From TNPC issue #4.12...

Being An Expert is Keen

by T.J. Lee
June 14, 2001

Do your friends and colleagues ever ask you for advice? Are you the office guru on EverQuest, the authority on potting begonias, or the local Ms. Manners who actually knows which fork to use when eating escargot? Can you rattle off the current market value of every beanie baby ever manufactured? Or are you just someone who needs to find out something in a hurry and you wish there was someone you could call so they could tell you what you want to know?

The Internet has provided us with auction sites where buyers and sellers of goods can find each other, and it's also provided a way for people to sell and buy expertise. That way is Keen.

Keen lets anyone become a self-styled expert on practically any subject you can think of and helps seekers of expert advice find them. Keen acts as a broker between the experts who have signed up as KeenSpeakers, and advice shoppers (called KeenSeekers) who are looking for someone to answer their questions. A KeenSpeaker sets a per-minute fee that they'll charge people wanting to talk to them about their subject area.

Security is provided by Keen in this manner. Both KeenSpeakers (experts) and KeenSeekers (those shopping for advice) set up accounts (for free) whereby they register their phone numbers with Keen. KeenSeekers then peruse the available experts by category and ratings (and can look up client feedback to see what previous clients thought of the advice they got). When a KeenSeeker clicks on the "Call Now" link a call is made by Keen to both the KeenSeeker and the KeenSpeaker connecting the shopper with the expert. Neither party ever knows the other person's phone number and Keen initially pays for the cost of the call.

Keen makes their money by taking five cents per minute off the top of each call as a "connection fee" to cover the long distance charges, plus 30% of the call revenue. Say a KeenSpeaker offering advice on the care of tropical fish for 50 cents a minute gets a call that lasts six minutes. In this example the call generates $3 in total revenue (6 x $0.50) which is paid by the KeenSeeker. Of that total 30 cents comes off the top for the connection fee, less 30% of the remaining balance, leaving the KeenSpeaker with $1.89 or 63% of what the KeenSeeker pays.

Being an expert-for-hire on Keen does not necessarily mean you have to be next to the phone all the time. While live advice is popular you can also sell your expertise via KeenMail, where you answer questions via email, or by recording your advice. You can record canned spiels on your expert topic and KeenSeekers can listen to the recordings for the price you set.

Shopping for advice is a snap. Search by category or by searching for a specific topic. I actually used Keen to get some advice on French prose from a native French speaker for a romantic poem I wrote to my wife. Ooh-la-la! Once you've found the topic you want you check prices, ratings, feedback, and availability. Checking the ratings and feedback is important because Keen does not inquire too far into a given expert's expertise. When they say "self-styled expert" they aren't kidding so the ratings and feedback help separate those who know what they're talking about from those who don't. Some KeenSpeakers offer real-time hours, some answer only by email, other have pre-recorded messages. Keen has a money back guarantee but you have to make a pretty good case as to why you were unhappy with the "expert" KeenSpeaker before they'll refund your money.

Becoming a KeenSpeaker is easy and costs nothing to sign up. Pick any category to start and then click the "Give Advice" tab at the top of the page. Keen walks you through the sign-up process and helps in creating your category entry. You choose a topic under which to be listed, note whether you are posting a recorded message or are available for live consultation, list a description of your qualifications and expertise, and name a price per minute for your services. Finally, you enter the days of the week and the hours during the day when you'll be available to take phone calls. As you field calls your earnings show up in your account. Once a month, if your account exceeds $25, Keen will mail you a check.

http://www.TheNakedPC.com/t/a/tr.cgi?keen

You can reach T.J. Lee at:
mailto:tj_lee@TheNakedPC.com

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