Pay pals help keep free Web sites going

Dom · Jun 15, 2003, 10:38 PM

"Give me some cash!

"

That is the tongue-in-cheek demand from Pete Abrams, the creator of "Sluggy Freelance," a popular online comic strip. The strip's Web site (www.sluggy.com) includes a "Keep Sluggy Alive!" page, imploring readers to donate a dollar or two in order to help "make one needy boy filthy stinkin' rich."

The donations haven't made Abrams rich, but they have helped him support himself as a comic artist. The 32-year-old Denville resident, who is the author of "Is It Not Nifty?" and other Sluggy books, earns as much as $300 a month from the donations, accepted through programs established by online retailer Amazon.com and Web-payments company PayPal.

Cyberbegging, as some call this, has gotten a bad rap at times, largely because of the attention given to unseemly schemes to ask for money to buy cars, pay off credit-card debts and even more far-fetched ventures.

But not all of the individuals soliciting donations online think they should get money for nothing.

Abrams and others soliciting donations, from car fanatics to columnists, actually provide something for free on the Web and then encourage their readers and viewers to contribute. It is something like public radio, without the fund drives, and operated on a wholly personal level.

Those soliciting donations span the gamut from creative types, like Abrams, to individuals who developed Web sites and then found them hard to maintain without receiving monetary assistance.

Jeff Aycan, who runs the Mazda MX-3 page (www.MX-3.com), a site with voluminous resources for Mazda owners, said he considered shutting down the site until he was able to start soliciting donations. "Obviously not everyone donates, but those that do, usually give between $5 and $10," he says.

Amazon and PayPal make it easy to accept donations by credit card, even for those with limited technical skills. Anyone with a Web page is able to sign up for the programs, known as the Amazon Honor System and PayPal Donations. Both provide step-by-step instructions for adding icons to an individual's Web site soliciting donations. Under both programs, the person receiving the donation is charged a fee, but not the person making the donation.

Amazon charges 15 percent of the donation plus 15 cents, while PayPal charges 2.9 percent of the donation plus 30 cents. For a $10 donation, the fee would be $1.65 at Amazon ($1.50 plus 15 cents), while it would be 59 cents (29 cents plus 30 cents) at PayPal.

The simplicity of these programs enables all of the "give-me-a- dollar-to-buy-a-BMW" schemes, but it also offers the countless people providing advice, entertainment and information on the Web the chance to recoup their costs or, perhaps, to imagine earning a living off their efforts.

That isn't to say donations come easy. Abrams earns far more money from other online programs, such as a line of "Sluggy Freelance" merchandise, than from his "Give me some cash!" plea.

Others find this even more of a struggle.

Kyle Bisignani, a sophomore at Ramapo College, operates the New Jersey Devils Unofficial Web Site (njdevils.info). Bisignani doesn't aim to make a profit, just to defray the cost of operating his site.

"Having a donations program has not helped much," Bisignani says via e-mail. "I spend, on average, $400 a year to put up my Web site. Donations, if any, come few and far between. In total, I have only made $10 in the course of eight months."

Bisignani is philosophical about his efforts. "Thinking optimistically," he says, "it is important to realize that it is $10 more than I would have to pay off my Web-site bills."

_______________________
Source: StarLedger

Matth · Jun 16, 2003, 03:36 PM

Where will the "free" web be in a year or 2's time?

Adverts pay less and less, and irritate more and more - and get blocked more and more.
Donations tend to be thin on the ground - a sure way to get thoroughly pissedoff, is to be asking for and expecting donations, as many freeware authors find out .... I know, I will sometimes tag a program as "pleadware".

One forum "Carpetbagger.com", makes use of affiliate links - and any link posted MAY be converted to a forum beneficiary link - it's not obtrusive, and so far they've been able to avoid the uglyness of popup and banner-plastering by this creative measure.

In a similar vein, direct sponsorship is nice, but for a hardware site, it may compromise objectivity.

Sure, there are people prepared to provide free content, but they have the problem of keeping it hosted.

I have a small site with some fairly specific tech content, long overdue for update. I host with my ISP (cost, only my dialup). I used some ad-sponsored content (Guestbook, Forum ... hit counter) - and they packed up!

Now on the hit counter (last report), I could have got a few quid - but I decided it wasn't worth the aggro, and neither will I put back any ad-aggravated content when I do update.

Jun 15, 2003, 10:38 PM	#1
Dom DriverHeaven Extreme Member Join Date: Jun 2002 Posts: 12,940 Rep Power: 0	Pay pals help keep free Web sites going "Give me some cash! " That is the tongue-in-cheek demand from Pete Abrams, the creator of "Sluggy Freelance," a popular online comic strip. The strip's Web site (www.sluggy.com) includes a "Keep Sluggy Alive!" page, imploring readers to donate a dollar or two in order to help "make one needy boy filthy stinkin' rich." The donations haven't made Abrams rich, but they have helped him support himself as a comic artist. The 32-year-old Denville resident, who is the author of "Is It Not Nifty?" and other Sluggy books, earns as much as $300 a month from the donations, accepted through programs established by online retailer Amazon.com and Web-payments company PayPal. Cyberbegging, as some call this, has gotten a bad rap at times, largely because of the attention given to unseemly schemes to ask for money to buy cars, pay off credit-card debts and even more far-fetched ventures. But not all of the individuals soliciting donations online think they should get money for nothing. Abrams and others soliciting donations, from car fanatics to columnists, actually provide something for free on the Web and then encourage their readers and viewers to contribute. It is something like public radio, without the fund drives, and operated on a wholly personal level. Those soliciting donations span the gamut from creative types, like Abrams, to individuals who developed Web sites and then found them hard to maintain without receiving monetary assistance. Jeff Aycan, who runs the Mazda MX-3 page (www.MX-3.com), a site with voluminous resources for Mazda owners, said he considered shutting down the site until he was able to start soliciting donations. "Obviously not everyone donates, but those that do, usually give between $5 and $10," he says. Amazon and PayPal make it easy to accept donations by credit card, even for those with limited technical skills. Anyone with a Web page is able to sign up for the programs, known as the Amazon Honor System and PayPal Donations. Both provide step-by-step instructions for adding icons to an individual's Web site soliciting donations. Under both programs, the person receiving the donation is charged a fee, but not the person making the donation. Amazon charges 15 percent of the donation plus 15 cents, while PayPal charges 2.9 percent of the donation plus 30 cents. For a $10 donation, the fee would be $1.65 at Amazon ($1.50 plus 15 cents), while it would be 59 cents (29 cents plus 30 cents) at PayPal. The simplicity of these programs enables all of the "give-me-a- dollar-to-buy-a-BMW" schemes, but it also offers the countless people providing advice, entertainment and information on the Web the chance to recoup their costs or, perhaps, to imagine earning a living off their efforts. That isn't to say donations come easy. Abrams earns far more money from other online programs, such as a line of "Sluggy Freelance" merchandise, than from his "Give me some cash!" plea. Others find this even more of a struggle. Kyle Bisignani, a sophomore at Ramapo College, operates the New Jersey Devils Unofficial Web Site (njdevils.info). Bisignani doesn't aim to make a profit, just to defray the cost of operating his site. "Having a donations program has not helped much," Bisignani says via e-mail. "I spend, on average, $400 a year to put up my Web site. Donations, if any, come few and far between. In total, I have only made $10 in the course of eight months." Bisignani is philosophical about his efforts. "Thinking optimistically," he says, "it is important to realize that it is $10 more than I would have to pay off my Web-site bills." _______________________ Source: StarLedger

Jun 16, 2003, 03:36 PM	#2
Matth Flash Banner Hater Join Date: Jun 2002 Location: UK Posts: 3,210 Rep Power: 62 System Specs	Where will the "free" web be in a year or 2's time? Adverts pay less and less, and irritate more and more - and get blocked more and more. Donations tend to be thin on the ground - a sure way to get thoroughly pissedoff, is to be asking for and expecting donations, as many freeware authors find out .... I know, I will sometimes tag a program as "pleadware". One forum "Carpetbagger.com", makes use of affiliate links - and any link posted MAY be converted to a forum beneficiary link - it's not obtrusive, and so far they've been able to avoid the uglyness of popup and banner-plastering by this creative measure. In a similar vein, direct sponsorship is nice, but for a hardware site, it may compromise objectivity. Sure, there are people prepared to provide free content, but they have the problem of keeping it hosted. I have a small site with some fairly specific tech content, long overdue for update. I host with my ISP (cost, only my dialup). I used some ad-sponsored content (Guestbook, Forum ... hit counter) - and they packed up! Now on the hit counter (last report), I could have got a few quid - but I decided it wasn't worth the aggro, and neither will I put back any ad-aggravated content when I do update.