On Tue, Jun 28, 2011 at 10:24 AM, Daudi Were
<daudi.were@gmail.com> wrote:
Aki,
Dennis did help but far from sorting me out. He gave me a link to a Google search. From which I was able to find more information. So really your enemy is Google and the flow of information. What expertise is this that you keep trumpeting one Google search can render obselete?
I believe from your post that you are not really a technical person so it is understood that searching on google for a solution is not easy for you. Why not pay someone who has the expertise to not only point you in the right direction but take away the headache of even bothering with what and why? In some countries this could be called out-sourcing.
Now, let me share an illustration which demonstrates how Dennis approach to Skunkworks does more for developers or anyone who has to work for a living than your proposed tendering process.
I asked a question on a Friday afternoon I got two responses, one from Dennis with links to where I could get more information the other response was yours.
From the reading the links Dennis shared and diving a little deeper I learnt about two pieces of software that would work in our situation.
On Saturday we made two purchases.
For the software and for the OS to run that software as the computer we intend to use did not have the OS required by the software.
On Sunday we tested the set up
On Monday the system is up and running on location.
So in three days, over a weekend remember, I paid a developer for their system, bought an OS made by a team of developers - and the system is deployed = very happy developers.
Well done, this is the norm when a solution is already defined and in place. The rollout is pretty easy and sometimes can be done in a matter of hours, even when done by remote engineers. You just outsourced the entire process.
Now let us assume I used your system:
We would still be talking about tender documents, bidding processes, launching due process etc.
Now you sound pissed off, so I'll not comment on this. :-)
Dennis' approach, which is the whole approach Skunkworks is built upon, actually ensures developers get paid.
Your approach, adds unnecessary bureaucracy for no benefit to anyone.
Let me drive this point home, if you follow the links Dennis supplied you find that the same question is asked on Microsoft forum, where you can ask questions for free. So all you would do if you implemented this bidding process of yours is drive traffic and money away from Skunkworks.
Actually not drive away any traffic but invite many who are in search of basic or even expert tech expertise help and also enable an enterprise environment. Not sure if you have followed any developers forums out there, there are specific ones that invite potential clients from all over the world so that they can build software for them and they also have bidding systems in place. The forums become a bridge.
Secondly, developing a revenue making model from information that can be obtained by one Google search is NOT the business model you should be encoruaging anywhere leave alone on the forum of key techies in Kenya. For example, how much are you willing to pay me for me to tell you where Nakumatt BuruBuru is or where Macmillan Library is? Would you go through a bidding process for that information? I suspect not! So what is the difference here as both the Nakumatt location question and my question were answered by one Google search?
Now there is information that can not be obtained so easily, that perhaps is where you need to focus your energies. So I suggest that you examine each question you come across on Skunkworks carefully, before simply cutting and pasting the same bunch of paragraphs over and over again. That is if your aim is to add value to this forum.
As an example even mobile developers are creating useless GPS Apps knowing that Maps exist. Many of us never even bother with such tiny and cumbersome apps that frequently hang, cannot triangulate properly and kill the phone battery too quickly so the best next choice is to get a Garmin or buy an A-Z Maps. Now the question is, why should mobile apps developers need to create such Apps when people can read maps?
Is my aim to add value to skunks, definately yes but it seems this will not be an easy task, given the kind of comments I'm reading from you.
Again, to prove the worth of your theories here on the need to bid for general information, I suggest that we use your shop as a test model. Start demanding payment from your potential customers before you answer any of their questions and report back to us on how it has affected your sales positively or negatively.
Daudi
Assume that I had technology specialists as sales people who were not dealing in almost self-explanatory products, then there would be a need to revise a business model, though that is not my responsibility. You are welcome to critique the website and take that up with me on what you feel is a better way forward and I'll definately see what can be done, I'm sure I can put some of my theories into practise.
Rgds.