I'd like to pose a question to this once-active group. Perhaps it will
demonstrate that we are still a great resource for one another and not just a
bunch of spam.

I'm in the very early stages of getting a web application-based startup up and
running. Very early.

I am currently finalizing the specifications and design, and I will be
soliciting development proposals from various developers. I have a shoestring
budget, so I don't have a staff, but my partner is the technical lead. We are
planning to look outside to a development shop, and then install the application
on our servers and host and maintain it internally once we are live. So here are
my questions for the group:

1. Based on your experience, are the long term costs/savings worth while for
this approach in terms of perhaps having to spend more time and energy
maintaining code that wasn't developed internally? In other words, it will be
cheaper in the very short-term to have an external team do the development, but
then undoubtedly, there will be issues or bugs or even upgrades which need to be
addressed by a contractor or internal staff. What has your experience been in
regards to this costing more or less than just ramping up a staff of internal
developers now so they own the code from the start?

2. We are in the US, so for US people, what has been your experience in working
with domestic vs international development teams? Have you had any legal issues,
or communication problems that result in over-budgets or scheduling hassles?

3. And lastly, We have found a few companies in and out of the US, but we are
looking for more options. If anyone can recommend anyone with whom they have
success, I would be grateful. We are planning on a PHP/MyQSL platform, and will
want Facebook, MySpace, WordPress, and Blogger experience, as well as jQuery,
and AJAX interactions.

Thank you for any help,
--Brian