THIS PAGE IS IN-PROCESS. NOT READY FOR PUBLIC USE.
You’ll notice that in the margin are two new buttons, which look like this:
|
Click Here to Learn More |
|---|
I began blogging in 2004. While there were free blogging options then (as now), I went with a for-pay blogging option because it provided enhanced features that would allow me to provide a better blog experience to readers.
I’ve tried to simply employ my general principle of trying to do the best work I can and leave the money up to God.
To fund the blog I set up an Amazon Associates account and occasionally linked to products that I could recommend. Never made a big deal of it, but I was only trying to cover the expenses of blogging. The income was small–a few dollars to a few dozens of dollars a month–but on average it was enough to cover my expenses.
Not wanting to overcommercialize the blog, I declined many offers over the years from people who wanted to advertise on the blog. Only recently have I had any advertising at all on the blog, and that’s been a small margin ad for a single book of mine.
I’ve even had peole ask if they could donate to help support the my Internet efforts, but I’ve never been set up for that, and I’ve been happy to provide material just covering my costs via Amazon.
The situation has changed, though, such that I can no longer afford to take my historical approach. Costs have gone up, and I recently committed to a whole new set of behind-the-scenes expenses (e.g., involved in providing podcasts), just before the Amazon income stream was cut out from under me.
The State of California and Amazon got into a tax dispute, and the upshot is that Amazon has cancelled all its contracts with California associates. They’re working to undo the law that occasioned this step, but it’s uncertain if that’s going to happen, and it’s like to be a year or years if it ever does happen.
To meet the shortfall, I’ve created a PayPal account that will allow me to run a Tip Jar, much like other bloggers.
Even if you don’t have a PayPal account, you can still use this feature with a credit card via PayPal’s state-of-the-industry secure payment system. I myself use PayPal regularly, and they are very secure. I trust them, which is why I selected them rather than some other service.
I would therefore ask if you would consider making a donation to help me pay my Internet expenses and keep providing the blog, the podcast, and other fun and informative Internet projects I have planned.
You can either hit the “Donate” button and make a one-time donation or, if you’d like to provide ongoing support, you can hit the “Subscribe” button and make a monthly donation automatically.
