Last month saw the 4th anniversary of my beginning to to edit the Alex Jones Show for distribution via the bit torrent system. On the 28th of next month this blog will be three years old. When such milestones come along, I suppose it's natural to both look backward and look forward.
Looking backward informs decision about what direction to choose for going forward. I would look back in an attempt to see how well I am doing in achieving my objective. One might call that objective, to "get the word out"... to help wake people up and to place tools in the hands of the already awake. Obviously, there's no way to directly quantify that. I can count "unique visits" and "page views" on the blog, but I suspect many people use browser add-ons to block trackers that calculate those metrics. I do. Also, a fair amount of distribution takes place in the bit torrent system where I have no way of even estimating how many times a torrent is downloaded. Unfortunately the only direct measurement I have is financial contributions to the blog as a show of support for it.
Counting dollars is a flawed measurement of success for a lot of reasons. There's no doubt that a lot of blog users are in a situation where they just can't afford to donate. I know that situation very well. But these are real numbers rather than estimate or extrapolations, and they do show a trend. During 2010 it was not until the last four months that I was set up to receive money through PayPal, so that year's monthly average is based on 4 months rather than 12.
Having said that, this is how things have been going.
2010 average monthly donations, net from PayPal [4 months] $95.30
2011 average monthly donations, net from PayPal $88.87
2012 average monthly donations, net from PayPal $55.95
2013 average monthly donations, net from PayPal [to-date] $10.32
As I have always said, any donation of any size at any time is sincerely appreciated, and that has never been more true than now. My profound gratitude goes to all who have helped.
The blog will soon be three years old, and I am giving serious thoughts as to what sort of changes I should make in it going forward. I am looking at two possible paths. One to be to find ways to create greater value in what I present here, in general... to share content here that's not just useful but also more original/unique. One friend has even suggested that I do a podcast.
The other path would be to redirect some of the hours that I devote to the blog to things that would directly benefit the life that Mrs. S and I live -- e.g. more gardening, perhaps some foraging, more scratch-cooking, canning and preserving, etc., etc.
I genuinely want to hear your suggestions, by comment or email. Usually when I ask for feedback after posting something like this most of what I receive are anonymous messages telling me to shut up and "stop crying for money." If that's what you have for me, you should probably just keep it. Over the course of the next few weeks I'm going to be making some major decisions and I want to have the benefit of input from people who care about what I've been trying to do here.
Thanks.
4 comments:
the whole donation business model basically only works for internet piracy and gaining access to private torrents. you need to use one of those click through sites that generates you tiny bits of revenue with each click to a download link. i would happily click every day, i do for opie and anthony podcasts and howard stern etc. but if you do that you will face problems with torrents since most people might just start using those. i strongly support you earning some money for your efforts but i dont even have a paypal or credit card at that so its near impossible for me to just do so, but i would click those links every day.
Thanks for the response, Anon.
That is an avenue I had not considered, probably in large part because I have no experience with it. As you describe it, I agree with you that it probably would not be the right fit, at least for what I am doing currently.
The business model I would like to emulate is the No Agenda value-for-value plan. Clearly what Adam and John do is worlds away from my current efforts. Maybe 100 percent original content is the only way that business plan can work. No guarantee, of course.
http://adf.ly/
that is the website all current radio posters seem to use, and you should sign up and use it as well. unfortunately it is probably the only way you will generate some decent income, otherwise you will continue to toil in appreciated but uncompensated labor.
in other words adapt or die, and i don't want to see you die off because this is no longer practical or enjoyable. every other radio poster uses these links, and just because this is in relation to freedom of information doesn't mean it's in poor taste since nobody is coming to the rescue in the form of donations.
Thanks again, Anon. I just visited the website and under now more clearly how this works. Food for thought.
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