I also believe in accumulating goodwill (or debt, if you prefer :-) If a graphic designer helps me 10 times with a 1-hour task, eventually I owe them a full da

I also believe in accumulating goodwill (or debt, if you prefer :-) If a graphic designer helps me 10 times with a 1-hour task, eventually I owe them a full day, correct? Which makes it easier for me as a programmer to contribute something meaningful to them. The trick is to keep the right balance so that you don't get into a huge amount of debt with no way to repay it (sounds familiar?). Also, there are many other things that you can help a graphic designer with. Good will includes introducing that person to opportunities that you are aware of, etc. Just like the poster did in his blog: that's free publicity, that may (or may not) generate some business for the graphic designer. Call it karma. Help out if you can, don't expect an immediate barter. But in the long run, we all win.