Paying for Attention

It’s nothing new, we've been doing it for years, just think about the last time you consulted a doctor, got the plumber to fix the sink or the electrician to change the light bulb (seriously!); we get what we want and pay their fee, it’s fair and how the market works.

Though think about the last time you checked your inbox and got compensated, that’s easy, probably never since the idea to charge people to send you email usually in request for advice is considered by most to be just plain greedy, but seriously, what’s the difference between charging over email to charging in person, you’re still using up the person’s finite amount of time, right?!

Now think of the last time you sent an email to someone asking for something, a spot of advice usually, now can your remember if you got a response, you probably didn’t, why, because you wouldn’t be the first nor the last which has led many prominent figures to email bankruptcy because it just got too much to handle.

If you’re like me, you’d wonder, couldn’t there be a better system around this, something that would benefit both the sender and the recipient, why can’t I just pay an amount for a reply so if the recipient does respond then they keep the money else I get a refund, simple right, well it is, so why aren’t we there already!

Esther Dyson has been leading the charge for years now, yet nothing has stuck, mostly I guess because the solutions quickly turn into spam filters which isn't what’s needed, it’s about valuing one’s time, time which is finite and worth more than a $1, heck, if you’re prominent it’s more like $100.