Perhaps I shouldn’t make such a big deal out of this, but it IS a big deal to me. I have wrestled over whether or not I should monetize this site. I’ve heard all the arguments for doing so, have many blogging friends who have done it, and have no real gripe against those who do. Except… I hate having advertisements cluttering up my website.
Plus, the more there are, the more slow-loading the site becomes.
I currently make no money off my blogging, other than residual sales of books from those who like my stuff. But believing that the worker is worthy of his wages, knowing that I work very hard to produce interesting content, and planning on continuing my blog as long as possible, I figured it was time I simply made the opportunity available to readers who feel so led. All donations will go strictly to the maintenance and upkeep of this site. The button will remain about halfway down my sidebar and you won’t hear me talk about it again. Thanks!
I prefer a Donate Button as opposed advertising myself. I have one at my zine but don’t make a big deal of it. I think a tactful message every now and then is appropriate. Kristine Kathryn Rusch includes a button at the bottom of each business post with something like, “I make the bulk of my money on my fiction, so each nonfiction blog digs into my fiction earnings—unless I get support from the readers. So please, if you got a benefit from this post, please leave a tip on the way out.” I think this is a fair request and fairly unobtrusive. So, don’t limit yourself by saying you’ll never mention it again – there may be occasion for a reference in the future.
Excellent idea! I agree with having the donate button.
This is a great idea. I much prefer a donate button. It makes me feel like I’m contributing to a good thing rather than just being a faceless consumer. I also agree that the occasional mention doesn’t hurt. Mikeys Funnies does a donation request once or twice per year. I think that’s very reasonable when considering the funds are used only for the blog (or email newsletter in their case).