Where Did My Joomla Developer Go?

Every so often, we get calls from folks who need Joomla support. It seems that they used a Joomla Developer a few months ago and now they can’t find them. They ask us “Where Did My Joomla Developer Go?” For that matter, where do web developers go when they disappear? Is there some remote island with fast internet that they retreat to, never to be heard from again?

The disappearance of web developers is not restricted to Joomla Web Developers. This phenomenon occurs with web developers of all types. It seems like they appear with great fanfare, offering discounted services for small businesses. They appear to be competent because they use words that make them seem really smart. Many small business owners have no real idea what these people are talking about, but they go ahead anyway and engage their services. The problem with a cut rate Joomla developer or any web developer for that matter is that if they can’t sustain their cut rate business model, and they eventually go get a job. Their alliance is now with their new employer, and the small business owner is stuck without support and in some cases with an incomplete website or one that was poorly constructed.

Sometimes, we can pick up where the previous developer left off, if we have ID’s and passwords, and make simple fixes and updates. There are times, though, that we see systems and code in place that is unnecessary or does not fit the objectives of the business owner. This often means that the customer pays once for the bad or incomplete experience, then pays again for an experienced developer like i360 Group to fix the problems or re build a new site.

Small business owner need to use common sense when evaluating a web developer. Check out their Portfolio, obtain several references. Experienced web developers should have profiles on several social media platforms like LinkedIn, Google + and Facebook. Ask open ended questions. See how they respond to specific questions. If they are experienced, most web developers have seen the commons issues or a some variation and should have a solution to your problem.

If you are wondering Where Did My Joomla Developer Go? feel free to share your story with us. It may help to get it off your chest.