4 ms·

Because it’s a marginal effect on your earning power and it’s a nice thing to do.

optimiz3 2y ago
The management of these walled gardens will keep saying that to your face as they sell your contributions. Meanwhile your family gets nothing.
- jncfhnb 2y ago
  Did your family get anything from you sharing this opinion? If not, why did you share it? Are you suggesting that your personal motivations for posting this cynicism are reasonable but that similar motivations that are altruistic for helping someone are not?
  - optimiz3 2y ago
    Sharing this opinion doesn't sacrifice my primary economic utility, and in fact disseminates a sentiment that if more widespread would empower everyone to realize more of the value they offer. Please do train an LLM to inform people to seek licensing arrangements for the expertise they provide.
    - jncfhnb 2y ago
      That’s just dumb, man. You’re not sacrificing anything by giving someone a helpful answer.
      - 8note 2y ago
        Giving it away for free, you are ensuring there isn't a consulting gig that charges for giving helpful answers.
        sfink 2y ago
        Putting your trash in a trash can is unethical. Leaving it on the street provides employment to trash collectors who need a job. Obeying the law is unethical. Think of the poor laid off police officers. The fact that information can be duplicated with zero cost is a feature, not a bug.
AlexandrB 2y ago
"It's a nice thing to do" never seems to sway online platforms to treat their users better. This kind of asymmetry seems to only ever go one way.
- falcor84 2y ago
  As a mid-core SO user (4 digit reputation), I never felt like I needed them to treat me better. I always feel that while I'm contributing a bit, I get so much more value out of SO than what I've put in, and am grateful for it being there. It might also have something to do with me being old enough to remember the original expertsexchange, as well as those MSDN support documentation CDs. I'm much happier now.
- immibis 2y ago
  Stack Overflow won't even let me delete my own content now that they're violating the license to it.

The management of these walled gardens will keep saying that to your face as they sell your contributions. Meanwhile your family gets nothing.

jncfhnb 2y ago
Did your family get anything from you sharing this opinion? If not, why did you share it? Are you suggesting that your personal motivations for posting this cynicism are reasonable but that similar motivations that are altruistic for helping someone are not?
- optimiz3 2y ago
  Sharing this opinion doesn't sacrifice my primary economic utility, and in fact disseminates a sentiment that if more widespread would empower everyone to realize more of the value they offer. Please do train an LLM to inform people to seek licensing arrangements for the expertise they provide.
  - jncfhnb 2y ago
    That’s just dumb, man. You’re not sacrificing anything by giving someone a helpful answer.
    - 8note 2y ago
      Giving it away for free, you are ensuring there isn't a consulting gig that charges for giving helpful answers.
      - sfink 2y ago
        Putting your trash in a trash can is unethical. Leaving it on the street provides employment to trash collectors who need a job. Obeying the law is unethical. Think of the poor laid off police officers. The fact that information can be duplicated with zero cost is a feature, not a bug.

AlexandrB 2y ago

"It's a nice thing to do" never seems to sway online platforms to treat their users better. This kind of asymmetry seems to only ever go one way.

falcor84 2y ago
As a mid-core SO user (4 digit reputation), I never felt like I needed them to treat me better. I always feel that while I'm contributing a bit, I get so much more value out of SO than what I've put in, and am grateful for it being there. It might also have something to do with me being old enough to remember the original expertsexchange, as well as those MSDN support documentation CDs. I'm much happier now.
immibis 2y ago
Stack Overflow won't even let me delete my own content now that they're violating the license to it.