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I was too busy/lazy/Maker’s Mark-ed to read all the comments, but those that did not get overlooked in my scroll, impelled me to print the list for later reading.

I am offering this: It would be very intriguing to learn of the breadth and depth of the ways Excel-based programs have been developed and used (Specialties?). Such a display may even engender some pity on Microsoft not to be so cavalier on destroying the livelihoods of such committed Excel-ers by their uninformed, over-geeked decisions about forward and backward compatibility, deprecation of code, and ignorance of the developer’s plight, which turns to user’s disgust.

For instance, I’ve used Excel to develop programs and tools for the ubiquitous (if you can believe it!) field of Pharmacokinetics and Drug Metabolism. Now, if that was seen in a list along with many more as esoteric and intriguing titles, I am sure it would be cause for much exploration about just what Excel means and can do for developers and the world alike! Anyone doing string theory in Excel?

Google “Pharmacokinetics Software in Excel”, if you wanna see for yourself.

Best,

David,
SummitPK

Jon: So you’re saying I should be a pimp for Excel developers. Yes, I can see it now. I’ll have Mike and Jon and Jan Karel in my stable and I’ll rough up any “johns” that don’t pay promptly. And I get to wear a big feather in my hat.

That’s definitely something to consider though. It’s a whole different way of looking at it, which can’t be a bad thing. One problem I can think of is independence. If I’m running the list and it seems like I’m getting the primo gigs, that may not be so good. I’ll think on it.

Reading Mike’s comment, I think an alternative to a “just-the-facts” list is to go to the other extreme. What if I had a “DDoE recommends” list? That brings up all the problems we’ve already discussed. However, if I take it to the extreme, maybe it will work. My list starts with just me – I’m great and I already know it. I can think of a handful of people I could add to this list because I’m familiar enough with their work to recommend them. And, in fact, I have recommended them to potential clients when the project wasn’t in my wheelhouse. To get on this list would be hard. You can’t just be good, you have to convince me you’re good and I reject 95% of the requests because they’re not good, or there’s just not enough evidence they’re good. Less hurt feelings, just like my feelings don’t get hurt when I don’t win the Nobel prize every year.

I’m just spitballing here, so don’t take anything I say too seriously. That kind of a list would have far less mass appeal. The choice would seem limited. Less people on the list means less press about it. If the list doesn’t become the de-facto list of Excel developers, then I’m better off just “starting my own site and marketing the s– out it”. Why would I want to present five of my competitors to the 10% extra eyeballs as well as the eyeballs I would have got anyway.

I appreciate everyone’s comments and I enjoy this discussion. I think I’ll start a list in the next couple of weeks. I’m not sure which list it will be, but I’ll let it stew in my brain for a few days and I think the answer will be clear. In the mean time, keep your comments coming.

I do think this “List of Developers” will grow considerably and very quickly. You’ll have the “$50 for any project” guys on the list in no time. I think some strict data input rules and smart filtering mechanisms will help tremendously in pinpointing a developer.

Having shopped for developers many times for business and personal projects, let me share the one thought I always have:

Everyone says they can do anything. Maybe they can, but as a buyer, I need pinpoint a specific skill. I always end up wanting to see their top 3 (very specific) skills. You can never tell what exactly they have done. You always get “I do database work”. WTF.

I would force developers to select their top 3 expertise from a very specific pre-defined list. If you limit them to their top 3, you reduce amount of filtering a customer will have to do. The long list of “generalists” will be shortened to the list of skill-specific developers.

The more specific the better. examples:
-Developing SarBox Collection Mechanisms
-Documention Existing Spreadshet Processes
-Conversion from Excel to Access
-Integration with Access Database
-Automating Reporting from SQL to Excel Dashboard
-Automation from Excel to PowerPoint
-Automation of Email Functions

This not only gives prospective clients a way to filter out specific skills, but also serves as a proxy for past experiences. If someone selects “Automation from Excel to PowerPoint”, chances are they’ve done it before.

If your list of skills has: VBA, Auditing, Databases, Power Formulas, and Charts – then your site will (eventually) become “$50 for any project” land.

But Mike, what if a developer is multi-talented and really *can* do everything? Too bad…start your own website and market the S#@! out of your services.

Maybe that would be the better way to approach this, where instead of an auction type of site (like rent a coder) you basically have people list out general requirements in what the work involves, and freelancers come in and decide whether or not it’s something they’re suited for, and they deal with contacting the person.

That kind of changes the dynamic, where with a list freelancers kind of passively get work from this list, where maybe the freelancers should actively look for work…