Information Central

IMG_0235It’s getting so that not a day goes by that I don’t get some request or other for information. Usually, it’s of a historical nature and usually I can readily provide an answer, although it takes a bit of time to do the research. Yes, research! And there’s the rub…

IMG_0450Maybe if I could dial back my mind twenty or thirty years, the required answers would be easily available – at the forefront of my fingertips, so to speak. But, these days, my personal memory chip is either compromised or too full and I have to do a little digging in my actual hard files to assure myself that I’m giving out accurate information.

Not that I don’t enjoy that process. Often, I run across facts or stories that I haven’t thought of in a long time and every once in a while, they dovetail nicely into something I’m working on right then and there. Or should be working on…

IMG_0452It’s the time thing that bothers me. I’ve started paying attention to the time I spend answering questions for people versus the time I spend on my own research. A few days ago it was three hours on the questions, two hours on my own work. Today looks to be similar.  As we all know, “time is money” and so I’m considering going into the Question Answering Biz and charging an hourly rate.

My research (ahem!) tells me that the going rate in Great Britain for historical research is £35 per hour which converts into $53.68 per… So, I could round it out to $50 per hour and charge by 15 minute increments like attorneys do (only their rate is seven or eight times that amount) and I would feel that I was being adequately compensated for my time. In fact… at that rate, I could give up writing altogether and just concentrate on the research business.

Well, that’s not going to happen. I don’t have enough moxie or chutzpah or temerity or whatever to seriously consider such an endeavor. It’s just one more fantasy clotting up my frontal lobe. I’m pressing delete to make room for this email question that has just arrived in my inbox…

3 Responses to “Information Central”

  1. Stephanie Frieze says:

    I say that you need to create a website “Sydney Says” where people can pose their questions. You choose what looks interesting and worthy of your time and expertise and, for a fee, they get the results. All of us under value our time which is how doctors get away with making us wait. Your time and talent is worth something, Sydney.

  2. sydney says:

    Good idea, Stephanie. And my time gets paid how???

  3. Sheri says:

    Check out some of the pay for info doctor sites. I think they require payment up front for an answer. You could use a PayPal account to receive the funds.

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