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Comment by BasilAwad | Hacker News Reader

You know, having coders or designers submit 30 second videos describing their skills and previous projects is an easy way to differentiate from other freelancing sites. Let non-paying visiters to the site see that as well. I would feel like I was getting a much higher quality batch of bid responses if I was able to see 30 sec videos of developers communicating their skills and previous projects competently in a not reading-off-the-screen way.

Maybe you could get the people asking for bids to submit 30 second videos of themselves too?

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I hate the movement toward video vetting processes. It invites discrimination into an area where it otherwise wouldn't exist. Communication skills are important, but for freelance work most communication will be via email, with occasional phone/Skype conversations.

As in racial discrimination? Yeah, I'm sure it will for some. But it's still really useful. For example, I'm sure the videos play a big role in YC applications, although probably not as a first criteria.

Plus it's not like the developers would be talking about something obscure, they would be talking about their core competencies.

Not just racial discrimination, but also discrimination based on one's manner of speaking, confidence, or charisma. Some people don't have English as a first language, undersell their abilities, or aren't comfortable on camera; does that mean they should not get a gig for which they are otherwise qualified? These are exactly the qualities that a video judges.

If I was using this service, I wouldn't be looking for film star charisma, but I would want good communication skills. If someone isn't a good communicator, I'd feel unhappy either hiring them for remote work, or doing remote work for them; there would be too many possibilities for misunderstanding.

There is often a big difference in competency level between written and verbal communication. If most project communication happens through email, how someone communicates on video isn't a good signal for how well they will communicate.

I understood the GP in a different way, complaining about the discrimination of people with 'less capable' social skills.

Presenting yourself in a video might be a challenge:

* You are an introvert/shy guy

* Your written english is fine, but your accent sucks/you are not that fluent

Both (especially the first though) are really no big problems in a business relationship, especially for these kinds of projects. I'd even argue that number one is the stereotype of a potentially great hacker. So - letting guys like these compete in a video contest with people that are more self-confident/marketing savvy is 'discriminating' .

It's not a video contest. It could be just like the YC application videos and the people at CodeYourIdea can screen it to make sure it's just a webcam and nothing car salesmanish. I don't know about other people, but I would appreciate an introvert who could still decently communicate as I would intuitively translate that into intelligence. I get suspicious when the person is a smooth fast talker.

Plus I think the video would be a really big deal for first time solicitors for code projects.

I (hope I) know that's not what you meant. But it still is another hurdle. The skills to do a decent video are mostly irrelevant to the job you want the guy to do (assuming you want a freelance coder. I obviously understand that you're not going to choose a co-founder based on some textfields and a short bio).

Creating a video is the worst way to get an impression though, in my world. If you meet me on the street we can have a great talk and I am quite confident that my english is more than good (though with an accent that I hate) enough to discuss every practical matter. Doing a video call would be more awkward, but perfectly doable. Sitting alone in front of a camera, selling myself to the world with a broad smile? Nope, sir...

I don't think that I'm alone with that attitude and I doubt that this influences my communication skills in a project let alone my coding abilities.

Plus if there is an exchange of at least $2,000 dollars I would like to at least see your face.

I don't understand the motivation for this at all. Please explain.

As ridiculous as this sounds, because I'm human. I like to see the face of the lady that makes my coffee and I like to see the face other people as well. I like to see a name on the bottom of emails instead of just the company's. I prefer twitter accounts with an employee representing the company instead of just the company logo.

The cheaper the project is, the more likely it is to attract weirdos. $2000 is the daily rate of quite a few freelance programmers I know, and the projects they do take longer than a day.

For one $2000 project, people are going to want to see your face. For a $500,000 project, people are fine with email and phone.

This seems to follow the bikeshedding line of thought (i.e. the more approachable something is, the more you involve yourself)?

Since this site seems to be an international offer I see the following counter points:

* Getting $2000 per day is ridiculously high for lots of people. Just think of eastern Europe & India, to name some obvious samples

* Paying $2000 might be a lot as well: Again, thinking on an international. If you live in a "poorer" place investing $2000 to get someone to create your idea might be more close to the $500,000 for your guys (those with $2000 per day have to work 250 days to get there. $2000 can be close to a yearly income depending on your place of work).

And in the end I don't understand that people want to offer remote jobs/telecommuting, but still want to talk face to face. But I understand that this is something a quite personal decision or preference, so maybe this is just to be expected for some people/clients.

Videos just make people who speak English as a second language feel uncertain. And an unattractive or sloppy-looking person may lose a job... even if they're uber-qualified.

I'd say skip the video-thing altogether (unless you want to make it an optional addition to a profile) and jump straight to portfolios.

Portfolios are all that matter. Anyone worth hiring will have a good portfolio.

I want to agree the portfolio is all that matters, but in my experience it's not the first priority for the people hiring. There's a huge pool of people who CAN do the work, and many people hiring can't easily make the determination of quality anyway. Communication goes a long way.

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