I think this is an issue that will forever divide bloggers. It’s good to have discussions, tho, and see how everybody else feels.

I think we look at blogs fundamentally different and that’s where the disconnect is. When I read a blog I don’t think of it as the author is doing me a favor. There is an exchange going on. I am exchanging my time and the author is giving me knowledge or entertainment in return. I have a feeling you’ll disagree with me here but let me ask you this, why did you start a blog? Was it because someone was asking you to start one? Was it because you had people begging you for your expertise?

I started blogging because it was an easy way for me to publish my content. The internet allows me to generate a following of readers. I didn’t have anyone asking me to start one and in fact, I constantly have to prove to my readers that my blog is worth their time. I have to EARN their loyalty. Now, if I earn enough people’s loyalty, I can monetize my site in all sorts of manners. I can sell advertising, I can use affiliate offers (great for sites with lower traffic numbers), and on and on. In fact, some bloggers are able to parlay their large online audience into book deals or columns in magazines or newspapers. So, as you can see, readers have a value all on their own.

With that in mind I don’t see why anyone would expect readers to contribute financially as well. They are already doing me a favor by reading my blog! And, if there is no expectation then why have the button at all? By having it you’re telling your readers I expect at least some of you to donate money to me. That’s what a tip jar on the bar tells me and that’s what this plugin is saying. Not only do I want you to do me the favor of reading my blog, but I also expect you to give me money for it.

I guess I’m just either not that audacious or I place more value on a reader that I don’t expect or need them to contribute further.

Thanks for the link to Blogsonar.com!

I think $30 bucks to John Chow was a very good deal, given that he did mention and linked to the blog. That same day I had 6 blogs that signed up for and a total of 155 visitors.

It was a very good andcheap way to start promoting the site

Cheers!

Fabián.

However, they are also doing you a favor by reading your content. The more subscribers you have, the more you can charge for advertising etc.

For large blogs, maybe. But small blogs may have too little traffic for advertisers to want to bother with. And, the amount that you can earn from Adsense is often little more than a joke. Yet, those small blogs still have to pay their hosting fees (unless they are on a free service) just like the big guys.

PBS is different in that they are a nonprofit organization.

They are also funded by tax dollars, which means you pay for them whether you watch or not. But, they still ask for contributions. Sometimes they’ll even pull a show if it doesn’t attract enough contributors.

The Buy Me a Beer plugin is the equivalent of Oprah asking her viewers to send her a few bucks or some radio dj asking for people to pay his salary this week. It just doesn’t happen.

But, there too, you have an entirely different animal. In the U.S., you have 5 networks. If you count cable channels, we have maybe 1,000 channels. Maybe more. As for radio stations, there are several hundred of those. Initially, someone hired Oprah. Paid her salary. They saw dozens, maybe hundreds, of candidates and picked Oprah. Same for that DJ. Someone took the risk and hired him or her.

Oprah and the DJ doesn’t ask for people to pay their salary. It’s already been paid. They’re doing what they were hired to do. (Granted, Oprah is now her own industry, but it wasn’t always that way.)

By contrast, there are millions of blogs out there. Most of those are not people hired by any media corporation to do what they do. Surfing through blogs is not the same as surfing through cable channels. On your cable box, each of those stations are getting a cut of what you pay for your cable bill. As for bloggers, they don’t get a cut of what you pay for your Internet access.

So, the situation is different. If a blogger says, hey, if you like blogs like mine, please consider making a voluntary contribution to keep it going, that’s not begging. He or she could just simply quit and focus on their regular job and find a different way of spending their free time.

As I said, if your content is good enough that people should pay for it, then charge for it. If you choose not to, then monetize your audience by selling ads or writing reviews.

And all the Buy Me a Beer plugin is is just another method of monetization. It’s also giving your audience a choice: If you don’t value this information, you don’t have to pay. Or, If you would like to continue to read this type of quality content, please make a voluntary contribution.

You could also think of it as advanced negotiation, where the consumer holds all the cards. No one ever pays more than they can afford or want! You think this content is worth $100? Send $100. You think it’s worth $10? Send $10. You think it’s worth $1? Send $1. Don’t think it’s worth anything? Send nothing.

Before retail stores became established, it was certainly not unusual to negotiate a price. How much for that barrel of apples? $5? Those apples don’t look plump, I’ll give you $3. $4? Okay, I’ll buy them for $4. But, now, the buyer can jump right to their low offer and give the seller exactly what they think the apples are worth. The buyer has already received the product and need only send in what they feel is a fair price for that product.

If they choose nothing at all, that is their choice.

Not everyone is going to find all content valuable. They may not want to pay $10 per year for a subscription to a blog. It may never be worth that much too them. But, if they can read it for free, and choose to contribute only if they find something of value, that’s a different situation isn’t it? An individual post may not be worth a cent to them, but one specific post might be worth $1. In that case, a person might be willing to spend $1 a month to contribute to posts they found helpful to them, rather than spending $10 per year on a subscription.

If you pay for something, you expect something of value in return, no? So, if you subscribe to a blog, you’re going to expect that every post is valuable to you, perhaps regardless of how much you paid for the subscription. You’ll read every post with a critical eye. I’m paying $10 a year for this!? On the other hand, if you’re not paying a subscription fee, you’re not going to look at every post that way. Instead, you’re going to say, hey, that was a great post. That was worth $1.

But, again, all the choice is in the reader’s hand.

So, I still think you’re wrong. But, I appreciate you stopping by and making your case here.

A few things, first I do realize this sort of thing started with the programing community and continues on to this day. However, this is something entirely different. Yes, you are providing a service to your readers. However, they are also doing you a favor by reading your content. The more subscribers you have, the more you can charge for advertising etc. PBS is different in that they are a nonprofit organization. How many blogs that have the Buy Me a Beer plugin installed are nonprofit?

Also, I don’t ask people to buy anything from my sponsors. I ask them to check out their site or sites. If they chose to buy something, that’s great. They are paying the sponsor for their product or service. The Buy Me a Beer plugin is the equivalent of Oprah asking her viewers to send her a few bucks or some radio dj asking for people to pay his salary this week. It just doesn’t happen.

Now, if it’s for charity or something (as a comment on my blog mentioned) that’s something different entirely. But, for the most part, on sites like John Chow and hundreds if not thousands of sites like it, it’s nothing more than begging. As I said, if your content is good enough that people should pay for it, then charge for it. If you choose not to, then monetize your audience by selling ads or writing reviews. There’s value in traffic without having to beg for change from your visitors.

Just my opinion but I think I’m right.

Thanks for the response though. It’s always good to have both sides of the discussion represented well and your post definitely details the opposite side of the coin in a well informed manner. Cheers!