FAQ Page

What is Maven?

Maven is the Global Knowledge Marketplace. We connect knowledge seekers with knowledgeable individuals for the rapid exchange of expertise, perspective, and opinion. Our Members ("Mavens") includes individuals from all professional backgrounds, geographies, and functional roles. Mavens are paid to participate in short telephone Consultations and custom Surveys conducted by other professionals who seek to learn from their knowledge.

How does Maven work?

Knowledge seekers ("Clients") search the network for appropriate Mavens who can help to answer their professional questions. After finding relevant Mavens, the Client sends invitations to participate in a telephone Consultation or a Survey. Mavens receive these invitations and decide whether or not they can help. If both parties agree, the Maven takes part in the Consultation or Survey, and is compensated for their time.

Connect. Consult. Profit. It's that simple.

How is Maven different from other "professional networks"?

Unlike most professional networks, Maven's members profit directly from their participation. Maven is specifically built to offer its Members opportunities to leverage their knowledge, perspectives, opinions, and contacts for financial gain.

How do I become a Member?

Becoming a Member of the Maven network is fast, easy, and free. Click here to begin.

Who joins Maven?

Everybody Knows Something! Maven's members include professionals from all walks of life, all functional roles, all levels of experience, and all geographies. At Maven we believe that everyone who has a job or career possesses knowledge that others might find valuable. Whether you are a physician, an electrician, or a race car driver, Maven welcomes you to join and participate in the Global Knowledge Marketplace.

But I don't consider myself an "expert." Why should I join Maven?

Believe it or not, you ARE an expert. Simply by doing your job, you accumulate knowledge about a whole range of topics, products, services, technologies, activities, and people that others might find valuable. By providing Clients with access to people who possess such knowledge- people like YOU- Maven is able to help its Clients make better decisions, while providing you with opportunities to profit from your knowledge.

But who would ever want to talk to me?

You'd be surprised at how many people would find your knowledge and perspective valuable. Maven's Clients - like Maven's members - come from all backgrounds and all industries. The only way to find out who wants to talk to someone like you is to join Maven.

What kind of time commitment does Maven require?

None. Once you have joined the network, simply go about your normal business and wait for invitations to come from our Clients; we will notify you when someone is interested in interacting with you. You can always invest time in improving your profile and inviting others to join Maven, but you are not required to do so, nor are you required to commit any minimum time to working with our Clients.

How can I be comfortable that I am able to participate in a consultation?

This is certainly a valid concern, and you should always exercise caution when joining and participating in any professional network. The key thing to remember is that with Maven, you are always in the driver's seat. We will never share your identity or contact information with anyone without first seeking your specific permission. In the event that a Maven Client expresses interest in speaking with someone like you, you will be allowed to thoroughly evaluate the opportunity before we connect you with the Client. You may decline any invitation to interact with a Client at any time for any reason, no questions asked. We will never penalize you in any way for declining an invitation to participate in an interaction with a Client.

Furthermore, as a Member of our network, you are required to conduct yourself in an ethical and professional manner at all times, and to abide by Maven's Membership Agreement. This includes being aware of your external obligations and declining any interaction that could potentially pose a conflict of interest for you or place you in conflict with your agreements with others. Our system screens automatically for potential conflicts and we provide tools that help you to manage your outside obligations and avoid conflicts, but there is no substitute for your own good judgment. When in doubt, err on the side of caution and decline an interaction when you feel you should.

In the end, whether or not to join is up to you, and you should carefully consider your options and make the decision that is right for your own situation.

Ok, I've signed up as a Maven. Now what?

The two most important things you can do are to invite others to join Maven, and update your profile with more information about your background and expertise. By doing so, you will improve your chances to get invited to paid interactions with our Clients and to earn Dividends from work done by those you introduce to Maven. Also, check back periodically as we are always adding new features and new ways to interact with our platform and Clients.

Why do I need to write a Professional Bio? Isn't my resume enough?

Your Professional Bio is the single most important part of your profile. It is the first - and often only - thing Clients will read about you. You Bio summarizes for our Clients, who you are, what you do, and what you know in a clean, narrative format that is faster and easier to read than a resume. A well-written, succinct, specific, and detailed Bio can make the difference between being invited to consult or passed over in favor of another Maven.

How do I become a Client?

Becoming a Client of Maven is fast, easy, and requires no up-front payments or subscription fees. Click here to begin.

What should my hourly rate be?

That depends on a number of factors, including your background, experience, industry, skills, and demand for your knowledge. In general you want to set your rate high enough that you will be motivated to prioritize your time to talk to our Clients (this typically works out to 3-to-5 times your current hourly salary), keeping in mind that Maven is a marketplace and Clients will be able to compare prices between you and other Members. In the end it's up to you – you are free to set your rate at any level and change it as frequently as you like.

If you're just getting started with Maven, our proprietary Rate Calculator can help you select an appropriate starting rate.

Where can I find the text of the agreement that I must sign in order to become a Maven? And where can I find the text of the agreement that must I sign in order to become a Client of Maven?

The text of Maven's Member Agreement can be found here, and the text of Maven's Client Agreement can be found here. Together, these two agreements memorialize important responsibilities and obligations among Maven, Maven's Clients, and Members of the Maven Network. During your registration with Maven, we provide you with these texts, and explain certain of these important responsibilities and obligations. It is crucial that all participants in the Maven System take their responsibilities and obligations under these agreements very seriously, not just for their own protection but to protect the other participants and to protect the integrity of the Maven System.

Am I required to accept invitations from Clients?

No. You may decline any invitation at any time for any reason, no questions asked. You will never be penalized in any way for declining an invitation.

I got an invitation to a project, but I'm not sure I'm qualified for it. What should I do?

You have a few options. First, you could accept the invitation and make a note of your concerns in the comments you provide with your acceptance. The Client who invited you to consult will read through your comments and determine if they want to continue and have a conversation.

If you have strong doubts about you qualifications, decline the invitation. The most important thing is to be honest and up front about your knowledge and capabilities. It is better to decline a Consultation request than to misrepresent yourself and waste a Client's time. Our Clients will respect you for your honesty and we won't penalize in any way for declining a project.

Finally, if you happen to know someone who is a better fit for the Consultation, you could refer them (whether they are a current Maven Member or not). If the Client agrees and conducts a Consultation with the person you referred, we will pay you a 10% commission for the referral!

I am getting way too many project invitations. How do I slow things down?

Since Maven is a true marketplace, our Clients take into consideration your rate vs. that of others who meet their search criteria. One reason you might be getting too many inquiries is that your rate is lower than others like you. Try raising your rate in 20% increments until the invitations taper off to a more manageable level.

I have been a Member for a few months but I've never received an invitation to a project. What can I do to generate some interest from your Clients?

There are many reasons why Clients may not be drawn to your profile. Perhaps you haven't provided much information about yourself. As a first step, try logging in and updating your profile. When our system presents you with a question to answer, provide a response — the more you interact with our system, the more it learns about you, and the more likely Clients will find you in their searches.

Next, perhaps your hourly rate is too high. Our Clients take into consideration your rate versus that of others who meet their search criteria. One reason you might not be getting many inquiries is that your rate is higher than others like you. Try lowering your rate to see if that generates any activity. Use our Rate Calculator to see if your current rate is "in the ballpark".

Also, be sure your email spam filter is not screening out emails from Maven. Some Members have missed project invitations because their spam filters ate the messages!

Finally, when you do receive invitations, be sure to respond EVEN IF YOU DECLINE THE PROJECT! Our system tracks responsiveness to invitations and prioritizes Members who are more responsive. We learn a lot about your areas of expertise from your responses to different project requests, which improves our ability to match you to our Clients.

I received an email inviting me to join Maven. How did you get my contact information?

In all likelihood, you were referred to us and invited to join by a current Maven Member or Client. Also, from time to time we partner with other professional networks and associations to make Maven available to their Members as well. Finally, we occasionally do outbound recruiting to address particular Client needs or to improve certain areas of our network.

Why should I ask my colleagues to join Maven? Are you trying to steal my contacts? What's in it for me?

We would never steal your personal contacts from you, and we are committed to compensating you for helping us build our network. Specifically, for every new person that joins Maven as a result of an invitation from you, we will pay you an amount equivalent to 10% of their total earnings from projects conducted through our platform for the first year they are Members.

In other words, even if you are never invited to participate in a single Consultation or Survey by our Clients, you can still earn referral commissions for the work your friends and colleagues do!

Do you really pay these commissions?

Yes.

How will I know when I have earned a commission?

When a project occurs that makes you eligible to receive a commission, you will be notified of it via email and/or online through your Maven Profile depending on your notification preferences. Your commission money accrues until you request a check from us. You may also use your accrued commissions toward conducting your own research projects through the Maven network.

What kinds of things are off-limits? Are there items I should never discuss with a Client?

When in doubt, don't talk about it. Generally speaking, you should avoid sharing anything that your employer would consider confidential or proprietary. If you work for a publicly-traded company, do not discuss any aspect of your company's business. You should always observe the standards of practice and ethical behavior for your profession. Be sure to review Member Agreement for more information on what is considered appropriate.

What should I do if a Client asks me a question I don't feel comfortable answering?

Politely but firmly decline to answer the question. You should never put yourself in an uncomfortable position with a Client.

But what if the Client persists?

If the Client puts any pressure on you to answer a question you are not comfortable with, hang up the phone immediately and highlight the issue in your feedback on the Client. We will review your feedback and take appropriate action.

How do I know that the person I'm talking to is who they say they are? What kind of identity verification do you perform?

We verify the identity of all of our Clients at the time at which they sign up for our service. This is done either automatically through the Trufina ID Verification service or through direct contact with the Client. All Clients are identity verified before being allowed to send project invitations to our Members.

All Members in the United States who participate in a project (either a Consultation or a Survey) must be identity verified via the Trufina service prior to participating in the project. Members may receive invitations to participate in projects before being ID Verified, but they may not accept a project invitation until they have gone through the Trufina process.

What are the benefits of ID Verification from Trufina?

ID Verification assures Maven and its Clients that you are who you say you are. This allows us to remain in compliance with applicable laws, while also providing reassurance to our Clients and helping to prevent fraud. The process is easy and should only take you a few minutes. Your Trufina membership is yours to keep and is portable to other websites that require identity verification.

Maven has partnered with Trufina to provide you with personal identity verification and background check services. When you verify your identity through Trufina, a Trufina verified seal appears on your Maven profile, showing your profile visitors that you are who you say you are and that your background check is free of major concerns. The background check is also a great tool to track your own background the same way you would keep track of your credit history. No specific records are passed to the Maven system.

Trufina verification is limited to:

• Your name
• Your residence (city, state and postal code)
• Your criminal history
• Users in the United States

In the future, Trufina verification will include:

• Your employment history
• Your education
• International users

We built Trufina to solve the problem of verified identification online. Our products are designed from a user-centric perspective — we put users in control of who has access to personal information and when. We want to play a critical role in the online identity management community, by providing individuals and businesses the tools needed to conduct online transactions safely and securely.
Our mission is to ease concerns about identity theft and fraud, and restore trust in online interactions.
We believe that when we succeed, everyone in the online community will benefit.

I already have a Trufina membership and have been identity verified. Do I have to go through the process again?

No. Simply input your Trufina credentials when prompted and we will update your verification status.

I received an invitation to consult, but your system won't allow me to accept it without going through the identity verification process. Why?

In order to prevent fraud and reassure our Clients that they are speaking with "real" people, we require all Maven Members to go through the identity verification process prior to accepting project invitations.

How do I prevent my profile from being viewed by those I don't wish to see it?

By default, Maven shields certain personally-identifiable information in your profile from Clients performing searches. This includes your name, the name of your current employer, and your photograph if you provide one. These settings are adjustable, meaning you can elect to display personal information in searches if you like.

Maven also screens your complete profile out of the results of searches performed by individuals who work for the same company as you. Again, this setting is adjustable, but unless you authorize us to display your profile to your employer, we will prevent unwanted snooping by employers and coworkers.

You may also elect to screen your profile from being viewed by others, either on an individual or company-wide basis. You may do this on the "Privacy Settings" page in your profile.

I'm a Maven Member. Will you give out my personal contact information to your Clients?

No. Never.

I'm a Maven Client. Will you give out my contact information to your Members?

No. Never.

If you don't give out personal contact information then how are we supposed to have Telephone Consultations?

Maven employs an integrated scheduling system and automated click-to-call conferencing system to handle Telephone Consultations. By doing this we are able to protect both our Clients' and our Members' personal contact information, and determine the exact duration of every Telephone Consultation, thereby ensuring accurate billing and payments.

I got a call from one of your Clients saying he wanted to schedule a follow-up Consultation. I never received or accepted an invitation to a follow-up Consultation with this Client, and the request isn't listed on my Dashboard. How did the Client get my contact information? If I accept their request will I be paid for the call? How should I handle this?

Our Clients should NEVER contact you outside of the Maven platform, and Maven will NEVER give out your personal contact information to a Client. We assure you that the Client did not receive your phone number from us. Furthermore, if you never received an invitation to a follow-up Consultation and no request from the Client appears on your Dashboard, then there is no Consultation scheduled in our system. Maven does not compensate Members for calls that take place outside of our integrated conferencing system, so if you agree to consult directly with the Client you will not receive credit or payment for the call from Maven.

In this case, you should politely but firmly inform the Client that they need to submit a formal request via Maven for a follow-up Consultation with you. After you have received and accepted the invitation, the Consultation will be scheduled via our automated conferencing system. You will be compensated for the call after it takes place on our platform.

I got a call from one of your Members saying he wanted to schedule a follow-up call with me. I didn't request a follow-up, but she contacted me anyway. Do you allow Members to market themselves directly to your Clients?

No. Members should NEVER contact Maven's Clients directly. Give us the Member's name and we'll take care of it.

During a Telephone Consultation, a Client asked me for my personal contact information. Should I give it to them?

We strongly recommend that you avoid giving your personal contact information to our Clients. You are under no obligation to provide this kind of information to our Clients, and our Clients are prohibited from soliciting your personal contact information by their agreements with Maven. If you receive a request like this, you should politely but firmly decline to provide it.

Please remember that the protections that apply to you as a Member of Maven (confidentiality, payment terms, dispute resolution, etc.) only apply when you are conducting business with Maven Clients via Maven's platform. You will not be compensated by Maven for interactions with Clients that take place outside Maven's platform. For example, if you give a Client your phone number and they then call you directly for a follow-up Consultation, you will receive no credit or compensation from Maven for the follow-up call.

Do you withhold taxes from my Maven payments?

No. You are responsible for paying all required taxes, including income taxes, on your Maven earnings.

Do you report my Maven payments to the government?

If you are a US resident and earn over $600 from your participation in Maven in a single calendar year, we are required to report your earnings to the U.S. Internal Revenue Service using form 1099. When you reach the $600 threshold we will request your tax identification number for reporting purposes.

Can you send my payments to my company?

Yes. For more information on how to do this, please contact us.

Can Maven donate my earnings to a charity of my choice?

Yes. For more information on how to do this, please contact us.

One of Maven's Clients asked me during a Consultation to do a larger consulting project for her. What is your policy on this?

Congratulations! Clearly the Client found your insight valuable and wants to develop a stronger business relationship with you. Maven calls this opportunity Extended Consulting, and we have designed our microconsulting platform to handle such engagements. We have a daily, weekly, and monthly consulting rate on file for you and can quickly set up your Extended Consulting project so you can begin working. Please contact us right away to set this up.