From back40
I call it venture altruism (from Accelerando). My reward, if any, is payment in kind. The theory is that most of the time I get nothing, but once in a while I get far more than I really deserve, which makes up for all the disappointments of the past, and more.

I really like this idea of venture altruism, and will shamelessly steal that phrase to describe the occasional things I do of a similar notion. A glorified version of giving advice, when it is wanted.

I’m an avowed atheist, but I’m also minded to call such activities bread-casting.

The best consultants in older more evolved systems scrupulously avoid tainting themselves by taking commissions for products they recommend. They don’t have to do that anymore because their expertise and judgment alone are worth so much, and their reputations for unbiased advice are really all that they have.

As an aside, I do some consulting. I accept no payment at all. I call it venture altruism (from Accelerando). My reward, if any, is payment in kind. The theory is that most of the time I get nothing, but once in a while I get far more than I really deserve, which makes up for all the disappointments of the past, and more.

It isn’t clear if my consulting approach will survive and breed true. I may be a dead end in this evolution. But cultural evolution differs from physical evolution in that even mistakes and dead ends can be instructive.