• Home
  • Posts RSS
  • Comments RSS
Blue Orange Green Pink Purple

The thoughts that Jon the Canadian will dare to share

The authors of this blog are strong believers in biblical truth and clear thinking.

Comments are now moderated. If you would like a comment to be posted on the blog, or if you would like to comment the blog authors, leave a comment at the end of a post. It won't automatically get posted, but it will get emailed to the author(s).

This blog is currently undergoing a re-purposing. Please stay tuned.

Free Services


I've noticed an interesting trend over the last several years, working with small businesses and non-profits and their websites.

I get contacted because they have been dissatisfied with their current web designer. Best part had been: it was free. Church members volunteer because they want their church to have a good website, and businesses often compensated with barters and trades, giving away some small service so the web designer will work for free.

I thought these volunteers must have really been jerks to drop off like that.
My opinion has changed.

As I started getting into business on my own, I did a couple of projects as part of barter agreements, over craig's list. Yes, I was working for free, receiving some barter but no payment for my services. This is what I found out:
When they got something for free, they expected to get everything for free.
Suddenly, my free clients were the most demanding people I worked with, constantly barraging me with e-mails about additional work to be done (which wasn't part of the bartering agreement), and wanting the work to be completed yesterday (while I was still waiting for them to provide access information).

This sense of entitlement probably creeps up everywhere when we get things for free. When I managed the doctor's office, the most manipulative and abusive patients were on Medicaid - getting their medical care for free. People are unsatisfied with their churches where every benefit they receive is totally free of charge. Once married and in a "free" stage of relationship where you don't have to buy the other person's affection with gifts and dates and poems and appearance, many become much more critical.

Not everyone on Medicaid, not every church-goer, not every spouse is like this, but it's a trend I'm noticing.

  • What does this mean for soup kitchens and charity?
  • What would this mean for socialized government-run health care where everyone is essentially on Medicaid?
And I wonder...
  • What am I critical of, or have excessively high expectations of that I get for free?
  • Do I now totally avoid doing work for people for free?
Read More 2 comments | Posted by Jon the legal immigrant | edit post

2 comments

  1. Dave on 4/18/07, 2:11 PM

    The problem with doing website work for free is that website work is rarely a one-time thing. If I'm not mistaken, your current contracts involve creating specific aspects or components of an existing webpage, not the entire site.

    A web-"site" is not designed to be static - the information on the site should always be changing. So when someone wants to barter for a website, they assume the service is ongoing. While I don't think you should write off charity/discounted work, it's probably important to provide a clear understanding upfront about what is and is not included (i.e. - "Once the sites is up, it's on you.")

     
  2. Jon the legal immigrant on 4/18/07, 2:36 PM

    That's only partially true. For all website work that I've done, there's a contract, detailing what will be done.

    Perhaps people don't think through this if they are getting something for free.

     


Post a Comment

Newer Post Older Post Home

Free Services

  • Blog Archive

    • ►  2010 (24)
      • ►  June (6)
      • ►  May (1)
      • ►  March (4)
      • ►  February (10)
      • ►  January (3)
    • ►  2009 (53)
      • ►  December (1)
      • ►  November (2)
      • ►  September (1)
      • ►  August (12)
      • ►  July (8)
      • ►  June (3)
      • ►  May (5)
      • ►  April (2)
      • ►  March (8)
      • ►  February (3)
      • ►  January (8)
    • ►  2008 (79)
      • ►  December (3)
      • ►  November (4)
      • ►  October (5)
      • ►  September (6)
      • ►  August (16)
      • ►  July (2)
      • ►  June (6)
      • ►  May (15)
      • ►  April (3)
      • ►  March (6)
      • ►  February (8)
      • ►  January (5)
    • ▼  2007 (48)
      • ►  December (3)
      • ►  November (3)
      • ►  October (1)
      • ►  September (7)
      • ►  August (3)
      • ►  July (1)
      • ►  June (3)
      • ►  May (11)
      • ▼  April (4)
        • Free Services part 2
        • Free Services
        • Blogless, Luebcke's new book
        • US Immigration Policy
      • ►  March (3)
      • ►  February (5)
      • ►  January (4)
    • ►  2006 (65)
      • ►  December (3)
      • ►  November (3)
      • ►  October (6)
      • ►  September (12)
      • ►  August (4)
      • ►  July (8)
      • ►  June (10)
      • ►  May (12)
      • ►  March (5)
      • ►  January (2)

    Blogs I'm Reading

    • The Inklings
      Holy Moot - So friends: HOLY MOOT is coming! If you have contributions worth hearing on the interplay of Tolkien and Theology, please be in touch!
      5 months ago
    • Dave
      LJY 100 Pieces White Lace Round Paper Doilies Cake Packaging Pads Wedding Tableware Decoration (12 Inch) - *🔥 Cashback up to 70% LJY 100 Pieces White Lace Round Paper Doilies Cake Packaging Pads Wedding Tableware Decoration (12 Inch) A quick review* *So you c...
      4 years ago
    • Frederica.com - Essays
      The Reason for the "Messianic Secret" - Theologian William Wrede drew attention to this pattern about a hundred years ago, and named it the “Messianic Secret.” It has puzzled bible scholars for...
      4 years ago
    • The Constructive Curmudgeon
      - I have not used this page for about three years. Why not post something now? The New Jerusalem comes down from heaven as God’s gift of cosmic restoration...
      8 years ago
    • The Ornery American
      The American Disease - By Orson Scott Card - July 31, 2014
      9 years ago
    • Carey Cecil
      Why IF? Why you? - The whirlwind was over. It had been a full day. So full we didn't even get a chance to watch the last speaker. Ladies headed home to their families, their ...
      10 years ago
    • David Limbaugh
      Did Jesus Really Exist? - Two articles I read this week vindicate my decision to write my new book, "Jesus on Trial: A Lawyer Affirms the Truth of the Gospel." It's not just Christi...
      10 years ago
    • Dan
      Prayer as a part of preparation - I wish someone would have told me to make prayer more a part of my preparation as I prepared messages every week for our students. Oh sure, I prayed, but o...
      14 years ago
    • up the white road
      This is a good quote from a book I just read. - When I was a sophomore in college, I took a linguistics class. I remember watching this weird video from the '70s about how amazing language is - that you ...
      16 years ago
    • Jen
      MONGOLIA! - Awhile ago I promised I'd post about my upcoming move to Mongolia. Yeah. That didn't happen. But what did happen was a gmail chat with *buffra* last week t...
      16 years ago
    • Ann Coulter's Townhall.com Column
      -
    • Craig Blomberg's Blog: New Testament Musings
      -
  • Search






    • Home
    • Posts RSS
    • Comments RSS
    • Edit

    © Copyright Jon the Canadian. All rights reserved.

    Back to Top