Is outsourcing though Elance/Guru a reasonable way to get started
snorkel: I've tried it. The code quality was OK but it took a lot of time just to document and explain the project to each coder over email, and time to do progress checks with each coder, answer their questions, and generally keep everyone coordinated with what others were working on. At some point I realized I was documenting the project in such detail and coordinating every step of it that it was faster to code it all myself. I would still outsource graphic design elements because I'm a better coder than artist.