Re: Tired of giving out technical advice for free

[Peter <pnewman1 -at- home -dot- com>]

Steve Hudson wrote:
> 
> 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"?

It is purely a judgment call. There is no book or manual written that
will cover every situation that can possibly arise. You can cite
anecdotal information till the cows come home, and a new situation will
arise. Sometimes it depends on how I am approached. I have been
suckered, but for the most part, most folks will pay. A small company
once asked to to a small, two hour project as a pre employment test. I
responded that if this was real work, I want to be paid for my services,
regardless of whether I was hired. They hired me on the spot, without
taking the test. I started work the following Monday. 


-- 
Peter

"When a man sits with a pretty girl for an hour, it seems like a 
minute. But let him sit on a hot stove for a minute-and it's 
longer than any hour. That's relativity,"
- Einstein-

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