About getting tips without getting paid
I updated my About page. I added a blurb about this website, mentioned my wiki, and cleaned up a little. But what I actually want to talk about is the “give me money” part.
First off, I don’t blog for money. I don’t write articles on my wiki for money, and I don’t plan to charge for video content (which is something I’m trying to do more of) either. While I put time and effort into everything I mentioned, I’m not interested in money in exchange.
What is more valuable to me, and has been throughout my technology quest for the last 8 years or so, is information. I love sharing what I know and I enjoy getting information from others. When you read something I wrote, you can comment and share your thoughts. Information in the form of interaction.
That said, money can express gratitude. Tipping. It’s even called gratuity. I have Liberapay and Ko-fi pages on the About page. Here’s the idea:
If you enjoy what you read, visit my sites often, and find them useful, you can express gratitude beyond simple interaction (I always love hearing from other folks on topics I’m passionate about, don’t you?). Leave me a tip. This is not sponsorship.
A tip does not mean I’m going to adjust my writing to someone’s liking because they tipped me. That would be payment, which I refuse to receive. Please don’t subscribe for a monthly donation either. That’s not a tip, that’s trusting me to have something worthwhile to say every month. I can assure you, I don’t. Thankfully, I do not need financial support. Please donate to other organizations and people who need this money more than I do. If at one point I will work on a project that needs support, I will let you know.
I tried to stick with Stripe and options that can leave you anonymous. PayPal, for example, will reveal your email address. I don’t need to know who you are if you don’t want to tell me.
…And that’s about it. I’ll step off my soap box now. Enjoy your stay!