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Knowledgebase DB


ask21900

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This got mentioned on another forum, and I thought I'd ask over here:

 

Is there anybody out there that would be willing to share their knowledge base with others. There are so many of us that have a terrible knowledgebase, simply because it takes so long to enter every article in by hand.

 

It would be greatly appreciated by so many, if somebody could find it in their heart to export their tblknowledgebasecats and tblknowledgebase, so that we could save a ton of time (and not get carpal tunnel ;) ).

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While I'm known for giving of myself and my own work, there's no way I'd be willing to share the KB I've worked so hard on in order to save a competitor from the carpal tunnel suffering I endured to create it.

But that's just me. ;)

 

That's funny.

 

We've had several of our good knowledgebase articles stolen and reused on other sites. Hard work doesn't go unnoticed, it seems.

 

The thieves didn't bother to replace our company name in the articles, which is how we found them :)

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there's no way I'd be willing to share the KB I've worked so hard on in order to save a competitor from the carpal tunnel suffering I endured to create it.

 

Your choice is your choice, but do you find it ironic that you will help a competitor streamline his/her business by getting the most out of whmcs?

 

Just saying... ;)

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Your choice is your choice, but do you find it ironic that you will help a competitor streamline his/her business by getting the most out of whmcs?

 

Just saying... ;)

 

not really, he is just willing to only go so far, which is understandable and valid. I have a pretty robust KB myself, and will be willing to allow others to have a copy, but only if they are willing to pay a couple hundies for them.

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I understand, and I wasn't trying to argue the point, or convince you otherwise. I was just saying that forums are meant for sharing. Sharing knowledge and expertise, as well as sharing or work to save time for other forum members. All active posters on this forum, or any forum realize this. And believe me, we all appreciate your contributions, just as, I hope, others appreciate my contributions.

 

That is why, I'm sure that you have been as active as you are, helping others so much. Your response just made me laugh a little at the irony of helping so much, and then saying that "there's no way I'd be willing to share the KB I've worked so hard on"...

 

Anyway, I completely understand your point of view. I just figured that is was worth a shot asking the good people here if anyone would be willing to help out.

 

I am willing to pay for your hard work. How much, depends on the quality and quantity of the articles... Anybody want to post a link and possibly an estimate of what you might charge?

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That is why, I'm sure that you have been as active as you are, helping others so much. Your response just made me laugh a little at the irony of helping so much, and then saying that "there's no way I'd be willing to share the KB I've worked so hard on"...
I'm helping people with WHMCS, or servers and related items. When I first started out, others helped me, and I have no problem with that. I draw the line at handing over something that took me literally hundreds of hours to produce for my customers in order to make another host's job easier. There are limits. ;)

 

I'm curious; once you populate your KB, be it a paid copy, or toiling over it for many hours...will you also be willing to just hand it over to another host because they ask? Bear in mind, when you give it away to one, they give it away as well, and soon there are loads of copies of your hard work being used with no credit to you and your efforts...and they are often setting up shop to compete with you also.

Be honest. Would you share?

 

Helping others with HTML or WHMCS or servers...that usually gets returned in kind. Many that receive help in this way then help others, and I feel that makes everything just a little better overall. Giving away something of this value almost never gets more than a "gee thanks", and they forget about it...or worse, post it for others to grab claiming they created it (or even sell it).

 

Not saying you would, of course, just saying in general it's not valued in the same way as aid.

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I'm curious; once you populate your KB, be it a paid copy, or toiling over it for many hours...will you also be willing to just hand it over to another host because they ask? Bear in mind, when you give it away to one, they give it away as well, and soon there are loads of copies of your hard work being used with no credit to you and your efforts...and they are often setting up shop to compete with you also.

Be honest. Would you share?

 

Here it is... 100% honest... I have gave this some thought, and this is what I came up with:

 

If I populated the DB by paying someone like yourself for theirs, there would be absolutely no chance that I would hand it over to anybody else (unless for some reason I sold my company, and therefore the DB would be part of that). My reasons might differ from others though... It has nothing to do with "I paid for it, and now you should too" or anything like that... I would not share it, simply because it is not mine to share. I might put the person in touch with the original creator, or get in contact with them myself to get their views on the matter, but I would in no way sell or share it without permission.

 

Now, if I spent countless hours creating a DB, I honestly couldn't tell you whether I would give it away, sell it, or keep it for my self. What I can tell you is that I have been developing various types of software for many years. I have developed software in the past that did literally take me hundreds of hours to perfect. Some of this software I have "gave away" under the GPL. I have allowed it to be gave away to others, or even sold. However, some of my creations I refuse to give away free. These I usually will sell. There has even been things that I have created where the thought has not even crossed my mind to sell it. Now I have always believed that pretty much everything has a price, and lets face it, if Bill Gates came to me and wanted my software bad enough, I would sell it. But there are things that I have coded that are so "special" to me, and that I pride myself so much on, that I just want to call it mine, and not let anybody else even use it.

 

To address a couple more points that you made, giving away something of this value, in my experience, does get more than a "gee thanks" in many cases. My hosting company evolved from a computer repair business. In that company there has been times that I have provided help to a competitor, and times when I have relied on a competitor. I have found that during these times, the competitor might not give me credit to the customer. They probably won't tell their customer that they were able to complete the job thanks to me, but these situations often develop partnerships that are incredibly positive for business. I guess what I'm trying to say is that it is all about karma, and doing right by those that have helped you when you needed it. I agree that there are those out there that will take something you developed, rebrand it, and sell it. I have had this happen to me on occasions as well. I can't stand these types of people, as they hurt the entire system, but I also try not to let their bad intentions ruin the fruits for the rest.

 

In summary, I honestly couldn't tell you what I would do. What I can tell you, is that while I do understand and respect your decision, I don't think I would ever say that there is no way I'd share. I would never mean to suggest that your point was not valid, and I did not mean to start an onset of "book-like" posts (even though I do like the spirited discussion.) I just thought that saying "I'm known for giving of myself and my own work" and "there's no way I'd be willing to share" in the same sentence was kind of funny and ironic.

 

All the best...

 

 

BTW: Ever fell like you are being watched??? I have just noticed that, at the time of this posting, there have been 161 views of this thread, but only five unique posters, and a mere two repeat posters. Does anybody else have an opinion on any of this?

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I just thought that saying "I'm known for giving of myself and my own work" and "there's no way I'd be willing to share" in the same sentence was kind of funny and ironic.

Taken out of context, sure, it's ironic. Here it is again, and I ask that you note the whole message (emphasis added), not just the parts you snipped together.

While I'm known for giving of myself and my own work, there's no way I'd be willing to share the KB I've worked so hard on in order to save a competitor from the carpal tunnel suffering I endured to create it.

But that's just me. ;)

It was meant more like humor (see the "wink"?), but with truth behind it.

I give of my time, I give of my knowledge. I draw the line at handing over my KB, one of the things that makes me more desirable as a host than my local competitors.

 

If I had to make a choice to share all or nothing, then it would have to be nothing. I'm in business to make a living, support my family and be as successful as possible. My altruism has limits.

I've nothing more to say that I haven't already said. Please let this go.

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