[Updated below]

I'm sure many people have heard of experts-exchange.com  -- a question/answer forum site with a twist.  People ask questions and assign “points” to them, based on how hard they think the question is.  “Experts” (anyone) can look at the question, and answer it if they wish - if the questioner accepts the answer, the expert gets the points.

So the expert can say to himself “Self, this question is hard, and only worth 10 points.  I'll answer this easy one worth 500 instead” -- the intent being that the more points a qestioner gives to the question, the more likely it will be answered, and answered well.

This is nice -- and it's kind of fun. I've been answering questions the past month, and it's nice to help people out where you get feedback that you helped them.  Here's my problem with it -- You have to pay to ask questions, and you get nothing for answering them.  I like the system, and I understand that it may take money to run.... but it's overrun with ads, is expensive, and I feel like I'm being taken advantage of. 

I like to help people.  And I like the low-ish noise on experts-exchange... but I just can't seem to shake the feeling like EE is asking me to donate my time to them, then asking others to pay for it.  Perhaps I'm not seeing it from the right angle.

[Update] Okay, I guess I should read first.  Today I looked at experts-exchange again, and saw a note telling me to upgrade my account.  I clicked the link, and viola! -- free premium membership because I've been answering questions.  This does tell me that they value my contributions.  I guess I like the model - if you contribute knowledge, you get in free, and they host a free forum geared to grading geeks.  If you don't contribute, you have to pay the site maintainers to add noise.   I'll think more on it.