Is it wrong to monetize a bitcoin/cryptocurrency seminar/meeting?

[Chris Barth]

After holding the meeting a few days ago, the guys we talked to have been on our nerves. We aren't surprised tho cause we saw it coming. They come with different questions at different tines, phone calls and all, and there's no way we would refuse to continue tutoring them. It's not like I don't have the time but.... Something like this, isn't it worth being paid for? I mean, we informed them for free, and we gained nothing (just went back to our houses) and even after then, they still come with different challenges.
Some of them who were there when we announced the meeting  date, they didn't come but still come back individually to request explanations. So I ask, is it wrong to monetize a bitcoin/cryptocurrency seminar/meeting? Cause we've gotten nothing for as long as we've worked.

[mocacinno]

After holding the meeting a few days ago, the guys we talked to have been on our nerves. We aren't surprised tho cause we saw it coming. They come with different questions at different tines, phone calls and all, and there's no way we would refuse to continue tutoring them. It's not like I don't have the time but.... Something like this, isn't it worth being paid for? I mean, we informed them for free, and we gained nothing (just went back to our houses) and even after then, they still come with different challenges.
Some of them who were there when we announced the meeting  date, they didn't come but still come back individually to request explanations. So I asked, is it wrong to monetize a bitcoin/cryptocurrency seminar/meeting? Cause we've gotten nothing for as long as we've worked.

Personally, i wouldn't have a problem monetizing this... If somebody asks a question on this forum i usually try to answer it for free (like your free meetups), however, if they ask help privately, i usually ask for a reasonable compensation for my time (like the persons asking you explanations in private)...

[Chris Barth]

After holding the meeting a few days ago, the guys we talked to have been on our nerves. We aren't surprised tho cause we saw it coming. They come with different questions at different tines, phone calls and all, and there's no way we would refuse to continue tutoring them. It's not like I don't have the time but.... Something like this, isn't it worth being paid for? I mean, we informed them for free, and we gained nothing (just went back to our houses) and even after then, they still come with different challenges.
Some of them who were there when we announced the meeting  date, they didn't come but still come back individually to request explanations. So I asked, is it wrong to monetize a bitcoin/cryptocurrency seminar/meeting? Cause we've gotten nothing for as long as we've worked.

Personally, i wouldn't have a problem monetizing this... If somebody asks a question on this forum i usually try to answer it for free (like your free meetups), however, if they ask help privately, i usually ask for a reasonable compensation for my time (like the persons asking you explanations in private)...

Well, they ask questions both online and offline. And considering the fact it wasn't monetized from the onset, I just can't find it being monetized anymore. Tho I'm doing this for bitcoin too, the stress isn't easy.

[mocacinno]

Well, they ask questions both online and offline. And considering the fact it wasn't monetized from the onset, I just can't find it being monetized anymore. Tho I'm doing this for bitcoin too, the stress isn't easy.

Well, some of these people will be choosing beggars (and they'll react as such), however, it should still be possible to give those people a choice... I don't think it's unfair to tell people that want extensive private advise tailored to their specific situation at a time that's convenient for them  that you simply do not have the time to help everybody for free, so that you'll be offering private tutoring at a nominal fee. If they don't like this, they're welcome to join one of your future (pre-planned), free public meetups, but that any elaborate question outside of these meetups will be billed.

Offcourse, if you're going to bill somebody, you'll have to have something to offer: don't bill them for simple (stupid) questions you can answer in a couple of seconds, make sure you have in-depth knowledge about the subject they want to discuss and plan some time exclusively for them.
BTW: make sure you're being payed BEFORE giving advice. I used to help people out that offered bounties after their problem was solved, it was VERY rare to actually get payed. Usually, those people dissapear after they've been helped, and i'd rather help somebody that was clear about not paying upfront than somebody that offers payment but dissapears afterwards.

[Mbitr]

Yep, I hear where you’re coming from , definitely an awkward situation. I suppose you’ll just have to put it down to experience and bite the bullet this time !
A good way to get out of it is too explain that the most important part of bitcoin is DYOR! Tell them to do it themselves and then give them a specific time and/or place that any queries can be explained to them.
For future tutorials / talks if you doing it for free, explain that you are giving up your time etc and then you can monetise all future correspondence.
As long as it’s explained at the beginning, you shouldn’t encounter this problem again.
Hope this helps and good luck

[DdmrDdmr]

<…>

After the experience, it may be better to state the rules, costs, and boundaries clear from the beginning, in relation to extended assessment over time. I figure you did not do this on this occasion beforehand, and thought on helping them out post meeting as a friendly thing to do, but if it conflicts with your personal time, or the amount of time you can freely provide, then you should probably start setting those boundaries now, and lead them on to either self-learning resources (books, web sites, forums such as this one) or private tuition and/or extended sessions if you consider. Simply stating that you have limited time, and that to attend them properly you have to set things aside that you need to make up for, seems like a comprehensible argument.

[mk4]

There's really nothing wrong with it in my opinion. Organizing a seminar/meeting is going to need a crap ton of time and effort regardless of size that I'd be damned if I don't earn a reasonable amount of money for managing one regardless how passionate I am with Bitcoin. Just price things reasonably, and completely make sure that you're actually putting out good content, and it should be completely fine. Make sure that the attendants leave the seminar/meeting with knowledge that's worth a lot more than they paid for.

[xen1oph]

Some seminars and meetings are of great value, because in order to prepare something, you need a lot of time and effort. Moreover, even in order to gather people, to organize everything - you need some money. Therefore, it is normal when invitees pay some amount of money.

[kryptqnick]

After holding the meeting a few days ago, the guys we talked to have been on our nerves. We aren't surprised tho cause we saw it coming. They come with different questions at different tines, phone calls and all, and there's no way we would refuse to continue tutoring them. It's not like I don't have the time but.... Something like this, isn't it worth being paid for? I mean, we informed them for free, and we gained nothing (just went back to our houses) and even after then, they still come with different challenges.
Some of them who were there when we announced the meeting  date, they didn't come but still come back individually to request explanations. So I ask, is it wrong to monetize a bitcoin/cryptocurrency seminar/meeting? Cause we've gotten nothing for as long as we've worked.

I think that it's fine to monetize any meeting, Bitcoin included. If you are wealthy, and you're doing it like volunteering, surely you would not collect money. But if you are a person who wants to do something good but also kind of needs money, it's fine. In that case, you have various options:
1. Set a fixed entrance fee.
2. Set a 'pay what you wish' fee.
3. Find a sponsor of the event, so that you get paid but participants don't need to pay.

[franky1]

options are.
at the meetup. you set the agenda. make it a broad laymans overview. ensuring you make it known you want a 'quick basics q&a session' rather than a  lengthy tutoring service.

and then if they have deeper questions beyond a 'elevator pitch' 30second explanation. then you can either:
direct them to this forum and tell them to search for the answers for free
tell them about 1-to-1 tutoring and its hourly costs

in other businesses/models. they hold a free open meetup. of the broad overview. and then promote other dates for technical seminar, economic seminar. which are paid to enter

emphasising the difference between the quality of a meetup (coffee and chit chat) vs professional teaching session.

but one main thing about montising things.
just be sure to know what your talking about and that it is accurate. otherwise if people feel like you have fooled them or told them something wrong. you can end up spending more time dealing with complaints than anything else.
bitcoins very own 'core' team make it very well presented that they do coding an technical discussions voluntarily for the very purpose of not becoming personally liable for bugs/issues they cause.

[joinfree]

In my opinion no because knowledge is expensive and this is clearly seen in our education structure of the world. I believe you guys spent ample time and resources getting to know more about this industry so if you are to offer people such knowledge on a regular basis then i think you have every right to monetize it. There are cases where you get to teach someone a quick thing about crypto and i would not encourage you to monetize that but if it becomes regular like going to school then you need to be paid.

[Ucy]

I'd rather accept donations considering they paid fees already.
As far as I can tell, teachers don't charge students consultation or question fees after class lectures. The students already paid to learn from you/teachers. So, they need to be continously guided until they understand what they paid for.

You should probably just ask for donations if you think you're spending alot of your time on them.  I'd prefer anonymous donations from them so they don't feel pressured.

[Steamtyme]

Do whatever you want. If you feel you should be compensated then put that out there.
I don't know what sort of meetup you hosted or what the idea behind it was. If you are bringing complete newbies into the space though, you should expect follow up questions. Were you planning to host these meetups on a continual basis? If yes, you should tell them to send their questions and you will address them at the next meetup. This helps create boundaries and sets expectations for when they should expect answers. The meetups themselves could then be centered around answering group questions - these could be pooled or asked in a discord channel or something similar and anyone could then brainstorm/research the answers.

Now some people just want to be spoon fed everything so for them you could promote yourself as a paid tutor/guide. Set a fee and if they are willing to pay it then there you go, if not, then you can explain it's a service you provide for a fee. I've attended a local meetup that's been running for years, and they also do another one strictly for newbies. The one I attend has a 5$ fee, that covers a delicious meal and coffee though so it's not exactly the same thing. They are just trying to grow the crypto space.

It really comes down to what your plan for these meetups was, and how you want to execute it.

[hatshepsut93]

It's okay to monetize anything as long as its indeed a valuable thing that leaves the buyers happy in the long run. Many seminars, trainings, meetings, courses are so low quality to the point where they do more harm then good by giving people poor advises that set them on a wrong course, and charge money on top of that. If you are confident that the knowledge that you share won't make people lose money in crypto, it's okay to charge people for it.

[dothebeats]

I would if I were you. You are allotting your time, resources, knowledge and expertise to train them, and that's alone IMO is already a justified reason on asking a small fee. Kind of like a small crash course that some institutions are offering nowadays on different parts of the world. Knowledge is indelible and valuable, and it's not something that one can stumble upon and grasp so easily without having someone to learn from or some resources to use.

I'm pretty sure they'll think of it as something not worth their time but just own it. Show them and make them feel that you know what you're talking about and you're worthy of being compensated into helping them learn new things.

[rodskee]

After holding the meeting a few days ago, the guys we talked to have been on our nerves. We aren't surprised tho cause we saw it coming. They come with different questions at different tines, phone calls and all, and there's no way we would refuse to continue tutoring them. It's not like I don't have the time but.... Something like this, isn't it worth being paid for? I mean, we informed them for free, and we gained nothing (just went back to our houses) and even after then, they still come with different challenges.
Some of them who were there when we announced the meeting  date, they didn't come but still come back individually to request explanations. So I ask, is it wrong to monetize a bitcoin/cryptocurrency seminar/meeting? Cause we've gotten nothing for as long as we've worked.

i think you must be strict with the rules that the date must be followed and if they did not attend the Seminar or meeting even what is their reason then it is reasonable to ask for Professional fee and that is what we do for living,our time is very precious that is why we are making a specific date and time so we will only spend our allotted time to be on their front answering various questions.
but when the time is up and they will come asking for same question you already discussed?then ask for Fees but of course be reasonable in price.

[nienzer]

After holding the meeting a few days ago, the guys we talked to have been on our nerves. We aren't surprised tho cause we saw it coming. They come with different questions at different tines, phone calls and all, and there's no way we would refuse to continue tutoring them. It's not like I don't have the time but.... Something like this, isn't it worth being paid for? I mean, we informed them for free, and we gained nothing (just went back to our houses) and even after then, they still come with different challenges.
Some of them who were there when we announced the meeting  date, they didn't come but still come back individually to request explanations. So I ask, is it wrong to monetize a bitcoin/cryptocurrency seminar/meeting? Cause we've gotten nothing for as long as we've worked.

Why do you think this is wrong? You spend your time, resources, you share knowledge. In my opinion, you are a real tutorial, so this should be rewarded. You just need to do monetization right to make everyone comfortable

[Dead Shot]

Well, I don't see it wrong if you want to monetize bitcoin as an exchange for your services. I believe it exist for it to be used as an exchange as an alternative. As long as you follow guidelines provided by your country regarding fares, taxes, and other services I think there's nothing wrong with that.

[South Park]

After holding the meeting a few days ago, the guys we talked to have been on our nerves. We aren't surprised tho cause we saw it coming. They come with different questions at different tines, phone calls and all, and there's no way we would refuse to continue tutoring them. It's not like I don't have the time but.... Something like this, isn't it worth being paid for? I mean, we informed them for free, and we gained nothing (just went back to our houses) and even after then, they still come with different challenges.
Some of them who were there when we announced the meeting  date, they didn't come but still come back individually to request explanations. So I ask, is it wrong to monetize a bitcoin/cryptocurrency seminar/meeting? Cause we've gotten nothing for as long as we've worked.

If you want to monetize your efforts that is fine but you need to put some boundaries, there are people like that in all industries and the people that give seminars soon realize the problem you are facing, so you need to learn how to not waste your time after the seminar or they are going to consume all your time, this is especially true for those that did not assist, tell them you will send them a notice when there is a new seminar and then cut them off, you cannot explain this kind of thing one by one or it is going to take you forever.

[abel1337]

Well, I don't see it wrong if you want to monetize bitcoin as an exchange for your services. I believe it exist for it to be used as an exchange as an alternative. As long as you follow guidelines provided by your country regarding fares, taxes, and other services I think there's nothing wrong with that.

I agree, Not everything is free even if it is searchable on the internet. The knowledge we learn about cryptocurrency that built up into our minds for a couple of years using it, might be free but the techniques and self-experience on crypto are precious.

Conducting a seminar/meeting pertaining to bitcoin may have some fee's on the host that might include the event area fee. I think it is worth investing in knowledge especially if you can use it in the future and can earn some money from it.