I hired a programmer..do i need a contract??

I found a programmer to do some custom work on one of my sites. In order for him to do the job he needs ftp access to my site and all the files. How much can i trust someone to do that?

I know that the first thing i should do is backup but should i worry about him stealing all of my files. Should we have a contract or something ?

 

Using a frelance site (with reviews etc ) i think is a good dea

 

I already have one...

 

Yes you should have a contract, however they can be costly to make.

Alternatively you could find someone you trust to do the job.

 

BackUp your files 100% as well as your database and make them a seperate account locked inside the directory that they will be using (e.g. Forum) this way you can be sure that not everything will be destroyed if they are not trustworthy.

I would make sure that they have a decent web site and referrals this way you can normally see jobs that they have done in the past. If they have a decent number of referrals from people that they have worked with in the past and positive rep from where you met him then I would be more inclined just to trust him. Remember that this is probably his business and lively hood so it would just be costly to him ti do something wrong with your site as then you could destroy his reputation.

Just my 2cents worth anyway.

 

You could create another ftp account for him right? But always backup your files locally.

 

Find someone here on DP that you can trust with high reputation and Itrade.

 

Why not set up a separate FTP user that only gives the person access to the files he needs?

 

why not setup a totally different folder for him to test? for example yoursite.com/testfolder/ and let him access only that testfolder?

 

Yea i can set up a test folder but what i worry about is that he might steal all of my content. It's a cool script that is worth a lot of money and i dont want him to copy it and maybe resell it one day.

 

If it's about a lot of money/worth (you content/script is), than you should have a contract.

 

If a lot of money is involved you need a contract and a NDA, just to keep your options open. What site did you use? Do they have a system showing his past reputation. I would also suggest that you use DP for future work, since you can review iTrader easily.

 

Use escrow

 

Yes, you should have. The purpose of the said contract is to guide him in setting his job as a programmer. That would be your binding agreement in working with each other.

One thing is to have a back-up files even if you already trusted him. That would be for your site`s security purposes.

Let your business develop. Good luck.

 

You should have an NDA and Intellectual Property (IP) rights agreement. Put it in writing that he may not use your content.

I've found contract examples all over the web. Just Google, and then put together your own. Mine is ~5 pages long!

 

NDA is as important as a Contract. At Cratima, we always do NDAs and Contracts with our business partners.

After all, you wouldn't want your competition to use your knowledge for free, would you?

 

Yes you should have a contract and a NDA like Cratima said.

If not you are not legally liably.

 

Nowadays you have to protect yourself from unscrupulous individuals who may take advantage of your vulnerability in the conduct of business. You never know how valuable a contract for you until you get yourself duped. So better get hold of one now than later.

 

I *am* a programmer, and I would be insisting on a contract for my own protection. Most seasoned programmers would do the same.