Am I looked down upon because I've only ever given FIVE MAHALO CENTS back to the community? (Please read full question before answering)?

Please don't feel that you have to tip! This is the one real issue I have with the team tipping idea. I was afraid some would feel like you do.

I myself have only recently tipped anything... and that is still not much. You are not alone in not tipping... many have never tipped. And when you are in a situation such as you are, i'm sure everyone can understand you wanting and even needing to keep your M$ so you can cash them out.

Anyone who faults you for it is wrong, in my book. I'll paraphrase what @lon said to me on this very subject when we were discussing me cashing out... he said something to the effect of "you earned that and we WANT you to have it"... that is the whole premise here... you earn and they earn... what you choose to give or not give or why is your own business, and while I understand why it is public knowledge how much we give, NO ONE should be judged about it. "splashy cashy" is nice... and I love that so many do it because of the giving atmosphere it creates and I do believe that paying it forward pays off big time... it's why i've started tipping, in part... to give back some of what I have.

But that being said, sometimes you might need to sit back and let someone else pay it forward... and that is nothing to be ashamed of nor even feel bad about. My 2 cents... and then some! Please don't feel that you have to tip!

This is the one real issue I have with the team tipping idea. I was afraid some would feel like you do. I myself have only recently tipped anything... and that is still not much.

You are not alone in not tipping... many have never tipped. And when you are in a situation such as you are, i'm sure everyone can understand you wanting and even needing to keep your M$ so you can cash them out. Anyone who faults you for it is wrong, in my book.

That is the whole premise here... you earn and they earn... what you choose to give or not give or why is your own business, and while I understand why it is public knowledge how much we give, NO ONE should be judged about it. "splashy cashy" is nice... and I love that so many do it because of the giving atmosphere it creates and I do believe that paying it forward pays off big time... it's why i've started tipping, in part... to give back some of what I have. But that being said, sometimes you might need to sit back and let someone else pay it forward... and that is nothing to be ashamed of nor even feel bad about.

You can leave an optional "tip" with Mahalo's virtual currency, Mahalo Dollars. If you are asking a difficult question that might require some research, or if you'd like a wide variety of feedback, a higher tip often leads to more answers to your question. Naturally, nobody will ever force you spend Mahalo Dollars on Mahalo.

I understand everybody has their own personal financial matters. But I think by throwing a few Mahalo Dollars back into the system every now and then will actually help Mahalo and create more opportunities for you to earn more in the future. I am surprised that nobody has mentioned that within Brown Belt tests it's always one of the elements Mahalo always looks at.

"How many tips is this user putting back into the community" - tipping is one of the major factors that helps Mahalo grow. We need users to tip. I won't go into explaining the economics, but if nobody tipped, Mahalo would crumble quickly.

I'm just afraid that everybody who reads this thread will now see that tipping is not necessary as it seems most answerers have replied in that fashion. It's not mandatory, but we do want you to have a positive perspective in regards to tipping. Naturally, you want to earn as much money as possible, and giving away money might not make sense in the short term.

Consider this, If you and everybody else just put a 5c for each M$1 that you earn back into the community, it would flood Mahalo Answers with more money, which is likely to bring in better answers, which translates to more views and users, which translates to more activity throughout all of Mahalo... which means more opportunities for you and everybody else down the road. We need tipping, and even if it's just 5c on an interesting vote, it helps Mahalo. I appreciate everybody reassuring that you don't need to tip, but I would like to encourage you to see the bright side of offering tips.

Naturally, nobody will ever force you spend Mahalo Dollars on Mahalo. I understand everybody has their own personal financial matters. But I think by throwing a few Mahalo Dollars back into the system every now and then will actually help Mahalo and create more opportunities for you to earn more in the future.

I am surprised that nobody has mentioned that within Brown Belt tests it's always one of the elements Mahalo always looks at. "How many tips is this user putting back into the community" - tipping is one of the major factors that helps Mahalo grow. We need users to tip.

I won't go into explaining the economics, but if nobody tipped, Mahalo would crumble quickly. I'm just afraid that everybody who reads this thread will now see that tipping is not necessary as it seems most answerers have replied in that fashion. It's not mandatory, but we do want you to have a positive perspective in regards to tipping.

Naturally, you want to earn as much money as possible, and giving away money might not make sense in the short term. Consider this, If you and everybody else just put a 5c for each M$1 that you earn back into the community, it would flood Mahalo Answers with more money, which is likely to bring in better answers, which translates to more views and users, which translates to more activity throughout all of Mahalo... which means more opportunities for you and everybody else down the road. We need tipping, and even if it's just 5c on an interesting vote, it helps Mahalo.

I appreciate everybody reassuring that you don't need to tip, but I would like to encourage you to see the bright side of offering tips. You can leave an optional "tip" with Mahalo's virtual currency, Mahalo Dollars. If you are asking a difficult question that might require some research, or if you'd like a wide variety of feedback, a higher tip often leads to more answers to your question.

As everyone else has said so far, you should not feel pressure to tip if you don't feel you can. Just make sure to put a little extra behind every other way you give back to the community and you should be fine. As everyone else has said so far, you should not feel pressure to tip if you don't feel you can.

Just make sure to put a little extra behind every other way you give back to the community and you should be fine. You can leave an optional "tip" with Mahalo's virtual currency, Mahalo Dollars. If you are asking a difficult question that might require some research, or if you'd like a wide variety of feedback, a higher tip often leads to more answers to your question.

Absolutely not - you will not be looked down on for not tipping (or at least you shouldn't be). The earning potential is what drew me to this site and is one of the main reasons I've stayed. As you can see, if you look at my profile, I've earned quite a bit here on Mahalo.

(I currently have a balance of M$787.72!) But I have only tipped M$7.20. Does that make me selfish? No, I don't think so.

Even with my "real money" from my full time job - very little of it is ever just given away - whether for charity, or whatnot. The reason being is that I just can't afford to be that generous - here at Mahalo, or in the real world. And I understand completely how you feel.

I have my reasons for needing to keep as much of it as possible. Currently, my truck tires are worn down to where the steel is showing through, so I have to buy new tires, new shocks, and get the alignment done, and this is what I've been saving my Mahalo Dollars for. (I had originally wanted to save it for a vacation, but necessities come first.) So, anyway, the point is that it's your money and you can do whatever you want with it.

If you can afford to share it, and that's what you want to do, then by all means share. But, if like most of us, you need your money, then you should keep every penny of it. No one here has any entitlement to what you've earned.

Absolutely not - you will not be looked down on for not tipping (or at least you shouldn't be). The earning potential is what drew me to this site and is one of the main reasons I've stayed. As you can see, if you look at my profile, I've earned quite a bit here on Mahalo.

(I currently have a balance of M$787.72!) But I have only tipped M$7.20. Does that make me selfish? No, I don't think so.

Even with my "real money" from my full time job - very little of it is ever just given away - whether for charity, or whatnot. The reason being is that I just can't afford to be that generous - here at Mahalo, or in the real world. And I understand completely how you feel.

I have my reasons for needing to keep as much of it as possible. Currently, my truck tires are worn down to where the steel is showing through, so I have to buy new tires, new shocks, and get the alignment done, and this is what I've been saving my Mahalo Dollars for. So, anyway, the point is that it's your money and you can do whatever you want with it.

If you can afford to share it, and that's what you want to do, then by all means share. But, if like most of us, you need your money, then you should keep every penny of it. No one here has any entitlement to what you've earned.

You can leave an optional "tip" with Mahalo's virtual currency, Mahalo Dollars. If you are asking a difficult question that might require some research, or if you'd like a wide variety of feedback, a higher tip often leads to more answers to your question. This is such a great question and it is one that I know I have wondered about myself as I am sure others have too.

I applaude your courage to ask this question because it was something I was scared to bring up based on your same concerns. Based on the comments you have gotten from everyone on this topic it seems that your concerns don't have to worry you anymore. This is just one of the many reasons I love Mahalo.

I am a new member and have seen so much generosity and encouragement in the past week than I could have ever imagined. I totally understand the situation you are in and I can tell you I would never judge you on tips either. I say keep it for yourself right now.

I know you work hard on here and you deserve every bit that you can get and don't feel bad about that either. You have to do whatever you can to support yourself and to have a roof over your head. That is much more important!

If you are a student and need money one thing I would suggest is checking with the psychology department bulletin board and see if they have any experiments they pay for. I did this in undergrad and a lot of their research is easy and not harmful like experiments they did in the past so don't worry about that. Many of the ones I participated in just required filling out surveys, questionnaires, trying out new computer software programs that were related to psychology or trying out new psych measures that are being tested and those are just written tests that are easy.

Some of these experiments pay $10, $25 or more for basically an hour at a time. I got my checks pretty quickly and a lot of them also have drawings where they put your name in a lottery for even bigger prizes. Plus I got course credit for participating too.

Also make sure to sell your textbooks as soon as you are through with them because you get more money that way. Also borrow textbooks from friends that already took the classes because textbooks are the most expensive part of college besides tuition and it could save you a lot of money each semester. I wish you good luck with starting school!

This is such a great question and it is one that I know I have wondered about myself as I am sure others have too. I applaude your courage to ask this question because it was something I was scared to bring up based on your same concerns. Based on the comments you have gotten from everyone on this topic it seems that your concerns don't have to worry you anymore.

This is just one of the many reasons I love Mahalo. I am a new member and have seen so much generosity and encouragement in the past week than I could have ever imagined. I totally understand the situation you are in and I can tell you I would never judge you on tips either.

I say keep it for yourself right now. I know you work hard on here and you deserve every bit that you can get and don't feel bad about that either. You have to do whatever you can to support yourself and to have a roof over your head.

That is much more important! If you are a student and need money one thing I would suggest is checking with the psychology department bulletin board and see if they have any experiments they pay for. I did this in undergrad and a lot of their research is easy and not harmful like experiments they did in the past so don't worry about that.

Many of the ones I participated in just required filling out surveys, questionnaires, trying out new computer software programs that were related to psychology or trying out new psych measures that are being tested and those are just written tests that are easy. Some of these experiments pay $10, $25 or more for basically an hour at a time. I got my checks pretty quickly and a lot of them also have drawings where they put your name in a lottery for even bigger prizes.

Plus I got course credit for participating too. Also make sure to sell your textbooks as soon as you are through with them because you get more money that way. Also borrow textbooks from friends that already took the classes because textbooks are the most expensive part of college besides tuition and it could save you a lot of money each semester.

I wish you good luck with starting school! You can leave an optional "tip" with Mahalo's virtual currency, Mahalo Dollars. If you are asking a difficult question that might require some research, or if you'd like a wide variety of feedback, a higher tip often leads to more answers to your question.

I don't look down upon you because you have only given .05. It's completely understandable that you want to keep the money you earn from your heard work here on Mahalo. For someone trying to make money, giving away tips is counter-intuitive.

Don't feel bad about it. I have not given away much in tips either and those that I have, have all been .05 tips. As you earn more money, you might be more willing to give tips, but for now it is just fine to keep all your tips if you choose.

I don't look down upon you because you have only given .05. It's completely understandable that you want to keep the money you earn from your heard work here on Mahalo. For someone trying to make money, giving away tips is counter-intuitive.

Don't feel bad about it. I have not given away much in tips either and those that I have, have all been .05 tips. As you earn more money, you might be more willing to give tips, but for now it is just fine to keep all your tips if you choose.

You can leave an optional "tip" with Mahalo's virtual currency, Mahalo Dollars. If you are asking a difficult question that might require some research, or if you'd like a wide variety of feedback, a higher tip often leads to more answers to your question. I'm a very pro-choice kinda guy, so IMO you need to do what's best for you.

One thing I'd disagree with you on is that it's not true that you've "only ever given FIVE MAHALO CENTS back to the community". There are other ways to give back to the community, such as asking and answering questions - oh, lookee - "smartweb" earned $1 from this question, funded by Mahalo. I'll be glad to tip that answer on your behalf.

I'm a very pro-choice kinda guy, so IMO you need to do what's best for you. One thing I'd disagree with you on is that it's not true that you've "only ever given FIVE MAHALO CENTS back to the community". There are other ways to give back to the community, such as asking and answering questions - oh, lookee - "smartweb" earned $1 from this question, funded by Mahalo.

I'll be glad to tip that answer on your behalf. You can leave an optional "tip" with Mahalo's virtual currency, Mahalo Dollars. If you are asking a difficult question that might require some research, or if you'd like a wide variety of feedback, a higher tip often leads to more answers to your question.

No you don't have to tip. I rarely tip so it nothing to feel bad about. We all have different issues pulling on us and we have to do what needs to be done to deal with our situation.

I don't feel I should judge someone when I don't know their situation. So keep doing what you are doing. I believe it will work out.

No you don't have to tip. I rarely tip so it nothing to feel bad about. We all have different issues pulling on us and we have to do what needs to be done to deal with our situation.

I don't feel I should judge someone when I don't know their situation. So keep doing what you are doing. I believe it will work out.

You can leave an optional "tip" with Mahalo's virtual currency, Mahalo Dollars. If you are asking a difficult question that might require some research, or if you'd like a wide variety of feedback, a higher tip often leads to more answers to your question. You don't have to tip if you don't want to.

If you find a question interesting and want to tip, then go for it! I'm certainly not going to look down on you because you only tip 0.5. In conclusion, if you have some M$ to spare, tip, if not, keep saving for what you want or need.

You don't have to tip if you don't want to. If you find a question interesting and want to tip, then go for it! I'm certainly not going to look down on you because you only tip 0.5.

In conclusion, if you have some M$ to spare, tip, if not, keep saving for what you want or need. You can leave an optional "tip" with Mahalo's virtual currency, Mahalo Dollars. If you are asking a difficult question that might require some research, or if you'd like a wide variety of feedback, a higher tip often leads to more answers to your question.

Who really cares if you ever tip anyone ever? It is nobody's business to look down on other people - that is not written in the rules that you have to look down on anyone for any reason. In fact, quite the opposite.

It seems to me that they are trying to create a community where people can feel comfortable and at home doing whatever they can to help themselves and others with learning, knowledge and fun! The exact wording of the motto on the main page escapes me - I guess I am taking it that everyone takes what they can from Mahalo and gives back what they can. What kind of a Mahalo would it be if all the moneybags in the world came in here and on their high speed supercomputers spent ten minutes a day answering and throwing money around?

You see how important they would be for building community? Except for dropping money, which is welcome anytime of course - practically zip. But then you need all kinds of people.