But this type of sentiment seems to be getting more and more popular in the tech/freelancing/consulting world, so I can only hope that it will become more clear that the same logic applies to artists.

Raising your price from zero to something is the same thing.

Subtle ways: “Sure I’ll help – but I’m tied up until 5AM tomorrow morning – how about you bring it over then and cook breakfast while I work on it?”

Not so subtle ways: “Sure – I’ll have a look at your computer but while I’m doing this can you run out and fill my car with gas (or at least wash it)?”

I like the ubiquity of Windows, the presentation of Apple, and the open qualities of GNU/Linux. My answer was ultimately go to Linux – I already had a bevy of PC hardware and I’m discouraged by the iron fist of hardware control Apple maintains (although I acknowledge it’s one of the reasons their software is so damned good). And most people think that if you’re a geek/nerd/tech lover/etc that you just must like to do this sort of thing.

So I’ve switched all of my machines to various flavors of Linux (outside of a single gaming machine). Mostly I use Ubuntu or other Debian based distros.

There was this point where I said “I’m tired of fixing user initiated errors for machines” after being called or e-mailed numerous times every week by various acquaintances that were having issues. My solution has been this – $65 an hour for all tech support work outside of my immediate family, or I switch you to Linux for free. So far I’ve switched most of my friends, 6 members of my family, and a church to Linux with minimal fanfare and best of all much lower tech support requests. Most of those people have simply ceased to have issues by taking the 2 main factors away (weak software/weak OS).

So the answer, for me anyway, was stick to your guns, charge people or offer an alternative that is mutually agreeable – but the more you give in and offer free support the more you’re tied to that expectation, and in doing so devalue your work.

With family I still help out a lot – but they have and always will help me when I need it too. It is similar with friends – but I’ve got a lot of friends so these days I tell them how to search for a solution to their problem and then to follow the recommended steps.

It’s the whole give a man a fish/teach him how to fish kinda thing…

The longer I’m in business for myself, the more I try to equip others with the tools and knowledge to solve their own problems, rather than just fixing things for them.

For example, if somebody tells me “hey can you translate this short sentence for me” (in any of the languages I speak) I am more than happy to do so. If somebody tells me to spend an hour of my time translating, I’m expecting that either (a) the person asking is a very close friend, and he/she will appreciate what I do or (b) the relationship is so reciprocal that asking a favor back will never be an issue.

Given my current lack of steady income, I am frequently worried about asking people for help because I worry I won’t have the cash to pay them. It’s not that they WANT or EXPECT compensation, it’s that I feel bad that I can’t afford to pay back in the kind of compensation they DESERVE.

I’m often trying to find ways to pay back to the people who help me, and I find that the feeling and attitude is always mutual. The only person who used me completely was my former best friend, and he is gone from my life as of February 2006.

In closing, your knowledge is your currency. And I find that there is nothing wrong in charging when it goes above and beyond the call of duty (or friendship).

Also, as I said, English as a language helps me a lot. I have a MUCH harder time charging friends in Spanish than I do in English. It’s easier to say “well, my hourly rate is …” than “bueno, esta asesoría te va a costar TANTO”

You’ve opened a great topic for discussion here, John!

BTW…it went in the shop…$430 plus tax to get it back to specs…

I’ve always been hesitant to agree to charging money for any of these services for fear that it would be tantamount to offering a warranty. At the same time, I’m not all that keen on spending hours and hours of my free time showing someone how to re-install Windows on their PC because they’ve downloaded too much crap off LimeWire and find themselves with a box full of malware.

Maybe it’s time more geeks went from tech-support flunkie to paid consultant.

I’ve been told by many companies in Vancouver that once you draw a line in the sand for what you will do for how much money, you’ll lose a bunch of business, but it will be replaced by higher paying (and generally higher quality) clients. So you basically just have to voluntarily decide to stop doing work for nothing and move past it. I’m bad for that as well.