--- F R E N D Z of martian --- ---------- Forwarded Message ---------- Subject: GeeK: bid / get paid for tech support Date: Sat, 06 Nov 1999 19:38:35 -0600 From: jsyn <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> <http://www.questionexchange.com> Auction-style tech-support forum. Get certified as an expert, answer posed questions, and get paid. So far, the available forums are: Apache C C++ DHTML FreeBSD HTML Java JavaScript Linux.Installation Networking Oracle Perl Tcl/Tk Windows NT X Window I've also submitted suggestions for the creation of OpenBSD, NetBSD, and Cryptography forums. If you DO sign up, use 'jsyn' as a referral. >From <http://www.techweb.com/wire/finance/story/INV19991101S0001>: Any More Bids For Tech Support? Going, Going, Gone! (11/01/99, 6:10 a.m. ET) By Mitch Wagner, InternetWeek If the thrill of Internet auctions for Furbys, Pokemons, and collectable ashtrays is starting to fade, how about auctions for tech support? QuestionExchange, a Boston start-up, said it plans on Tuesday to launch a website for "name-your-price" support on open source software. Users having problems with Linux, the Apache Web server, and other open source products will be able to post their questions to the QuestionExchange website and either name the price they'll pay for an answer or ask experts to bid on what they'll charge to answer the question. Users front the fee to QuestionExchange, and then, when the problem is solved to the user's satisfaction, QuestionExchange sends the money off to the expert, after skimming 5 percent off the top as its own fee. "It's like eBay meets PriceLine for open source," said CEO and founder Hector Gonzalez. The service is designed for individuals and small businesses that lack resources to pay for conventional consulting, but need tech support nonetheless. QuestionExchange will give them access to a pool of experts who have been tested on their knowledge prior to being allowed to bid on customer queries; before being allowed to bid, the experts will be asked to first answer several free questions posted by users, and the experts' responses to those questions will be reviewed by a pool of other experts who have already been qualified by QuestionExchange, Gonzalez said. Another advantage to users is QuestionExchange's experts will be international, meaning many of them will work cheaper than U.S.-based consultants. And QuestionExchange's responses will be faster than conventional consultants, because the questions will be reviewed by thousands of experts simultaneously, rather than having to go through a conventional consultant's linear help desk escalation process, where one expert at a time reviews each help request, Gonzalez said. Like eBay, QuestionExchange will offer a ratings service, where users and experts can rate each other for public view. The user will control the transaction; the fee will not be released to a consultant until the user says he or she is satisfied. However, the ratings system will keep users honest; users who consistently refuse to pay consultants will quickly find that no one is willing to work for them, Gonzalez said. The advantage to consultants is QuestionExchange will give them access to a pool of potential customers. Also, by requiring users to pay up front, QuestionExchange solves the problem of collections, which is a burden for small businesses, Gonzalez said. <----- jsyn -- AppDev Ltd. - Internet Solutions Provider. http://appdev.co.uk/ -- Sent to you via the frendz list at marsbard.com The archive is at http://www.mail-archive.com/frendz@marsbard.com/
