Youtube help desk here, how can I help?

Ever since I started putting videos on YouTube I have received quite a number of “please help me” emails. Now most are very courteous and I have no problems helping these people where I can. However, a growing number are very demanding and in my opinion extremely disrespectful. These emails normally contain just a line or two and say something like,

“I need to do x please tell how to do this asap”

If you really want me to help at least you could be a little courteous, considering that you probably wouldn’t have to do anything else, let alone pay money.

This attitude really reinforces to me the fact that many people EXPECT something for nothing. Now come on people, I have to run a business here, I have to pay bills, etc. I do believe that I provide a fair amount of freely available information to the “community” per se via this blog, YouTube videos, Supportweb site, user group postings just to name a few. However, when I offer something like my Sharepoint Operations Guide for a few hundred bucks most wouldn’t even think of purchasing it as a means of showing me support for all the other stuff they get for “free”.

To those people who are courteous, have bought the Guide or have shown some support, I say thank you very much. To those people who send me demanding support emails, happily consume information that I locate and continue to whinge about there not being enough “free” content, all I can say is that your time is coming, your time is coming.