**********************************************
The Virtual Consulting Discussion List [VCDL]
http://www.TheVCF.com/vcdl.phtml
Wednesday, June 4th, 2003 Digest #7
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List Moderator: Michael S.DeVries DeVries@cris.com
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TABLE OF CONTENTS ...
---> [NEW] <---
#1 Benefits for Virtual Consultants?
- Michael S. DeVries
#2 Types of testing tools mostly used by software
developers
- Methods & Tools, May 2003 - Facts Text Issue
#3 Don't Just "Sit There!" ... Do Something!
- Michael S. DeVries
---> [CONTINUED] <---
#4 What is your actual definition of a
Virtual Consultant?
- Michael S. DeVries
---> [NEWS] <---
---> [INTRO] <---
---> [HELP WANTED] <---
#5 Are you an experienced Perl, PHP, MySQL
Developer / Virtual Consultant?
- The Virtual Consulting Firm
---> [ADMIN] <---
#6 Apologies and Pleas
************* [NEW] ***************
#1 Benefits for Virtual Consultants?
-----------------------------------------------------------
From: Michael S. DeVries
<DeVries@cris.com>
Reply To: Virtual-Consulting@topica.com
Date sent: Wednesday, June 4, 2003
Dear Fellow Virtual Consultants,
Since, I assume that most of your are most likely
either self-employed
and/or frequently act as indepentant contractors
and therefore do not
enjoy "corporate provided benefits"
like health, dental and vision care,
life insurance, matching programs for 401K's,
pre-tax savings accounts,
etc. ...
We would love to hear how you all get each of
these benefits for
yourselves?
Which are the best health, dental and/or vision
care providers for
Virtual Consultants who operate as self-employed
and/or independent
contractors?
Do you use 401K's and/or Roth IRA's to provide
your pre-tax savings
accounts?
If you have other Virtual Consultants as your
employees ...
Do you provide these benefits for your Virtual
Consultants?
If so, which are the best providers for Virtual
Firms?
What if any other issues have you experienced
relative to either
obtaining and / or providing benefits as / for
a Virtual Consultant?
Let's hear what you all think on the topic(s)
of benefits for
Virtual Consultants! :)
Thank you for your participation! :)
Your "Virtual" Moderator,
- Michael S. DeVries
-----------------------------------------------------------
#2 Types of testing tools mostly used by software
developers
-----------------------------------------------------------
From: Michael S. DeVries
<DeVries@cris.com>
Reply To: Virtual-Consulting@topica.com
Date sent: Wednesday, June 4, 2003
Dear Fellow Virtual Consultants,
I saw the following article published in the
"Methods & Tools"
Newsletter and felt that it would be of interest
and benefit to us all
here in The Virtual Consulting Discussion List
as well ...
And hopefully a source of some healthy follow-on
discussions! :)
So ...
I have obtained the express permission of the
publisher of the "Methods
& Tools" Newsletter to reproduce this,
and other mutually interesting
and beneficial articles from "Methods &
Tools" herein! :)
I hope that you find it both interesting and
beneficial ...
And we certainly want to hear what you all think
about what is stated in
this article, ok?
Source: Methods & Tools,
May 2003 - Facts Text Issue,
www.methodsandtools.com
*** Numbers ************************************************************
* Testing tools
According to a survey published in Software Development
Times, here are
the types of testing tools mostly used by software
developers:
Runtime debugger 69.2%
Performance tester 39.3%
Source code analyzer 33.1%
Web application load tester 31.0%
Web application performance tester 29.5%
At the bottom of the list, we find:
Regression tester 16.1%
Black-box tester 13.6%
White-box tester 9.0%
Source: Software Development Times, April 1,
2003
As you can see, most development teams work without
tools to manage (and
repeat) the functional testing activity. Testing
remains a neglected
area of software development. Sure, how could
you find time to automate
testing when you can hardly find enough time to
perform tests at the end
of projects?
:-]
-------- [End of "Method & Tools"
Article] -----------
So ... What do you all think about all this?
Do you find these statistics accurate for your
projects?
How about for your clients' projects?
What does all this say about the current "state
of the art or practice"
of software development and testing?
What should be done about this "current
state"?
Don't be shy! ;) Let's hear what you have to
say about all this!
I hope this helps! :)
Your "Virtual" Moderator,
- Michael S. DeVries
-----------------------------------------------------------
#3 Don't Just "Sit There!" ... Do Something!
-----------------------------------------------------------
From: Michael S. DeVries
<DeVries@cris.com>
Reply To: Virtual-Consulting@topica.com
Date sent: Wednesday, June 4, 2003
Dear Fellow Virtual Consultants,
Rather than wait for an "upturn" in
the Internet (and/or general)
economy ...
Why don't we just work together to create one?!
:)
If you don't believe that this is possible ...
Then please allow me to share with you a recent
and ongoing
"story" / "case study" where
and how this is happening right now! :)
(If on a relatively moderate but significant and
growing scale)
Recently, a quite renowned Internet Marketer
...
(whom shall remain "nameless" unless
and until JA lets me know its
ok to divulge it ;))
... extended a very unique and attractive offer.
Those that could perceive the great value of
this offer began
"scooping it up", even though it was
being sold at a non-trivial price.
And even before receiving the products they purchased
...
They were offered a very attractive opportunity
to become an
Affiliate and market this offer to others.
So, many of those that purchased this offer began
marketing and
advertising this offer themselves to others, thereby
stimulated
additional expenditures in online and offline
marketing and
advertising, which we have all been saying has
been kind of "slow"
recently, right?
Further, since of these purchasers needed to
customize, install and
host these products, and they themselves are primarily
non-
technical, they are engaging the services of consultants,
developers, web masters and web hosters, etc.
to help them.
And when these IT firms / professionals have more
paying clients,
they in term have to engage more developers, testers,
etc. and buy
more software, hardware and other services, thereby
stimulating
more economic activity, in otherwise "slumping"
IT and computer
markets :), right?
And, this Internet Marketer established a community
forum for
anyone who purchased this offer to share their
ideas about
promoting it, implementing it, how to use and
sell products based on
it, etc. The synergy between the members of this
community is
further generating opportunities for partnerships,
joint ventures, and
members buying, selling and providing products
and services to one
another.
Finally, as the purchasers of this offer develop
and market their
customized products and services based on those
they originally
purchased, there is the opportunity for similar
cycles of economic
activity to begin again! :)
And as people have more paying business, they
become more
willing to buy other products and services, thereby
stimulating more
economic activity "downstream" ... and
so on ... and so on ...
Right?! :)
Already, IMHO, the amount of economic activity
stimulated by this
relatively small group of people, has been quite
impressive! :)
And it all started by someone extending an offer
wherein the value
of the opportunity for economic benefit far outweighed
the cost of it!
So ...
What is the moral (point) of this (real life)
story? ...
Rather than sitting around and waiting for an
"upturn" in the Internet
(and/or general) economy ...
Why don't we work together to create (another)
one?! :)
Where and how would you all like to start creating
our own Internet /
economic upturn?!
Hope this helps,
Your "Virtual" Moderator,
- Michael S. DeVries
P.S. If you want to know who this "Internet
Marketer" is referred to
above, please contact me directly and ask, ok?
P.P.S. If you don't believe that this "parable"
is a "real life story",
then please see the "Help Wanted" Posting
included below! ;)
Michael S. DeVries
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[Now back to our "regular scheduled programming"
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************* [CONTINUED] ***************
#4 What is your actual definition of a
Virtual Consultant?
-----------------------------------------------------------
From: Michael S. DeVries
<DeVries@cris.com>
Reply To: Virtual-Consulting@topica.com
Date sent: Wednesday, June 4, 2003
In the VCDL Digest #6 May 30, 2003
Ronni Rhodes wrote:
> What is your actual definition of a Virtual
> Consultant, Michael?
That's an excellent question Ronni! :)
And Welcome to The Virtual Consulting Discussion
List, Ronni! :)
And Thank you for your participation! :)
> I ask this a bit hesitantly as this is a
new
> area for me.
Don't be shy! Jump right in! The "water's"
fine! :)
And we don't bite! (hard ;), jus' kidding ok?
;))
> Aren't most of us who offer
> services over the Internet doing
> consulting directly or indirectly - whether
> or not we label ourselves as such?
Well, Let's see ...
What is the actual definition of a "Virtual
Consultant"?
And you all are welcome to disagree, add to,
comment on, my opinions of
how I would define a "Virtual Consultant",
ok? ...
But, here goes ...
>From a search for the term "Consultant"
at Dictionary.com
(I know I'm such an Internet "junkie"!
;))
---------------------
“con·sul·tant ( P ) Pronunciation Key (kn-sltnt)
n.
One who gives expert or professional advice.
One who consults another. ...
---------------------
And ...
---------------------
vir·tu·al ( P ) Pronunciation Key (vűrch-l) ...
Computer Science.
Created, simulated, or carried on by means of
a computer or computer
network: virtual conversations in a chatroom.
---------------------
Source: The American Heritage® Dictionary of the
English Language,
Fourth Edition Copyright © 2000 by Houghton Mifflin
Company. Published
by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
--------------------- ”
So ...
I guess a "Virtual Consultant" is anyone
who gives "advice" by means of
a computer and/or computer network! :)
So ... What do you all think of that?
Ronni, that seems to support your definition of
a "Virtual Consultant"
quite well, doesn't it?
Since if you are providing a service on the internet
...
I would say that constitutes providing "advice"
since the client is
purchasing your service rather than doing it themselves
due to some
perceived expertise on your part that they are
willing to pay you for,
right?
And the Internet certainly is the ultimate computer
network, right?! :)
(So ... See you were right? Don't be shy about
it! ;))
So ... Yes! Virtual Consulting is very inclusive
and applicable to
almost anyone doing business via the internet,
computer, etc.
What do the rest of you think of these definitions
of Virtual
Consulting?
> When we receive an inquiry from a potential
> client, it's rare when one e-mail or phone
call
> "cements" the deal. We usually
spend time
> explaining the process (streaming), how
> we do it (rudimentary), and what to expect
etc.
Sure!
First, don't you have to establish repoire with
the potential client?
Just as you would if you met face-to-face for
the first time?
How often do you (successfully) close a "deal"
the first time you meet
someone?
And don't you still have to set expectations and
describe your processes
for providing your services? Whether IRL (in real
life) or Virtually?
IMHO, the same tenets apply, it's just the medium
in which you execute
these tenets that may be a bit different in "the
virtual world"
What do the rest of you think of this?
> Are we selling ourselves short by not calling
> this "consulting" and charging
for same?
Well again, as we learned / saw above ...
You are Consultants per the dictionary definition
of such, right?! :)
And what does what you charge for your advice
and/or service have to do
with whether or not you are a Consultant?
I know it's a stereotypical / perception thing
that Consultants are
expensive, right?
But, I don't see any reason why this has to be
the case, do you?
Excellent questions and Great Topic, Ronni! :)
Ok, so ... who would like to give us your definition
of a "Virtual
Consultant" and/or "Virtual Consulting"?
Thank you again for your participation,
Your "Virtual" Moderator,
- Michael S. DeVries
************** [HELP WANTED] ****************
#5 Are you an experienced Perl, PHP, MySQL
Developer / Virtual Consultant?
-----------------------------------------------------------
From: Michael S. DeVries
<DeVries@cris.com>
Reply To: Virtual-Consulting@topica.com
Date sent: Wednesday, June 4, 2003
If you are interested in getting paid as a Virtual
Consultant for
providing Perl, PHP, MySQL Development Work From
Home (and/or wherever
and whenever you want) starting today! ...
Go to:
http://www.TheVCF.com/jointhevcf.phtml
For more information, including how to submit
yourself for
consideration, for paying work as a Virtual Consultant
with
The Virtual Consulting Firm.
We look forward to hearing from you and engaging
you in paying work, as
a Virtual Consultant of The Virtual Consulting
Firm in the near future!
:)
- The Virtual Consulting Firm
http://www.TheVCF.com
******************** [ADMIN] *********************
#6 Apologies and Pleas
-----------------------------------------------------------
Dear Virtual Consulting Discussion List Members,
Firstly, please accept my sincere apologies for
the greater than
desirable time lapses between the last few Digests
of The Virtual
Consulting Discussion List.
Actually, it is kind of ironic that due to the
overwhelming growth of
our virtual consulting business, I am struggling,
but striving to find
the time to devote to The Virtual Consulting Discussion
List that it
truly deserves.
I do have a whole list(s) of topics that I would
like to discuss herein,
but I also don't want to "short change"
either these topics or you all
by trying to rush through a discussion of them,
so I will save them for
later when I may devote the time and attention
that they and you
deserve, ok?
But, I will continue to strive to make improvements
in these areas for
the benefit of all of us! :)
Please also accept my Pleas for your help in
this! :)
It makes for much less of a task to compose a
Digest of The Virtual
Consulting Discussion List, and IMHO, much more
interesting and lively
reading when we have all kinds of Great Posting
from our Members! :)
And don't you all get sick of my ramblings anyway?
;)
Further, it is through your participation that
you get the opportunity
to network with other Virtual Consultants and
"show your stuff"! :)
So ... It's a "Big Win-Win" for everyone
when you actively participate,
ok?
Your help and participation are very much appreciated!
:)
Your "Virtual" Moderator,
- Michael S. DeVries
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