Join Our Project! WebSite Designer/Coder Needed!

Hello,

I am John, founder of a project for a new irc network (non-profit organization). After 5 years of developing, our project is almost ready to be launched for public use.We have coded our costum made irc daemon and services and we own the domains we are going to use. We also have some dedicated servers for hosting both the irc network servers and the site. As none of us have skills/knowledge in web design we would like to request someone to work with us volunteerly in developing of that site. We need a xhtml/html and css design/template so as to use it as our site.. That we offer is the ability to use that site in your portofolio (if you have any), to display your name/nick/site/banner in the site and chat network, and also your name at the credits section of our site.

Our logo have been done by another volunteer in these forums (you can see it in order to take an idea of what we are looking).. We have an idea of how we would like our site to look like, so you only have to design/code it.

Also, we accept offers for new logo, or the improvment of the one we have, and also for banner/flash or whatever you are able to offer (for example SQL skills, dedicated servers for hosting etc..)

Any suggestions/help are welcome..

We are volunteers working to make a better world for irc! Reply only if you are really interested in participating in that project - we are professionals developing that project for years and we need also professionals to help us volunteerly for that site - otherwise i will mention your actions (like "nick just post to make good impression but he never helped for that project").

Thanks
John

PS: Moderators, as i couldnt find where to post it, if its in the wrong section, move it in the right one please.. thanks

Hi John,

I wanted to thank you for helping out with the IRC network, I've used it before (mIRC actually, I'm not sure about the specifics on that). Before I or anyone else volunteers to help out with this project - it would be helpful to know a few things:
- How much information will you need to provide on the site (how many pages or how large does the site need to be?)
- Are there any specific aspects you would like incorporated in the site layout, or would the designer be free to do whatever he/she would like?
- Also, could you please provide a link to the logo, so we can know the color scheme and feel of it?

-Paul

Thank you for your interest Harrisp9..

Here is the info:
1) The site we would like to have 6-7 pages (NEWS, ABOUTUS, CONTACTUS, STAFF, IRCD, FORUM, RULES) of which the most will be static (simple text with info) .. We need something simple and easy-to-use but also modern.. I dont thing its too much work for someone who knows.. it will use the same template for all those pages and it will just change the messages..

2) Well, we have in mind 2-3 other sites the designs of which we like, but we dont want to copy them.. just to take an idea.. the designer will be free to create the site.. as its work from volunteer we cant say. You MUST do that and that..

3) About the logo, i have a .psd file of it, is there any site i can upload it? i dont have knowledge of convert it in other formats etc.. but if someone is going to help us of course i will send it to him..

Thanks

johnp,

You say you are a non-profit organization, so do you have a charity or something? I don't think its fair to offer no monitary compensation and only offer the chance to use their design in their portfolio, using a design in a portfolio is the right of the designer and isn't yours to give permission. If you notice, even the charity, non-profit companies offer some sort of compensation.

Designers, I am not saying that you can or cannot do this obviously because it isn't my choice, but be aware that this doesn't sound very ethical to me. I am tired of designers doing a lot of work for nothing, and webdesign, logo design, and other things that you want johnp are time consuming to designers and they should be compensated. Just because you are not a business doesn't mean that you should be doing this as many people who don't have businesses but need a design do pay for it, and this is work after all. This is not for the mirc program, its for an IRC network of which there are hundreds or thousands.

I am not trying to upset you john and am in no way trying to offend, but the way you worded it made it sound like you are a charity and not someone whom is doing this as a hobby/pet project and all I am doing is trying to make a stand for a freelancer's rights.

i totally understand your concerns apresico..

Firstly i (alone) i am nothing.. we are team of 4 people tring to make a better irc network, and as we volunteerly coding irc daemon for years, coding services for years, giving money for dedicated servers for years, spend other money for domains every year, and spend many many hours and knowledge for all these, we thought that is fair enough to find someone who volunteerly want to give something in that project.. and that would be a site.. Someone volunteerly made our logo whose name will be displayed in our credits site.. Hope to get an idea..

THanks

You use the word volunteer alot but the simple fact of the matter is this is your hobby. There are a lot of contest holders here who do some things as a side project / hobby but they still pay, and as I said before charities with actual good causes still pay. A single text link on a single page is just not worth it for anyone, not even placing an ad banner on the site is worth it.

Would you get your host to give free servers because your volunteering? would you get your domain for free because your volunteering?

you have to understand that this is a needed service for you just like your servers and domain and if you want something like this you should pay for it.

do you use firefox? do you use opera? do you use linux? do you use unix? do you use opensource CMS? do you use opensource Forums? Do you use any FREE & OPENSOURCE programme? I hope you dont use any of those, as all of them made by volunteers for free..and you dont respect them.

Can you imagine the number of all these people working for free? Or you are the clever and they are the idiots? Probably you have learnt not to offer anything and you expecting only to get..

So as WE offer something for free to anyone, we expect and others to be added in our team and help us make our project better... Probably you are not one of them as for whatever you do you wish to be paid.. Well you are not one of millions of designers out there that are willing to help..

Thanks you

do you use firefox? do you use opera? do you use linux? do you use unix? do you use opensource CMS? do you use opensource Forums? Do you use any FREE & OPENSOURCE programme? I hope you dont use any of those, as all of them made by volunteers for free..and you dont respect them.

That makes no sense. I don't think that mozilla (the ones who made firefox) got their developers to do it for free and the only reason they give it away for free is to sell their other services. You say you will give the designers credit on your credit page, but really, how many people are going to look through the credits? And how many of those very few will even need the designer's services? not to mention what is irc mostly used for, either chat rooms or piracy and is usually not used by people who need design work anyway.

The only reason why people who make things for free is because they are making it for themselves to better their skills, sharing it, and bragging rights, but that doesn't mean that these people can't compensate the designers. Say you have an electrical problem with your home and you can't do anything with irc and you call up an electrician and say "I run an irc server, and offer it for free I want you to fix my problem for free", they are not going to do it.

Can you imagine the number of all these people working for free? Or you are the clever and they are the idiots? Probably you have learnt not to offer anything and you expecting only to get..

Actually, I have done lots and lots of charity work for many good causes for free and have gotten nothing from it except people asking to do this for free or that for free. I don't think these people are idiots at all, just that it should be lucritive for both parties and not just one sided. Redhat is free and the people who make it sell books on it and the same goes for all the other flavors of linux as well most other companies. If you want to do this with your friends and offer the service for free you should never expect to get anything back from it.

I no longer do anything for free and yes I expect to be paid for any work I do as I've spent a lot of money going to school and if you continually cheapen yourself by doing this you won't know your worth and ultimately won't help yourself because many companies that hire designers want to see work they have been paid for, and many of the designers may not even chose to use something like this in their portfolio.

I am not trying whatsoever to mess up your IRC network. I am a mod here and one of the reasons I consider myself to be one is to help designer's if I think something may be unfair. Again everyone, I am not trying to make up any of the designer's minds on whether or not they should or should not do this work, I just think that it's only fair for them to know that they may not get anything out of it when they have to work quite a bit on a design and coding which can be time consuming.