I have a potential client who wants to create a community where members submit "essays" to weekly questions. After the member posts the essay, he/she won't be able to edit the original. We also want other members to be able to rate and comment on these essays and build status as their ranking improves.
It looks like Community Builder and its extensions cover many of the basics for such a site. But would I need to hire a freelance programmer to customize to the above specs? And, if that's the case, would I be better off having a programmer create a complete solution rather than messing with core CB functionality that may change with updates?
Any suggestions you might have within CB or alternative routes would be most appreciated. Thanks much!