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Jagella
07-11-2009, 11:20 AM
As a web designer, I'm always trying to not only learn new skills but to learn what skills I need to learn. Of course, the demand for these skills is dictated by the market. I recently started an account with Elance.com, and I immediately noticed that they provide numerical data on their Web and Programming page for skills that are in demand. After some number crunching, I calculated the percentage of the total that each skill on that page represents. (1) Here's the breakdown of the skills and their percentages of the total:


10.92% PHP
8.92% HTML
7.98% SQL
6.40% MySQL
6.20% Flash
5.45% CSS
4.72% SEO
4.08% .NET
3.66% WordPress
2.79% C
2.70% AJAX
2.60% Joomla!
2.58% Java
2.18% Web Services
2.18% ASP
2.13% XHTML
2.07% Social Networking
2.05% Windows
2.02% Adobe Flash
2.02% iPhone
1.90% XML
1.88% Facebook
1.60% Twitter
1.56% PayPal
1.37% ASP.NET
1.26% JavaScript
1.16% Linux
1.09% Drupal
0.95% RSS
0.78% SQL Server
0.68% osCommerce
0.59% Apache
0.53% CRM
0.51% DHTML
0.50% Google Website Optimizer


So what can I make of these results? Most of what I came up with is not surprising. I'm well aware that PHP, HTML, MySQL, Flash, CSS, and SEO, of course, are common skills that are in demand. It's a good idea for any web developer to be proficient in most of these skills.

I may be just a bit surprised by some of what I'm seeing, though. JavaScript, for instance, at 1.26 percent is lower on the list than what I thought it might be. I'm also new to some of these technologies such as Joomla and Drupal. Wordpress, a relatively new technology, seems to be really taking off at 3.66 percent.

Anyway, I hope this information is useful to the web developers in this forum. You can never know too much about web development, and this information proves it.

Jagella

(1) Elance | Find jobs. Deliver great work. Get paid for results. (http://www.elance.com/) , (Accessed 7/11/2009)

Patrysha
07-11-2009, 12:00 PM
While it is good to know what the needs are out there, I've found elance overall to be a waste of time as far as finding quality clients.

Maybe it is better for web development and programming type stuff than it is for writers, marketers and publicists, but I found people looking for rock bottom pricing rather than professional services.

Jagella
07-11-2009, 02:31 PM
...I've found elance overall to be a waste of time as far as finding quality clients.

I'm new to Elance so I can't yet judge it for finding clients. I do know, though, that the employment sites aren't very effective. (I'm looking for employment and plan to do freelance work on the side.)

I've had trouble with clients wanting something for little or nothing too. It's a good idea to know how to deal with people who balk at your prices. Never apologize for your pricing, for one thing. Also, be prepared to explain why your prices are appropriate. Tell prospects that your other clients found the price to be a good value and worth the cost. Here are some good things to say in such a situation:


“For the quality, my prices are actually lower than what other designers charge.”
“In the long run you'll find me less expensive to work with.”
“Keep in mind that my price is only a small percentage of your total cost.”
“I'll try to find ways to reduce your cost.”


Anyway, what do you think of this data? Is it representative of what most clients look for in web design skills?

Jagella

Patrysha
07-11-2009, 03:37 PM
I seldom deal with price objections in the work I've been doing lately. When I do, I know they are not a right fit for what I have to offer and recommend other providers. There is little to be gained for me by establishing value with price shoppers. I was just commenting that the freelance sites like elance, Guru.com, oDesk etc seldom deliver the type of client I want to work with.

As for the list, the truth is that none of my web development clients have a clue what any of the items on the list would mean or what they do and accomplish. That's why they hire me. They know what they want, but they don't want to mess with the details. For them it is about the end-product, not the "ingredients" that go into it. So I am really not the person to ask on that score...I am sure someone else will pipe in on the accuracy of the trends you've spotted though.

orion_joel
07-13-2009, 02:55 AM
I think that one of the key things that you need to look for is trends (if that is possible). For example if it is constantly changing every few weeks take another look, at the stats. Once you have the comparison between 2 or 3 checks you may start to see some of the technologies that were hovering around the bottom, moving up.

For example, while wordpress is maybe at 3.66% now, it hard to start somewhere, and if you had been watching for the last 12018 months you may have seen it start (just guessing) someone around 1% or less, and gradually increase in demand. So what you want to be looking for is, which technologies, start ot make an appearance or start to move up the list. Then look to learn about them. In other words look to learn about what are upcoming trends.

Sometimes you may miss the target and learn something that is pretty much useless, but you will be a little ahead of the main group if you get lucky. Additionally focusing on some of the lower items may give you an edge on getting into an area that does not have as many people in because they do not see the demand.

nighthawk
07-13-2009, 08:04 AM
I have been checking elance quite reguarly for a few months now, and in that time I have only bid on a single job. Few jobs are posted by clients themselves, but instead by a middleman looking to make his cut. All the jobs are looking to be done at the lowest possible price, and for every job there are a handful of developers prepared to do it for these bargain basement prices.

If you are serious about making a living from freelance work, then elance isnt going to cut it. You need to find where those people posting on elance are finding the jobs and work directly with the client, at far more sensible prices.

Jagella
07-13-2009, 10:40 AM
I was just commenting that the freelance sites like elance, Guru.com, oDesk etc seldom deliver the type of client I want to work with.

Well, it's like the old saying: If it seems too good to be true, then it probably is. I thought that Elance provided a great service. Oodles of clients right there on the site!

I might try it anyway just to get some experience with finding clients.


As for the list, the truth is that none of my web development clients have a clue what any of the items on the list would mean or what they do and accomplish.

I was wondering about that myself. The Elance site lists “Desired Skills” under “Job Details” for each job. For instance, one job lists “CSS, DHTML, HTML.” I'm thinking that Elance posts that list of skills based on what the client wants done. The client may have little idea of what technologies are needed to get the job done, as you say.

Jagella

Dan Furman
07-13-2009, 01:21 PM
Anyway, what do you think of this data? Is it representative of what most clients look for in web design skills?


I personally think most clients don't care about the skills or the tech. They want a website that "does this" (or that, or the other thing, etc.)

The biggest piece of ammo you can have is not a list of skills, but a solid list of working samples that showcase what you can do (even fictional companies/websites that you did in your spare time.)

Jagella
07-13-2009, 03:04 PM
The biggest piece of ammo you can have is not a list of skills, but a solid list of working samples that showcase what you can do ...

Yes, but let's not forget the human factor. After all, clients are hiring a designer or developer rather than a portfolio.


(even fictional companies/websites that you did in your spare time.)

That's a good idea, Dan. With web basic hosting costing only about $7 per month, it wouldn't hurt to have some sample websites ready for clients to check out.

Jagella

Jagella
07-13-2009, 03:32 PM
I think that one of the key things that you need to look for is trends (if that is possible). For example if it is constantly changing every few weeks take another look, at the stats. Once you have the comparison between 2 or 3 checks you may start to see some of the technologies that were hovering around the bottom, moving up.

Elance features a “Skills Central” which provides information on trends in skill demand.


...focusing on some of the lower items may give you an edge on getting into an area that does not have as many people in because they do not see the demand.

Elance has this to say: “(It's a good idea to go about) finding underserved markets where there is an increasing demand for certain skills.” (1) I think that since web design is so competitive, finding these niches can be very helpful in succeeding as a web designer.

Jagella

(1) EU - Provide Services: Find Work | Elance (http://www.elance.com/p/elanceuniversity/provider/find_work.html) , (Accessed 7/13/2009)

Jagella
07-13-2009, 03:37 PM
If you are serious about making a living from freelance work, then elance isnt going to cut it. You need to find where those people posting on elance are finding the jobs and work directly with the client, at far more sensible prices.

I'll need to bring up this topic in the forum at Elance to see how some of the other designers are doing there.

Jagella

rezzy
07-14-2009, 08:31 AM
The problem I have encountered with elance, is the people making the projects dont even know what technologies they really need.

They just say "what are some buzz words?" And start plastering their ad with those words.

Jagella
07-14-2009, 10:03 AM
The problem I have encountered with elance, is the people making the projects dont even know what technologies they really need.

They just say "what are some buzz words?" And start plastering their ad with those words.

In that case it would be a good idea to consider what the client really needs done rather than what technologies they might think they need. For instance, if they want their clients to be able to log into their accounts, then the site will need a database, of course, and you'll need to know PHP and MySQL in addition to XHTML and CSS.

Jagella

cbscreative
07-14-2009, 11:48 AM
I tend to agree with Patrysha on several points. First, the clients generally don't care how you do it, just do it. Second, bid sites like elance are a horrible place to find work. You will be competing against rates that should insult any self respecting service provider. THere may be some good projects mixed in here and there, but the time spent finding them could be so excessive I would call it a waste. And third, trying to "convince" price shoppers that your rates are worth it is like a lesson in futility. If you are attracting the right type of clients, you don't have to defend your prices. The need to defend your prices shows that either you haven't built enough value, or, that you are dealing with the wrong type of client.

SteveC
07-14-2009, 09:07 PM
I tend to agree with Patrysha on several points. First, the clients generally don't care how you do it, just do it. Second, bid sites like elance are a horrible place to find work. You will be competing against rates that should insult any self respecting service provider. THere may be some good projects mixed in here and there, but the time spent finding them could be so excessive I would call it a waste. And third, trying to "convince" price shoppers that your rates are worth it is like a lesson in futility. If you are attracting the right type of clients, you don't have to defend your prices. The need to defend your prices shows that either you haven't built enough value, or, that you are dealing with the wrong type of client.

Steve... I could not have said this any better...