>> - Is there a project that does this? A directory of freelancers in a
>> nearby area (e.g. a company located in a city needs freelancers who
>> work/live nearby).
>
> Well, there's http://www.postgresql.org/support/professional_support.
> This app needs a lot of love, but I think it's what you should start
> with, partly since you would have data ready to go.
I've seen that list but that's a list of companies, not freelancers.
Anyway it might be a nice starting point - the directory could contain
companies and freelancers.
The principle is that even the biggest projects usually start as very
small ones - a tiny e-shop that evolves into a big company over time, etc.
And those small businesses are not willing to sign a support contract with
companies, they're usually looking for freelancers.
One of the reasons why MySQL is so popular is that there are so many
people claiming they know how to use it, support it etc. So the small
businesses are confident that if something goes wrong there are people who
can help them.
So my idea was to do a quite simple directory of freelancers - for each
freelancer there would be a basic description, knowledge, maybe projects
he worked on, contact details and a address/GPS. Those interested might go
there, enter an address and they'd immediately see what freelancers or
companies are nearby. All that's doable in days using Google Maps API.
>> - Would such project help to promote PostgreSQL in your country, or is
>> it
>> a problem specific to our country? In other words, does it make sense to
>> build a 'global' directory or should we stick with a strictly local one?
>
> Global.
OK. Actually it shouldn't be difficult to create 'local versions' from the
global one (it's a matter of a single WHERE contition).
>> - If you're a freelancer, would you use such project?
>
> Given the number of listings on the page above, clearly yes.
Again, those are companies. I was talking mainly about freelancers, i.e.
individual people who can provide consultancy and support related to
PostgreSQL.
Tomas
