Comments on: Join the Tiger Beatdown Pledge Drive!

By: Sady

Sady — Mon, 22 Feb 2010 19:04:54 +0000

@Brinstar: I see where you are coming from? But the whole “you are making us feel guilty and then we will get mad” thing is kind of a tiresome critique, in my opinion. Everybody in every creative or media-related profession right now – music, photography, film, writing obvs – is dealing with the same problem, which is: people who can get their shit for free, legally or illegally, develop an attitude of entitlement which makes them feel like they shouldn’t have to pay for it, and unless people pay for what they make, they can’t continue to make it. Some industries are hit harder than others, of course. And I’m not saying I’ve never downloaded an album or movie (although if the artist is important to me, or independent, I tend to pay, because I get that they are hit harder by pirating than others), or that I wasn’t cranky about the forthcoming NY Times pay wall, but I think you don’t recognize what the problem actually looks like until you have started to create content and you’ve experienced the problem yourself. Nobody’s trying to make anyone feel “guilty” here. I’m just saying, in the barest-bones and most up-front way possible: yeah, unless I get paid for this, it can’t continue to be updated or maintained or expanded in the way that it has been previously. Therefore, if you like it, give what you can. I’ve been really touched and happy with the amount of value people have placed on this site, and the amount of support we’ve received. And I honestly do hope it wasn’t “guilt,” but an understanding that sometimes the best way we can support the things we care about is by deciding that they have a monetary value. Even if that’s just as much as you would pay for a new bag or four cups of iced coffee or ONE cup of iced coffee or a pack of cigarettes or Indian takeout: it has at least that much value to you, personally. You would lose at least that much if it went away. Which is why I went for voluntary donation amounts instead of demanding that everyone pay exactly the same for it whether they could afford it or not, to be perfectly honest.

As to sustainability: yes, I definitely get that. And, as I’ve said here and elsewhere, other sources of income are being actively solicited. I don’t know why you would think that I am planning to rely exclusively on donation drives, given how frequently and overtly I’ve made that point.

By: Brinstar

Brinstar — Sat, 20 Feb 2010 08:20:34 +0000

It’s cool that you’re asking for donations, but I would caution against being convinced of the notion that the volume of donations you’re getting at the initial stages will be sustainable in the long run.

Furthermore, if you’re going to treat Tiger Beatdown as your work, which I take no issue with, please treat this as a business and your readers as your customers, rather than treating them as a charity from which you collect donations. In other words, it would probably rub people the wrong way to regularly ask for donations. I could easily see that turn into a slipperly slope of guilt tripping readers by asserting that if they don’t donate to awesome feminist writers, they are against feminism. I would really, really dislike seeing a Tiger Beatdown commenter guilt-trip brute squad type situation, where your commenters turn into enforcers and bullies as they try to get people to donate.

I would suggest moving to a microstransactions or a premium subscriber model. Have a few essays that readers can access only if they make a donation. And/or have certain content available only to reguarl subscribers (maybe a small fee, like $2.99/month). Thus you don’t alienate the bulk of your audience, you don’t turn your commenters against each other, while at the same time your most avid fans and readers have an avenue through which to contribute to your success.

By: Mai

Mai — Wed, 17 Feb 2010 16:23:07 +0000

Donated a little. I also want to buy a shirt!

By: Sady

Sady — Wed, 17 Feb 2010 15:51:46 +0000

@Samantha: And also – I can’t believe I haven’t said this already – I’m so sorry for what you are going through right now. You mentioned it before, and I didn’t respond. Please, PLEASE feel free to e-mail me if you need someone to talk to.

By: Elizabeth

Elizabeth — Wed, 17 Feb 2010 15:50:32 +0000

Shirts! Totes! We can make them happen.

By: Samantha b.

Samantha b. — Wed, 17 Feb 2010 15:36:43 +0000

OK. I would feel damn chintzy if my small donation turned out to be for a year.

By: Sady

Sady — Wed, 17 Feb 2010 14:35:11 +0000

@Samantha: At this point, I think I am going to hold a fundraiser every month. Hopefully, people who weren’t able to donate last month, or didn’t get around to it, will be able to do it next month. Obviously, I’m seeking out other methods of financial support right now, and when I have more of those, the fundraisers might become less frequent, but right now the monthly (and hopefully not obnoxious) fundraisers are what I have to do.

By: Samantha b.

Samantha b. — Wed, 17 Feb 2010 12:34:56 +0000

Smadin hits on something I’m curious about: how often will the fundraisers be held? Are we donating what we think is fair (or do-able) for a time period of a month, three months, or what length of time?

By: Maggie

Maggie — Wed, 17 Feb 2010 12:24:52 +0000

There we go, a little bit from me. More on payday. A subscription would be awesome, though you don’t need to do anything else to get it from me.

By: orestes

orestes — Wed, 17 Feb 2010 03:27:11 +0000

@smadin; some sites do this to get access to cutting-room floor content like the webcomic achewood. they charge $3 a month for an archive of bits that didn’t make the site and things that wouldn’t be of interest to anyone who wasn’t really into the comic. it seems to work pretty well although i don’t know if there’s enough stuff lying around on sady’s hard drive to keep nerds like me entertained. is there, sady? what are you hiding from us? I DEMAND THE RIGHT TO PAY 3 BUCKS A MONTH TO KNOW.