I don’t make website for free or cheap, stop asking !

2014 was somehow a wonderful and at the same time, pathetic year. Yesterday, someone asked me if I can build him a website for free of charge. I was exhausted after a long day and having a bad headache. I don’t remember how I controlled myself, By I was angry, Really angry. I told that person that I don’t build website for free. Then he gave an explanation, that made me more angry. He said,

You are my friend, and you know how to make a wesbite. Isn’t our friendship worth something to you?

I thought the whole night, what should I answer him. Then I gave him my answer. Later I thought, why not make a subtle version of it and share with the world.

Free comes with charges

 

What do you think the word “Free” means? You buy a shampoo, and a comb is free. That’s not free, that’s an offer. The margin of profit from the shampoo is good enough to offer you a comb for no charge. You can’t just have the comb. You need to buy the shampoo in order to get the comb for free.

Open source is a different thing

One-day someone asked me to build a site for free and said if people can make open source software for free, why can’t you?

Open source softwares are a totally different story. For example, let’s talk about Firefox. It’s an awesome open source browser. Open Source isn’t the straight line free. When Firefox launched as an open source browser, developers from all around the globe came forward to let a hand in the process. They copied ( forked ) the actual source, improved it , and then send it back. In that process, an awesome browser came forward. And to make this collaborated effort happen, the source must be open for everyone. And when the source is open, you can’t really sell the product. Anyone can download the source and build the software ( If have enough technical knowledge ). And there is the donation,  of course. A lot of people donated to make Firefox what it is today. They donated because it’s a good cause.

I am really not interested to explain how open source works in the project. So bottom line is, open source isn’t that kind of free stuff you are looking for.

Learning is costly

What I know today isn’t just learned in one day. It took years of reading, memorizing, practicing. Still I am thousand steps behind. I spend countless hours in front of my computer to learn new stuff. I spend hours in a cyber cafe to access the internet before I could earn and pay my internet bills. I fought with my family to make them understand what I do.

I saved my pocket money, monthly allocation to pay the cyber cafe bill. And trust me when I tell you, they ain’t cheap. I didn’t buy a decent dress to save the money to buy a book about web development.

And there are numerous other things I can tell you, which cost a lot. I paid a lot of money to be where I am today. Advanced hardware, fast internet connection these doesn’t come cheap. Are you getting this?

I can keep this all day long and the log won’t be finished. Trust me when I tell you, none of the web developers came here without sweating their ass off.

Think twice before asking

Now what happen if I build you a website for free? Let’s say it’s a simple website, 5-4 static page. Even if I download a free theme and build the website, it takes time to customize the design. And I am pretty sure, you don’t have a content developer to format your content carefully. You don’t have a graphics designer to make you some artwork. So I have to work with some shitty unfinished awful looking image which you will send me by Email. And most of the time, those images ain’t the same size. Some are too big, I have to resize and compress them. Some are too small, I have stretch them, which looks more shitty.

Then I have to format your content for the web. You probably don’t have a premium hosting, So I have to make a free hosting work. And I am sure you can’t open a free hosting account. I have to handle that by myself. After all these pain, what do I get?

After I publish the website, you will give me more pain to reduce the font size here, increase the image size there, change the font color somewhere. I am sure you don’t have a creative vision. So you will look for pink color text in comic sans ms font. Then even for a day, if I miss something, you are ready with your shitty mouth so deliver some hate speech.

Sorry bro, Too much pain for me. I rather stay jobless them work for free. At least in a jobless condition, I don’t have to listen to all the shit you deliver.

And cheap? That’s more painful. Now that you are paying me, you got a bigger mouth now.

So basically, working for cheap or free, isn’t an option for me.

If you still don’t understand what I am saying, I have one word for you.

 

GO FUCK YOURSELF. That would be easier though I am not sure if it’s scientifically possible .