I'm not a CI. IR is just a hobby.

I get about ten requests for IR help by email per week. Sometimes I ignore them. Sometimes I give simple answers (less than I would if I saw the same question in a forum). Sometimes I just tell them to use the Forums.

Even if I'm the only one who would know the answer to some IR question (rarely true), I'd rather see the question in a forum and answer it there.

If you're a CI, even if you give answers for free in these forums, I think you should automatically ask for $$ for any requests starting by email.