Simple question?

[Enzo]

I am struggling a little as I have no programming experience.

I am looking to get someone via elance to build me a website and application – what (if anything) do I need to specify in the request to ensure that I do not have to exclusively use them in the future for updates and/or development?

Apologies if this is a ridiculously simple question .

Cheers

[bugs]

You should first determine what type of site you want:

Webshop
Static
All of the above


Then you should try to select a standard CMS or webshop software package (Magento for shop only, Joomla for static, Joomla + virtuemart + other add-ons for All)

Try on the various demo sites of the software packages what you like most.

Then have some build your site in your selected software package so you can make a lot of changes yourself without having to go back to a coder for every change.

Hope this helps,

Bugs

[geekbehindthecurtain]

Actually, it's very much not a simple (or ridiculous) question. The web industry works very much like the mechanic industry in my opinion. I've been mucking around building this and that on the tangled thing for years, believe me it can be a mess.

Just like there are folks who will buy Photoshop and suddenly they're a "designer", there are those who will buy Dreamweaver and suddenly become "developers". If you're not comfortable knowing what to ask for or how to ask it, see if you can find a friend you trust to discuss it with first. Usually an offer of "hey let's go to dinner, I've got something I wanna run by you" is enough to get their ear. Ask them for some key questions a real developer should know, or recommendations to a developer whom they trust.

A lot of it will come down to how comfortable you are controlling your own content, and how much of that content you wish to control. There is a fine line between mechanics and magic. The more you wish to control, and the more pieces you wish to manage yourself, the more complicated it will become.

Bugs' suggestions of an "off the shelf" Content Management System (CMS) like Joomla are spot on. I've used them myself in a number of cases where it met the client needs. As much as everyone likes to think their website requires everything custom, unless you're in a very specific vertical (like homebuilders) a generic CMS can get the job done 80% of the time. Also a custom website is more locking than a non-custom one. It's much harder to find someone who can fix the engine of a custom roadster, than someone who can fix one from a Chevy Cobalt.

Now if I've totally missed the boat and all you're really asking is, "I want Company A to do it, but later I might want Company B to update it." All you'll need to do is have an agreement that says you have full access rights to the source code, data, and native media. That will allow you to basically take your basketball and go play elsewhere after the initial work is done.

[insidethenewrich]

you can build a very nice site while using a site like wordpress for your content management. if you go to www.crownad.com its a great example. everything including pages and images can be edited through word press just like you were administering a blog. makes it super simple, and a 3 year old could update it. plus if you did get stuck word press has so many users that if jump onto to their forums you question is sure to get answered. if you have any other questions or need more clarification feel free to pm me

[Enzo]

Thanks the responses guys, they have provided me with some valuable insight.

Cheers

Enzo