One of the things I'm considering adding here at DIC is a Marketplace for posting your services, requesting others services for projects you're working on, and a sort of "Group Project" forum.

First, is this something you'd be interested in?

And second, do you freelance and if so how are you finding clients? What type of services are you providing?

I know freelancing is popular in the web world, but what about the desktop app world?

I have freelanced before and am considering it again. I would think web apps could be a popular market as well as design considering a lot of clients want widgets and more dynamic functionality to there web projects.

For example - I can hold my own with web design, I might need some help from a graphics designer, I can code the hell out of the web page but I might need help setting up a database, or creating that one Java applet.

Just my 0.02 cents.

Is owning your own business considered freelancing? I mean, at what point is it finding work & clients no longer freelancing? While I do have a full time job, I have a business partner, a rented office, pay sales tax/income tax... yada yada, the 9 yards.

Obviously, I am interested in finding job opportunity where-ever possible, so I would be interested if something did form on this site.

As far as desktop apps, we have done two desktop apps for private clients. A third opportunity came up, but it fell through due to lack of interest from the buyer.

I was freelancing full time, but have recently started a full time retail management position (oh whoo) because the client base for web design (at least in my area) has been slacking lately and with the impending divorce/move/support-myself-and-kids-on-one-income deal (as in no longer co-habitating as of May 31st), I don't trust that I can bring in the clients I need to pay the bills. I am, however, still freelancing on the side and would welcome ANY opportunity to promote myself and possibly bring in some extra cash.

My most recent clients and potential clients have been asking for all sorts of programming that falls outside the web design spectrum. Some of these were simple enough that I was able to take them on without a problem. Others were too complicated for my level of web app knowledge and I had to refer them elsewhere. It would be great to be able to refer them to DIC because, quite frankly, I like you all better than most of the coders I know in real life.

In addition to my regular job, I also have a small software consultancy that offers (among other items) custom web and client application development. Not sure of you consider that freelancing or not, as it's a separate business. We find many of our clients through advertising, or testimonials from other clients. We also get some 'off the street' business. Although i do keep a 'Sales' role within the organization, it's not one we employ full time to hustle business.

But don't some companies have a policy that forbids you from freelancing?
Just a doubt..

I have freelanced in the past with web development roles, not so much desktop apps because of being in a big city clients rather go with an actual company for that sort of thing. Probably so they can hold them more accountable for software they develop as well as have an avenue to actually get ongoing customer support.

However I really do like the idea of a group project forum on this site because I have been itching to jump on board with some C# (and possibly VB.NET/PHP/Java) projects. I would also like a way to make a little extra cash for some of the development work I do for others on a casual basis (more like donations) which I know is currently against board policy.

I figure if you give some great help, work out some code solution that really helps someone out of a jam, and they want to donate a little money to help you out it isn't exactly a bad thing. If this kind of donation setup could be held to just the special forum (not pedaled across all the forums) that would be pretty cool. I don't know if it could be done or a direction you would want to go, but it would be like donation based freelancing. They ask a question, you put together a great answer, they donate a couple bucks to say thanks. If they don't pay, no problem, just move onto the next question.

I don't know, just throwing out some ideas. Maybe it would cause more problems than it solves. Who knows. But I definitely like the group project forum for sure.

I freelance from time to time (if the subject is interesting enough), but lately I've treasured my free time more and the premium at my workplace seemed to be adequate to forget about freelancing. However I am thinking about getting back into freelancing a bit, because I have some project ideas, and they are easier to deal with when you don't have a regular job.
I've done earlier consulting on web based things, but my latest projects were desktop Java applications and server side daemon and data mining things.
About 4 years ago I was looking for advertisements, but by now clients are coming back, so I really don't have to do anything - I don't even have a homepage or portfolio

I have not freelanced since well.... I'm 16. I can't even open a PayPal account.

But this would be an interesting addition to the site, and at a glance this looks like a good idea.

Finding a good free lancer is important; and by having a marketplace within a computers / internet / coding ninja forum would only add credibility to the services offered there. e.g., if Psycho set up shop and somebody saw that he had 6500 "Dream Kudos"; without even knowing what they were they would get an idea that he's pretty good.

I freelance from time to time, when I am not completely swamped at work. Most of my clients in the past have come from either word of mouth or site like Rent-A-Coder and Kasamba, but you cant really make a decent living with what you make at sites like that. I think Id be interested in something like that.

trying to be able to freelance

i'm interested but would use it more as a guild, your requesting more services sorta thing....