A Message from Jack Hughes
Welcome to the beta release of TopCoder Direct!
Have you ever thought: Why is it so difficult to find people that can help me in the digital world? I know I have to use digital media (web, mobile IM, email, etc.) to find, present to and connect with my customers and business partners to make my business more effective, I just don’t know how best to do it and don’t seem able to find the best people to help me. I know there are tons of tools, gadgets, etc. to help me out, but none of them do the thing I need most: none of them listen to me and help me get what I need done. With the internet and communication being what they are today, shouldn’t there be an easier way to connect with people that can help me hone my message, connect with *my* customers and get the work I need done to engage my customers in the digital world?
If you have, then all we can say is: Boy, have you come to the right place!
As the world becomes more and more digitally based (web, mobile, email, IM and who knows what’s next), finding, communicating and interacting with your customers and business partners requires whole new sets of skills. The task can be daunting. Finding the right people with the right skills is tantamount to finding a needle in a haystack. Pick wrong and you won’t just make your wallet quite a bit thinner, you’ll waste precious time that could have been used getting it right. TopCoder has turned this paradigm upside-down. No longer are you going to have to go find the people who can best get your work done, they’ll find you.
Since 2001, TopCoder has been building one of the largest and most active communities of software developers and creative designers anywhere. So far, we’ve admittedly been a little selfish in sharing these folks with the rest of the world. Once you get in here you’ll see why you can’t really blame us: This is one of the most talented, interesting and helpful groups of people you’re likely to find (for instance, this website and everything on it has been designed and built by them). But, as they say, ‘you can’t keep a good person (or, in our case, about 170,000 – and growing - of them) down’. TopCoder Direct is your way to get involved.
How it works
We start with a really big community and add a dose of competition. Turns out, passionate people love to compete. What are they competing for? A whole host of things (money, skill development, recognition, fun), but, with a little help in defining a competition, some of them would love to compete for you. Through a series of competitions, you’ll build logos, web sites, mobile apps and pretty much anything digital you can imagine.
It all starts in what we call TopCoder Direct. Direct – as its name implies – takes out the middle and puts you in immediate touch with the community. Whether you’re trying to build or change your website, building a web based ordering system for your customers, need to do a presentation for a customer or a new flyer or marketing piece, Direct is your center of operations. It will allow you to get help, post competitions, see results of competitions and interact with the community.
What do you use it for? Ultimately, anything: Logo design, web site and page layout and design, icons, powerpoint presentations, flyers, product catalogs, customer service and database systems and mobile applications to name a few. Want a banner or series of banners for a new product or general marketing campaign? Direct. Want a new website because the old one is tired (embarrassing?)? Direct. Want to let customers order directly through your web site or via their phone? Direct.
Now there is a lot more to TopCoder and Studio than just Direct. There are forums, blogs, big tournaments and events and a host of other ways to get involved. We hope that you’ll get involved in as much as you’d like.
We need you.
One of the tenets of TopCoder is that without our community, we are nothing. By asking you to join, we don’t just want your business, we want your input. Do we have it all figured out? Not by a long shot. Letting the community know what of your experience is positive and what is negative is the only way we have to make everyone’s experience better. Don’t be afraid to post in the forums: http://studio.topcoder.com/forums or shoot an email. If you don’t like something or think it can be done better, let us know. We have a long way to go and need your help in getting there.
Please bear in mind that TopCoder Direct is in beta. We can’t guarantee that stuff won’t break, that we won’t lose your stuff. What we can guarantee is that there need to be many new features and Direct will go through many changes.
I’m not prone to ‘speak’ for the community. Like any community, there are many diverse interests and opinions and we respect them all. In this case, though, I’m confident that I can speak for the community in saying: Welcome! We’re glad you’re here. We can’t wait to get started!