Here's a question for you, Crivvies. I see on some blogs a 'donate' button so readers can make a financial contribution if they enjoy what they read. Anyone else think this is a bit forward? I read some blogs simply because they're there, though I probably wouldn't miss them if they weren't, but I'd never read them if I had to pay for the 'privilege'. Of course, nobody's obliged to give money nor pay any specific amount, but some of those bloggers aren't exactly financially impoverished, so I think it's a bit cheeky to invite readers to donate to the cost of a blog's upkeep. (Not all those bloggers are on Blogger, but on some different platform.)
Perhaps they feel they're enlightening the Internet with their 'words of wisdom', and their efforts in maintaining a blog should be rewarded, but my philosophy is "B*ll*cks to that!" I do Crivens because I enjoy doing so (though I've got less energy and stamina to devote to it these days), but I'd never think of asking anyone to contribute money to what is essentially a 'hobby'. That's because I don't consider anything I write as something that needs to be read and I can cease publishing any new posts should the 'glamour' of sharing my thoughts and/or goodies with fellow bloggers diminish past a certain point and it becomes more bother than it's worth.
The only thing I invite Crivs to contribute is a comment, so feel free to do so on this occasion. How do the rest of you regard the 'donate' button? It's not mandatory, but don't you think it's presumptuous, as though the host thinks what he writes deserves financial support - even only if you want to? Is it any different to asking a passerby for a few quid for a cup of tea? Yeah, they can give you it or not, but it's surely nothing more than begging, isn't it? So tell me, are there any blogs you visit you'd be prepared to donate to? Reveal all in our comments section - but only if you want to. (And do you ever feel guilty about not making a donation?)
14 comments:
There are three YouTube blogs on model railways that I occasionally follow.
And all three have a Patron option to contribute money. Two are people just modeling trains for a hobby and one buys models to review.
There is no reason to contribute to someone's hobby but I suppose if reviews are something that are useful then possibly there are reasons to donate there.
I suspect YouTube pushes this contribution deal to encourage content, YouTubers also make money from advertising.
Like you I think regular blogs are for the writers own entertainment, my own photo blog on Tumblr was started when my daughter was a student over 20 years ago and studying in India. It was a lazy way to show her things of interest that she would otherwise have missed. I keep it up out of habit more than anything.
It's just the idea of asking readers to support a blog that seems a bit 'iffy' to me, T47. There's one blog which has two supporters via Patron and they seem to dominate the blog as if it's their own. Another appears to be run by quite a wealthy individual so I just don't get why it would occur to him to invite people to essentially cover his blogging costs (he uses a private site). Nobody's forcing ang bloggers to blog so if someone does it for their own amusement then that should be enough. I just don't get it.
Kid, I feel your blog is a more relaxed, open affair, compared to most. There's no insidious attempt to request any personal details, in return for sharing any thoughts we may have...so for me, the blog by its very nature, encourages folks to respond, or just make repeat visits, to enjoy your personal musings. You may not always receive comments, on some subjects, but I assure you, you do have avid readers! I personally, don't possess the vast Comic knowledge, that you and your fellow Crivies have, but your blog is highly interesting, nostalgic, and most of all, entertaining...I would like to pay you something, it being only, 'a compliment and a thank you', for your dedication towards all things worth remembering, in a world that just wants to forget?
I'm suddenly feeling very flattered and humbled by your warm and complimentary comment, AAW, so thanks very much for submitting it. Needless to say, I agree with every word (he said, modestly).
There are a few blogs that I would miss, but I can only think of one that I would have considered contributing to keep going ( the owner didn't ask for money he just stopped as his blog was taking up a lot of his time) . I have in the past purchased a download of a self published bloggers comic which I thought was ok . I don't have an issue with anyone having the option to contribute as long as they don't keep asking for money. As you say most blogs are hobbies for folk
Kid - myself being a cheapskate/skinflint, by nature, my donations are virtually non-existent.
Obtaining great value from certain podcasts (one literature podcast, in particular), whilst giving absolutely nothing in return, embarrasses me slightly, nevertheless.
Writing pieces myself occasionally, although enjoyable, requires much energy from me. Therefore, content in which much energy was expended by others, the creator deserves at least a pat on the back, I feel - maybe more sometimes...
Scott Edelman's 'Eating the Fantastic' is the only blog/podcast I've ever donated to. Scott's done very interesting Marvel interviews (e.g. Gerry Conway, & Mary Jo Duffy), over food. It cost him money for the meals, getting there - plus some research was needed; also preparing questions; and there's audio-visual stuff about editing the sounds, removing noises in restaurants, etc.
My Kindle doesn't see to want to find Eating the Fantastic, anymore - not without endless scrolling - so I haven't listened to it for a long time, though.
Some words of thanks, for time-consuming written pieces, is usually all that should be necessary. However, if something's absolutely outstanding, a small contribution - left to the reader's discretion - them feeling it's an absolutely cracking piece of writing - might be within my gift.
Phillip
I admire your discretion, McS, as I can easily guess which blog you're referring to. However, to me, it's a bit like inviting friends over for dinner, then giving them a bill for the food at the end of the evening.
A pat on the back in a comment should be sufficient, P, as no one has compelled the blogger (or podcaster) to invite people for meals so that he can interview them, etc. If he wants to do that, then he should pay for it, I'd say. I sometimes buy comics or toys primarily to feature on the blog, but it would never occur to me to expect Crivvies to reimburse me for my expenditure by way of donations.
People are free to spend their money whichever way they want of course, but if the blogger wants some kind of compensation for his time and trouble, then I'd say he or she is blogging for the wrong reasons. Imagine if commenters started suggesting 'donations' for their contributions. Some comments are better than the posts they're responding to.
Kid - Were donations (from 'big tech') for commenters retrospective, we'd all make a tidy sum!
Phillip
Thankfully, P, I already have a tidy sum stuffed into my mattress.
When I first started my blog, I would link to Amazon on albums and books that I mentioned. It wouldn’t generate a lot of money but I would use it to buy CDs or books to review on the blog. I mentioned that in one of my posts and all of a sudden, it dried up completely. I never looked at it as a money making deal - I just thought it might sell some product for the artists I was covering and generate a little money for them.
That's odd, G. Would it have cost buyers any more money to buy a book or CD via your links? Your cut would've come from the seller's profits, surely? Or am I out of touch with how these things operate?
I sidnt understand it either, Kid, but it just dried up. Wasn’t a lot of funds to start with, but it basically stopped after I mentioned it in a post. I don’t have a whole lot of traffic anyway, but I never expected it to completely shut down.
Must be frustrating, G. Have you tried getting paid for ads on your blog? I knew one guy who made his main source of income that way, but you'd need a lot of hits to make it worthwhile.
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