heni30 Posted May 18, 2015 Share Posted May 18, 2015 (edited) I stumbled on to this site ( http://www.skilljay.com/ ) and was wondering what y'all thought of this learning/information model. I guess it can be general or specific where you pay to ask a pro questions about, say, how they achieved a certain lighting effect or shader, their workflow, how to solve a problem that has you stumped, etc (Bertand, for example). It serves the same purpose as a forum except that you are guaranteed a knowledgeable answer (maybe) and the person providing the info gets paid for his/her info. One architect is asking for $30 per 15 minute session - seems a little steep unless it unlocks these amazing secrets that will make your work skyrocket quality wise. It seems to be satisfaction guaranteed as far a payment goes. I think a Freebie introductory session would be a good idea to see if there's a good fit. Edited May 19, 2015 by heni30 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Corey Beaulieu Posted May 19, 2015 Share Posted May 19, 2015 I think that with regards to the right inquiry, this is worth your money. An architect doesn't seem the right hire for a 15 minute solve as the process is endless, but on our industry it could be pretty cool. Especially if screen share was a possibility. Have you ever had trouble with a file you've been staring at for too long only to ask a friend and they solve the worlds issues in minutes? It happens daily in a large studio like the one I work in. We all go blind to the small stuff and lose time to oversight. Respectable artists can save you a lot of hours in a simple glance at your file. Freelance is getting to be so big in this industry and that is wonderful except that when you are in a room with 20 other artists, the experience of the masses that are willing to share and help in the bigger picture is invaluable. Freelancers lose out on that. My enthusiasm for this is mild, but I see it as a way for artist who are well into their career to get the help they may need to grow on short order. It may not be for the big stuff, but bouncing ideas off people is great and forums can be slow to return valuable solutions. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
notamondayfan Posted May 19, 2015 Share Posted May 19, 2015 I think it's a great idea, I'd find it especially useful for say a new piece of software where I can't find a function, or perhaps I need a short piece of code for a project. I don't need to hire a specialist for a day, but 15 might be just about right. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Francisco Penaloza Posted May 19, 2015 Share Posted May 19, 2015 "if I get a penny every time I get ask, why my image is over exposed" Wonder how many people are willing to pay "a small fee", when they are not willing to spend a few hour reading the manual or buying, millions of books or video tutorials. I guess it is an other option any ways. Wonder how much the person get paid actually. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scott Schroeder Posted May 19, 2015 Share Posted May 19, 2015 It depends on what this is used for. I would say a good estimate is that you can find 99.99% of your issues with a simple Google search. Using keywords and good phrases of course. Googling "How to use Vray plz" doesn't work. For issues with things that cannot be Googled, like composition of your particular scene, you can get all sorts of help on various forums. To me, this type of website is for suckers who have too much money. Unless you can be certain you are talking with someone who is truly 110% correct or a proven CG wiz (ex, getting your scene lighting reviewed by a senior personnel from ILM, Blur, or Weta), it isn't worth the penny for that person's thoughts. Because I'm willing to bet that person will give you the same information that is already out on the web in 1,000 different spots. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
heni30 Posted May 19, 2015 Author Share Posted May 19, 2015 (edited) Because I'm willing to bet that person will give you the same information that is already out on the web in 1,000 different spots. I think this is the problem - that there is too much information with varying degrees of relevance. Not having to sift through all that and getting the exact information you need right away might be worth it to some people. I've seen this kind of model used for car repair information. Even here, some years back, there was a Max "crit" service offered for a fixed $ amount. Someone could open a "V-ray 'iz Us" service with 10 experts standing by on the phones; charge $2.00/min. Edited May 19, 2015 by heni30 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Francisco Penaloza Posted May 19, 2015 Share Posted May 19, 2015 Well there is only one way to find out, I will sign up and see how much I get. How much you guys will pay me to give you 15 minutes of my mind. $5? $10? $30? A consultant charge a lot more than a regular salary/Freelancer any ways... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ryannelson Posted May 19, 2015 Share Posted May 19, 2015 I stumbled on to this site ( http://www.skilljay.com/ ) and was wondering what y'all thought of this learning/information model. I guess it can be general or specific where you pay to ask a pro questions about, say, how they achieved a certain lighting effect or shader, their workflow, how to solve a problem that has you stumped, etc (Bertand, for example). It serves the same purpose as a forum except that you are guaranteed a knowledgeable answer (maybe) and the person providing the info gets paid for his/her info. One architect is asking for $30 per 15 minute session - seems a little steep unless it unlocks these amazing secrets that will make your work skyrocket quality wise. It seems to be satisfaction guaranteed as far a payment goes. I think a Freebie introductory session would be a good idea to see if there's a good fit. Seems suspicious for architecture. We can work with a broad contract (possibly covered in the TOS of the site) for some things as far as preliminary stuff like zoning permissions and early advise kind of things. But there needs to be a specific contract signed before an architect can put a pen to paper with design. There's lots of rules/laws around liability, for good reason. Maybe it's different in the US though, in Canada it's pretty strict for this kind of thing. Beyond that, it could be useful if you have more money than time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
heni30 Posted May 19, 2015 Author Share Posted May 19, 2015 Well there is only one way to find out, I will sign up and see how much I get. How much you guys will pay me to give you 15 minutes of my mind. $5? $10? $30? A consultant charge a lot more than a regular salary/Freelancer any ways... $100 - the check is in the mail. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rich O Posted May 19, 2015 Share Posted May 19, 2015 As long as this doesn't encourage an attitude on the internet of "stop asking for free information and just pay for it like everyone else has to". That would be a dystopian internet! If it stays small I have no problem with the concept. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
deadkaiser Posted May 20, 2015 Share Posted May 20, 2015 Get the info of the net can be hard especial if you not sure what the correct term is for what you want to doing so yer its not a bad idea at first but most of the time i have a real issue that is not solved by a 30min google search the question is a little more complex like they really would need to be a Pro at whatever it is..... And assuming there pro they should get pro rates which would surely make this rather pricey after you speculate company cut and the percentage of the time there not working..... That all said i have no problem with people paying for technical information.... not sure why anyone should!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
M V Posted May 20, 2015 Share Posted May 20, 2015 Reminds me of this article from the Great Big Ole Recession... http://www.huffingtonpost.com/dave-pinter/architecture-advice-05_b_163226.html His pricing is better! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Smile of Fury Posted May 27, 2015 Share Posted May 27, 2015 I think this would work on the ArchVis but the overall concept didn't work for Google with Helpouts, so there is still a lot to figure out. I personally would love something like this to be able to just talk through big picture issues like workflow theories, rather than the technical things like what buttons to press. This website looks nice, but it seems they put all their energy into the profile photos. I didn't see anything in the individual profiles that convinced me it would be worth $$$ to talk to those people. I also had a project recently where the client was particularly interested in their landscaping details and plant selection. Would've been nice to talk with a botanist for a few minutes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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