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Subject:RE: Tired of giving out technical advice for free From:"Steve Hudson" <cruddy -at- optushome -dot- com -dot- au> To:"TECHWR-L" <techwr-l -at- lists -dot- raycomm -dot- com> Date:Tue, 26 Feb 2002 18:06:39 +1100
OK, as no one else seems to be offering any ideas:
At what point does one say "I charge for this service" and "here's some free
advice / information"?
Do you give out all the help you can until you get yourself established and
then dry up like Lake George? (A 'disappearing' lake near Canberra)
Do you refuse to produce more than three pages of anything for anyone unless
there's a doggies biscuit in it?
(Hell, change the figures, place weightings on the different factors,
whatever, I'm just brain-storming in an unknown playground here)
Do you limit your responses to those people with <insert any qualification
here>?
Do you allow yourself a set number of hours for pro bono publico (I have a
lawyer in the family LOL)?
If the answer / material is highly specific to that person, do you charge at
full hourly rates?
Do you then discount this price if you know you can resell it to others?
Do you discount if you are readily familiar with the information at hand?
What about places that won't allow purchases of that nature to be made, yet
require the info. The writers there suffer at their companies expense and
that could be prevented by a simple freebie.
Should everyone commit some time, effort and / or money purely to furthering
their profession in an unselfish manner?
Should you ostracise those people that never do give such donations when
they cry for malarkey again?
Enough time spent on this one for now :-)
Steve Hudson, Word Heretic
HDK List MVP
Word help and tools: heretic -at- tdfa -dot- com
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