QUID PRO QUO: MERCENARY MONETIZATION

Dear Readers:



For most of our lives, we are constantly told, "Do kind things without asking for or expecting anything in return." Yet another is that, "It is better to give than to receive." My personal favorite is that, "Charity begins in the home."



These are wonderful thoughts, and represent virtuous conduct to aspire to. Sadly, in the world of business and commerce, all actions are based upon an exchange of value -- whether it is direct and immediate, or whether it is more subtle and occurs over time. If you do not request value in return for what you offer, people will 1) oftimes regard you as either eccentric (if your are wealthy), or stupid (if you are living on the fringe of abject poverty), or 2) think that what you are offering is of no value.

Human nature requires the rationalization of quid pro quo. Commerce cannot even exist without it. Even my sainted mother has uttered to me in a rare sentient moment, "You get what you pay for! Whatja expect?"



While I am not a mercenary, I do believe in the notion and the precedent of a fair exchange. Regarding this, I have copied some correspondence which was sent to me, as well as my response, regarding one of my blogs, called BRAINTENANCE (http://braintenance.blogspot.com/) , which is becoming increasingly popular -- in fact, you should visit it, favorite it and subscribe to it.



First read the letter at the bottom of this post (from Mr. John DiPrete), and then read my response, at the top:

***CASTLE'S MERCENARY RESPONSE***

Dear John DiPrete:

Thank you for your kind letter and generous compliments.

I would be delighted to expand the scope of my offerings on BRAINTENANCE to incorporate more of your materials.

At the risk of sounding uncharacteristically mercenary, would you be kind enough to provide a link to my blog (Braintenance) on your website, and on any affiliated blogsites. This gesture on your part would be greatly appreciated.

As you know, the blog address is http://braintenance.blogspot.com/.

The javascript for an access button follows:

(blah, blah, blah...)


Additionally, the javascript for our Blidget (my but that term irks me!) follows:

(blah, blah, blah...)

Again, thank you for your encouragement, and for your anticipated reciprocity.

Faithfully,

Douglas

DOUGLAS CASTLE

THE NATIONAL NETWORKER- We Are Networking
BRAINTENANCE - Stay Razor Sharp
INTERNAL ENERGY PLUS - Human Potential
THE INTERNATIONALIST PAGE
THE GLOBAL FUTURIST

***JOHN'S INNOCENT LETTER TO ME***

Dear Douglas Castle:
Thanks for using our Quiz Stop widget "How Fast Do You Read?" on http://www.braintenance.blogspot.com/.

We are thoroughly impressed by your insightful, entertaining list of educational resources on the Web. Congratulations on your excellent research.

I would like to recommend another free, family-friendly resource for mental self-growth, of hopeful interest to your readers. Mind Bluff (http://mindbluff.com/) offers free brain teasers, riddles, and mental illusions for all ages, recommended by PC World.

Sample pages:

Reaction Time Test (http://mindbluff.com/reaction.htm ),
Is Your Brain Cross-Lateralized? (http://mindbluff.com/phplater.htm ),
Necker Cube Illusion (http://mindbluff.com/necker.htm ),
and Knight's Tour Chess Problem (http://mindbluff.com/askchess.htm ).

We would greatly appreciate a link from your Web site to any of our pages on Mind Bluff.

Kind Regards,

John DiPrete http://www.mindbluff.com/

___________________________________________________
What have we learned? I can't be fully certain. I'll be eagerly awaiting John's response to my letter to him.

Faithfully,

Douglas Castle
THE NATIONAL NETWORKER