In the regular money economy, the object of the game is to earn as much money as possible. Every business focuses on maximising profitability so it is important to sell as much as possible of whatever it is that the business sells. It is the old M-C-M+ equation: start off with money, create a commodity for sale, sell it for a profit.
In the Talent Exchange the object is not about profitability but about exchanging what you have for something else, using some exchange method to facilitate the exchange. The formula is C-M-C. Start off with a commodity, use an exchange mechanism to exchange it for something else you want.
These two models of exchange are very different and it takes a while to get used to it. Many who join the Talent Exchange only know the M-C-M+ formula and expect the Exchange to operate in the same way. If they offer something that is popular they see their credit balance rising rapidly, and think they are ‘getting rich’! When they come to ‘spend’ their credits they find that there is not too much to ‘spend’ them on. This can lead to frustration and a negative attitude towards the Exchange.
The C-M-C formula does not mean that the exchange is only about exchanging second hand goods. It simply means that if you have something for sale, whether it be goods of services, you should only release it into the exchange at more or less the same speed as you can receive value from it. In other words, aim at keeping balance and not at seeing your credit balance skyrocketing as you would wish to see in the money economy. If you have a popular product or service, only provide it at the same rate as you can satisfy your needs from the exchange.
Remember, it is the ones who trade regularly and keep their mean balance around zero who are the ‘winners’ in the Talent Exchange, not the ones with the astronomical credit balances.
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