Ether: An eBay for Services?
The idea for Ether came to cofounder Scott Faber when he first encountered eBay in the late 1990s. The E-commerce giant had created the ultimate marketplace for products online: Global supply and demand curves came together, sellers were able to find buyers for their bikes and cars, and buyers could find exactly what they needed. But products were one thing, Faber thought. What about services? After all, from legal advice to healthcare to financial expertise, there is more to the economy than the exchange of tangible products.
With Ether, Faber may have the beginnings of an answer. Created by Ingenio, a pay-per-call Internet phone company based in San Francisco, Ether offers an online phone service for professional advice. Similar to Sphere, an "Ether" button can be added to any website that, when clicked, will set up an Internet phone call between the clicker and the host of the site. The catch, of course, is that the host–a blogger, say, who writes about fixing cars–gets paid every time he receives a call. "It's the best of the Web with the best of the phone," says Faber. Ether hosts get to determine how much they want to charge for the call, and if both parties can't agree on a price, the connection isn't made. "Your phone will not ring unless you've been paid," says Faber. Ether may not be an Internet panacea for financial or legal advice yet, but for wannabe writing tutors and life coaches, the services industry may have finally found its way to a website near you.
advertisement
