(Spring 2011)

In Need of a Deflector (for Requests)

Years ago (see below) I thought that I had the same problem as reported by many freelancers: So-called colleagues, customers or social networking acquaintances asking for:
something that will require time, efforts and my expertise - and that is usually paid (well).

The problem has vanished or did never really exist for me. As long as you do not believe you need to make everybody happy you can simply say no to such not-willing-to-pay pseudo-clients. And as long as you are selling some service that somebody (desperately) needs (who is willing to pay).

But it is hard to say no to the paying clients. Especially if they are appealing to your vanity and to your reputation as the number one / guru / diva.

Realistically it is not so much the fact that I can solve a problem in such a marvellous way. But I am probably the only available person. Or the only person that is as crazy as considering to work under such conditions - in terms of risk and schedule.

(Somewhen 2005)

Some Questions to the modern Networker

Do you know somebody who could help me with:
[insert here: something the networker does not have the faintest clue about in will cost him/her 1000s of hours.]

Years ago the Subversive Element would have analyzed these questions and did what it had to do - as a brave hero of networking. But know it knows:

For meeting one helpful person on the net, you have to pay: by serving five I-want-it-for-free-freaks

I had literally been asked: Do you like to work for free? Of course not really for free - this was an opportunity: Put in many hours of work requiring a lot of experience and a specific skllset. Then - if we are lucky - we will win the jackpot, get the project grant etc. Risk and reward!