In reply to Alastair.

This segment of WP development is going through a similar phase that video post-production went through in the early '00s: A combination of environmental scanning about costs combined with a misconception by clients about the skills needed to make things work culminates in a sense that the developer is a commodity.

For example, prior to the DV digital revolution (FW, DV cameras, FCP, etc.), NYC advertising clients believed that everything we did was voodoo. Once the clients themselves were able to do some of the rudimentary tasks that the pros did, their perception of the what pros did was diminished to their frame of reference - which was partly true but for the most part false. It's like watching a DJ play music and thinking "Oh, being a DJ is EASY!" not knowing how much time goes into technical knowledge, music research, audience perception, etc.

What we have here is a failure in how our work is perceived by clients because there is no organization to represent the value we bring to the problems our clients encounter. We are a freely associating, self-forming group of professionals, but we have no advocacy. This is what destroyed the post-production industry in NYC between 1999-2008.

Until there is such a voice, don't expect things to change much. The undercurrents described here are what destroyed my prior career and forced me to move to something else far less lucrative. Start saving your chips!