Working on the internet for free: Job Satisfaction, or something else?

Mmm, Digital Life talked about the internet "police" today.

And hell, it was a fairly good read.

While they are true that these people are good, since they do things for free, the question is, what exactly keeps them going?

Answer?

Self satisfaction.

While the guys who counter Nigerian Scams have lots of fun doing it, the others sometimes take on extremely stressful jobs. For one, being a Wikipedia administrator, or a moderator in a very famous forum, such as GameFAQs.com, is no easy task. As with the internet, the mentality of the people are, sometimes, divided by half.

However, it does bring one a pretty good sense of satisfaction when you know you are helping the community, and that you enjoy what you have done. This is exactly why people actually do things for fun, willing to go without pay.

After all, as with Economics, no one does anything for free. Especially since it would be a waste of time, if one gets nothing in return.

Then again, there's the famous internet ego level.

epenizor.

For some, becoming an administrator gives them great pride, as they can go around message boards "flexing their epenizor".

Still, whatever it may be, these people should be thanked. For without them, the internet would be a lot more fun.

Really. ;)