

Why is it bad to charge people to contact you via email? - ivanpashenko


======
wkearney99
Perhaps you could also as "Why is it bad to ask poorly formed questions?"

If you're engaged in billable time practices, responding to e-mails is little
different than phone calls, faxes or letters. It's all about the time you
spend engaged on the work for the client.

~~~
ivanpashenko
My bad. Is the question not clear enough?

------
MalcolmDiggs
I wouldn't say that it's "bad", but, personally, I don't think it'd be in my
best interest to use a pay-wall.

Most of the emails I get are from people who want my money
(vendors/businesses). But I get the occasional email from someone who wants to
give me their money (a potential client). I wouldn't want to do anything that
would stop a potential client from sending me an email.

Two other concerns:

1\. The practicality aspect. If I'm requiring bitcoin, then the sender needs
to be bitcoin-literate, which not everybody is. If I'm requiring a credit
card, then the charge is too small to justify the merchant charges.

2\. The branding aspect. Do I really want to be known as someone who charges
for emails? I'm not sure that message would align with very many people's
personal brand/image. I'd be more likely to wait on the sidelines until
charging-for-emails is commonplace, then I'd feel comfortable joining in. But
until that time comes, you might have a first-mover-disadvantage. This creates
a problematic catch-22 for any SaaS/PaaS offering this kind of thing. (Few
people wanting to be an early-adopter).

------
gt565k
I think the question you want to ask is, would you pay to contact people via
email?

The answer is most likely no.

~~~
ivanpashenko
It is actually the opposite. I want to know why people don’t feel comfortable
charging to contact them via email.

~~~
notahacker
I have no objection, in principle, to people paying to contact me by email.
But there are quite a few people, organisations and mission critical bots I
might like to receive email from that are unlikely to pay to send it, and
whitelisting every email or domain that's allowed to contact me is more of an
irritation than deleting unfiltered spam. I don't object to strangers paying
but I am quite concerned at missing out on useful emails through erecting the
most blunt spam filter imaginable.

I think that goes for most people.

It makes a little more sense to charge for a _guaranteed response_ as LinkedIn
does indirectly...

~~~
ivanpashenko
Just to clarify: Do you think you could miss useful email if your public email
has a paywall?

~~~
notahacker
I'm sure I would... as a minimum there's password reset emails, payment
confirmations & tickets, old friends and colleagues which I'd want to be
certain got through to my primary mailbox.... which basically means my primary
mailbox is widely publicised information anyway.

And most people have potential clients, casual acquaintances etc that would
enrich their life by contacting them, but certainly wouldn't pay 0.1 BTC to do
so, so I'm not sure I'd ever stick pay-to-email as a contact on a business
card or website. Those people whose email addresses people would happily pay
for tend to be able to pay for assistants to screen their primary contact
email anyway...

------
dyeje
This could use some elaboration.

Charge who? Your clients? Businesses trying to contact you? Everyone?

How? Do they have to pay before they can even send it? You send them a bill
afterwards?

~~~
ivanpashenko
Everyone who write to your public email have to pay. So basically new
contacts. For friends and people you know you use your private email.

This is how a solution could look like: [http://wrte.io](http://wrte.io)

~~~
Jipha
I could see it being used. Lots of people get hundreds of emails a day being
pitched to or asking for help. Charging people (even a small amount) might get
people to put more effort into their emails.

------
gesman
If you're a porn star it might work.

------
mariuolo
Instead of?

~~~
ivanpashenko
instead of not charging (like it is now).

------
monroepe
No

~~~
ivanpashenko
Could you explain why? What is wrong with that?

