I'm not sure why I'm posting on this, as it's been pretty beaten to death.
1. Prostitution is a legal term. Very likely this is not prostitution.
2. People have to decide whether they think it is morally wrong to pay to play. Personally, I think people should do whatever they want, so long as no one is harmed. And for me, morally, that's the same, whether it's paying for sex, or tickling. In my view, either one is okay morally, but I can see how someone who thinks that one is wrong morally would see the other in the same way.
3. For most people, it's more fun to play with someone who plays because they want to, not because it's a source of $. Still, the ability to look up a bio and go tickle that person creates some opportunities for fun that otherwise would not be there.
4. Yes, in response to one posting, I think that the woman who won't see a guy because he does not buy her things or take her to expensive restaurants is no less a prostitute than someone who demands cash. In a legal sense, the former likely is not prostitution, but morally, I see no difference at all.
5. Personally, I'd be hurt if a buddy said, "I'm charging you now." I'd pay to tickle someone else before I'd pay that person. I think that original poster of this thread probably had similar hurt feelings, and I don't blame him!