Hacking IT: eLance
November 24, 2006
 By Ronnie Apteker
I once heard a saying that "some people spend time to save money and other people spend money to save time." Spending money to save time is smart. And it is what outsourcing is all about.
Outsourcing was a big buzz word in the IT arena in the 90s. The concept is compelling; you focus on your core business and you get other people to take care of stuff that you shouldn't be spending time on. Some would refer to this as having a Jewish mother, but let's leave that detour for another day.
Outsourcing often involves bringing in a bunch of freelancers who can run with a project or tackle a specific task. But, how do you find these intriguing professionals? Freelance folk are often hard to pin down. A lot of them work from home, or from their car, and don't have a permanent office address. And this is where the Internet comes into the story, yet again. Today we are going to discuss eLance, as in http://www.elance.com/
eLance is one high-tech example of the power of the online world. It serves as an example of where more and more virtual communities are going. Niche cybercamps that fulfil specific needs. eLance is about finding talent, when you need it. It is about getting people to pitch for work. It is about getting people to put their money with their mouths are - it is about getting people to bid.
A while back I touched on the idea of a personal tendering portal, well, eLance is a step in that direction. It is about matching one's needs with solutions. It is about tapping into a collection, or database, of professionals that offer a variety of different skills under one online umbrella. And what's more, the virtual community allows you to examine their credentials and to consider feedback left by other customers.
This outsourcing portal allows for flexibility and it minimises the need for time consuming recruitment. There are over 800 000 registered users on eLance and it is has been going for over 7 years. The areas these "connected" professionals cover includes deigns, web development, computer programming, writing and business consulting.
Think about this for a moment. You are starting a business. You need a logo designed, a strategic plan properly documented, a software package developed to manage your inventory, etc., but you don't want to go and find all the various different skills needed to execute all of these tasks.
Furthermore, you don't want the hassle of running a big payroll and you certainly don't want to worry about their career paths and personal growth, etc. So, you decide to outsource. But this sounds like such a big word. Well, the Internet once again has made the world a smaller place and it is bringing a whole world of resources to a PC near you. All you need to do is point and click and a virtual community of contracting professionals are at your disposal.
Lastly, consider this; you need a specific application developed. You are busy. You are run off your feet. You are on the treadmill big time. You don't have time for lengthy meetings and you certainly don't have time to travel across town to sit with a bunch of programmers.
So, you get online, you define your requirements, you get people to pitch, you put a plan in motion, and the best part, they email you the software you need. Simple as that. And then you pay them online via a secure payment facility, like PayPal. It all sounds like magic. You got to love this new world!
Ronnie Apteker is one of the founders of Internet Solutions, the country's largest corporate Internet service provider. He is also a movie producer, an author of two books and sometimes a stand up comedian.
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