> Because the financial incentives of the helper are set up wrong, "paid by the minute" will reward slow talkers and slow help.
Most of the listings are listed with either the form "$X per Helpout" or "$X per Helpout or $Y per minute". So, it doesn't look like paid by the minute is either the only supported or even the dominant model. So this objection seems misplaced.
> The DYI video success will be better the shorter and better the video is, and I'd rather pay-per-video.
Canned DIY videos are widely available, and serve a different need that person-to-person consultation.
> If I wanted to talk to a human, there are millions nearby in the city.
Not everyone lives in or near a city with millions of people. And not all those millions in the city are experts in the field that you are concerned about.
> A DYI video can explain in 2-3 minutes what will take a human 60 minutes in a meeting including greetings and other social fluff.
Sure, if there is a specific enough DIY video, that may be the case. OTOH, finding a specific-enough DIY video for a particular need can be a hassle, and in many cases of not particularly common specific needs may not be practical.
(Plus, its quite possible for the experts that do Helpouts to do DIY videos, and to identify good opportunities for DIY videos from what questions they get through Helpouts. Its not a one-way communication.)
Most of the listings are listed with either the form "$X per Helpout" or "$X per Helpout or $Y per minute". So, it doesn't look like paid by the minute is either the only supported or even the dominant model. So this objection seems misplaced.
> The DYI video success will be better the shorter and better the video is, and I'd rather pay-per-video.
Canned DIY videos are widely available, and serve a different need that person-to-person consultation.
> If I wanted to talk to a human, there are millions nearby in the city.
Not everyone lives in or near a city with millions of people. And not all those millions in the city are experts in the field that you are concerned about.
> A DYI video can explain in 2-3 minutes what will take a human 60 minutes in a meeting including greetings and other social fluff.
Sure, if there is a specific enough DIY video, that may be the case. OTOH, finding a specific-enough DIY video for a particular need can be a hassle, and in many cases of not particularly common specific needs may not be practical.
(Plus, its quite possible for the experts that do Helpouts to do DIY videos, and to identify good opportunities for DIY videos from what questions they get through Helpouts. Its not a one-way communication.)