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Update April 19th, 2010. The new site rollout is going to be delayed until the end of next month (June). -------------------------- Original message: In several weeks, we'll be changing our name from RentaCoder.com to vWorker.com (which stands for "virtual worker"). Along with our brand new name, we also have a new logo, tagline and site design! (See our new facebook page for the meaning of the logo and a preview of the new site design!) Why the change? We're changing to reflect the diversity of the many talented workers we have on the site. Back when I founded the company in 2001 we concentrated just on technology and programming, and the name Rent a Coder fit us. But today in 2010, the site is not just coders, but also graphic artists, writers, translators, marketers, personal assistants and numerous other types of workers. Our new name will reflect that and reminds employers that they can find all kinds of talent here. I want to thank our loyal employers and workers for being a part of our growth. Back in 2001 we were just a small startup of two employees, working from an extra room in my house. Today in 2010, we've upsized offices twice, been in hundreds of business journals and newspaper, and have become three time INC 5000 winners (fastest growing private company in the U.S.). Thank you for being a part of our success! Ian Ippolito CEO of Rent a Coder/vWorker |
P.S. We will be announcing more about this in the near future. To get the latest information as it comes out, click on "subscribe to this blog" in the lower right hand corner of this page. And then "fan us" on Facebook to get the inside scoop on the meaning behind the new logo, and a preview of the new site design!
P.S.S. There has been some discussion where people are wondering if the new name means that buyers will treat them in a subservient manner (which of course, no one wants).
The name of the company was picked after doing significant research and focus group work on a broader and higher paying type of buyer than is the current site average. It is based on the business term "virtual worker", which has a definition: a person who accomplishes their tasks over the internet rather than coming into an office. Only intellectual labor can be delivered over the internet. Manual labor (ditch digging, janitorial services etc) cannot be delivered that way.
However, even if a person does not know this word and only knows the word "worker", that also does not necesssarily mean a person who does menial jobs. According to Google ("search on 'definition:worker'"), the term has two very different meanings:
1.One who works at a particular occupation or activity: an office worker.
2.One who does manual or industrial labor.
To make it clear that workers on the site are in the primary category and not the secondary one, the site's logo (which accompanies the name) shows a worker in a delicate italic font (unlike a manual worker) with their hands extended in the air. This is not a pose that someone of the latter definition would assume and makes it 100% clear.
Finally, every worker on the site is still protected with the same payment guarantees that they were before the name change. So even if for some reason a employer thought they were hiring subservient laborers, they would not be able to do this.
