typical RentACoder experience you’re likely to share if you remain committed to the strategies outlined in our outsourcing book.

Significance

Outsourcing Cartoon by Just Outsourcing

This outsourcing process is a great representation of what it’s like working with an overeager, new RentACoder coder.

As expected, mistakes were made.

But they were quickly rectified without the need for arbitration due to the prompt and independent actions of both the buyer and the coder.

Job Description

Format: “X number of tips on KEYWORD Blah-Blah”

Tip 1:
Tip 2:
Tip 3 etc.

Number of articles: 4
Length of each article: 500 words
Subjects: “X”.

Correct spelling, grammar and syntax. Short, pithy and informative. Your original text, no plagiarism. Keywords will be supplied. Quality:

• Should read well and be up-to-date (with a long expiry date), informative, with no grammatical, syntax or spelling errors.
• No space-filling blurbs, or off-topic junk.
• Does not need to be Pultizer-prize material, just useful tips.
• No plagiarism. By all means, use other websites for ideas, but don’t copy chunks of text!

Intended purpose: Website content. I retain full copyright, including the rights to edit your work, and pass it off as my own. You may not publish your articles elsewhere. Platform: RTF, Microsoft Word, or HTML.

Bidding / message summary

A bid in the amount of $XX.00 (USD) was posted by DocuMaker (the worker). The bid was (later) accepted by “X” (the employer).

NOTE: In this bid, you can see how exuberant I was to get the job, which I was very lucky to get. My bid initially addressed website design instead of web content — the product that the buyer was looking for. It would have been, therefore, the buyer’s every right to have dismissed my bid as irrelevant. Thankfully, he didn’t. :-)

Hello – My name is Nicole Miller and I am willing to complete this project for you.  I currently have 3 websites on the internet in which I’ve written and designed myself, as well as a few software programs which you may download and view the accompanying help files (created by me). I have no problem handing over all the source code (including instructions on how to modify/make your own changes) to the website you’re seeking. Please see resume to view the quality of work I produce – I believe you will be pleasantly surprised.

I can write a BUNCH of these for you. I’ve been doing business on the internet for almost 10 years! (and I LOVE it!)

Project phase change

All funds have been escrowed. Waiting for work to be completed by DocuMaker (the worker).

By “X” with 24 ratings

Dear Nicole,

Thank you for accepting the job. The keywords are:

• “X”
• “X”
• “X”
• “X”

Similar keywords, paired-up above, can be part of one long 1000 word article, IF said article can be split in two and still be coherent; just to stop you getting bored. I’m looking for web page content, rather than a newspaper article.  Something in this style would be good, if you can manage it:

http://www.”X”.org.uk/content/view/”X”/1/

i.e. simple lists of tips, rather than an essay.

PS: The number of tips is not that important, as long as there’s a few. 4 per article would be fine.

By DocuMaker with 197 ratings

“X”,

NOTE: This part of the job indicates how new I was to RentACoder. The buyer had previous experience with the site, and very graciously carried me throughout the project.

First, I’d like to thank you for accepting my bid. Second, I received an alert in the mail today because I failed to respond (?). For that, I apologize. I’m new to Rent-A-Coder and am not quite sure how things work as of yet.

I do want to confirm that I received your instructions and that I’ve started working on your files. I understand that the deadline for this project is 9/19/05 – is that correct? Do you need them sooner? Today is 9/15/05, so I’m unsure exactly of what this alert concerns. Please correct me if I’m wrong.

Thank you, Nicole

By “X” with 24 ratings

The 19th is fine. That alert was an automatic one. I didn’t send it.

By DocuMaker with 197 ratings

Attached File  
Status report: Work reported complete

By “X” with 24 ratings

Dear Nicole,

I can’t use these articles. Three of them articles are off-topic, and the fourth is very general; it offers no useful information. The keywords I proposed were these:

- “X”
– “X”
– “X”
– “X”

You wrote articles about:

- “X”
– “X”
– “X”
– “X”

I can’t use this stuff. I don’t expect great work for the money I’m paying, but this work is only tangentially related to the keywords I proposed. If you type my keywords into Google, you get very different results to the articles you wrote.

By DocuMaker with 197 ratings

Hi “X”,

I’m sorry that you are not satisfied. I can definitely see the problem you are describing if I look at the articles from your point of view. Would you like me to try again? At least with the current files, you’ve seen a glimpse of my writing style. Are you satisfied with the presentation of the content at least?

If you would like me to try again, what would be the new deadline?

-Nicole

By “X” with 24 ratings

NOTE: Here, you can see why this project was made public. It addresses a common problem with outsourced writing, and it demonstrates how that problem can be resolved without the need for arbitration.

The presentation is fine. When I am writing content for my site, I type ‘KEYWORD tips’ or ‘KEYWORD ideas’ ‘KEYWORD suggestions’ into a search engine, to get some ideas. In 8 days time will do. That will be the 28th. Suggested titles:

- “X”
– “X”
– “X”
– “X”

I’m on holiday, so will not be able to reply immediately to your queries.

By DocuMaker with 197 ratings

NOTE: The buyer decided to give this noob another chance, which was greatly appreciated not only by me, but by the buyer too, as shown in the feedback below.

Yes, it is the “tips, suggestions, ideas” part that I failed to grasp, and for that I sincerely apologize. I was simply too excited about the job to adequately pay attention. But I do thank you for the 2nd chance and I will have your new articles uploaded to rent-a-coder by the 28th.

Thank you again!
-Nicole

By DocuMaker with 197 ratings

Attached File
(6.84 kb)
 
Hi “X”,

I am uploading a new set of articles which I hope you will find to your liking. My sincere apologies if they fail to meet your requirements.

-Nicole

Project phase change

100% of work was accepted by “X” (the employer). DocuMaker (the worker) account has been credited. “X” (the employer) has legally certified that the contract is now 100% fulfilled by DocuMaker (the worker), and released them from any further contractual obligation on this project. However, one or both parties may still wish to correspond to discuss the possibility of future projects.

Rating

“X”

The first drafts were unacceptable, so Documaker volunteered to redo them completely from scratch. I was pleased with the results, which were of good quality, and inexpensive. 

DocuMaker

A patient and forgiving employer – gives workers a 2nd chance to comply!!